Munster Express Online

Fresh from their success a fortnight ago in the Munster Final, a far from vintage performance saw Park win this dogged encounter against Nenagh with the last kick of the game and book their place in yet another final and in doing so remain the only unbeaten side in the club.

As is their wont Park started this game at a pedestrian pace and handed the initiative to the home side who duly punished them with an unconverted try within two minutes. This was followed on three minutes later with a penalty to push the score out to 8-0. With Nenagh in the driving seat and pressing for further scores, on twenty minutes Park hit back when an interception by Eoin Heffernan inside his own half left him a clear run to the line for his sides first try and with Paddy Kiersey adding the conversion they were back in the game at 8-7. During this half Park were guilty of several handling errors and also of conceding a lot of turnover ball to the home side and were never able to put any sort of structure to their game.

With only a point the difference at 8-7 it was still all to play for and as in the first half it was Nenagh who struck the first blow with a try after forty five minutes to widen the margin to 13-7. Within five minutes they had registered their third try of the game through a forward drive over the Park line and the successful conversion put thirteen points between the sides at 20-7. At this stage it looked curtains for the visitors but Park showed the mettle that had made them Munster champions and on the hour mark a great drive by the pack from the Nenagh twenty two which took them over the whitewash saw Tom Walsh emerge with the ball from the bottom of the pile and a lovely kick by Kiersey left Park only six points adrift at 20-14.

With Park applying the pressure it took all of the home sides desperate defending to stem the wave of attacks coming at them during the final ten minutes and with the game into added time it looked as if their efforts had secured them a place in the final. However one last effort by Park saw Kyle O’Donoghue burst into the home twenty two where he offloaded to Ivan Kiersey for the Kilmacthomas man to go over in the corner for the try and a wonderful kick by Paddy Kiersey into a swirling wind saw the ball disect the posts and Park into the final.