Select blow away Typhoons, make Blog debut

From Tony George

'Mighty' Select 34 - 7 Typhoons

The Mighty Select have really been living up to their name this year, with 6 wins on the trot following their opening day loss to Valley Mustangs. Typhoons were no league whipping boys themselves, coming into the game third in the standings – just 4 points behind Select.

Despite Select personnel answering the call to higher honours of late, they still fielded a strong side for this away day at Aberdeen. They came out of the traps with all guns blazing (yes, Harps, mixed metaphors are an important part of my idiom) and were 5-0 up before the dust had settled. A succession of “pick and go” drives and some neat interplay between backs and forwards, not to mention some committed rucking, resulted in no. 8 Tom Creedon carving through the line to open the scoring.

The rest of the first half was a real disappointment. All credit to the Typhoons, who disrupted and harried at the breakdown, but Select will have been disappointed at being knocked out of their game plan so easily. The backs also conspired to drop at least 3 scoring passes.

Half time brought a rollicking from the coach, Peter Wray. It can’t have been all that effective as 10 minutes later Typhoons finally turned pressure into points with a converted try. 7-5 down, there was a palpable determination amongst the Select pack to turn things around and they certainly did, with an awesome last half hour. The Typhoons’ scrimmage was demolished, line-outs were crisp and the pick and go was once more being used to devastating affect. One could also argue that the backs’ decision to stop attempting 30 yard miss passes from first phase ball was helpful.

No matter, as strong running from Matty Gibbs, Sam Cooper, Nik Brunner, Chris Wolski, Shane Harmon and super-sub Dairmuid Kinsella, ably supported by a now dominant pack produced a deluge of tries – so many I can’t tell you who scored them. It was all a bit rapid fire, especially with Typhoons wilting under the onslaught. Nineteen points in the last 20 is a fair return – if any of the Select lads would care to help out with scorers etc then we can add to this!