14-man Ballina overcome early red card to beat Mount Sion

GAA: AIB Munster Club Junior Football Championship Semi-Final

Ballina 0-16

Mount Sion 2-5

Report: Thomas Conway in Borrisoleigh

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Michael Breen (Ballina)

SCORERS - Ballina: Eoghan Power 0-5 (1 free), Matthew Power (frees), Michael Breen 0-3 each; Finn Looney 0-2; Aidan Hanley, Tom Lee, Dan Finnerty 0-1 each.

Mount Sion: Evan Curran, Ian O'Regan 1-0 each; Austin Gleeson (1 free), Martin F O'Neill (frees) 0-2 each; Stephen Roche 0-1.

Ballina’s junior football adventure continued last Saturday, with the Shannonside club now just one win away from a first ever Munster title, following a demanding semi-final win over Waterford champions Mount Sion.

Three red cards, six yellows, and a smattering of borderline bookings as well. This Munster semi-final was filled with fire and fury, but it also had a dash of flair and finesse.

Ballina always looked like they would emerge as winners, even in the aftermath of Steven O'Brien's jaw-dropping dismissal inside the first minute, though that straight red card could yet haunt the Tipperary side, assuming that the decision isn't overturned, and O'Brien remains suspended for the Munster Final - a mid-January clash against Kerry champions Gneeveguilla.

The incident happened in a flash - O’Brien cannonballing straight into an unfortunate Martin O’Neill, who was forced to depart the field injured following the collision. His early dismissal could, and perhaps should, have been the story of this game, but instead Ballina remained composed, gradually seizing command during a first-half which saw the Waterford side only threaten their opponents’ goal on a handful of occasions.

Kevin Byrne’s fourteen-strong outfit were first off the mark, Aidan Hanley curling over a stylish right-footer, before the industrious Finn Looney swung over from close-range. Both corner-forwards, Looney and O’Meara, were influential throughout, with Looney in particular roving out the field in order to collect and create. Captain Stephen Roche got Mount Sion up and running, sniping over brilliantly from right of the posts, showcasing his side’s ability on the front foot.

As one of three inter-county hurlers on show, Austin Gleeson’s presence attracted attention amongst spectators, and while it would probably be unfair to compare Gleeson-the-hurler with Gleeson-the-footballer, stylistically there are similarities. Spending much of his time in midfield, the Mount Sion ace was prominent throughout, caressing the ball with smooth technique and thwarting Ballina with explosive bursts of pace. One of those bursts came in the 46th minute, when he cut through diagonally before steering the ball over from thirty metres. It brought the Waterford city club back to within a point, but they would come no closer, as Ballina crushed the revival with a late flurry of scores.

Borrisoleigh may not have been home, but it was still familiar territory to Ballina, and tactically they managed to exploit the relatively compact pitch. Eoghan Power lofted over their third in the fifteenth minute, before the Tipp side established some real momentum courtesy of a series of events just after the water-break.

Tom Lee was instrumental in two of them. The 36-year-old unleashed a monstrous effort from the stand side in the 19th minute, blasting the ball skywards and over. He then pulled off a towering catch on the far wing, delivering into the path of Michael Breen, who slalomed through and rocketed over from close-range. Looney proceeded to tee up Breen for his second in succession, squaring a clever bouncing pass into the hands of the Tipp senior hurler.

Within minutes however, Mount Sion had clawed their way back, Evan Curran exploiting a gap and sliding the ball past McKeogh. An O'Neill free would reduce the deficit further, but late first-half scores from Eoghan and Matthew Power quickly restored Ballina confidence levels, the Tipp side ending the half with a three-point advantage, 0-8 to 1-2.

Mount Sion began to grind out chances at the start of the second, O’Neill discharging three frees from almost identical positions on the stand side. He nailed one, but missed the other two, as fatigue started to threaten Ballina’s ambitions. Looney and Breen weren’t feeling it though, the former pumping over a valuable point in the 36th minute, with the latter adding his third some six minutes later, gliding over a superb effort following a slick exchange with Connors and Matthew Power.

The tenor changed again midway through the half, when Ian O’Regan carved a channel down the centre and laced the ball home, but if ever there was a man to inject a bolt of energy into a tiring team, it was Dan Finnerty. The 27-year-old athlete fulfilled his Kevin McMenamin role in style, bursting from the bench and finding the target within a minute of arrival.

Still only two points up entering the last ten, Finnerty’s presence created a sense of reassurance, allowing Eoghan Power to excel in the latter stages. Three laudable late points from the wing-forward secured Ballina their place in the provincial decider, though a big decision now faces the club - whether to appeal O’Brien’s suspension or prepare for a Munster Final without their star man.

TEAMS - Ballina: Martin McKeogh (7), Sam Loughran (7), Jerry O'Brien (7), Terry O'Halloran (7), Willie Connors (7), Tom Lee (8), Michael Grace (7), Steven O'Brien (NR), George Kealy (7), Aidan Hanley (7), Michael Breen (9), Eoghan Power (9), Dan O'Meara (8), Matthew Power (7), Finn Looney (8).

Subs: James Hanley (7) for O'Halloran (38); David Grace (7) for Lee (48); Dan Finnerty (8) for Looney (51); Patrick O'Donovan (NR) for M Power (59).

Mount Sion: Richard Roche (7), Mikey Daykin (6), Tommy McGrath (7), Jack Byrne (6), Stephen Roche (7, capt), Ian O'Regan (8), Peter Penkert (6), Luke O'Brien (7), Donal Power (7), Austin Gleeson (8), Martin F. O'Neill (7), Evan Curran (8), Ivan Sinnott (7), John Kennedy (6), Craig Sauvage (7).

Subs: Ben Flanagan (7) for Martin O'Neill (1 inj); Ian Galgey (7) for Curran (33); James Gleeson (7) for Sinnott (40); Louie Halligan (7) for Sauvage (48).

Referee: Cormac Dineen (Cork).