A famine or a feast promised for Balreask Old on Saturday

JIMMY GEOGHEGAN

When Navan take on Kanturk in their AIL Div 2C clash at Balreask Old on Saturday the punters who show up could be treated to a try-fest.

After all when these two teams met earlier in the season it finished 47-37 in favour of Navan. So an avalanche of scores can be expected again this time around. Right?

Well maybe not. Last season when these two teams met one of their games finished scoreless. From zero to near 90 points is some swing so it's anyone's guess how it will turn out this time.

However, all the evidence would suggest that whether the contest is high scoring or not Navan will win.

After all, they are top of the table with a nice four-point cushion while Kanturk are scrapping near the bottom hoping to avoid the unpalatable fate of finishing bottom and the dreaded drop down to the junior ranks.

Not that all those statistics are going to give Navan a false sense of complacency going into Saturday's contest.

Certainly not if forwards coach Dara Fallon has his way. He described Navan's 15-8 victory over Bruff as 'massive' with the character of the team in holding out the Limerick side's onslaught late in the game particularly impressing him, but there's work to be done. Plenty of work.

Despite the Bruff victory, Fallon, like any good coach, saw room for improvement especially in the skills-set department such as the way Navan presented the ball and passed when in full flight. Coach Alan Kingsley shared the same sentiment.

Other aspects of the display - the work at the breakdown, the line-outs, the scrums, the set-pieces, the bloody-minded nature of the team not to fold and throw in the towel when two players were in the sinbin - have given the Navan management team (that also includes manager Spencer Vodden) plenty of reasons for optimism.

The quest for perfection is, no doubt, one of the reasons why Navan are doing so well this season and now, with four games to go, are strong contenders for the title.

Kanturk have shown they are capable of going on the road and shoring up their defence. That gritty, stubborn streak was displayed in the way they travelled to Bangor a few weeks ago and chisilled out a 7-7 draw.

They didn't have a game last Saturday as their home fixture with Tullamore was called off. Instead a number of their players and, no doubt coaching staff, travelled to Bruff to watch Navan.

They were spotted among the spectators and this week they will be looking closely at how they might plot a victory in Navan.

A former player and coach with Lansdowne, Fallon joined the Navan management team as forwards coach this season and, as a former scond row player himself, he has helped to organise the pack into a formdiable unit.

A big emphasis has been put on the approach to dealing with the breakdown, with and without possession, and the specific roles players have in approaching that aspect of the game. Looking at aspects as to when to commit to the breakdown, when not to.  
The work at the breakdown was, according to sources, one of the reasons why they won in Bruff - and Munster teams pride themselves on their forward play.

'There is always things to improve on, but you can't over-state either how big a thing it is to go down to Limerick and come out with four points and not just come out of Limerick but come out of Limerick after playing a Munster team that plays a Munster style of rugby and go down to 13 men for part of the game.

It was an absolute huge result,' added Fallon. Looking to the Kanturk game, Fallon is wary  of any team who come to Balreask Old fighting for survival - and that is understandable.

However, it would be a big surprise if a resurgent Navan were to be knocked off course by a team who have struggled this season. This is a great chance for the Balreask Old  boys to push on - and they should do just that.