Connacht Club FC Final/Ballina 1-13 Killererin 2-6: The scoreline from yesterday's AIB Connacht club football final at James Stephens Park, Ballina, ended up more reflective of Killererin's good start and finish than the bulk of the match. Two goals and two points of the Galway side's total came within 10 minutes at either end of the match.
For the time in between it was Ballina who ran the show. Once they hit their stride the Mayo champions gave an admirable display of pace and purpose, using fast breaks and general mobility to prise open the notoriously packed Killererin defence and help themselves to a succession of scores.
Afterwards manager Tommy Lyons was happy that the side had done itself justice.
"It well and truly made up for the Curry event (reference to last year's surprise defeat by the Sligo champions)," he said. "I've always said that the Connacht championship is about getting to the second level. Now we're going up one more."
He also announced he would be asking James Devenney, brother of yesterday's man of the match, Enda, to return from some extended globe trotting to strengthen the panel for February's All-Ireland semi-final against Stradbally or Kilmurry-Ibrickane.
"I had an email from James last night. He's in Bolivia and I can tell you that I'll be sending one back telling him: 'pack up your tent and head for Ballina'."
Much of this final was predictable. The Galway side were heavily dependent on the Joyces and when the supply of possession was drastically cut in the second half, there was no way back into the contest. As early as four minutes into the second half Pádraic Joyce was passing on a good point-scoring opportunity in order to try for goal.
If that sense of urgency suggested the match was already slipping away, there were few in the crowd of around 3,000 who would have felt it misplaced.
There had been a lingering apprehension even in the early stages that Killererin were making a little go a long way and that the resourceful, guerilla raids of Pádraic and Nicky Joyce wouldn't be enough to carry the day once Ballina got moving.
The winners had to overcome a troublesome start when, in the fifth minute, Kenny Golden was hustled off the ball by Pádraic Joyce. Whatever ambiguity there was about the challenge, the finish was a cracker and gave the Galway side a cushion they didn't lose for 15 minutes.
He also clipped an exquisite point after being picked out by Thomas Flynn. Not all the markmanship was of so high a standard. Joyce himself missed a number of chances that were well within his range and at the other end Liam Brady failed with two kickable frees and fluffed a goal opening by dropping the ball.
Ballina's anticipated supremacy at centrefield didn't assert itself for a while as their opponents crowded the area but gradually Ronan McGarrity got on the ball and, if at times he looked a little tired (he had played basketball on Saturday evening), his ball retention and use of possession was characteristically excellent.
David Brady also came into the game strongly, working hard and imposing his presence. It was Brady who cut the margin to a point 0-5 to 1-3 with a fine point after a one-two with Pat Harte.
A minute from the break the match turned. Enda Devenney, who went on to give a storming second-half performance, set up the attack even if his pass left Patrick McHale a bit to do but the ball ran for Ger Brady who lifted his shot neatly over Alan Keane to put Ballina in front, 1-5 to 1-3.
From there the Mayo side swept through the third quarter. Their half backs began to push forward. Brian Ruane and Devenney cut swathes through Killererin who went over half an hour, from the 19th to 50th minutes, without scoring.
In that time Ballina had shot an unanswered 1-10 and put together some great moves. A late 1-1, goal from Flynn and point from Tommie Joyce, trimmed the deficit but Ballina were decisive enough winners for Killererin manager Billy Joyce to install them as All-Ireland favourites.
There's a bit of a way to go before St Patrick's Day but Ballina will mount a serious challenge for the title that they so agonisingly let slip against Crossmaglen six years ago.
"We're delighted," said winning captain Ruane. "At the start of the year we said we'd give the Connacht title a good lash especially after the disappointment last year and after the defeat in the All-Ireland (in 1999) we wanted to try and get back."
BALLINA: J Healy; K Golden, M Wynne, C Leonard; B Ruane (capt), E Devenney (0-2), S Sweeney; R McGarrity, D Brady (0-1); P Harte (0-1), G Brady (1-0), P McGarry (0-1); S Hughes (0-2), L Brady (0-5, one free), P McHale. Subs: E Casey (0-1) for Sweeney (half-time), S Melia for Harte (55 mins), B McStay for L Brady (62 mins), A Tighe for McGarry (62 mins).
KILLERERIN: A Keane; D Flaherty, M Mitchell, M Nicholson; K Courtney, T Joyce (0-1), D Heneghan (0-1); N Joyce (0-2, one free and one sideline), T Hughes; P Joyce (1-2), J Wilson (capt), P Miskell; O Wilson, T Wilson, T Flynn (1-0). Subs: A Hynes for Miskell (44 mins), J Keane for J Wilson (46 mins), I Reddington for O Wilson (47 mins).
Referee: H Beirne (Roscommon).
