Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
Subscribe Today!
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
KEVIN McSTAY But was it complacency? Perhaps not, as Ballagh’ played to the very death.
A FACE IN THE CROWD Mayo manager John O’Mahony was flanked by his selectors, Kieran Gallagher and Tommy Lyons, during last Sunday’s club championship games in Castlebar. Pic: Michael Donnelly
Favourite’s tag trips up Ballagh’
Kevin McStay SPORT does that to you all the time. The manager keeps repeating the possibility in the dressing room, the wise heads in the club can recite example after example; some of the players might have endured a similar experience at the beginning of their careers. But when a young team is installed as unbackable favourites for a game, a county title and, whisper it, perhaps the provincial one as well, then the alarm bells should start ringing out loudly. I have no doubt Frank Kelly saw this nightmare scenario unfold around the middle of last week, yet no amount of talking and warning can stop the march of complacency. But was it complacency? Perhaps not, as Ballagh’ played to the very death, and if Colm Leonard had started to dream of parades and speeches instead of minding his goal, the favourites might have won the day. The Ballina captain kept his concentration and did what was needed. No. This game was won the weekend before when Crossmolina got the chop from Charlestown. Up to that point Ballina were tipping along, not looking great and possibly waiting for the knockout punch from whoever was capable of delivering it. In the Ballina psyche, only one team had that type of power and when the reigning champions exited stage left, I can imagine the buzz at the Tuesday night training. An opening in the ditch. I touched on this possibility a few weeks ago and readers will recall that I argued the form line displayed by Ballagh’ would be difficult to maintain when some hard questions were asked. It turned out last year’s runners-up could not get the big win they looked like getting all year. Another year passes then and 1972 is beginning to look a very long time ago indeed. That’s because it is and this most unlucky club, in terms of the modern senior championship, must wait another year. They were certainly the best team in the county this year, by some distance in fact, but on the day they faced a Ballina side showing precious few changes from their All-Ireland winning side of 2005. That type of experience and know-how only comes the hard way (remember Crossmaglen in 1999?) and Ballagh’ are well into that apprenticeship now; last year and this will count big time eventually. I expect this team will stick together and win the championship one of these fine days. There are some hard tests ahead, young Pierce Hanley is away to Australia, and of course, the natural disappointment of the losing players will take a while to get over. But there is a destination beyond devastation, always has been, and the focus now must be the league, a good break and then another lash at the title. That is how championship tradition is built up and to turn it into a winning championship tradition is the next move. The Ballina journey continues and if they are now in the box seat, their elevation is not built on a solid foundation. Their form is too patchy to be sure of anything. But Liam Higgins has the team in a lovely place now; in the final and facing a team that has beaten them already or else Knockmore. No need for the dressing-room speech in either case, the motivation will be a very natural one. With Crossmolina and now Ballaghdereen out of the race, Ballina will probably pick up a championship against the head. There is work to be done but just now, it seems to me, the pieces are falling into place
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
4
To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism!
Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.
Subscribe
To continue reading this article for FREE, please kindly register and/or log in.
Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!
This one-woman show stars Brídín Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh, an actress, writer and presenter who has several screen credits including her role as Katy Daly on Ros na Rún, and the award-winning TV drama Crá
Breaffy Rounders will play Glynn Barntown (Wexford) in the Senior Ladies Final and Erne Eagles (Cavan) in the Senior Men's All-Ireland Final in the GAA National Games Development Centre, Abbotstown
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy a paper
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
Kevin McStay
