Brilliant Browne scales heights

Mount Sion 1-14 Ballygunner 1-10

Not since 1975 had the club put back-to-back titles together, but Browne and his men ended that wait with authority and conviction and weren’t flattered by a four point winning margin.

Manager Jim Greene summed up man of the match Browne’s majestic display: “He was a colossus out there. Time and time again he broke the hearts of the Ballygunner forwards with his huge clearances, and he really led our team by example.”

Ballygunner looked sharper and more purposeful for much of the first half, when they had the assistance of the strong wind.

They had a glorious goal chance as early as the third minute but Paul Foley’s kicked effort went the wrong side of an upright.

The opening score fell to Gunners goalkeeper Ray Whitty, who pointed a free from all of 100 metres in the fourth minute. Alhough Mount Sion had eased a point clear by the 11th minute with a super strike by Ken McGrath, the Gunners went on to enjoy their best and most productive period of the game.

Paul Flynn’s pointed free restored parity before he was denied a goal on the quarter hour by Ian O’Regan’s tremendous reflex save at the expense of a ‘65’ which Flynn pointed.

Less than two minutes later however the goal the Gunners were threatening came, and what a score it was. Billy O’Sullivan, who had a quiet game, did all the spade work and when his accurate pass found teenage brother, Shane, he gave O’Regan no chance from close range.

Paul Foley, now at full forward, rifled over a brace of quality points in the 18th and 10th minute and the Gunners were six clear, 1-6 to 0-2.

That was as good as it got for them and Mount Sion’s dominance of the remainder of the half was a sign of things to come.

Ken McGrath, Barry Browne, Eoin Kelly (free), and Miceal White had four unanswered points, and the champions were firmly in the driving seat trailing by just two, 1-7 to 0-8, at the break.

Kelly (free) and midfielder Michael Frisby had them level by the 39th minute and Eoin McGrath’s 41st minute point gave them a lead they never subsequently surrendered.

The Ballygunner attack was making no headway against Browne and company and, despite the best efforts of Fergal Hartley at the heart of the Gunners defence, the champions were now clearly in the ascendancy.

Flynn was wide from a 20 metre free on the threequarter hour with a goal clearly his objective, and that was the clearest signal of how dramatically the game was slipping away from them.

Seven minutes later it was lost when Eoin McGrath ran onto a mighty Brian Green delivery and smacked the ball past Whitty to ensure his side’s record 33rd title.

A measure of the Gunners’ collapse was they had to wait until the 26th minute of the half to add to their interval tally and two more Flynn points was the total of their contribution.

Scorers for Mount Sion; E. McGrath (1-1); K. McGrath (0-4, 0-1 free); E. Kelly (0-4, 0-3 frees); S. Ryan (0-2); B. Browne, M. White, M. Frisby(0-1) each.

Ballygunner; P. Flynn (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-2 65s); P. Foley (0-2); S. O’Sullivan (1-0); R. Whitty, A. Moloney (0-1) each.

MOUNT SION: I. O’Regan; J. O’Meara, A. Kirwan, B. Flannery; J. Cleere, T. Browne, B. Greene; R. McGrath, M. Frisby; E. Kelly, K. McGrath, M. White; B. Browne, S.Ryan. E. McGrath.

BALLYGUNNER: R. Whitty; N. O’Donnell, G. Cullinan, R. O’Sullivan; S. Frampton, F. Hartley, A. Kirwan; T. Fives, C. Kehoe; M. Mahony, A. Moloney, P. Flynn; B. O’Sullivan, P. Foley, S. O’Sullivan.

Subs: F. Flynn for Moloney; W. Hutchinson for Fives; G. O’Connor for Foley; T. Carroll for Mahony.

Attendance: 5,000

Referee; John M. Kelly (Shamrocks).