Our AFL5 footballers suffered their first league defeat this Sunday morning away to a strong Ballyboden side. Towers suffered a blow straight from throw-in when Damien Murray was forced off through injury but they matched the home side in the early stages and both sides were two points apiece ten minutes into the game, with scores from Ger Hickey and Gerry Homan accounting for the visitors. Alan Milton then arrived from half-back to support the forwards and point, to give Towers the lead. But the next five minutes were defining, as Boden pointed twice and an excellent save from goalkeeper Dean Alford fell to an incoming Boden forward who finished to the net. Alford pulled off another excellent save moments later to prevent another goal and Denis Macken pointed from a free after Tom Curran won a high ball, to leave three points in the game. But Towers were on the backfoot, with the midfielders and forwards impressive, as they tagged on another three points before half-time to leave it 1-7 v 0-5 to the visitors.
Towers started with intent in the second-half when Stephen Homan won a ball in the inside forward line and Macken pointed the free. But Alford was called upon again to save a low strike that was goalward bound and the subsequent 45 was pointed. The home side became dominant and following on from two further points, a goal followed to effectively finish the game. Another Denis Macken point, this from play, was Towers solitary score in the final 20 minutes as a very strong Ballyboden outfit, that had lost three games coming into this clash, won 2-14 v 0-7.
