By Dom Gradwell
Drogheda continued their fine start to the National Water Polo League First Division campaign on Saturday evening with a hard fought victory against Galway outfit Corrib in their Kingfisher home patch in UCG.
Always a hard place to get a result and in recent seasons a very unhappy hunting ground for many visiting teams including Drogheda, the Boynesiders knew that, despite their league form, everything would have to go in their favour for them to bring the three points back across the Shannon.
A minor setback came earlier in the week when coach James Healy was hit with the late news that star forward Hudson Grieve would have to sit out the match due to medical reasons, so up and coming star the Greenmount House cocktail maker James Winters was drafted into the squad for the trip west, while Grieve was given the role of match reporter keeping those who couldn’t travel up to date as the match unfolded.
If Drogheda were up for the challenge their hosts were equally fired up and blasted out of the blocks with Ciaran Walshe netting from centre forward and Michael Murphy with a trademark shot from half left giving them a two goal lead midway through the first quarter.
Rattled out of their slumber by the early concessions, Drogheda fought their way back into the contest when Aidan Mullaney struck from the half left position before restoring parity with a rasping shot from almost half way which the Corrib net minder Kyle O’Kennedy was powerless to stop.
Corrib missed a golden opportunity when Drogheda’s man down defence prevented a goal after captain Simon Heffernan was excluded for a major infringement, however the reprieve was short lived as the Mayoman was almost immediately adjudged to have illegally prevented a certain goal leading to a Corrib penalty, the younger Murphy sibling Austin made no mistake from the spot for Corrib’s third.
With Heffernan now walking a tightrope as a third major infringement would lead to an early shower, coach Healy shuffled the pack giving Winters an opportunity to stake a claim at centre forward and within a minute the young man repaid his coach’s faith in him with two quickfire goals to regain the advantage for Drogheda.
At this stage the attacking quality of both teams was coming to the fore as Michael Murphy drew Corrib level with another distance shot. Not to be outdone Luke Callaghan matched the Corrib man’s power and accuracy from distance to give the away team a slender advantage as the first quarter drew to a close, but his good work was almost immediately undone as he conceded a late penalty which the elder Murphy blasted past Adam Child in the Drogheda goal to tie the sides at five apiece after a breathless first period.
Isa Aljunied made his mark at the start of the second period to restore Drogheda’s lead before Ciaran Walshe added his second from centre forward to tie the contest. Corrib’s discipline then became an issue as they conceded three exclusions in a row, with Drogheda failing to capitalise on the Walshe and Austin Murphy ejections before finally getting their noses ahead with a well worked Simon Heffernan after Kyle Cosgrove was binned.
Andy Healy then stepped up to the plate to stretch Drogheda’s lead to two goals with a fabulous breakaway goal. Despite the setback, Corrib refused to bend and Michael Murphy added his fourth of the evening to reduce the half time deficit to a single goal.
Right at the start of the third quarter Aidan Mullaney was sin-binned when he was deemed to have illegally prevented the Corrib counter attack from a rebound shot. Corrib coach Padraig Smyth immediately called a time out but his side’s set piece move was snuffed out by Drogheda’s excellent man down defence to limit the damage.
Drogheda retained their focus as the home support in the pool did their best to encourage their charges, and they took full control of the match for the first as the clocked ticked down in the third, stretching their lead to three with Mullaney completing his hat trick and Healy blasting a trademark left hand bomb. Incredibly, based on what had gone on earlier, Corrib failed to find a way past Drogheda’s solid backline for the whole third quarter.
Strong words from Head Coach, toy shop magnate, Padraig Smyth, seemed to have stirred a revival with his charges as both Austin Murphy and Ciaran Walshe completed their individual hat tricks to reduce the deficit to a single goal as the match entered it is final crucial few minutes.
The experience of playing at the top level came to the fore as Drogheda were composed in possession and hugely importantly, disciplined in attack, using the clock to take the sting out the home side. With 3.15 left on the clock medical student Isa Aljunied struck what would prove to be the fatal blow to break the westerners resolve.
Despite Ciaran Washe capping a fine individual performance with a late strike, it wasn’t enough to prevent Drogheda from banishing many demons by taking maximum points in a senior men’s match in Galway, with the festive celebrations lasting long into the early hours on the banks of the Corrib.
Drogheda’s remarkable four game winning streak now sees them sitting is second place in the table behind defending holders St. Vincents as 2023 draws to a close. Next up for the Boynesiders after Christmas are two testing games against the also in form North Dublin and recently resurgent Sandycove.
Team: Adam Child, Alax Tapu, Alex Crosbie, Aidan Mullaney (3), Teige Kelly, Isa Aljunied (2), Luke Callaghan (1), Simon Heffernan (1), Finn Hanley, Andy Healy (2), Simon Brazil, James Winters (2), Pearse Branigan.
