Injuries finally take toll on brave Ballina

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Quarter Final

Clonmel Commercials 1-12

Ballina 0-6

Report: Michael Dundon at The Ragg

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Sean O’Connor (Clonmel Commercials)

SCORERS – Clonmel Commercials: Sean O’Connor 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-1 free); Cian Smith 0-3 (2 frees); Jack Kennedy 0-2 (1 free); Michael Quinlivan, Jason Lonergan, Joe Higgins, Aldo Matassa 0-1 each.

Ballina: Jack O’Mahoney 0-2 (1 free); Harry Byrne, Cathal O’Donnell, Ben King, Charlie King 0-1 each.

A depleted Ballina came up short of what is required to turn over champions Clonmel Commercials in the County Senior Football Championship quarter-final on Sunday, the Commercials win maintaining their bid for a hat-trick of titles.

Ballina, who also lost to Commercials at the same stage last year, were forced to line out without county players Steven O’Brien and Teddy Doyle, and county hurler Michael Breen was also sidelined through injury. In terms of quality and morale, their absence was a huge blow to Ballina, and while Breen and Doyle came on in the second half, it was not enough to halt the march of the defending champions.

Not that Commercials were near their best. In a contest that failed to ignite, they started well, dipped, and then finished strongly to see off the Ballina challenge. Commercials have not enjoyed a great campaign so far this year, having already lost twice to rivals Moyle Rovers in both south and county championships, but they are where they need to be now and are still the team to beat. The best is yet to come from them.

Ballina set up very defensively from the start, basically inviting the opposition on to them and Commercials duly obliged with points from Sean O’Connor (2) and Cian Smith in the first four minutes.

In their first serious raid into Commercials territory, Charlie King shot a sweet point for Ballina after fourteen minutes but further points from Cian Smith and Joe Higgins had Commercials cruising, 0-5 to 0-1 clear after twenty minutes.

In the period coming to half-time, Ballina found their mojo. Three points in five minutes from Cathal O’Donnell, Jack O’Mahoney, and Harry Byrne (the best move by Ballina in the first half) had them hot on the heels of their rivals at the interval, just a point behind, 0-4 to 0-5. The notion that there could be a shock on the cards was being floated.

It gained momentum in the opening minutes of the second half as Ben King and Jack O’Mahoney pointed for Ballina after Michael Quinlan had the first point of the period for Commercials.

Level at 0-6 each, the momentum appeared to be with Ballina but that quickly changed as Jack Kennedy landed two Commercials’ points and Sean O’Connor another, all in the space of three minutes, to set the champions on their way to the semi-final.

Three points adrift (0-6 to 0-9) at the start of the last quarter was not an unbridgeable gap for Ballina, and with Teddy Doyle and Steven O’Brien on to bolster their charge, they could not be written off, but it was Commercials who were now turning the screw. Jason Lonergan pointed when a goal was on offer; Aldo Matassa and Cian Smith added further points for a double-scores lead (0-12 to 0-6) with seven minutes left.

Commercials semi-final spot was put beyond all doubt when Sean O’Connor netted a penalty in the 61st minute, the nine point defeat not doing justice to the Ballina effort.

Hot favourites to advance, Clonmel Commercials duly obliged but will need to do better if they are to match the hat-trick of titles last completed in 1967. There is no doubt that they have the talent at their disposal and with the winning post in sight, the urgency which has been lacking may not appear.

With Seamus Kennedy and James Morris absent from their defence, Michael Quinlivan was sited at centre-back, and did well but judgement on it is reserved for now. Jack Kennedy, Conal Kennedy, also operating in defence, Peter McGarry, Sean O’Connor, and Ross Peters were busy throughout.

Ballina can be happy to have maintained their senior status particularly as they do not enjoy the divisional competition and games that their rivals have. The injuries greatly undermined their challenge but in only their second year in the top flight, they continue to make progress. Charlie King, Jack O’Mahoney, Paddy O’Donovan, Harry Byrne, and David Kelly worked very hard to promote their cause.

TEAMS - Clonmel Commercials: Shane Ryan (6); Kevin Fahey (6), Ross Slattery (6), Tadhg Condon (6); Conal Kennedy (7), Michael Quinlivan (7), Padraic Looram (6); Cathal Deely (6), Jack Kennedy (7); Peter McGarry (7), Jason Lonergan (6), Joe Higgins (6); Cian Smith (6), Sean O’Connor (8), Ross Peters (6).

Subs: Aldo Matassa (6) for Higgins (40); Rory O’Dowd (6) for Lonergan (50); Tadhg Sheehan (6) for Deely (51); Sean Kennedy (6) for Smith (54); Michael Murphy (NR) for McGarry (55).

Ballina: Dara King (6); Kian Donnelly (6), Cillian Ryan (6), Paddy O’Donovan (7); Josh Egan (6), Charlie King (7), Terry O’Halloran (6); Tom Lee (6), Harry Byrne (7); Charlie Grace (6), David Kelly (7), Cathal O’Donnell (6); Ben King (6), Jack O’Mahoney (7), Conor Power (6).

Subs: Teddy Doyle (6) for Power (40); Steven O’Brien (6) for O’Donnell (40); Matthew Power (6) for B King (43); Zach Egan (6) for Lee (46); JP Mbokha Tansia for J Egan (50).

Referee: Sean Everard (Moyne-Templetuohy).