An Cheathrú Rua end Ballinagar fairytale to reach All-Ireland junior final
éanna Mídheach/sportsfile Cormac Picture: Mac ó Of Piaras An Cheathrú Rua
One fairytale ended and another remarkable comeback story added a chapter in Dr. Hyde Park yesterday afternoon, where Paudie Mac Cormaic came off the bench to score a sensational stoppage time point and send An Cheathrú Rua through to an All-Ireland final in Croke Park in three weeks’ time.
“Paudie has had a rough year or so with a back injury, and even halfway through the year he was saying that he was thinking of packing it in, just to do his rehab and come back next year” said manager Maghnus Breathnach afterwards.
“But he kept at it, and with Paudie Mac Cormaic, if you give him a sniff, he’s a top class shooter. Once he kicked it, I knew it was going straight over the bar."
Three minutes into the game, it looked as if no such heroics would be needed. A senior club as recently as 2021, An Cheathrú Rua were hot pre-match favourites against a club that has never flown as high in its history, and less than a decade ago, voted at an AGM to fold and go in with their neighbours, Raheen.
Michéal Ó Briain, Pádraig Ó Loideáin and Galway underage player Maitiú Ó Domhnaill all pointed while Ballinagar were all at sea.
Then, in the tenth minute, Robbie Gallagher took on three defenders and won a free against the odds, and for the majority of the remainder of the game, the Offaly club were by far the better team.
Gallagher kicked some great points with fellow teenager Conor Bracken working hard as a target alongside him, Offaly panellists Morgan Tynan and Geordi O’Meara were dominant in the middle third, and Brian Malone, Diarmuid Finneran and Declan Crombie made some huge plays at the back.
“It’s a great story for junior clubs all over the country,” said manager Benny O’Brien, standing out on the pitch where he guided St. Brigid’s to the 2020 Roscommon SFC title.
“You have population decline in rural areas, having to do their best just to get teams out. It’s well-documented that a couple of years ago Ballinagar could have folded as a club, but they stuck at it. It’s been a fabulous journey, beyond all our expectations, and today, we could have got there."
They didn’t get there, because the Connemara men made the most of their brief moments of supremacy. James Ó Flatharta and Pádraig Mac Donnacha kicked crucial scores to give them a narrow 0-6 to 0-5 interval lead, Ó Domhnaill found the net in the 41st minute after great approach play from Feargal Ó Sé opened up the Ballinagar defence, and when two Jacob Beatty points made it 0-11 to 1-7 going into stoppage time, Ó Flatharta and Mac Cormaic showed class and composure to kick the winning scores.
Meanwhile, in the Ulster Twinning final, Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin Muff defeated London side Tara 4-10 to 1-8. Muff will play Cork and Munster champions Kilmurry in the other All-Ireland junior semi-final on Sunday at Parnell Park.
M Ó Domhnaill 1-1, J Ó Flatharta 0-2 (45s), P Mac Donnacha, P Ó Loideáin, F Ó Conghaile, M Ó Briain, F Ó Sé (f) and P Mac Cormaic 0-1 each.
G O'Meara 0-3 (0-2f), R Gallagher 0-2, S Dwane 0-2f, J Beatty 0-2, M Tynan 0-1, A Joyce 0-1.
J Ó Flatharta; J Ó Tiarnaigh, I Ó Conchubhair, D Mac Sheónín; E de Paor, C Ó Domhnaill, M Mac Donnacha; S Ó Briain, P Mac Donnacha; P Ó Loideáin, M Ó Domhnaill, F Ó Conghaile; É Mac Cormaic, M Ó Briain, F Ó Sé.
O Ó Lochláinn for Ó Tiarnaigh (41), P Mac Cormaic for É Mac Cormaic (41), C Ó Cualáin for Ó Conchubhair (48), C Ó Domhnaill for Ó Conghaile (54), M de Bhailís for S Ó Briain (57).
R Kinahan; Jack Gorry, D Finneran, D Crombie; A Joyce, B Malone, A Gorman; A Strong, M Tynan; G O’Meara, C McGuinness, J Sheil; S Dwane, R Gallagher, C Bracken.
S Finneran for Strong (24-HT, temp), J Beatty for Dwane (38), J Ballesty for Sheil (39), E McGuinness for C McGuinness (48), E Gorman for Gorry (60) Ref: E McFeely (Donegal).