Ballygiblin on a roll and looking to continue

CHAMPIONS: Ballygiblin celebrate after their Cork Premier JHC win over Tracton. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

Cork Premier JHC final 

Ballygiblin 2-19 Tracton 1-12 

Back-to-back county titles secured, Ballygiblin now aim for back-to-back Munster titles and another potential crack at an All-Ireland.

It ended just as it did in last year’s county junior A final: Seán O’Sullivan netting a goal from a rebound and assisting another in a final-quarter volley of scores. The opposition deflated and defeated. Ballygiblin celebrating again. Fionn Herlihy lifting another trophy – this time the new Jimmy O’Mahony Cup as inaugural Cork premier junior hurling champions.

Their victory looked likely from Michael O’Sullivan’s 25th-minute red card (for interfering with Mark Keane’s helmet) and certain from O’Sullivan’s 50th-minute goal. Tracton, eventually forced to push their sweeper forward, were caught for 2-3 to a single point in reply between the 47th minute and Darragh Flynn’s 58th-minute goal.

The goals weren’t strictly necessary for this victory but having gone without one since their opening-day demolition of Dripsey in July, they celebrated both as they’ll celebrate this victory – wholeheartedly.

“It’s unbelievable. Ballygiblin is only a small aul parish and it just means so much to everyone,” said O’Sullivan.

“Coming in here today, big stadium, you’d swear there was 40,000 here. Every score that went over, you just see red and white flags, red and white hats, and there’s cheering and everything. Every hook, every block, every turnover, there was a cheer and that just makes our life easy. That just spirits us on and drives us on.

“Everyone inside in the dressing room, there’s smiles of joy on everyone’s face and that’s what it’s all about.

“Everything means so much to Ballygiblin. We only have a pitch and a hurling wall. There’s not much down there. You can have all the doom and gloom but at the end of the day, it comes down to our hurling. It was proven out there last year and it was proven there today again. We’re a club on the rise and I think people will respect us now.

“The last 12 months, we’ve been on a roll and it’s great to carry on and hopefully the year isn’t over yet, there’s a Munster in it. We’re not going to look too far ahead. We’ll enjoy the celebrations tonight and we’ll knuckle down again after a day or two and get to grips again.” 

They were shell-shocked within 25 seconds, Michael O’Sullivan punishing a Ballygiblin defensive error to rattle the net. But from there on, Tracton only managed another three points from play; their only second-half success a Conor McGuinness consolation in the 57th minute. When they were dominant, with Graham Webb everywhere as sweeper in those minutes after the goal, they missed four of their five shots at the posts.

Once Ballygiblin hauled them back level in the 14th minute, Tracton never led again. Ballygiblin outscored them by 2-13 to 1-3 from open play. Where Tracton relied on frees from Ronan Walsh, David, and Mark Byrne, Ballygiblin had a variety of scorers. As Webb dropped deep, Joseph O’Sullivan found space outside to snipe 0-5 from play in a man-of-the-match performance. 

Cathail O’Mahony (0-4) and Shane Beston (0-2) rampaged up and down the wings. Flynn (1-2) grew into the game. Keane and James Mullins roamed forward from their free roles in defence.

Ahead 0-7 to 1-3 when the red card arrived, and 0-10 to 1-5 at half-time, Ballygiblin’s forward switches paid dividends. O’Mahony, moved inside, hit three points in the third quarter. Flynn, moved outside, began to direct attacks. Seán O’Sullivan, moved outside as Flynn moved back in, found space to make and create those goals. Ahead 0-15 to 1-9 after 46 minutes. Out of sight 12 minutes later.

For O’Sullivan, the closeness of the panel knits it all together. 

“We just love hurling and we love going out and expressing ourselves, and that’s what we do to our best.” 

Scorers for Ballygiblin: J O’Sullivan (0-10, 5 frees); D Flynn (1-3, 0-1 free); C O’Mahony (0-4); S O’Sullivan (1-0); S Beston (0-2).

Scorers for Tracton: R Walsh (0-5 frees); M Byrne (0-4, 2 frees); M O’Sullivan (1-0); D Byrne (0-2 frees); C McGuinness (0-1).

BALLYGIBLIN: C Noonan; L Finn, F Herlihy (capt), J Mullins; B Coffey, M Keane, M Lewis; R Donegan, K Roche; D Flynn, J O’Sullivan, S Beston; C O’Mahony, S O’Sullivan, D Barry.

Subs: D Sheehan for Barry (41), K Duggan for Beston (60), C O’Brien for Finn (60), P Molloy for J O’Sullivan (60+3).

TRACTON: K Lyons; D Good, T McGuinness (j-capt), R Sinclair; K Webb, G Webb, C McGuinness; J Good, D O’Flaherty; D Byrne, M O’Sullivan (j-capt), M Byrne; D Harrington, P O’Riordan, R Walsh.

Subs: D Kidney for O’Sullivan (3-5, blood), C Quinn for O’Riordan (41), D Kidney for M Byrne (45), J Kingston for Walsh (50), M Byrne for O’Flaherty (56), S O’Sullivan for Quinn (59), E Kingston for Harrington (60+2).

Referee: W Wallace (Aghada).