Garioch win in Shetland

Shetland 0 - 97 Garioch

Garioch made the long trip to Shetland last weekend for their second league game of the season.

Due to the fact that the trip required a whole weekend away and with many players not able to make the journey, a reshuffle of the Garioch side was required. Sandy McDonald joined Boyne and Parker in the front row and Colin Morrison came into the side to partner Cowie at lock. Reg Tayler moved to number 8 with Stuart Morrison and captain Moir completing the forward pack. In the backs, Hardwick moved in from his position on the wing last week to partner Donaghue at half back, Chris Lawson joined Imrie in the centres with Thame, Lancaster and Smith making up an entirely new back three.

Captain Moir won the coin toss and elected to play with the strong wind in the first half. This proved to be a wise decision as within two minutes of the kick off, Lawson made a strong break upfield and although the Shetland full back managed to make a last ditch tackle, Lawson offloaded to Imrie in support who ran clear to touch down under the posts and get Garioch off the mark for the day. Moir slotted the easy conversion from straight in front of the posts.

Above: Captain Neil Moir converting an early try.

Despite their best efforts, the home side were struggling to get out of their own half playing into the strong wind. The pressure soon told when a well rehearsed backs move allowed Lawson to cross just to the right of the posts for his first competitive try for the club.

The Garioch forwards were giving a good account of themselves and they will be particularly pleased with the way they were dominating the islanders in the scrum. This solid platform was providing Garioch's dangerous backline with good quick ball and was keeping the home side constantly on the back foot. This constant pressure led to Stuart Morrison charging down an attempted clearance kick by the Shetland stand off. The resulting loose ball was collected by Tayler who battered over from close range for his first try of the afternoon. Moir again added the extras with the conversion. Shortly after, Laird Parker also barged over from close range after more good work by the forward pack.

The away side were looking to build on their victory over Peterhead last week and a lot of work had been done at training on quick off loading and support running. This attacking style of play was in evidence as excellent hands from Donaghue, Moir and Tayler released Stuart Morrison who was running an excellent support line. The young flanker raced clear of the defence to score between the posts. Further first half tries followed for Tayler and Imrie along with one for Tom Hardwick as Garioch continued to add to their points total.

Another strong midfield scrum saw the ball released to Donaghue who found Imrie cutting back on a switch. The centre raced away but an overambitious sidestep on the full back saw him manage to pull a hamstring in the process. Although the fullback was beaten the injured player couldn't make the line so he offloaded to Stuart Morrison who collected the simplest of tries to double his tally for the day. That was the last action of the half and the referee called an end to proceedings.

After the interval Gordon White came on to replace the injured Imrie. The second period started at a much slower pace as Shetland looked to finally impose themselves on the game. The scrums in particular that had been a source of major concern for the home side became much more solid. Nevertheless, Garioch refused to be drawn into a slower game however and it wasn't long before Chris Lawson crossed for his second try of the afternoon. Ev Donaghue was next on the scoresheet. After receiving the ball 30 metres out he made a burst for the line and although ignoring the easier option of the pass to his right somehow managed to muscle over the line after breaking several tackles.

With Garioch now playing into the strong wind, kicking was no longer an option and this showed with the Inverurie men keen to attack from deep inside their own half. This policy paid off as both Tayler and Lawson completed their hat-tricks from excellent long range efforts. Further tries from Lorcan Thame and Mark Cowie rounded off the scoring for Garioch in what proved to be another successful afternoon. Moir ended the match with 11 successes from 15 conversion attempts. Although the tough game and long journey was beginning to take its toll on the Garioch men towards the end of the game, credit must be given for the way several players managed to keep playing on through injuries.

Man of the match was awarded to Chris Lawson for his hat-trick with Sandy McDonald and Lorcan Thame picking up the respective two and one player points. Next week sees Garioch welcome Aberdeen Wanderers to Inverurie for what is already looking like it will play a big part in deciding who will top the table at the end of the season. Kick off is at 3pm and as always supporters are most welcome.

Above: Tom Hardwick clearing the ball from the base of the scrum.