Melbourne lose tight game in mud of Ashbourne

A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW
Melbourne travelled to Ashbourne in a confident mood following their recent form and performances.
The ref turned up with no shorts and so Al Judge kindly donated him a pair. A decision he may have reconsidered after the game.
Knowing the opposition pretty well from previous seasons, Melbourne knew what to expect. It was no surprise that the match was once again played on the basement boggy pitch and that, combined with the horrendous weather, meant for a game of simple basics.
Melbourne exerted excellent pressure in the first half having the majority of possession and territory with Ashbourne having few or no real chances that threatened the Melbourne line. However, there was an air of uneasiness as Melbourne could not break through a resilient if slightly favoured Ashbourne defence. Twice the opposition scrumhalf lashed out at the faces of two Melbourne players in broad daylight only to be given no sanction or repercussion.
Melbournes discipline was exemplary as had been discussed in the prematch chat and they continued to press hard for first blood which came courtesy of Holden through a penalty.
Excellent work in the maul saw Melbourne grab the first try through Lowery which was again converted well by Holden.
Ashbourne relied on their big ball carriers to try and make an impact but with excellent first up tackling no way could be found through the green line.
With three minutes until half time yet another poor decision from the referee saw Alec Judge sin binned for what was at best a gentle shove following a late tackle. The greens were down to fourteen for the start of the second half and the official started to have a bigger say on the direction that the game was going to take.
With the second half came heavy rain which made an end of any running rugby. The scrum became less about technique and more about sheer bulk as no purchase could be made to the ground following the first half. Despite Ashbourne having significant weight advantage and pushing Melbourne back the referee kept awarding Ashbourne the reset following what could clearly be seen as wheeling taking most set piece scrummaging away from the greens.
Ashbourne got an early score against the run of play as a loose ball was hacked aimlessly forward which was chased well and slid in wide right for a score of 5-10.
Another incredulous decision soon followed as the referee stopped Melbourne's progression into the opposition twenty two when he blew for an "non intentional" knee to the head in a tackle (his words and bear in mind the mud bath conditions) giving a penalty to Ashbourne.
Every time Melbourne tried to take a grip of the game another decision went against them and they could not get any continuity or play going.
Ashbourne second try came towards the end of the game and with mud and rain combined led to a series of miss tackles and poor footing. 12 -10
This was a game of sheer frustration. One that got away from Melbourne through penalties and poor pitch and weather conditions. There are several areas we will work to improve but we can pleased with a battling performance and especially our first half which was well managed and played.
MoTM was a tight call with Watty Pearce Lowery Purce all doing well but Page was yet again outstanding.