Ballina into second county football final
GAA: FBD Insurance County Under-19 ‘A’ Football Semi-Final
Ballina 1-7
JK Brackens 1-4
By Thomas Conway in Dolla
Ballina booked their place in a second county football final in 2021 as their Under 19’s edged out JK Brackens in the ‘A’ semi-final on Sunday.
A 57th minute goal from the boot of JK Brackens James Corcoran looked as if it might inspire a late turn of events, but some gallant defending and a healthy sprinkle of luck enabled Ballina to hold out, setting up a county-final showdown with Clonmel Commercials.
One suspects the South champions, which overcame Arravale Rovers in the other semi-final 24 hours earlier, probably had an observer somewhere along the Dolla side-line. Their report card is unlikely to contain anything spectacular - just a few notes on a game which was reasonable in quality, but volatile in temper.
The outcome could have been different, and in the minutes which followed the goal, the North champions had been reduced to fourteen men, Ballina deserve credit for the valour of their defending, but the Templemore outfit will rue those late missed opportunities.
An end-to-end opening ten minutes saw both teams counter-attack in force, bodies shifting up and down the field, with Ballina registering first thanks to a sweet Jack Grace roundhouse. Prior to that fourth minute point, either side had viable goal chances, with Darragh Doyle skidding one effort across the face of goal, before Dara King saw his shot very nearly dip under the crossbar.
The Mid side eventually got up and running in the ninth minute, captain Conor Cadell clipping over a neat point following a well-constructed move. Scores were at a premium, with Ballina kicking four wides inside the first quarter. Josh Egan finally ended the drought approaching the 18th minute, striking one sharply over from a difficult angle, though a further nine minutes would pass before they registered another score. It was worth the wait. Dara King’s 27th minute goal was as gorgeous a finish as you’re likely to see, the centre-forward dinking the ball over Bourke with his right-foot, following a perfectly-weighted bouncing pass from Cathal O’Donnell. It was probably the highlight of the game, though Brackens did manage an immediate response - a towering kick from Diarmuid Delaney, which reduced the deficit to three at the interval, Ballina leading 1-2 to 0-2.
The North side instantly snatched the momentum after half-time and seemed to do everything right for the first few minutes. Egan had slotted his second within fifteen seconds of the whistle, with Jack Grace curling over a free around a minute later. Recognising that Ballina were starting to fire, Brackens acted cleverly, clustering in the middle third and tackling aggressively, quickly causing tensions to simmer.
Rather than maintain their discipline, Ballina engaged with their opponents and ultimately paid the price. Matthew Power picked up his first yellow card in the 35th minute and by the 39th he was en route to the side-line, dismissed following a second booking. It forced Ballina to rethink and reshuffle, but it reignited Brackens with hope.
Sam Loughran showed leadership to ping over a 42nd minute point from the wing, but Brackens full-back Patrick Moloney was galvanising his team into action, pushing further and further up the field. He cut through and whisked over a brilliant score just before the water-break, but entering the last ten, his side were still trailing by a considerable margin, 1-6 to 0-4.
Their cause wasn’t hopeless but it wasn’t great either, until Corcoran popped up with his bolt to the net in the 57th minute. The Mid champions will reflect upon those final minutes with a sense of frustration. They died with their boots on, as they say, but they might have remained alive had they been wearing their shooting boots.
With five members of the Tipperary under-20 football panel, as well as a further six Tipperary minors, Clonmel Commercials have the ammunition to win this final. Victory is unlikely for Ballina, but they’ll be targeting a strong performance, and while their display last Sunday was sufficient, something better surely awaits.
Player of the Match: Josh Egan (Ballina)
Ballina: Adam Fogarty (7), James Coughlan (7), Kian Donnelly (7), Daniel Tighe (7), Sam Loughran (0-1, 8), Jack Collins (7), Cian Molloy (7), Matthew Power (6), Josh Egan (0-2, 8), Charlie King (7), Dara King (1-0, 8), David Grace (7), Cathal O'Donnell (0-1f, 7), Jack Grace (0-3, 1f) 8), Braoin Cleary (7).
Subs: Simon Grace (7) for Charlie King (37); Shane Kelly (7) for O’Donnell (55); Ian Larkin (NR) for Cleary (59); Tristan Giroudierre (NR) for David Grace (60+2).
JK Brackens: Tom Bourke (7), James Bergin (7), Patrick Moloney (0-1, 8), Seán Collier (7), Luke Ormond (6), Michael Cahill (7), Ned Walsh (6), Diarmuid Delaney (0-1, 7), Conor Cadell (0-1, 8), Rhys Loughnane (7), Darragh Doyle (8), Tommy Martin (6), Joe Bourke (0-1, 7), Stephen Cahill (7), James Corcoran (1-0, 8).
Subs: Ned Delaney (7) for Martin (50); Mikey Delaney (7) for Bourke (52).
Referee: John Butler (Upperchurch-Drombane).