Here’s hoping for a final that will live in the memory for the right reason
Martin Carney
Believe it or not, Sunday’s county senior football final sees two teams oppose one another at this stage of the competition for the first time since 1929.
To say both have taken different paths is an understatement. Ballina Stephenites, in particular, have not only competed in 53 showdowns, but have been crowned champions 36 times. Westport, by comparison, have yet to win a title. Finalists on seven occasions, a defeat to Hollymount in 1991 was their last final appearance.
By way of experience and titles won, then, if one was to judge matters exclusively by these yardsticks, there is one winner only: Ballina.
Thankfully, though these criteria play a part, they only represent a small portion of the overall picture.
Of the two contestants, Ballina gave little indication of what was to come later following their opening day draw against an unfancied Ballaghaderreen. Though promising talent was once again emerging, the struggle to register a match-winning total remained a source of frustration. It was only after beating reigning champions Knockmore in round two of the group stages that people took note and nodded approvingly.
Fearless, creative and economical in this clash, three goals registered gave the public a glimpse of their potential and a sense of what was to come for the remainder of the campaign. By any yardstick, a sum total of 14 goals from their last four outings is impressive. I’m sure they are not complaining but it is this ability to score goals that sets them apart and something that Westport and their manager Martin Connolly will have noted.
MAXIMUM
What impressed me about their semi-final win over Ballintubber was the manner in which they capitalised on all of their opportunities as they arose.
Evan Regan sniffed the maximum from a Ballintubber error at a time when a goal was needed. Likewise in the second half, Frank Irwin prodded home a rebound from a missed penalty just at a stage when a ’Tubber comeback looked possible. The third goal with 10 minutes left wrapped up the result.
What will encourage Niall Heffernan and his management team is that scores aren’t just the preserve of a few but can come from any one of the forwards. Conor McStay and Dylan Thornton along with substitutes Luke Doherty and Mikey Murray have all played their part in keeping the Ballina attack fertile; 14 goals and 54 points is a handsome return from the campaign to date.
Although they have registered six goals themselves (three against a very weak Neale team on the opening day), Westport, from what I have seen, place a huge emphasis on blanket defending. By establishing this secure defensive template, they have become a very difficult team to beat.
Relying on a massed cluster of bodies inside their own 45-metre line, they appear comfortable in executing the strategy and breaking with purpose when the occasions demand. With the irrepressible Lee Keegan orchestrating matters in what is largely a young team, I think it is reasonable to assume that they will do all in their power to frustrate Ballina by ensnaring them in this defensive web.
Defensively their stats read well. From their five games, a single goal is all that they conceded – and this was from that penalty converted by Mitchels in the last crazy minute of county semi-final playing time.
Aside from hoping for another five-star defensive performance, Westport must also make the most of their counter-attacking opportunities. Though they don’t have the same goal-scoring identity as their opponents, they have a coherent attacking plan that relies on the use of an out-and-out target man. Kevin Keane performs the role effectively. He stays forward all the time and this encourages his team to deliver more ball by foot.
The ball-winning qualities of Mark Moran and Fionn McDonagh have been a feature in recent games. McDonagh’s industry is impressive and another big performance would go some way to fashioning victory. With Mark Moran, there is no doubting his skill-set and creativity; playing further forward than heretofore and becoming a bigger scoring threat might be of even greater benefit to his team.
OCCASION
In general, both teams – young and completely inexperienced at this level of competition – will have to deal with the occasion itself.
The ability to really believe, irrespective of what happens, is vital. Westport impressed in this regard by rescuing victory from the jaws of defeat against Castlebar. Likewise, they ground out a slug-fest with Garrymore.
Ballina’s inbred confidence will stand for something, as will the knowledge that they can plunder goals in unlikely circumstances.
Into the inexperienced category go Sam Callinan, Dylan Thornton, Conor McStay, the Lambert brothers and Oisin MacLaughlin. Whereas the occasion may be a setting for the young and inexperienced, one can’t avoid imagining the influences Padraig O’Hora, David Clarke, Evan Regan and Lee Keegan will yield. All are standard-setters and proven winners.
The possible roles assigned to Keegan and O’Hora will provide one of the game's intriguing side shows. Keegan, to date, has operated from midfield and in all likelihood will do so again. Will O’Hora go man-to-man with him? I think so, in the Ballina belief that if he can restrict Keegan’s input they are halfway there. O’Hora may lack Keegan’s ball skills but his facility to win dirty ball is unmatched.
Clarke has been here before and knows what it takes; an All-Ireland club medal in his formative years in the jersey was some baptism.
Regan was calmness personified in his earlier outings and needs to bring the same quality to bear once more.
Little will separate these teams at the end. Ballina’s superior goal-scoring power and, dare I say, tradition are impossible-to-ignore assets yet Westport’s defensive blanket has been close to all-suffocating this season.
Without any great conviction, I am giving a hesitant vote to Westport to capture their first ever title and in doing so allow that wonderful footballer Lee Keegan the opportunity to savour the joys of winning a county medal.