ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE FINAL/Cork Constitution 18 Garryowen 8: CORK CONSTITUTION ended a nine-year wait to claim their third AIB League Division One title on a muggy afternoon at Musgrave Park yesterday. In doing so, they stopped the rot of four final defeats and their well-deserved victory in a disappointing encounter was greeted with a mixture of relief and joy.
Jeremy Manning, their Kiwi out-half, emerged as the man of the match, accounting for all his side's points, courtesy of five penalties and a drop-goal, though the pack deserve as much credit for the manner in which they worked themselves to a standstill against a powerful Garryowen eight.
Fear of losing seemed to grip both teams, notably the Limerick side, who played without ambition for much of the game and brought their outside backs into the tie only when it had moved beyond their reach.
The decisive period came at the end of a turgid opening half and the beginning of the second, when Con scored three times to open up a sizeable gap on the scoreboard.
Garryowen would not have been too perturbed at turning around only 6-3 in arrears, but the concession of a third penalty on the call of half-time represented a major psychological boost for the Cork club.
Manning was tackled late by Cillian O'Boyle after his long clearance kick went dead at the other end, but the infringement allowed the outhalf land his third kick from the 22 and suddenly some daylight appeared between the sides.
Clearly boosted by this score, Con returned to set out their stall early on the resumption. A marvellous driving maul ended with a Garryowen player penalised for encroaching on the wrong side and Manning duly kicked his fourth penalty from the left to make it 12-3 after only 42 minutes.
It got better for Con five minutes later. The outstanding Billy Holland snapped up a Garryowen lineout throw at the tail and the equally impressive Brendan Cutriss carried the move on, creating the opportunity for Manning to drop a goal.
Suddenly, with the score at 15-3, Garryowen's grip on the title was slipping, and while they had plenty of time to arrest the slide, their uninspiring display until then hardly augured well for their prospects.
Conor Kilroy, normally so reliable with the boot, missed his second kick from three attempts, and Garryowen must have sensed it was not their day when Manning kicked a glorious penalty from the 10-metre line on the hour after a lineout indiscretion.
Garryowen abandoned caution in the closing quarter and deserve credit for not conceding their title without a fight.
After the Constitution hooker Des Murray was dispatched to the sinbin eight minutes from the end, the substitute Lorcan Bourke wriggled his way over for the only try.
What followed summed up Garryowen's day. Gerry Hurley's fairly simple conversion attempt from close to the sticks rebounded from an upright, and any remaining hope of a comeback went west in that moment.
And yet it had all started so promisingly for the holders, Mark Melbourne's charge leading to a successful Kilroy penalty after only two minutes.
That it took them another 72 to claim their second score says much about their approach.
Despite coming under pressure at scrum time, Constitution were faring better in the lineout and Manning's 23rd-minute penalty, after a drop-goal struck a post, levelled matters at 3-3.
Almost immediately Kilroy had an opportunity to reclaim the lead only for his long-range penalty to be adjudged short, though TV pictures confirmed the ball had, in fact, gone over the bar.
Manning encountered no such difficulty in edging his side in front for the first time just before the half-hour with his second kick.
Then came the crucial period when Con pulled away to at last bury the ghosts of previous finals.
CORK CONSTITUTION: R Lane; J Kelly, T Gleeson, E Ryan, C Healy; J Manning, J Stringer; D Hurley, D Murray, T Ryan; M O'Connell (capt), S O'Connor; F Cogan, B Holland, B Cutriss. Subs: E Leamy for Cogan, D Lyons for Kelly (both 65 mins), C Murphy for Ryan (78 mins).
GARRYOWEN: C Kilroy; C O'Boyle, K Lewis, C Doyle, K Earls; W Staunton, G Hurley; R Brosnan, D Varley, E McGovern; M Melbourne, F McKenna; P Neville (capt), P Malone, A Kavanagh. Subs: D Sherry for McKenna (55 mins), D Lavery for Brosnan (63 mins), L Bourke for Kilroy (65 mins), B O'Mahony for Kavanagh, F Quaglia for Staunton (both 68 mins).
Referee: G Clancy (IRFU).
