Clontarf edge Cork Con by one point in tense AIL final to regain title

Irish Examiner

27-04-2025

Energia Men's AIL Division 1A final: Clontarf 22 Cork Constitution 21
Clontarf regained the Energia Men's All Ireland League title at the expense of defending champions Cork Constitution as they edged a tense Division 1A final by a single point in Dublin on Sunday.
A late Connor Fahy try converted by Conor Kelly was enough to prevent Cork Con from becoming the first back-to-back AIL champions since Shannon won the second of their three-in-a-row titles 20 years earlier but the Dubliners were made to fight every inch of the way.
Man of the match Hugh Cooney, the Leinster academy and former Ireland U20 centre, had opened the scoring after a dominant opening quarter from the Castle Avenue club but Cork Con were never out of the running to retain the crown they had won in a thrilling 2024 final win over then-titleholders Terenure.
Sean French replied with a try for Con soon after and there was a further exchange of five-point scores as Clontarf hooker and skipper Dylan Donnellan's try was matched by Cork scrum-half Adam Maher, James Taylor's two conversion to Kelly's one success from the tee the difference at half-time.
In this second year of a women's and men's final double-header at the Aviva, the latter contest had followed the pattern of the earlier decider, Clontarf dominating the early proceedings just as Railway Union had against UL Bohemian but having to wait 22 minutes before producing a score to match.
In this instance, Clontarf fly-half Conor Kelly had missed two penalties before his side finally made the breakthrough and the Dubliners had also been held up under the posts. No.8 John Vinson had been making great ground with big carries through the Cork Con midfield and it was an upfield charge that had seen the ball reach Cooney, the Leinster academy centre with URC experience picking up the baton and feeding hooker and captain Dylan Donnellan to charge over, only for Con full-back George Coomber to effect an excellent try-saving challenge on 13 minutes.
The pressure finally told nine minutes later when Cooney finished with a long outstretched arm, though Kelly missed the conversion. As with the women's final, the hard-fought lead was quickly extinguished as Con replied within five minutes, scrum-half Maher breaking open a period of concerted phase play on the Clontarf line to feed outside centre Sean French, the former Munster and Bedford Blues wing finishing from close-range to level the scores before James Taylor's conversion made it 7-5 to the Leesiders.
Clontarf were at their most potent punching up the middle and consolidated another period of possession through a scrum and penalty before Cooney fed Donnellan with an offload that put the hooker in for the try he had been denied earlier in the half.
Kelly's conversion made it 12-7 but back came Cork Con from a scrum in midfield, the excellent Maher transforming from provider to try scorer three minutes before the break, Taylor's conversion making 14-12.
It still needed some resolute defence to keep Clontarf at bay before half-time, as the Dublin northsiders went to their trusted lineout drive to apply the pressure. It earned them some ground when Con flanker Ronán O'Sullivan was yellow carded with the clock on 40 minutes as he charged in from the side but Clontarf could not make their one-man advantage pay and it was their rivals ability to reach the break unscathed which felt like the most telling final act of the first half.
Kelly edged Clontarf back in front at 15-14 with a penalty on 46 minutes as Con began the second half still a man down but that was the extent of their impact on the scoreboard during the sin-binning.
At their full complement, Con were enjoying the lion's share of second-half possession but themselves came up against a brick wall in the Clontarf defence, Cooney with a superb tackle on a fast-breaking Maher on 59 minutes five metres from the line while Taylor missed a penalty kick from a little under 40 metres out two minutes later.
Cooney was everywhere in defence and won a crucial ruck penalty but Con continued to apply pressure, only for a loose pass on the right to fall onto the boot of Clontarf's Peter Maher, the wing hacking upfield with two kicks before his attempt to pick up ended with a knock-on, the tryline begging.
It was a huge let-off for the Corkonians but there was no escaping Clontarf's next attack the Dubliner's with a huge overlap down the right and centre Connor Fahy scoring, Kelly's conversion making it 22-14, seven minutes from time.
Again there was no let-up, Constitution hitting back through replacement Jacob Sheahan with three minutes to go, Taylor's conversion bringing the contest back to a one-point game.
Luckily for Clontarf, the clock was on their side, with only 90 seconds to hold onto their narrow lead, just enough to bring the title back to Castle Avenue.
CLONTARF: T Bird; A Smith, H Cooney, C Fahy, P Maher; C Kelly, S Owens; C Ward (C Bateman, 70), D Donnellan – captain, B Griffin; F Gilbert, J Peters (L Brady, 66); C Smith, A Coleman, J Vinson (O Walsh, h-t).
Replacements not used: D Adamson, W Reilly, S Ryan, J Conroy, A Amaniampong.
CORK CONSTITUTION: G Coomber (J Taylor, 73); D Hurley (R Jermyn, 57), S French, N Kenneally, M Bowen; J Taylor (E Smyth, 66), A Maher (L Kahn, 72); M Donnelly, B Scannell (D Sheahan, 58), L Masters (C Connolly, h-t; Good, 73); S Duffy (J Sheahan, 72), J Forde; J Kelleher, R O'Sullivan (E Quilter, 66), D Hyland - captain.
Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU).