Eagles brought down to earth
DUBLIN CITY EXILES.....46 N DUBLIN EAGLES........38
NORTH Dublin Eagles' 100% record in the Carnegie Leinster Rugby League were spoiled as they were brought down to earth in a bruising city derby last Saturday.
The sweltering heat only served to raise temperatures on the field of play and the teams served up 80 errorstrewn minutes of rugby with few moments of magic to live in the memory of the spectators.
Indeed, it was the performance of the referee which was the subject of much conversation afterwards.
The Eagles took the lead when Mateo Ferrannazo latched onto a cross-field kick to score, but the team's defensive frailties were soon evident as the Exiles crossed the line four times in the space of 16 minutes.
It was just as well that the home side had left their kicking boots at home and this failure helped the Eagles retrieve lost ground, as Andy Maher and the evergreen Paul Jenkins touched down to put the sides level at half time – 16-16.
However, despite that spell of domination, the Eagles fell behind again as Exiles scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half to lead 28-16.
Jenkins, with an opportunist try, led an Eagles fightback and tries by Paulo Nasso and another by Maher sent the Eagles into an unlikely 32-28 lead with 19 minutes remaining.
Then a controversial decision by referee Andy Adams, in penalising the Eagles team when in their view the penalty should have been awarded in their favour, led to an Exiles counter-attack which culminated in a converted try. This seemed to knock the heart from the Eagles as the home side ran in two more tries in the last five minutes – although Joe Taylor went over for the ALSAA-based team in the last minute to put a bit more respectability on the scoreline.
NORTH DUBLIN EAGLES: Ben Moriarty, Paul Jenkins, Jason Kelly, Joe Taylor, Robert Gilsennan, Peter Carr, Chris McDonnell, Leo Price, Eoin Kelly, Marcus Kelly, Cian Erraught, Richard Hart, Eamonn O'Lachlan, Alan Dodsley, Andy Maher, Declan OBrien, Stephen Wall, Paulo Nasso, Mateo Ferrannazo, Gary Brady.
