Final a step too far for improving Omagh Academy lads

OMAGH Academy’s steadily improving Medallion side fell to a disappointing 24-14 reverse at the hands of their Dromore High School counterparts in the Trophy final at Royal School Dungannon on Tuesday afternoon.

Ross Hunter’s young charges have come on in leaps and bounds throughout the past year but victory in the decider against a physically imposing Dromore side proved a step too far on the day.

And while the impressive Harry McIlwaine continued is superb run of scoring a try in every game en route to the final, along with Andrew King also dotting down and two Samuel Cochrane conversions, Omagh fell 10 points short on this occasion.

“Size and physicality was the main difference on the day,” observed Academy PE teacher and rugby coach, Hunter.

“They were big boys, who were just more physically developed that ours were and I think that was the over-riding theme that won them the game. They used their size and they used their pack to good effect.

“Our guys did stand up to it but they were getting more go forward ball out of it and they were able to punish us off that.”

While disappointed at the final result and having to watch his boys miss out on a winner’s medal, Hunter was delighted by their efforts on the day and throughout the tournament.

To reach the showpiece, Ross Hunter’s charges defeated Belfast High School 15-10, thanks to tries from Jonathan Doak and McIlwaine (2).

Then came another testing encounter against a side from the big smoke when they travelled to Cooke Rugby Club in South Belfast to face Our Lady and St Patrick’s Knock.

There wasn’t much to choose between the sides at Shaws Bridge, with the game finishing all square at 5-5 with McIlwaine getting Omagh’s vital touchdown to force the Belfast men into a trip down the M1 to the Campsie Playing Fields where the Academy lads earned an 18-0 triumph thanks to another McIlwaine try and one from Cochrane, who added a conversion, while McIlwaine also kicked two penalties.

That victory set up a clash at Strabane Academy and a Tyrone derby in the last four for a place in the decider, which Omagh won by 19-43, thanks to tries from McIlwaine (2), Mathew McClung, Andrew King and Charlie Farrell, with Cochrane kicking three conversions and four penalties.

And after watching their progression during the Trophy campaign, Hunter believes there is more to come from this group of players.

“It’s a disappointing end to the season but those guys have improved an awful lot,” he observed.

“They were losing games very heavily at the start of the year so just even the encouragement to get them to the final and to compete at that as well as been brilliant for them. They have shown great resillience, a lot of resillience all year, to keep turning out to training, to keep going and they have made some improvements on the back of that.

“I’m pleased with them and I’m proud of them and I’m looking forward to them stepping up to senior rugby. And hopefully they all do stick at it. It will be a big challenge for them and there are a lot of improvements still to be made but we’ll work hard at it and hopefully there will be a bit of success further down the line for us.”

Omagh Academy

Matthew Brady, James McCormack, Jack Keys, Matthew Caldwell, Luke Livingstone, Andrew Baggs, Eoin McCusker, Ben Blackburn, James Burke, Jonathan Doak, James Millar, Jonathan Buchanan, Andrew King, Sam Andrews, Thomas Buchanan, Harry McIlwaine, Zach McKenna, Joshua Byers Matthew McClung, Sam Harper, Jack Adams, Samuel Cochrane, Philip Crawford, Joshua McKernan, Charlie Farrell, Isaac Milligan, Adam Coulter, Lewis Henderson.