Injured O’Brien hopes for chance to aid Ballina cause
By Liam Hogan
Ballina’s great win over Mullinahone in last year’s county intermediate football championship means they are competing in the senior championship for the first time when they take on Ardfinnan next Friday evening.
The county final win led to an unsuccessful bid for a Munster final appearance when Na Piarsaigh defeated them in the penultimate round after extra time. Then there was a successful run this year’s county league when they were unlucky not to beat JK Brackens in the semi-final. Brackens lost narrowly to Commercials in the final.
In all that time, Ballina have employed the services of former Clare, Mayo, and Offaly manager John Maughan as a consultant on a monthly basis which shows the seriousness to compete at the top level.
However, there is one disappointment as county man Steven O’Brien will miss the early rounds of the championship after an injury hit season.
“After a prolonged club season in late 2022 it was straight into training with Tipperary,” he began.
“I picked up a few niggly hamstring injuries and they followed me into the league. I tried to fight through them and played two half games against Down in the first round and went off at half time and against for the second half against Cavan and that was the end of the league campaign having retired with a hamstring. I recovered just in time for the first round of the Munster championship game with Waterford.”
Tipp took on Meath in the first round of the Tailteann Cup but O’Brien had to retire with a shoulder injury which has kept him out ever since.
“I’m only halfway through the treatment,” he said at the recent FBD Insurance County Championship launch at FBD Semple Stadium.
“It was a freak accident,” he recalls.
“I just went to make a tackle with an outstretched arm and a player went right through it and I hyper extended the shoulder. Something had to give, and it was the tendon on the shoulder.
“I got it repaired six weeks ago and I’m making good progress but it’s something you can’t really rush. I’m six to eight weeks before I’m back on the pitch. Being realistic my hopes are that Ballina will reach the knockout stages. Hopefully we come out of the group I may see a bit of game time then.
“We have a young team coming through and if I can give assistance so be it. I’m back doing a bit of rehab and running and able to be involved in certain elements, a big bonus if I’m only able to be part of it for five or ten minutes.”
Ballina have a tough group in the football championship where we are grouped with Loughmore/Castleiney, Ardfinnan and Moycarkey/Borris. Already Ballina have displayed what they can achieve when suffering a close defeat at the hands of JK Brackens in the Division 1 League semi-final.
“Those clubs are well seasoned senior football teams which is something we are not familiar with,” O’Brien added.
“They can hold their own, especially Loughmore who have made the closing stages in recent years. Hopefully we can get a good result in the first round and build from there.”