St. Brigid's produce superb display to steamroll Ballina

St. Brigid's 1-21 (1-1-19)

Ballina Stephenites 3-8 (3-1-6)

AIB Connacht Club Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

St. Brigid’s produced their best performance of the season to steamroll their way past Ballina Stephenites at King and Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park and set up a provincial decider against Moycullen in two weeks’ time.

Despite the concession of three goals, the Roscommon champions were rarely troubled once they took flight in the final 12 minutes of the opening half, hitting nine unanswered scores to leave their opponents struggling for oxygen at the break.

While Ballina, trailing by eight points at the break, stemmed the bleeding somewhat in the second half, they couldn’t live with St. Brigid’s quick movement of the ball.

Eleven different St. Brigid’s scorers found the target from play, and all six forwards had contributed to the scoreboard by the break — a measure of Brigid’s dominance in attacking positions.

St. Brigid’s played sensational football in the opening half. Apart from Ballina’s two goals, the Roscommon champions dominated midfield, with all six forwards full of running and having the measure of their direct opponents.

Ballina did make an encouraging start when Frank Irwin’s delivery was flicked to the net by Dylan Thornton in the third minute.

Irwin landed a superb point from just inside the outer arc but Brigid’s gradually warmed to their task.

Shane Cunnane and Ben O’Carroll (free) got them off the mark before Senan Kilbride intercepted a loose pass from Seán Regan and finished with aplomb in the ninth minute.

O’Carroll made it 1-3 to 1-1 a minute later before Ballina pounced for a second goal — an acrobatic finish from Evan Regan after good approach work by Sam Callinan, Luke Doherty and Irwin.

But Brigid’s were simply unstoppable after that, decimating Ballina around the middle third before attacking at a pace that Ballina couldn’t live with.

They kicked the next nine scores in succession from play, with Paul McGrath (2), Brian Derwin, Bobby Nugent and Conor Hand before Player of the Match, Ruaidhrí Fallon, had all the time in the world to land his side’s only two-pointer of the game.

There was still time for Ciarán Sugrue to find the target, ensuring that all six Brigid’s forwards had found the target as Anthony Cunningham’s men took a 1-12 to 2-1 lead into the interval.

Rapid-fire scores from Fallon and O’Carroll (free) stretched St. Brigid’s lead further before Ballina, unbelievably, pounced for a third goal through substitute Ben Thornton after 34 minutes.

But they couldn’t get any closer as Brigid’s continued to play positive, attacking football, even though they left some chances behind them.

Fallon, Shane Cunnane and Brian Derwin added to Brigid’s tally, while substitutes Charlie O’Carroll and Brian Stack also pitched in with scores.

Ballina’s response came in the form of a couple of scores from Evan Regan, a two-pointer from midfielder Mike Murray and a fine individual score from Sam Callinan.

But Brigid’s final score typified the difference between the teams as they held possession for over two minutes before Ciarán Sugrue finished off the move with his second score of the game to propel his side back into the provincial decider where, once again, they will enjoy home advantage against Moycullen at the end of the month.

ST. BRIGID’S: C Carroll; R Smith, S Trundle, R Dolan; R Fallon (0-4, one 0-2), B Stack, P McGrath (0-2); S Cunnane (0-2), E Nolan; B Nugent (0-2, one free), C Sugrue (0-2), C Hand (0-1); S Kilbride (1-0), B O’Carroll (0-3, one free), B Derwin (0-2). Subs: E Derwin for Brian Derwin 42, C O’Carroll (0-2) for Nugent 42, R Stack (0-1) for Smith 46, M Daly for Cunnane 51, E Sheehy for B O’Carroll 56.

BALLINA STEPHENITES: D Clarke; L Golden, L Jordan, C Boland; S Callinan (0-1), S Regan, D Tighe; M Murray (0-3, one 0-2), F Irwin (0-1); D Thornton (1-0), P O’Hora, N Feeney; E Regan (1-3, two frees), L Doherty, C McStay. Subs: B Thornton (1-0) for Boland 30, C Treacy for Tighe 47, L Feeney for N Feeney 59.

Referee: B Judge (Sligo).