Nerves of Steel Lawlor seals last gasp win

Speirs Cup Final
Clondalkin 26 Naas 25
Article by Jonny Stapleton

Clondalkin Fourth’s completed the greatest come back since Lazarus last Saturday evening claiming the Speirs Cup with the last kick of probably the most dramatic game Gordon Park has ever seen. With just 8 minutes remaining of an epic encounter Clondalkin were 11 points behind and looked dead buried.

However, the perennial underdogs seemed to thrive in adversity and continued to battle, and after scoring to put themselves back in contention the Gordon Park side snatched the win via a sensational photo finish. Paddy ‘Bonesaw’ Burke looked like he had put a single point between the teams when he crashed over on the last play of the game, only for the referee to deem his effort held up. The linesman however raised his flag and after a brief consultation the adjudicator reversed his decision and awarded the score. Gordon Park erupted before quickly falling silent in the realization that Clon needed the conversion to be c

onverted if the fourths were to win. And in a game of Hollywood style dramatics Paddy Lawlor proved to be the leading man. The former Dublin Minor displayed nerves of steel to literally steal the result from AIL side Naas’ second string. Despite immense pressure the centre sailed the ball between the posts sparking massive celebrations in the process.

Clon were forced to defend for large periods early on as their divisionally superior opponents went for the juggler. The gutsy fourth string held firm however and even managed to take a surprise lead. Kevin ‘Maori’ Hanlon showed his strength and class picking a lovely line of the influential Brian Berry to put the host in the opposition 22 for the first time in the game. Quick ball then found its way to Gaz Geoghan and he broke the first line of defence before off loading to the supporting Burke, who finished from close range.

Lawlor added the extras and Clon were 7-0 to the good. A wounded Naas hit back instantly touching down under the post. They then failed with a cheeky dropped conversation attempt which in turn prevented the Kildare outfit from getting on terms. Naas continued to dominate both possession and territory and only time interventions from Hanlon, Colm McHugh, Chris Murray, Conor Maloney and Joseph Lovett amongst others meant the Kildare side only had two penalties to show for their efforts. Much like down in Kinsale only a few weeks ago Brian Berry was keen to follow in Mark Molloys footsteps and just like in Kinsale he hit on the person in number 6 jersey.

Clon did look dangerous on the rare occasion they had ownership of the ball and did manage another score before the break. Carries by Graham Gallagher, McHugh and Hanlon ensured another rare trip to opposition territory. The ball was then moved wide and the electrifying Eammon Hughes took a lovely line off captain Jonny Stapleton before burning home to register a tenth try in his debut season.

Clon held that slender 14-11 lead going into the turn and initially got the better of proceedings after the break. However nothing tangible came from the early pressure. Geoghan looked a constant threat, while Maloney, McHugh and the rest of the pack were dominant up front. But true to the nature of the tense and frantic affair the next score came against the run of play. This time

Naas pounced to take lead. The AIL side’s second team immediately upped the tempo and began to move the ball with serious intent. At that point Clondalkin seemed to be hanging on especially after Maloney was binned for an off the ball incident. Naas eventually opened up a comfortable 25-14 leading touching down twice in quick succession moments after they had an effort ruled out.

With just eight minutes remaining it seemed Clon, who finished runners up in the J5 league, would have to settle for second best yet again, but there were a few more twists and turns left in the tie. It was game on again when a jinky Geoghan run ended behind the line and put Clon within six. However, any hope of a late revival seemed to be gone when Naas’s former AIL out-half crossed the line, but pressure from Berry ensured that he crossed the dead ball line too and his effort was ruled out.

Clon were still on the come back trail and went searching for a medal ensuring score. With the home support consuming nothing but finger nails Burke raised the roof after a mammoth effort from front rowers Gallagher, Dunphy and Maloney gave him the change to finish from five. Then Lawlor booked his place in Clon folklore sparking massive celebrations when he cooly converted to snatch the win with the last kick off the game.

Added by Murts May 10, 2010 (4:04PM)

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