Granagh Ballingarry ‘on crest of a wave’
“Having won the intermediate county last year, reached the senior quarter-final this year, and with the minors in the county final, there’s massive excitement in the area,” he said.
While most of the talk in Limerick will be of tomorrow’s senior decider, the appearance of the west Limerick club in the minor final is of huge significance to both the division and the club. “1971 was the last time we reached the final,” said Dunworth.
“We went in as no-hopers up against Kilmallock, a star-studded team with several county minors, but we won.
“We had some fabulous hurlers on that team. That team had won the county U14 and U16 at a time when there was no such thing as premiership or anything like that, won that minor county in 71, then were beaten in the U21 final a few years later.
They then went on to backbone the Ballyagran side that won the junior county in 1979 and were probably one of the best teams that ever came out of west Limerick.
“It was one of those teams you dream about really, in a small parish, and, until this minor team came along, we haven’t won anything like that since at underage level.”
Co-incidentally, the opposition tomorrow is Kilmallock; co-incidentally also, that Kilmallock team is again star-studded, back-boned by several outstanding county minors, the likes of Paudie O’Brien, Brian O’Sullivan, Shane O’Donnell, John Kelly and goalkeeper Barry Hennessey.
A bit daunting, to say the least. “Around here, people are saying to us, ‘we hope ye don’t get beaten by too much,’ but I’d be expecting a bit more than that, to be honest.
“There are two Limerick minors on our side, Cian Cagney, our centre-back — I’m hoping his brother Gordon makes the Limerick minor team next year — and Denis O’Connor. Both of those lads were on the senior team that reached the quarter-finals in Limerick this year, so they have a lot of big-game experience. It’s a team of tremendous character.”
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