Breaffy look set to have a long summer
FEATURE
Mike Finnerty
Sports editor
mikefinnerty@mayonews.ie
NEXT Saturday evening in Breaffy the two highest scoring teams in this year’s Mayo senior football championship will collide head-on. The fact that there is no love lost between the locals and Ballaghaderreen merely adds to the interest. This should be worth waiting for.
Frank Kelly’s Ballagh squad will arrive in relaxed mood, their place in the quarter-finals already confirmed after wins over Shrule/Glencorrib and Kiltane. But the fact that their last match pits them against Breaffy, the team that denied them a famous Intermediate title four years ago will ensure that this will be much more than a training spin.
Jim O’Shea’s young squad also know exactly what’s required of them. They are within touching distance of the last eight anyway but were Shrule/Glencorrib to win by a cricket score against Kiltane, and Ballagh’ to cut loose on them, Breaffy could be out on their ear.
Put simply, they have to go for it. And on the evidence of their performances this year, we can be sure that they will. Just one defeat in ten league and championship games speaks for itself. Breaffy are the form team this year in Mayo.
“We got a run going in the league and that builds momentum,” explained Jim O’Shea last week. “The games came thick and fast and it’s not difficult to motivate players when you’re winning matches. They come to training with a pep in their step.
“We won the minor a couple of years ago and we have a nice blend of about 17/18 senior players. Plus, with the exception of Declan Jennings, we’ve managed to avoid injuries. But the league and championship are completely different and you just can’t afford to lose any games.
“Against Shrule we hit a purple patch for 15 or 20 minutes after half-time and went a point up. We missed a couple of chances, they did too, and they probably felt unlucky that they didn’t get a late free that might have won it. A defeat there would have set us back a good bit so we were happy to get a draw.”
Jim O’Shea is well-qualified to run the rule over the current crop which includes his sons, Seamus and Aidan. This is the second year of his second stint in charge of the club’s first team and he has prepared them for junior, intermediate and senior football in his time.
“I suppose the fact that there are no superstars in the team is the most pleasing thing about this group,” he admits. “Everyone has knuckled down to training and fellas have put in a big effort. We’re not foolish enough to think that we’re as strong as the big clubs, we’re not the finished article, but we’re on a run and we have to make the most of it.
“Maybe we’re a bit more robust now and our younger players are more ready for the demands of championship football. But I’d be very wary of this match next weekend.
“I think they’d have a slicker forwardline than us, proven forwards like Barry Regan and Andy Moran. Around the middle of the field as well fellas like the Kilcullens, Barry Kelly and Stephen Drake are as good as you’ll get at this level. We were on a similar run last year and they came along and gave us a right drubbing.”
All things being equal, only a monumental collapse against Ballagh’ and a similar capitulation by Kiltane will deny Breaffy a place in the quarter-finals. Everything after that will be a bonus.
“Our objective was to have a good run in the league and championship and not be under pressure for points,” concedes their manager. “We wanted to go one step further than last year and that would mean getting out of the group. If we achieve that then we can sit down and review where we are.”
