LETTERKENNY 17 : 58 DUNGANNON 

Having made a number of changes to the previous week Letterkenny took to the field a little light on experience in some areas and the game proved to be an abrupt learning curve for the home team. Dungannon, having made the long journey, had left nothing on the bus in terms of ambition and ran in tries, almost at will, for long periods of the first half.

Few Letterkenny players were closing down the marauding South Tyrone attack and, at times, only last gasp tackling by fullback Cillian McGoningley kept them in the game.

Cian Curran, captaining the home side, did well to keep up the spirits of the players and lead by example on with number of good runs and hard tackling. With the half time whistle beckoning, and trailing by 44 points to nil,  one such run got the ball out wide to the hands of Daniel O’Driscol who finished well to get the home side on the scoreboard at the break.

The interval did the home side the power of good and they started brightly. Within minutes of the restart the ‘Kenny forwards were dominant and both Eoin McDaid and Brian Doherty had chances held up near the line.

Dungannon came back again and two well worked moves split the defence on both occasions allowing the scorers little opposition to increase the tally. 

Having come on at half time the powerful Justin Allen started to make his mark on the event and a number of bullocking runs from the forwards, who had begun to work together, saw him crash over to score a try converted by scrum half Sean Curran.

Another powerful run from the improving Andrew Devenney added a further 5 points for the home team and further forays into the visitors 22 were held up preventing a comeback. The much improved second half performance indicated the return fixture, in a couple of weeks time, could see a much closer encounter.

As the scoreline suggests Dungannon were the dominate force for much of the game, and ran out deserved winners, however the Letterkenny boys had learnt much and ended with their heads held high.

Letterkenny team;  Conor McCrossan, Mel Harkin, Jim Chambers, Eion McDaid, Shane Gallagher, Brian Doherty, Gareth McGill, Adhemer McIvor, Adam Khavia, Ryan Mortimer, Daniel O’Driscoll, Cian Curran, David Gallinagh, Chris Petersen, Cillian McConingley, Shane Gibson, Andrew Devenney, Eoin Ferry, Justin Allen,  Sean Curran