Five things we learned from the Connacht Junior rugby season

THRILLS AND SPILLS OLBC’s Doran McHugh gets tackled by a Corrib player when the sides met in the Connacht Junior League earlier this season.?Pic: Jonathan Curran/Sporting Occasions

Five things we learned from the Connacht Junior season


Review
Rob Murphy

1 Ballina bright spot on barren landscape
THE rugby landscape isn’t hugely positive for Mayo clubs at the moment. Ballina are the one exception. They are the strongest club into the county and had their best season in five years since returning to junior rugby. Third in the league, Cawley Cup champion, and Junior Cup runners-up. That all adds up to progress, and they should be Monivea’s main challenger next season.
Westport are in the All-Ireland Cup for next season, but they will have a battle on their hands – along with Castlebar and others – to remain a top eight side. Ballinrobe are in Division 1B now, while Ballyhaunis are in Division 1C. Emigration and the drop-off of players in the 18-22 age bracket is the biggest challenge for every club.

2 Mayo underage rugby is patchy
UNDERAGE rugby in the Mayo is patchy at best. Each club has one team showing promise, but no club has a consistent run of underage sides or anything that could add up to a succession of talent coming through.
Westport’s under-17 squad are the strongest. Ballinrobe have a strong under-17 side, Castlebar are very promising at under-14, while Ballina have been in plate finals at 15s and 17s – which is possibly more promising because there is a spread of talent, but they are not extremely strong at any grade.

3 Getting back to basics
THE basics (set-piece play, defence, kicking) remain the most important blueprint to breaking free from a cycle of mediocrity.
Tuam and Westport are in the All-Ireland Cup partly because they have managed these areas better. Clubs like Castlebar, OLBC, Loughrea, Creggs, Ballinrobe and Corrib are on the fringe and could make that step up if they can master the simple things.
Lineouts and scrums are crucial, but one key basic where almost most sides are struggling is in the area of goal kicking. Consistent goal kickers are a precious commodity, but if one can be found in the 60%+ bracket, with a strong pack to lay the groundwork, there is no reason why a top-four place cannot be achieved. No side excelled in this area, though Mark Butler and Sligo were probably the most consistent.

4 Refereeing is still a thorny issue
REFEREEING continues to be a thorny issue. There is not enough support from clubs in terms of development of new referees, and not enough marshalling by clubs of sideline comments. Abusive behaviour is rare but still an issue.
However, the standard of refereeing in some big games has left a bit to be desired, and some feel this has gone unnoticed. It’s a two-way street though, as the branch and clubs need to back the association as well. Athlone referee Dave Connolly was a cut above the rest this season.

5 Restructuring was well timed
THE new eight team top tier is a godsend for club rugby in Connacht and couldn’t have been introduced at a better time.
Home and away fixtures will make the entire league a much more balanced and fair competition. Sligo, Monivea and Ballina played the game at a higher level than we’ve seen in this league, possibly ever.
The standard of games involving all three was a huge step up and akin to the lower part of AIL Division 3 at the moment. The gap between ‘the haves’ and ‘have-nots’ increased by some distance this year. The league structure will create a much more competitive eight-team second tier (Division 1b) and provide smaller clubs with a chance to build in Division 1C.

NEXT SEASON
Division 1A.
Monivea, Ballina, Corinthians, Tuam, Westport, Castlebar, OLBC, Galwegians.
Division 1B.
Loughrea, Corrib, Ballinrobe, Buccaneers, Creggs, Gort, UCG, Ballinasloe.
Division 1C.
Portumna, Connemara, Ballyhaunis, Dunmore, Carrick-on-Shannon, Sligo Seconds.

WHO WON WHAT?
Connacht Senior Cup: Corinthians
Connacht Senior League: Buccaneers
Connacht Junior League: Sligo (Promoted to All-Ireland League)
All Ireland Junior Cup Qualifiers: Monivea, Ballina, Tuam and Westport.
Heineken Junior Cup: Sligo
Cawley Cup: Ballina
Heineken Junior Plate: Tuam
Junior League Division 1B: Buccaneers