COLUMN: Balla’s battle in the blizzard shows schools football at its best

THIS columnist was drafted in for co-commentary duty alongside Rían Bailey for last Saturday afternoon’s Connacht PPS Senior C final between Balla and Gortnor Abbey at the Connacht Centre of Excellence.

As a first effort behind the microphone, it was as memorable as they come.

Not least because my old alma-mater, Balla, upset the odds with an unbelievable display to beat a well-fancied Gortnor Abbey side by five points, but also because of the horrendous conditions both sets of players had to endure, particularly in the second half, at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence.

There was howling wind, driving rain and a blizzard of snow, but as hard as it tried, the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the Balla team at the full time whistle.

Credit must go to both teams for their efforts in almost impossible circumstances. They will unlikely ever play a game in conditions as bad again.

The most ironic thing about it was 30 seconds previous to throw-up, when assessing the weather for the viewers on the Connacht GAA stream, I described it as a day which you couldn’t be too disappointed for at the time of year in Bekan.

Commentators curse. And boy, did it change.

By the time the final whistle went and the Balla players were running into the middle of the pitch to celebrate, the conditions had turned into something from a different planet. The snow, the wind and the rain arrived with aplomb.

So bad, in fact, that they had to cancel the Senior A final that was due to follow.

It was fitting that the game, which was marred by turnovers and unforced errors, concluded in sensational circumstances.

FAMILY TIES

LIAM Glynn, one of Balla’s best players on the day, nailed one of the finest two point-frees you will ever see in those conditions, with the final kick of the game.

His coaches and teachers, Gareth O’Donnell, Adrian Phillips and Darragh Acton were roaring at the top of their voices for him to just kick it dead over the endline and not to risk it dropping short and allowing the Crossmolina school to launch another attack.

But Glynn, probably not for the first time or the last, ignored their instructions and decided to do it his own way.

Fittingly, the last time Balla won a Connacht Colleges Final back in 1990, Liam’s father Fran was a prominent member of the team. And you couldn’t wipe the pride off his or Liam’s mother, Mary’s faces afterwards.

Furthermore, Balla’s talented corner forward, Charlie Fallon from Mayo Gaels also has a strong historic tie to this success, His father, James, was a starring member of the Balla team who won the 1989 Connacht Colleges title.

They weren’t the only proud parents, teachers, friends and family members. Nobody predicted a Balla win against a Gortnor Abbey team well-fancied to go on to achieve bigger things, but the Boys in Blue failed to read the script.

INFLUENTIAL

TRY as he did all day, Gortnor Abbey’s star and AFL-bound Kobe McDonal never got going. But much of that can go down to presence of the brilliant Dara Patten. Handed the unenviable task of tagging McDonald, the Mayo Gaels lad did all that and scored two brilliant first-half points from play for good measure too.

Equally as influential for Balla were the likes of Ryan Donnell, Mark Jennings, Ethan Duffy, Sean Brohan, Sean McCann and Mayo minor Adam Jennings in defence.

This was far from a classic. A game that Gortnor Abbey never got going in and one dominated by turnovers and defenders.

Balla, fortunately for them, opted to play with the wind in the first half when the conditions were still reasonable. There was no snow. The breeze was there to be used. They went in at half time four points up which, at the time, appeared a gap that wasn’t big enough.

However, as it turned out, two cracking two-pointers from O’Donnell and Mark Jennings would prove to be crucial in the grand scheme of things as conditions worsened in the second half and made the basics skills extremely difficult to execute.

FEROCIOUS

GORTNOR Abbey had the wind at their backs after half time and couldn’t make use of it. They were snatching at shots and ran down blind alleys all too often, which added to their frustrations and gave oxygen to the West Mayo school.

It must be said, Gortnor Abbey had their goal chances. By my count, at least three decent looks at the net that on any other day could have gone in.

A mix of good fortune, a great save from Donal Keane in the Balla goal, and some ferocious defending from the likes of Brohan, Ryan O’Donnell and Sean McCann kept the ball out… somehow.

But Balla won’t mind any of that. They left everything they had on that pitch and deserved every bit of what they got.

Gareth O’Donnell, the Balla manager, has been leading the senior schools football for Balla Secondary School for a number of years and it was only fitting his efforts have come to fruition.

The scenes at the end told the whole story.

A game that was raw, honest and emotional – how schools football should be.

The speeches and raising of the trophy didn’t last too long as Balla wanted to escape to the dressing rooms for a well-deserved hot shower.

But no doubt the celebrations continue long after they eventually thawed out.