Gorey RFC J2 booked their place in the Towns Cup semi-final with a hard-fought 26–19 victory over Wicklow, producing a performance full of resilience, smart game management, and clinical finishing.
Playing with a fierce wind at their backs in the opening half, Gorey made the perfect start. Inside the first seven minutes, George Slattery sliced through the Wicklow defence with a sharp inside line to touch down under the posts. Full-back Rory Cooper made no mistake with the conversion, giving Gorey an early 7–0 lead.
The conditions played a huge role, and Gorey used them intelligently—keeping Wicklow pinned deep in their own half and forcing them to run from difficult positions. Their pressure paid off again when a slick move out wide, featuring quick hands through the backs, sent Jack Tully over in the corner. Despite the difficult angle and swirling wind, Cooper produced an excellent conversion to extend the lead to 14–0.
Wicklow, to their credit, battled hard throughout the half. They showed flashes of attacking intent and tested Gorey’s defence, which stood firm with a number of crucial last-ditch tackles. However, just before the break, Wicklow finally found a gap and crossed for a try, leaving the halftime score at 14–5.
With the wind now in their favour, Wicklow came out firing in the second half. They dominated territory early on, pinning Gorey inside their own 22 for a sustained period. The pressure eventually told, as Wicklow powered over for a second try and added an excellent conversion from a tight angle to close the gap to 14–12.
Momentum was firmly with Wicklow, and they continued to hammer away at the Gorey line. A crucial turning point came when Emmett Slator produced a superb turnover—his third rip of the game—to relieve the pressure. That moment sparked Gorey into action. Building patiently through multiple phases, they worked their way upfield before prop Jack Ryan crashed over for a vital try. Once again, Cooper added the extras to stretch the lead to 21–12.
Wicklow refused to go away and struck back through their dangerous centre, who broke the line and scored under the posts, narrowing the margin to 21–19 with ten minutes remaining.
The closing stages were tense, with both sides exchanging penalties and territory. The decisive moment came from an unlikely source—a speculative kick ahead from Cooper. A moment’s hesitation from the Wicklow winger proved costly, and Jack Tully reacted quickest, gathering the ball to score his second try of the game in the corner, sealing a 26–19 lead.
Gorey showed great composure in the final minutes to see out the game and secure their place in the semi-final, where they will face either Boyne or Tullamore.
A special mention goes to Ben Hughes, who marked the occasion with his senior debut.
A determined, disciplined performance—and one that keeps Gorey’s Towns Cup dream very much alive.
Thank you to our Squad, Coaches, Match Officials, Wicklow RFC, our Families and Supporters as well as our Sponsors. Together we go forward to the next round.
H'on Gorey!
Playing with a fierce wind at their backs in the opening half, Gorey made the perfect start. Inside the first seven minutes, George Slattery sliced through the Wicklow defence with a sharp inside line to touch down under the posts. Full-back Rory Cooper made no mistake with the conversion, giving Gorey an early 7–0 lead.
The conditions played a huge role, and Gorey used them intelligently—keeping Wicklow pinned deep in their own half and forcing them to run from difficult positions. Their pressure paid off again when a slick move out wide, featuring quick hands through the backs, sent Jack Tully over in the corner. Despite the difficult angle and swirling wind, Cooper produced an excellent conversion to extend the lead to 14–0.
Wicklow, to their credit, battled hard throughout the half. They showed flashes of attacking intent and tested Gorey’s defence, which stood firm with a number of crucial last-ditch tackles. However, just before the break, Wicklow finally found a gap and crossed for a try, leaving the halftime score at 14–5.
With the wind now in their favour, Wicklow came out firing in the second half. They dominated territory early on, pinning Gorey inside their own 22 for a sustained period. The pressure eventually told, as Wicklow powered over for a second try and added an excellent conversion from a tight angle to close the gap to 14–12.
Momentum was firmly with Wicklow, and they continued to hammer away at the Gorey line. A crucial turning point came when Emmett Slator produced a superb turnover—his third rip of the game—to relieve the pressure. That moment sparked Gorey into action. Building patiently through multiple phases, they worked their way upfield before prop Jack Ryan crashed over for a vital try. Once again, Cooper added the extras to stretch the lead to 21–12.
Wicklow refused to go away and struck back through their dangerous centre, who broke the line and scored under the posts, narrowing the margin to 21–19 with ten minutes remaining.
The closing stages were tense, with both sides exchanging penalties and territory. The decisive moment came from an unlikely source—a speculative kick ahead from Cooper. A moment’s hesitation from the Wicklow winger proved costly, and Jack Tully reacted quickest, gathering the ball to score his second try of the game in the corner, sealing a 26–19 lead.
Gorey showed great composure in the final minutes to see out the game and secure their place in the semi-final, where they will face either Boyne or Tullamore.
A special mention goes to Ben Hughes, who marked the occasion with his senior debut.
A determined, disciplined performance—and one that keeps Gorey’s Towns Cup dream very much alive.
Thank you to our Squad, Coaches, Match Officials, Wicklow RFC, our Families and Supporters as well as our Sponsors. Together we go forward to the next round.
H'on Gorey!
