Ballina cruise on in Munster
GAA: AIB Munster Club Junior Football Championship Quarter Final
Ballina 3-11
Mountcollins 0-3
Report: Thomas Conway in Mountcollins
Ballina’s junior football championship campaign entered new territory yet again last weekend, a comfortable win over Limerick side Mountcollins ensuring the Tipp side progress to a Munster semi-final against Waterford champions Mount Sion.
The journey to the West Limerick destination was one of those quintessential rural road-trips: a winding wintry drive through the countryside, amid darkening skies and thawing sleet. It suggested that a battle might have been on the horizon, but from a Ballina perspective, this Munster quarter-final was anything but.
The disparity between the two sides was strange, because Mountcollins could certainly play football. However, a major gulf emerged when it came to physicality, speed, and general conviction - all aspects of Ballina’s game which seemed to shine bright on a dark winter’s afternoon. Time and again, the Tipperary side charged through their opponents, opening up a vulnerable defence in an almost cavalier manner.
The Limerick side paid a devastating price, conceding 2-6 in the first thirteen minutes, while managing just a point of their own in the opening half. There was a clear sense that Mountcollins’ potential will only be fulfilled if they can develop the physical and athletic capabilities which made Ballina so dominant last Saturday.
Willie Connors' early goal set the Tipp champions on a winning trajectory, and within minutes they had tagged on several points, Eoghan Power on target twice in quick-succession before Michael Breen delivered their third.
Mountcollins attempted to spray the ball out wide, but any meaningful burst towards goal was intercepted, Ballina working hard to force turnovers and using them as a launchpad for attacks up the field.
Full-back Jerry O'Brien looked typically dependable, while the man in front of him, centre-back Tom Lee, was another commanding presence. Lee consistently held the centre, also playing a role in the turnover which produced Ballina's second goal. He was one of multiple blue shirts which managed to grind possession from a melee, allowing the Tipp side to quickly break up the field and cruise in on goal. Breen was the finisher, bundling the ball past keeper Batt Dillane thanks to a combination of forward momentum and quick footwork. The goal arguably should have come moments earlier, when Finn Looney sent O'Brien through with a sliding pass, but the Tipp midfielder sliced the ball just over.
A Mountcollins penalty in the sixteenth minute could have added spice to the occasion, but James Brouder’s low raking effort was well-stopped by Martin McKeogh, who slid left and seemed to chest the ball out towards the side-line. The home side were performing better at that stage, but by half-time, all they had to show for it was that single O'Connell point, Ballina completely on top, leading 2-6 to 0-1G
The show did go on, but there wasn't really much to see. O'Brien opened the second-half scoring with another point, and though Mountcollins responded rapidly with a brace of Brouder frees, the momentum hadn't swung their way. Ballina remained solid in the centre, O'Brien and George Kealy forming a strong partnership, with Connors, Terry O'Halloran looking energetic. To their credit, Mountcollins continued to work vigorously. The Limerick side clearly have well-programmed Gaelic football brains, but without greater energy and pace, they were never going to outsmart their opposition.
Ballina weren't as prolific in that second-half, but a 55th minute Dan O'Meara goal prompted a late scoring surge. Eoghan Power completed a sublime performance by whisking over two more points, before O’Brien sent their final score spinning over from 25 metres.
The game had long descended into an exhibition at that point, Ballina drawing from an inexhaustible list of substitutes which, in the eyes of manager Kevin Byrne, reflects the level of competition within the panel. All 41 of those players can now look forward to a Munster semi-final clash with Waterford’ Mount Sion, a game in which the level of competition should far exceed last weekend’s run-out.
Player of the Match: Eoghan Power (Ballina)
Ballina: Martin McKeogh (7), Sam Loughran (7), Jerry O’Brien (8), Terry O’Halloran (8), Willie Connors (1-0, 7), Tom Lee (7), Michael Grace (7), Steven O’Brien (0-3, 8), George Kealy (8), Aidan Hanley (7), Michael Breen (1-1, 8), Eoghan Power (0-6, 9), Finn Looney (0-1, 7), Matthew Power (7), Dan O'Meara (1-0, 7).
Subs: Conor Maguire (6) for Lee (42); James Hanley (6) for A Hanley (48); Dara King (6) for M Power (52); Phelim O’Hagan (6) for Breen (55); Tom O’Meara (6) for Looney (55).
Mountcollins: Batt Dillane (6), Donagh Walsh (6), Seán Lyons (7), Maurice O’Connor (6), Timothy Begley (6), Jer Moroney (7), Timothy Walsh (7), John O’Connell (0-1, 7), Jamie Lenihan (6), Conor Moroney (6), Tom McCarthy (7), Bernard McCarthy (6), Evan Lacey (7), James Brouder (0-2f, 7), Cian O’Sullivan (6).
Subs: Seán Lane (7) for Lyons (HT); Korey Keogh (6) for Lacey (47); Matthew Brouder (6) for O’Connell (55); Michael Lenihan (NR) for B McCarthy (60+1).
Referee: Alan Long (Cork)