As expected, this one went down to the wire.
2024 Talbot Hotel Carlow JFC A Final
Ballon 1-11 Leighlinbridge 1-10
By Stephen Bambrick
Like his St. Mullins namesake has done with a hurl on many a day in the most nerve-wracking of moments, it was the Ballon version (with the boot) of Mouse (Michael O’Leary) that kept his nerve in the 60th minute to convert a championship-winning goal from the penalty spot and break Leighlinbridge hearts in the process.
A flying finish saw Ballon crowned winners, with some players completing a Junior double with the Burren Rangers hurlers involved and also their manager Alan Kelly having played in Rathvilly’s Junior B win on Saturday. Celebrations all round down that country for the next while, no doubt.
With Leighlinbridge dealt a severe blow before the game with Cathal Brennan’s injury ruling him out, the opening exchanges saw both sides display nerves, with shots dropping short at both ends before Robert O’Byrne opened the scoring when set free by Darren O’Keefe in the 2nd minute. A foul on Peter Zerafa enabled Evan Corr to level in the 4th minute. The nervy opening continued, with both sides guilty of poor shot selection and execution until a pair of Aidan Lillis frees in the 12th and 14th minutes had Leighlinbridge’s superiority now reflected on the scoreboard, with Geoffrey Doran and Cian Brennan having been fouled respectively.
The game’s first big talking point came in the 16th minute when Shane Duffy intercepted a cross-field sideline ball to race clear, finding Conor Bolger who in turn fed Corr, who was upended by PJ Haughney’s tackle. The ball hit the net after David Hickey had blown the whistle, the tackle resulting in a yellow card for Haughney. The free was put over by Liam Brennan when it was borderline whether a penalty could have been given instead, a let-off for Leighlinbridge.
It was now Ballon’s turn to get on top, everywhere bar the scoreboard though, taking a bit of composure to eventually see parity in the scoring with Corr, Zerafa, and Brendan Fanning combining from a 45 for the latter to level on 20 minutes. A vital Johnny Maher hand stopped Doran racing clear before, in the 23rd minute, O’Keefe found Lee Conran, whose over-the-top pass found the inrushing Conor Delacey, who still had a lot to do; the minor providing the game’s first major with a cool finish low past Colm Barry, 1-3 to 0-3.
Ballon saw out the half in the best possible manner, a pair of substitute Corey Kelleher frees from almost the same spot in the 24th and 28th minutes bookending Zerafa’s fisted point in between. Though Leighlinbridge might have done better with a poor pass letting them down when a goal-scoring opportunity looked on, halftime it was 1-3 to 0-6.
Ballon lost the influential Joshua Fernandez at the start of the 2nd half, but this rallied their side to take the lead for the first time in the game. Another Kelleher placed ball (Duffy fouled) and a cracking 45 from Corr after Joey Byrne had cleared his goal line after more Ballon calls for a penalty were turned down.
Now it was 0-8 to 1-3 in favour of Ballon. Darren O’Keefe, after kicking clear, halved the deficit in the 39th minute with Haughney’s run from deep complemented by Delacey nabbing the equaliser a minute later. The score now stood at 0-8 to 1-5.
Corey Kelleher had been clinical since his introduction from placed balls. In the 46th minute, he showed he wasn’t too bad from play either as he skipped through the Leighlinbridge rearguard to regain the lead for his side.
It was at this point in their semi-final win over the Fighting Cocks that Leighlinbridge hit a purple patch of scoring. They repeated that once more as another Lillis free levelled (Doran fouled). Lee Conran (Colm Barry tipping over) and Charlie Nolan, running from halfway, both pointing, this now putting them in the driving seat. The resultant kickout saw a Ballon handball on the deck on the 45 giving Cian Kavanagh the opportunity to put three between the sides, which he duly did, 1-9 to 0-9 on 53 minutes.
The next Leighlinbridge attack saw O’Keefe find Val Fleming, who in turn spotted Conran, his pointed effort brilliantly blocked down by the impressive throughout Dan O’Connor. Conran picked up a black card in his efforts to halt O’Connor’s progress out of defence, Leighlinbridge effectively down to 14 for the remainder of the game.
Before that scoring burst from Leighlinbridge had come, Ballon introduced the aforementioned O’Leary (the hero in the Asca quarter-final win) in the 44th minute. Now an impact sub, by the game’s end, what an impact he would have.
His steadying influence drew a free for Kelleher to convert in the 56th minute, 1-9 to 0-10. Ballon pushed their numerical superiority with Corr nerveless to register another free after another Duffy run was halted, 1-9 to 0-11 on 57 minutes, Leighlinbridge firmly rooted in their own half now.
With the 60th minute now approaching, again Duffy had another marauding run, jinking inside the D where he found Fanning, who in turn spotted fellow wing-back Johnny Maher (also only a minor) on the edge of the square. Cian Kavanagh was left with no choice other than to foul. Ballon at last without a doubt had a penalty. Up stepped Mouse, giving Kavanagh no chance, 1-11 to 1-9 with the additional minutes announced as being 4, having already started.
It was definitely on a knife edge now if it wasn’t already. O’Keefe found Haughney in an advanced position to kick a tremendous point under serious Ballon pressure, 1-11 to 1-10, 62 minutes now having elapsed.
It was déjà vu in front of the Leighlinbridge goal seconds later as Maher again found himself through on goal but this time bottled up and blown for over-carrying. The last attack from Leighlinbridge was blocked down before Ballon broke clear to keep possession and greet the final whistle as victors on a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-10.
Ballon – Colm Barry, Joshua Fernandez, Lorcan Doyle, Dan O’Connor, Johnny Maher, Fionn McCaffrey, Brendan Fanning (C) (0-1), Jimmy Carroll, Conor Bolger, Jim Nolan, Evan Corr (0-3, 0-2f, 0-1, 45m), Myles Hutton, Liam Brennan (0-1f), Peter Zerafa (0-1), Shane Duffy.
Subs – Corey Kelleher (0-5, 0-4f) for Brennan (21 mins), Callum Crawford for Fernandez (32 mins), Michael O’Leary (1-0 pen) for Hutton (44 mins), Conor Kearney for Carroll (58 mins).
Leighlinbridge – Cian Kavanagh (0-1f), PJ Haughney (0-1), Daniel Barron, Joey Byrne, Geoffrey Doran, Fiach O’Toole, Alfie Barcoe, Liam Brennan (C), Conor Delacey (1-1), Robert O’Byrne (0-1), Darren O’Keefe (0-1), Cian Brennan, Aidan Lillis (0-3f), Charlie Nolan (0-1), Lee Conran (0-1).
Subs – Val Fleming for O’Byrne (37 mins), Kacper Gniedziejko for Cian Brennan (45 mins), Billy Lennon O’Brien for Barcoe (57 mins).
Referee – David Hickey (Fenagh).
