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23rd May 2004 Venue: Greystones RFC.
SCORERS: The Dublin Rebels defeated cross town rivals, the Dublin Dragons in a very competitive game at Greystones RFC. Both teams punted on their opening possessions. The Dragons, using a newly installed wishbone offense, jumped out to a 6-0 lead on their second possession after running back Dave Wheeler broke free and scored on a 50 yard touchdown run. The Dragons defense then stopped the Rebels on 4th down on the Dragons 14 yard line to preserve their narrow lead. However, after exchanging punts, the Rebels scored mid way through the second quarter when running back Brian Dennehy turned a sweep right into a 24 yard touchdown run. Neither team scored again before halftime. Both defenses played well in the second half, but the Rebels offense picked up some momentum with quarterback Andy Dennehy completing passes to tight ends Simon Mackey and Fearghal O’Donnchu and running backs Mark Kelly and Marcus Naylor. One such pass in the third quarter would have given the Rebels a first down on the Dragons 15 yard line, but was called back due to a penalty. Brian Dennehy also picked up some first downs on the ground. The Dragons also got some yardage in the second half due through running back Dave Wheeler, but the Rebels defense, led by Al Kelly and Kenny Hudson held firm. During the fourth quarter, after Simon Mackey and Mark Kelly had some first down catches, Sean Shanahan scored the winning touchdown from 13 yards out to put the Rebels in the lead with only 4:25 left on the clock. The Dragons failed to convert a fourth down on their next possession and the Rebels ran out the clock thus sealing a narrow 12-6 victory. There were some notable performances in the game, particularly on defense. Steve Wilson, Darragh Farrell and Steve Archibald played well for the Rebels. For the Dragons, defensive backs Franck Hupke and Mark Lawless along with linebacker Charlie Kranz had good games. The Rebels now have a 3-1 record, the Dragons drop to 3-2. |
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