Momentum with Navan

IT was fast and at times it was furious and in the end Navan did the business to overcome Dundalk and maintain their unbeaten run in the Leinster League Div 1 on Saturday. The Navan faithful turned up in numbers for this encounter at Balreask Old and they were served up a good old rollicking encounter that swayed one way then the other before the home side prevailed. One of the highpoints of the game was the try that was eventually to prove so crucial in deciding the outcome. It was engineered by Navan just eight minutes into the second-half and came about through a little piece of ingenuity from captain Simon Donnelly. The centre took a pass from scrum-half Kieran Mattson and kicked ahead from about 30 metes out. Donnelly switched on the afterburners and led the race for the ball which bounced kindly for the Navan player who touched down just one side of the posts. That score gave the home side a 10-7 advantage and set them up nicely for the remainder of the game which they dominated for long spells. Soon after Donnelly"s try Navan notched up their 13th point of the game. Again the score was a little special. Navan were awarded a penalty 40 meters out and Ryan Roberts pointed to the posts. Even with the wind behind him it looked outrageously optimistic, but Roberts found the distance and the range and the flags went up. As might be expected in a derby game Navan had to be tough and they had to be alert as well as streetwise to overcome opponents who tackled like tigers. They moved the ball through the phases extremely well. Before the game one member of the Dundalk contingent referred to some recent good form displayed by his side and hoped that they would carry the day on this occasion. 'If we win today we will be the talk of Leinster,' he added. Despite finding themselves under sustained pressure for long spells in the second-half his team almost did the business. The Louth side had plenty of pace among their three-quarters and they tested Navan"s defensive resolve. Apart from one or two occasions the Navan defence stood strong and resolute. Both sides sought to keep the ball in hand instead of kicking it downfield in search of a break. This led to an open affair although a spate of handling errors was inevitable, as the pace of the game remained relentless throughout. Playing with the help of a stiff breeze in the opening half Dundalk led 7-3 at the interval and looked to have the necessary armoury to inflict further damage. Instead, Brad Harris and his boys moved up a gear or two to find a rare chink in a Dundalk defence that gave nothing away easily. That chink was exposed by Donnelly and he made the most of the chance that came his way. Navan set themselves up nicely when after just six minutes into the game Ryan Roberts neatly slotted over a penalty from 30 metres out, the ball swaying in the wind before moving between the posts. The first-half penalty county of 7-3 in favour of Navan didn"t accurately reflect the balance of play as Dundalk enjoyed good possession with their three-quarters and their pacy out-half Troy Emery always looking like they could launch a counter-attack. After putting together a necklace of passes on 31 minutes it was Emery who found a gap in the Navan defence and ran through to touchdown under the posts. The conversion by Stephen McGee was only a formality. Navan players could hardly wait for the second-half to start and the little pieces of magic from Donnelly and Roberts put them in the front foot soon after the resumption. That"s where they stayed. Mattson unveiled his repertoire of jinking little runs that made valuable ground for this team. Conor Dunne, Harris and Paul Feeney put in some crunching tackles and made the hard yards. Bernard Smyth gave another scintillating performance at the back of the line-out and in the loose. As ever, Karl Manning showed his quality with runs from deep and Roberts found touch with relieving kicks from out of the danger zone that had distance and power. Mark Harrington made a memorable run through the Dundalk cover in the first-half that looked like it might end up in a touchdown and he made a similar foray after the break. Just before Donnelly broke through for his memorable try Dundalk"s McGee had a penalty attempt that rebounded off the posts and away. Just before the end their number six Greg Whately looked to have found a way through for a try only to be hauled back by the referee for an infringement. On such incidents are the outcome of games decided. This time around Navan made the most of any fortune that came their way. When they combined that with a ferocious workrate and self-belief there was no stopping the Navan men in this entertaining derby encounter. Navan - K Manning, T Geraghty, S Donnelly, M Harrington, S Hogan, R Roberts, K Mattson; E Dunne, C Brady, D King, B Harris, J Duffy, P Feeney, T Clarke, B Smyth. Subs - T McAuley for Geraghty, S Dawson for Clarke, J Baker for Brady, E Hanratty for Dunne. Dundalk - S McGee, J Farrelly, R McArdle, M J McKevitt, C McGrory, T Emery, S Byrne; K Dorian, P Whately, K Brannigan, C Erraught, D Fearon, G Whately, A McHugh, E Fa"atau. Referee - John Carvill (Leinster Branch).