Below is our preview of the Plate and Cup competition ahead of Friday nights final games.
The Plate Final:
There are two games in this competition. The 3rd and 4th place play-off will be the battle of the pubs as MBJ, led by John Duggan, takes on the might of TEAM RAM, captained by Threasa McLoughlin. Both teams will be hoping to end the season with a win that will ensure they hold the all-important bragging rights for the coming months.
The Plate Final brings together two teams who just missed out on a Cup spot. Both teams finished 3rd in their group and were very unlucky not to claim one of two Cup places that were on offer. Fantagtastic are led by the crafty campaigner Pearse Hahessy. And, what this man doesn’t know about rugby is not worth knowing!
A very successful group stage saw Fantagtastic claim three wins and one draw. Built around a team with excellent ball handling skills they will be going all out to claim the Plate.
Hoping to prevent this however will be the team from Kiltimagh, Taggin Waggin. Their captain, Cathal McDonagh, will be hoping ‘The Waggin’ can keep rolling for one more night and that it will indeed be him hoisting that Plate in high the air once the final whistle is blown. This will be a game of two very evenly matched teams, with an outcome extremely hard to call.
The Cup Final:
The big one! It’s the Cup Final games.
The 3rd and 4th place play-off will involve Hanley’s Hookers, led by the all-round ‘athlete’ Derry O’Sullivan, and the Robe Ruckers, captained by Damien Burke. Both teams were unlucky losers in their respective semi-finals and will be hoping to go one better in this one. Each of the two teams finished second in their group stages and this game will be very keenly contested.
The Cup Final sees the clash of the big two. Is Féidir Linn, the only unbeaten team still in the competition, will be hoping to keep that record intact. When their captain Paul Cunnane was contacted for a quote before the game, all he would say is “COME ON!!”. There have even been reports of some team members attending warm weather training in Thailand, but these reports have since proved unfounded!
Their opponents in the big match are Got the Runs, who will be doing their very best to ensure Is Féidir Linn will not be celebrating once the final whistle is blown. Their captain, Amy Muldowney, will ensure her team are primed and ready for battle. Is Feidir Linn had a tremendous battle in the semi-finals where they were managed a 10-6 win against a very strong Hanley’s Hookers team. Got the Runs just had too much for the Robe Ruckers in their semi-final, winning on a score line of 28-12.
The Cup Final is shaping up to be an extremely tight affair with both teams packed with speed and stamina. Local bookmakers can’t separate them in betting with both teams quoted as ‘evens’. There is only one way to find out who wins, be at the convent pitch this Friday to catch all the action!