Rare scenes of celebration as heroic Ballinagar make history with second adult title

WHAT is seldom is wonderful and there were magical scenes of rare celebration in O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon when Ballinagar won only their second adult football championship – eventually grinding down favourites, Kilcormac-Killoughey in a tense, nervous but engrossing decider.

Tullamore Court Hotel Junior Football Championship final

Ballinagar 1-13

Kilcormac-Killoughey 1-11

It was a heroic, backs to the wall win with Ballinagar missing two of their best players, the injured Morgan Tynan and Ryan Strong, while Ryan's twin Adam only came on as a second half sub – Adam Strong has been in Texas on a work placement in recent weeks and flew home specially for this final earlier in the week. As expected, he had a big impact, helping settle Ballinagar and winning crucial ball as they got on top in the second half.

Tynan's loss was especially significant. Superb as Offaly won the All-Ireland U-20 football title in 2021, his influence was really missed here, especially as Ballinagar encountered considerable difficulty from frees. Geordi O'Meara's eye wasn't in on the day and he missed a few, though he did get one as well as a point from play - he also won some crucial marks and worked very hard.

The absence of Tynan and Ryan Strong coupled with Adam Strong only coming on in the 35th minute meant that K-K were favourites for this game but they had their own problems. Their own under 20 star Cathal Donoghue was clearly not right as he has only returned recently from a long lay off with a knee injury. He played well in the first half but just couldn't get motoring when moved out the field in the second half and was replaced in the 54th minute. Forward Alex Kavanagh was also out and these balanced at least some of Ballinagar's losses while K-K played the last quarter with fourteen men after Stephen Leonard was sent off in the 42nd minute.

It was a great occasion for Ballinagar. They have spent most of their long history starved of success – they won a Minor Football Championship way back in 1932 but that was on an objection against Belmont while their only adult title was the 1988 junior.

The tide has turned for Ballinagar in recent years as an exciting young generation emerged. Players from Ballinagar backboned the Na Fianna side that won the Minor Football Championship three years ago and they have now come through at this level – four Ballinagar players, Morgan Tynan, Adam Strong, Diarmuid Finneran and Geordi O'Meara played U-20 football for Offaly this year. Ballinagar have a volume of players they have never had before – they had 45 listed in the programme and their junior “C” team is in the semi-final.

There was huge excitement in the area in the build up to the final and the win meant the world to Ballinagar, much more than it would to K-K whose priority is next week's senior hurling final against Shinrone.

The expectation was that the losses might be too much for Ballinagar but from the start, it was clear that they were well able to compete with K-K and a win was possible. They were nervous and their error count was a bit high but they were competing in every aspect. They had more football work done and it showed at various stages and in different ways.

A swirling wind looked to be favouring Ballinagar in the first half but it didn't have a huge influence on the game. It was nick or nothing all the way in the first half – the sides were tied on five occasions before a Ray Daly free gave Ballinagar a 0-6 to 0-5 interval lead. Ballinagar would have been further ahead but for free taking problems – O'Meara was off target with two and Jacob Beatty dropped one short.

At half time, Ballinagar knew the game was there for them and they got more and more dominant. K-K had long periods when they couldn't get the ball forward and gradually, Ballinagar made it count. They almost got a goal at the start of the second half when Robbie Gallagher was centimetres from getting onto a Jack Shiels delivery but points from Craig Strong and Gallagher put them two clear.

K-K levelled it up with points from Dan Murray and Stephen Leonard but Leonard walked in the 43rd minute. He got a yellow card for an infraction on the edge of the square and picked up a second one a couple of minutes later for hauling down Ryan Dunne.

Ballinagar pushed for glory. They got four on the trot in a spell of sustained pressure to lead by 0-12 to 0-8 with twelve minutes left. K-K fought with everything, helped by some kamikaze Ballinagar defending. Ballinagar goalkeeper Ryan Kinahan made a great save to deny Conor Lowry who should have finished from close range and he later saved from Tadgh Donoghue.

The veteran James Gorman made a big difference when introduced and help haul K-K back into it. He got three points, two frees as K-K got it back to a point with a minute left. Ballinagar were rocking badly but they sealed it in the 60th minute when Jacob Beatty showed great bravery to punch a Craig Strong delivery to the net. Geordi O'Meara added a point a minute into injury time and it meant that a punched goal from James Gorman in the 62nd minute couldn't save it for K-K.

