Shannon acknowledge outpouring of sympathy

THE preparations for our All Ireland league game against Garryowen were in their concluding stages last Wednesday evening in Coonagh. There was an intense focus as the lads went through their paces, with the goal of a win against the light blues of paramount importance. But then, one brief phone call cast a shadow of immense darkness beneath the glare of the floodlights and suddenly, the importance of rugby was cast aside. Colm Tucker had succumbed to an exhaustive illness that he had battled so bravely with for quite a time, and his final breath on this mortal coil had been taken in the loving arms of his family at around 7.15pm in his Dublin hospital bed. It was a shock to say the least, despite the knowledge that his progress to good health was hindered and hampered in a serious way with a number of setbacks. It was hard to imagine that this colossus of man was gone to his maker, but what was less of a shock was the almost instantaneous outpouring of affection and sorrow from people from across the county and beyond, for Shannon's first ever Lion. We have charted Colm's rugby career in words published on the website and in truth, almost everyone knows what Colm Tucker contributed to rugby in his 59 years on this earth. His beloved family immediately came to our foremost thoughts once the initial heartbreaking news was digested. He was above all a family man and while rugby was his passion, nothing came close to his love for his family. His wife Ger, sons Richard, Cullie, and daughter Rachel have all lost their adored father and husband, and our deepest and most sincere sympathies will continued to be offered to them along with his extensive family.

No one would have expected the removal and funeral to be nothing if not big, but to witness the huge volume of people line up to offer their sympathies on Friday evening was to bear witness to the affection, admiration and deep respect Colm was held in. From the well known playing colleagues of his day to the current Munster team, to the ordinary person on the street all came to mark Colm's contribution in their lives, be it big or small.

The funeral Mass was highly emotional but beautiful in the way that Colm was remembered. Colm's Parish priest, Fr. Donal McNamara spoke with a heartfelt sincerity about a gentler and caring nature, but it was Cullie that gave everyone present an insight as to how much his father meant to his family and countless others. His words were emotive, beautiful, witty and simply inspirational, just as his father was, and every word done justice to Colm's memory.

Thomond Park was observed before the Munster game which was so fitting given every inch of the hallowed pitch was probably covered by Colm Tuckers studs in his day.

For close to 40 years Colm Tucker was a figurehead of our club, and even in death, he will continue to be someone we will look to for guidance. Not in the obvious sense, but the question of "how would CT deal with this" will crop up. His wisdom, knowledge and experience will be sadly missed, but not as much as his towering personality which was a bastion of decency, honesty and integrity. May you rest in peace Colm.

Our Ulster Bank league game and the thirds Gleeson League semi, both against Garryowen, were called off as a mark of respect and we take this opportunity to publicly thank Garryowen for their fulsome support, compassion and understanding.

The date for the senior's game has yet to be finalised, but the thirds game will go ahead this Friday night in Dooradoyle at 8pm.

The women had a tough assignment when Tralee came to Coonagh, and despite losing by 24-10, it was a vast improvement on their previous encounter this season. Tralee are no doubt a more experienced side and our defence had to alert throughout. A great effort kept them at bay for a long time, but eventually they gave a demonstration as to why they are top of the table with some slick scores. The work rate from our girls was immense over the course of the game and a well-deserved reward game when Claire O'Shea scored from a quick tap and go. A conversion and penalty was added, but it wasn't enough on the day. It's onwards to Ballncollig for the women where, hopefully their consistent improvement will reap some reward.

The seconds played out a game on Monday evening that they had all the capabilities of winning, but some poor decisions in the late stages of the game allowed Bruff a 30-15 win. The scoreline would suggest a comfortable win for the visitors, but this was certainly a game that we should have won even after giving them an early 15-point lead. It took us over 25 minutes before we got to grips with the game, and when we did the momentum swung firmly in our favour. Aaron Spring set the ball rolling with a try after captain Eoin Cunnane charged down a kick. Ben Sargent added the conversion , and then two further penalties, one from the half way line to claw back to within 2 points of Bruff. The momentum was maintained early in the second half and Ben's strength gained us the lead when he barged over for a try. Then though, the pendulum stopped swing in our direction and some uncharacteristic errors and rashness cost us the lead , and ultimately the match. It was a disappointing result in the end, more so because it was a game that was well within our abilities to win. The junior cup is around the corner and despite this loss, there are plenty of positives in the last couple of games in particular to have an optimistic outlook for our campaign.

The passing of Colm Tucker was marked at underage last Sunday with the U/14's donning black armbands for their final pool game against Bruff. A bright, positive opening saw the lads apply early pressure on Bruff's line and some direct running saw them lead at the break by 12-0. Any notions of an easy win were soon dispelled in the second half as Bruff came storming back and scored two tries through their powerful pack. On the few occasions we did manage to breech their improved defence, a good return was had with two well-taken tries scored. The final score was 22-12 with the points being accumulated with tries from

Cathal Quinlan, Jordan Higgins, Tomas Connolly and Darragh Gibbons with Ronan Coffey adding a conversion.

Some strong performances by the U/9's saw them record three wins from three in a blitz with St Senan's. Excellent teamwork and ball handling skills on show ensured plenty tries for our lads. A hat trick for Paddy Hassett in Game 2 was the highlight. Tries also for Cian Noonan (2), Cian O’Halloran (3), Ryan Mc Loughlin, Oisin Collins (2), Ryan Naughton (4), Harry McGoey & Harry Lynch. Big hits put in by Paddy Lawlor and great turnovers secured by Conrad Jezierski & Luke Nicholls helped the lads on their way. Some clever link up play and passing by Andre Birdthistle, Ronan Tierney and Mark Moloney led to a number of scores for their teammates. Great display all round and our lads left the pitch as if they won the senior cup! A bit of a way to go to get to that stage but no doubt, a few players of the future were on show on Sunday

The U/8's undertook a long trip to Kilfeakle and had a great morning of rugby. Plenty of skill was on show and a couple of victories were rewarded for a great effort from all.