Moloney happy to shoot for the stars

Rugby games last 80 minutes and in that time they can engender a huge range of emotions. One minute you're on a crest of wave, the next you're down in the dumps - or as Frank Sinatra puts it in that old classic number - 'That's Life'.

“I've been up and down and over and out, but I know one thing/Each time I find myself flat on my face/ I pick myself up and get right back in the race."

It was very much like that for Navan at Balreask Old on Saturday as they and St Mary's College engaged in a freewheelin' contest that was packed with as many thrills and spills as the average Aintree Grand National. Several times Navan fell flat on their faces, but they got back up again.

Take the first-half alone. The home side scored with a converted try in the opening minutes. Mary's hit back to lead 15-14 after 29 minutes but by half-time Navan were in front, 21-17.

In the second-half St Mary's edged ahead 22-21 after 60 minutes. Navan came back to leave it 28-29. Then the Dublin side pushed on. In a gripping finale that rocked and rolled St Mary's ran in for a late, converted, try that was like a dagger to the heart for the home side.

Nothing revealed the character of this Navan side more than how those closing stages unfolded. Trailing 21-29 with time almost up Navan launched one last attack. They put together a super, free-flowing move that ended with one of their heroes Ben Daly touching down under the posts. Navan trailed 28-29. After falling flat on their collective faces they were back in the race.

It looked like it might be enough to secure a four-try bonus point AS WELL as a losing bonus point. An impressive haul indeed from a devilishly difficult assignment.

From the kick-off Navan won the ball. Time was up. They could have kicked the ball into touch and settled for both points. Instead they took the courageous, some might say foolhardy decision. They opted to try and run it from inside their own half. A pass was intercepted and St Mary's ended up powering over for a last-gasp try that was like a kick to the solar plexus. Instead of two precious points, Navan finished with just one for the four-try haul.

Should they have gone for safety and settled for two bonus points or should they have done, what they did do, and try and work a try; shoot for the big time as Mr Sinatra might sing? They went for broke and it backfired, but at least they went for it.

Coach Ray Moloney was left to ponder that question at the end. Should they have gone for the safer option or the more adventurous approach? He was understandably crestfallen, as were the players, with how it all ended but after mature recollection he felt the team was right to go for the victory. It's part of his approach to the game, his philosophy. Take things as they appear in front of you and if you feel you can go for it then go for it.

"I know. I know. I probably should have told them to kick the ball off the field that time when they had the chance but I like the way they went for it too," he said. "In hindsight it didn't work out for us, but what if they had scored another late try? It's still a very young team, it's all about learning for them.

"Conor Farrell is 26 and he's captain of an AIL team you have lads there who are 20 or 21 playing. I would just let them play, that would be my approach anyway. Give them the freedom to take their own decisions, let them play. It's easy for us on the sideline to say 'go for the corner' or 'go for the posts' or 'kick the ball out' but they have to feel the game, they are on the field, allow them to make their decisions and live or die by them.

"The biggest thing for me in that sequence of play near the end was how our players won the ball back. They didn't opt for safety, they went for five points, to try and win the game.

There was one bad pass, yeah, but if that pass found it's target we could have got outside them and then it's a completely different ball game. We could have ended up scoring under the posts again, and not them."

Like everyone in the ground - including even the most partisan St Mary's supporter and there were a few on the sideline who only saw things from their perspective - Navan's last try scored by Ben Daly was the end product of a super move - and an example of how adventure, courage, a belief in your own ability, can reap rich dividends. The score came from a pitch-length move that warmed the hearts of the home faithful.

It was one of the hightlights of the afternoon from a Navan perspective and there were quite a few of those. This was one of Navan's best displays of the season; the performance shorn of the string of errors that have undermined other displays.

"I was very proud of the boys today,' added Moloney. " There are some games you would be saying 'oh we're not doing enough' or 'we're killing ourselves' but from this game I felt we deserved the five points. I wouldn't say it if I didn't think so. We got four tries. We showed when we attack we can cut teams apart, we are well able to do it.

Navan and Banbridge remain at the foot of the table and it's looking increasingly likely they will be involved in a relegation play-off - but if comes to that Moloney will go into the game confident.

"I believe we can beat any team in this league on the day, any team," he added with conviction. "We're getting lads back in, we're getting stronger although we're short some players too."

He mentioned Colm Carpenter who picked up a serious leg injury against Old Belvedere the previous week and how he will be "a massive loss". On the credit side he pointed to how Eoghan Noonan has come back and put in a huge performance.

"Eoghan hasn't played in a year and a half, two years maybe, he's trained maybe four weeks and the difference he's making already is massive."

On Saturday Navan's decision not to take the safer option and secure two bonus points backfired but Moloney was content his troops at least showed the courage and conviction to think big and shoot for the stars.