Last year Ballyfin were playing in Division 3 of the ACHL, and in the group stages they easily accounted for Clonadís Junior ëAí team. In that particular game, Ballyfin scored 2-18. Last Friday night at Raheen, Ballyfin scored one point less against the Clonad senior team, and in doing so qualified for the ACHL Division 2 final.

And while this victory was not as one-sided as last year’s win over Clonad’s second-string, Ballyfin were well worth every point of their winning margin. Ultimately, they played greater spirit than their more esteemed opponents, and once the early goals went in, they showed great beleif in themselves. So much so, in fact, that had the proverbial Martian landed at Raheen during the second half, he would have been convinced it was Clonad, not Ballyfin, that was the intermediate team.

For Clonad, this was a nightmare. Perhaps they had assumed getting out of Division 2 would be a dawdle, and were not fully tuned-in to the challenge. However, once things began to go wrong, they did not know how to respond as a team.

They started brightly enough, with Ross Gill getting the opening point of the game, but they were rocked when Eddie Fitzpatrick lashed a breaking ball home from close range after about seven minutes. Gill responded with a beautiful point, after a solo down the wing, but then on the quarter mark, a ball sent across the Clonad square was met first time by JJ MHugh and the net shook for a second time.

From there until the interval, it was almost all Ballyfin. Dermott McGill was lording it at midfield and, in stark contrast to their opponents, their full-forward line was doing considerable damage. Clonad managed another couple of pointed frees, to leave it 2-7 to 0-4 at half time, but for the most part seemed shell-shocked by the early goals.

A more fired-up Clonad might have been expected at the start of the second period, but instead it was Ballyfin who got the first two points. Nevertheless, Clonad were pressing more now, and were unfortunate to see a 21-metre free from Enda Norton turned over for a point. Soon after, Seoirse Conroy, likewise, had a pile-driver deflected for a point by the alert Tommy McHugh, and ñ most frustratingly for Clonad ñ Sean Kerr had a goal disallowed after the ball was controversially adjudged to have gone out of play just beforehand.

All the while, however, Ballyfin were adding points to their tally, and so, by the time Fergie Keyes cut through their defence for a goal, the game was already gone way beyond Clonad. And as if to emphasise this, Ballyfin went upfield and knocked over the last point of the match.

There are very few positives for Clonad to take from this display, and apart from Ross Gill, and Enda Norton, and perhaps Dan Mulhare in the beleaguered defence, none of their players stood out in any way. The next round of the senior championship is fast approaching, and if this result serves as a wakeup call, then perhaps it is a blessing in disguise for the proud club.

Ballyfin, meanwhile, will be cock-a- hoop over this. They produced a confident team performance, with those to the fore including the two McHughs, the aforementioned McGill at midfield, Richie Downey, and substitute Paul Finn. If they can reproduce this form in the final, they should be hurling in Division 1 next year.

Ballyfin: Tommy McHugh; Sean Quinn; Andy Bergin; David Connolly; Gary Dunne (0-1, 65); Jason Horan; Ronan McGrath; Dermot McGill; Aiden Heffernan; Sean Lowry (0-1, free); Matt Duff; JJ McHugh (1-8, 0-3 frees); Richie Downey (0-4), Eddie Fitzpatrick (1-0); Jason Gilligan. Sub: Paul Finn (0-3) for J. Horan.

Clonad: Liam Ahearne; Dan Mulhare; Emmett Ging; Denis Sheeran; John Bergin; Paddy Norton; John Sheeran; Greg Norton; James Keegan; Enda Norton (0-4, 0-2 frees); Seoirse Conroy (0-2, 0-1 free); Ross Gill (0-2); Brian Murphy; John Tynan; Fergal Keyes (1-0). Subs: Danny Bergin for D. Sheeran; Sean Kerr for B. Murphy.

 

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