A STRONGLY contested derby between Ennis and Kilrush went the way of the former as they made better use of possession to register a 23-0 win at their home ground on Sunday.
The early exchanges of this Phase 2, Round 3 U16 Pan Munster clash were quite even as both teams had their fair share of territory and possession.
Ennis made better use of the ball however, and two Odhrán Flynn penalties saw the hosts push out to a six point lead with close to 20 minutes gone.
Both teams contested the breakdown with ferocity which made building phases difficult. Andrew Purcell for the visitors and Jacob Cassen Reinne for Ennis were very strong in this area causing most of the problems for the team in possession.
However after building a little pressure through three or four phases inside the Kilrush 10 metre line, it was Cassen Reinne that found a gap in the Kilrush defence and went under the posts after beating three defenders on his way.
The conversion was slotted and Ennis pulled out to a 13 point lead. Another penalty conversion for Flynn saw the half end 16-0 in favour of Ennis.
The second half was more of the same from both sides. Strong defences saw the majority of the game played in the middle third of the field with occasional forays into either 22 coming up short.
The only score of the half came from one of these visits. Good hands from the forwards in midfield set Aaron Malone through a gap.
His strong run brought play with 10 metres of the Kilrush line. A strong clean-out from Andrew Cahir Whelan saw Flynn send David Moses through on the narrow side, powering his way past two defenders to touch down in the corner.
The moment of the game came from the boot of Flynn who converted the try with a top class kick from the touchline and so the game ended Ennis 23-0 Kilrush.
Notable mentions were Mathew Jordan Allen, Aaron Malone and Jacob Cassen Reinne for their exceptional work in defence but player of the game goes to Odhrán Flynn for his 100% success rate from the boot and general play. Next up for the Ennis side is Kanturk on January 29 at the Showgrounds.