Thrilling two-point victory for Mullingar senior women

Mullingar 31, Greystones 29

Mullingar edged a pulsating encounter 31–29 against Greystones in a hard fought game that showed true pride and spirit, as they fought back from a two try deficit to come away with the spoils.

The opening five minutes were disrupted by a number of early injuries, resulting in a slow start for both sides. Greystones settled first, earning a scrum on seven minutes and holding possession. Mullingar eventually forced a turnover on 10 minutes to relieve the pressure. A crooked Mullingar lineout on 11 minutes handed Greystones another attacking scrum, the pack were strong and Mullingar’s defence held firm.

The breakthrough came on 23 minutes when Wynne crossed for Mullingar’s opening try. The conversion drifted wide, but it gave Mullingar a foothold in the game. Play continued, the carries were strong and the support play was immense. Young was strong in the air maintaining possession for the home side.

A few minutes later, after persistent crashes from the pack inside the 22, Mullingar struck again — this time with Foxe finishing the move and adding the conversion to extend the lead. Greystones responded strongly before the break, scoring a converted try with ten minutes to go and adding another unconverted try leaving it level at the break.

Half-time score: Mullingar 12, Greystones 12.

Second Half

Ryan, returning from ACL reconstruction, was introduced after the break following an injury to Gildea, adding fresh energy to the contest. Mullingar began the half defending resolutely but were forced onto the back foot, retreating under sustained Greystones pressure. Greystones capitalised with two early tries within the first twenty minutes, swinging momentum firmly in their favour.

But Mullingar weren’t finished. As we entered the final quarter, Wynne broke on the wing and powered over for her second try, with Foxe kept her composure converting to narrow the gap.

Just four minutes later, the dynamic duo struck again - Wynne over the line and Foxe adding the extras once more to ignite belief across Shay Murtagh Park. With ten minutes to go, Aherne produced a moment of brilliance, breaking down the right wing inside the 22, slicing through the defence to score. The conversion drifted right and wide.

Greystones, in touching distance, were persistent in attack and responded with a converted try on 78 minutes, setting up a nail-biting finale, Mullingar were leading by two points.

The deciding moment

In the final minute, from the restart, Mullingar’s defence stood tall. Greystones threatened to break through, but fierce tackling and pressure from Norris forced a ruck infringement. Mullingar were awarded a crucial penalty, and Foxe calmly slotted it into touch. The referee blew the final whistle, confirming a dramatic 31–29 victory for Mullingar. A game of resilience, composure, and clutch finishing. Mullingar should be very proud of the team performance and look ahead eagerly to the final league game against Clondalkin in Baldonnell Farm next Sunday at 1pm.

Team: Anna Scanlon, Ika Catulo, Moya Murtagh, Aoife Doonan, Emily O’Brien, Eve Byrne, Charlotte Young, Clodagh O’Brien, Abigail O’Connor, Jodi Aherne, Ciara Wynne, Ciara Foxe, Alana Norris, Chloe Mulcahy, Catherine Gildea, Emma O’Hara, Keela Nolan, Makayla McCormack, Grace Rami, Amy Daly, Robyn O’Brien, Sorcha Oakes, Sorcha Ryan.