Ballinagar worked very hard and had two of the best players on the field in Craig Strong and Jacob Beatty while Diarmuid Finneran, Eoin McGuinness, Brian Malone who really came to his milk as the extra man, Ray Daly, Robbie Gallagher and Adam Strong also impressed for them.

On a day when they never really clicked, Damien Kilmartin was K-K's best player while Colm Leonard, Tom Spain, Stephen Leonard and James Gorman also did well.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Jacob Beatty (Ballinagar): A tough call between Craig Strong and Jacob Beatty. Strong was brilliant at midfield for Ballinagar, winning a lot of ball as well as scoring three crucial points. Beatty just edges it by virtue of a superb second half display. When Ballinagar needed composure and calm play, he stood up and was instrumental in the win – he scored 1-3 with 1-2 from play.

THE SCORERS

Ballinagar: Jacob Beatty 1-3 (1f), Craig Strong 0-3, Ray Daly (1f) and Geordi O'Meara (1f) 0-2 each, Ronan Crombe, Jack Shiels and Robbie Gallagher 0-1 each.

K-K: James Gorman 1-3 (1f), Stephen Leonard 0-3 (1f), Enda Leonard 0-2, Tom Spain (f), Dan Murray and Cathal Kiely 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

BALLINAGAR: Ryan Kinahan; Brian Malone, Diarmuid Finneran, Eoin McGuinness; Ryan Dunne, Declan Crombine, Kevin Beirne; Adam Joyce, Craig Strong; Ronan Crombie, Jack Shiels, Geordi O'Meara; Jacob Beatty, Ray Daly, Robbie Gallagher. Sub – Adam Strong for Ronan Crombie (35m).

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: John Deevey; James Geraghty, Colm Leonard, Killian Leonard; Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin, Tadgh Donoghue; Tom Spain, Jordan Quinn; Enda Leonard, Dan Murray, Lochlann Kavanagh; Cathal Donoghue, Cathal Kiely, Stephen Leonard. Subs - Subs – James Gorman for Kiely (HT), Conor Lowry for Kavanagh (42m), Thomas Geraghty for Killian Leonard (48m), Dylan Murray for Cathal Donoghue (54m).

Referee – Bill Glennon (Rhode).

REFEREE WATCH

Ballinagar certainly could not complain at the display of Bill Glennon as they got a couple of soft looking frees in the first half – of course, just because a free looks soft doesn't mean that it wasn't a foul. These did balance out, however, and the Rhode man was clearly focussed on doing the right thing and being fair. Damien Kilmartin could have got a black instead of a yellow card near half time for pulling down Jack Shiels as he tried to race clear. K-K did get frustrated in the second half and this culminated in Stephen Leonard being sent off while Damien Kilmartin also reacted furiously after a free was given against him in the second half – though he did appear to handle on the ground.

TALKING POINT

Ballinagar had a devastating list of injuries with Morgan Tynan and Ryan Strong out. Adam Strong only came home this week from Texas where he is on a college placement. Tynan's loss was especially profound as Ballinagar missed first half frees that he would have taken. It was a serious win by Ballinagar without players of this stature. The key for Ballinagar now is to enjoy the celebrations and realise that there is significant step up to intermediate – this game was followed by the senior “B” final and the gulf in class, physicality, athleticism, movement, skill sets and general football was very big.

VENUE WATCH

It was a busy weekend for O'Connor Park and this was the first of four finals. The pitch was excellent and there was a large enthusiastic crowd present. Ballinagar did not line out as numbered in the programme with Ronan Crombie and Geordi O'Meara wearing the wrong jersies. That is a basic book keeping matter and just should not happen in a final - in fairness to Ballinagar, they did rectify it and the players wore the right jersies in the second half.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

The sending off of Stephen Leonard was a pivotal moment and with so long left, it meant it was Ballinagar's to lose.

WHAT'S NEXT

The intermediate champions go into the Leinster junior club championship and this was the last game for both sides.

STATISTICS

Wides: Ballinagar – 8 (4 in first half); Kilcormac-Killoughey – 5 (4 in first half).

Yellow cards: Ballinagar - 3 (Craig Strong, Ryan Dunne and Brian Malone); Kilcormac-Killoughey – 5 (John Deevey, Damien Kilmartin, Enda Leonard, Stephen Leonard 2).

Black cards: Ballinagar – 0; K-K – 1 (Colm Leonard).

Red cards: Ballinagar – 0; K-K – 1 (Stephen Leonard, 2 yellows).