Nenagh Ormond look to take down table toppers Banbridge
This years Division 2A of the Ulster Bank League is proving to be an incredibly competitive one with just eleven points separating the top six teams and, with many of these teams still left to play each other in the last four rounds of the season, there is sure to be plenty of movement before the final round is completed on April 2nd.
This Saturday afternoon, Nenagh Ormond face one of their toughest tests of the season so far when they welcome table toppers Banbridge to New Ormond Park.
These two teams have met twice since Nenagh were promoted to Division 2A in 2014, the first in January 2015 and then again earlier this season in October. On both occasions Banbridge had home advantage and both times they made it count, recording 13 and 14 point wins respectively.
However, injuries, along with a punishing timetable of games, at the beginning of the season meant that Nenagh were not at their best, particularly for their most recent encounter. Indeed, the most recent meeting saw Nenagh leading in the middle of the first half after a super try from Derek Corcoran and the sides were tied after 50 minutes but the small errors that were to dog Nenagh for their next few matches began to creep in during the final half hour and Banbridge capitalised on these to push ahead.
Since November, Nenagh have put in some very hard work as well as some soul searching and are now in a position where they have won seven of their last eight AIL matches, with a narrow loss to Naas in January the only blip in this great run of form.
As well as these League wins, they have also overcome Division 1B opposition in the Munster Senior Cup, winning 26-3 against Dolphin just a few weeks ago.
The beginnings of a revival of the spirit and determination that saw this team go unbeaten in Division 2B just two seasons ago can clearly be seen but the question remains, just how far have they come?
This Saturday will be a real test of Nenagh’s progress of late and a win here would go a long way to setting them up as serious contenders for a top four finish.