Dungannon took full advantage of the excellent conditions under the glorious mid-winter sun, to beat Banbridge 54 to 19. There were 10 tries scored on the day with Gannon providing 8 of those tries. There was an even split of scores between the forwards and backs.
The return of several seasoned veterans Rodgers, Haydock, Irwin and Cranston gave the Gannon more structure and cohesion.
The mercurial and elusive Adam Cranston was a continuous thorn in the side of the Banbridge defence. He continuously tested the defence by breaking tackles and putting defenders on the back foot. Early in the game he scored a key try by ducking, sidestepping several defenders to dive under the posts.
Matty Rogers at outhalf controlled the game with his kicking game. His restarts were perfect, his distribution was excellent and he managed seven out of eight conversions. Not bad for a man who hasn’t played in one year.
Andrew Haydock also made a vital contribution to the breakdown, tackle and support play. Once again another man whose presence gives cohesion and direction to the team.
Johnny O’Neill and Matty Irwin were like a brick wall in the centre. Going forward, both guys made hard yards for Dungannon. O’Neill scored the try of the day when he grubber kicked the ball through defenders and from over 30 metres out he deftly controlled the bouncing ball while being harried by two defenders eventually scoring under the posts. Talk about a happy man.
Forwards, Christy Brace , Logan McIllravie, Captain Matty Scott and Ben Doran all scored from well worked phase play. Dungannon consistently won the battle of the breakdown. Gannon forwards had supremacy in the scrum and won their fair share of scrappy lineout ball. Banbridge struggled with the punching power of the Dungannon forwards especially Messrs Gilbert, Carroll, Evans and Gildernew who continuously broke through the Banbridge covering tackles to create space for the Dungannon strike runners.
The backs contributed four tries with sharp and accurate passing. Kiwi tourist Roderick Quinton was the chief beneficiary of Gannon’s dominance in territory and possession scoring a brace of tries. Jack McAree, Ben Holmes and Fergal Goan had solid games running intelligent lines while in possession and in support. Both tackled well and neutralised the attacking options of Banbridge in the outer channels.