Beale goal power too much for Goleen in Junior B final

Inspired by last year’s Kerry u-20 captain Rob Stack, the Ballybunion outfit had too much for the west Cork side

Kerry's Rob Stack inspired Beale. Pic: Ben Brady, Inpho

Munster Junior B’ FC final: Beale 4-9 Goleen 1-10 

The ability to get goals at crucial stages proved to be the difference for Beale as the North Kerry side were, ultimately, too good for brave Goleen in the Munster Junior ‘B’ football championship final played at the Castletown Ballyagran GAA grounds.

Inspired by last year’s Kerry u-20 captain Rob Stack, the Ballybunion outfit led by seven points at half-time (2-6 to 0-5) and, try as they might, there was no way back for the Cork men in the second half despite their spirited resistance.

Beale were also indebted to goalkeeper Joe Downey for a string of important saves in both halves but, in reality, it was the winners’ double green flag burst in the eighth and ninth minutes of the opening half that was the game’s pivotal period.

Fionnán Toomey set up Barry O’Neill for the first goal, while the promising, swashbuckling Stack strode through the middle to rocket home the second in the very next play. Captain Padraig Reidy, Tadhg Cullinane and Michael O’Reilly kept Goleen involved to the interval.

On the resumption, Downey was called into action on several occasions, as was his opposite net-minder Ronan Kennedy, while the destination of the spoils wasn’t set in stone until Conor Toomey’s individual goal for Beale in the 56th minute.

Goleen, to give the utmost credit, kept plugging away to the end, finally raising a green flag in injury-time, courtesy of substitute Darren O’Donovan. Beale, fittingly, had the final word, corner-forward Eric Daly sealing their triumph with goal number four at the death.

Scorers for Beale: R Stack 1-2 (0-1f), B O’Neill 1-2 (0-1mk), C Toomey 1-1, E Daly 1-0, D Toomey 0-2, E Tydings(mk), I Mannix (’45) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Goleen: M O’Reilly 0-7 (0-6fs), D O’Donovan 1-1, P Reidy, T Cullinane 0-1 each.

BEALE: J Downey; A O’Connor, J Griffin, J Finch; S O’Sullivan, F Toomey, S O’Connor; R Stack, D Toomey; B O’Neill, C Toomey, J King; E Daly, E Tydings, I Mannix.

Subs: P Holly for S O’Connor (ht), P Blake for A O’Connor (41), P Collins for King (44), C McSweeney for O’Neill (52), R Mulvihill for Tydings (57).

GOLEEN: R Kennedy; P Collins, J O’Driscoll, Michael Sheehan; R O’Callaghan, P Sheehan, P Reidy; Matthew Sheehan, T Cullinane; J Coughlan, D O’Driscoll, P O’Regan; E Healy, M O’Reilly, P Scully.

Subs: M O’Donovan for Michael Sheehan, inj (15), D ’Donovan for Scully (ht), A Sheehan for Matthew Sheehan, inj (35), A Barry for O’Callaghan (50), S O’Leary for O’Regan (58).

Referee: K Guina (Limerick).