Ladies do it again Thurles 0 Tralee 90 (yes ninety)

The visiting side started the game as they have in recent weeks by bombarding their opponents’ defence from the outset and as in previous games this approach paid dividends early as Christine Arthurs crossed the line inside 2 minutes to give the Kerry side an early 5 point cushion and Siobhan Barrett extended that cushion to 7. It was clear from the opening minutes of play that the Kingdom Ladies were far superior to their opponents on this day and this was exemplified as Tralee ran in 3 more tries through Riona Kennedy, Lisa Marie Murphy and Siobhan Fleming and secured the bonus point inside the opening 15 minutes of the game, leaving our side with a 26-0 lead after 13 minutes. Thurles were unable to keep possession of the ball for any extended periods with the Tralee pack dominant at scrum-time and Trish Fitzpatrick unmatched in both the attacking and defensive lineouts. Even with the comfort of a 26-point lead, the Kerry side were relentless in their pursuit of more points and this resulted in a further 4 tries from Elaine Drumm, Siobhan Fleming and two from Siobhan Barrett before half time. With the visitors holding the home side to a 48 point advantage, the referee decided to end the half after 35 minutes instead of the normal 40.

The second half started as the first had ended with our squad in total control in all areas. They continued their assault on the Tipperary sides try line and would be rewarded with 6 tries in the first 25 minutes of the second half from Siobhan Fleming, Lisa Marie Murphy, Laura O’Mahony, Emer O’Mahony, Noreen Cleary and Siobhan Barrett. With Barrett kicking 6 from 6 in the second half and 10 from 14 on the day, Tralee held a 90 point lead. With the game clearly over, the referee blew the final whistle with 10 minutes remaining to end the game. With this result, Tralee sit atop the league table, 6 points clear of second place Portlaoise, with 2 games left to play.

The management were delighted with the team’s performance on the day describing it as clinical, composed and a complete team effort. Coach Paul McMahon said that he was very impressed with the courage shown by the young Thurles team who fought every minute of the game and never gave up the fight.