New year resolution for Ballygunner in change to recent Christmas tradition

Philip Mahony and the Waterford kingpins are looking forward to an All-Ireland decider in January.

EMBRACEABLE YOU: Ballygunner’s Aaron O' Neill and Philip Mahony celebrate after the game. Pic: INPHO/Grace Halton

A different sort of Christmas feel in Ballygunner. And no, we don’t mean the schedule of turkey sandwiches, training sessions, rinse and repeat.

Recent Christmases in Ballygunner have seen plates overflowing with regret. The idleness of the year’s final week presented far too much downtime to ruminate on another opportunity lost.

Seven days before Christmas 2022, Ballygunner’s All-Ireland title defence came up a goal short against fierce rivals Ballyhale.

Nine days before Christmas 2023, and at the very same semi-final stage, they were physically unnerved by St Thomas’ in-your-face approach. An enthralling encounter at Portlaoise ended in a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat for the Waterford champions.

On the opening day of December 2024, they were overwhelmed by ravenous Sars in the Munster decider.

And so, as you can imagine, there wasn’t a whole pile of festive cheer during the three most recent Christmases out Ballygunner direction. There wasn’t a whole pile of fun in sitting alone with one’s thoughts and replaying every turnover, every momentum-turning score.

A team of endless Waterford wins and almost unmatched provincial dominance had earned themselves a reputation they didn’t want. They were the team of one All-Ireland crown and the team incapable of adding another.

Sunday, thus, was a welcome change in Ballygunner’s semi-final narrative. A most welcome change in Christmas conversation.

The team too often built up by their own brilliance and subsequently brought down by others is now the team one hour from becoming the first Munster club in 47 years to twice acquaint themselves with the Tommy Moore Cup.

“We know what it's like to lose All-Ireland semi-finals a few days before Christmas. The St Thomas' one, particularly, was very tough. Coming out of Portlaoise that night, you were wondering would we ever get the chance to go to Croke Park again,” Ballygunner No.6 Philip Mahony began.

“The Christmas dinners over the last few years have been tough going, but we're back there now again, so we'll enjoy it as well. You have to make sure that the journey is always enjoyable.

“In the last few years, Munster finals and All-Ireland semi-finals are great days out, particularly for the younger people in the club. I remember going to the games at their age myself and now there's an All-Ireland final in Croke Park to look forward to over Christmas. That's a great thing.” For more than a moment early on Sunday evening, there was a sense this latest semi-final would go the same way as 2022 and ‘23. Another semi-final of physically coming off second best. Another semi-final of being outthought.

On 37 minutes, and following back-to-back St Martin’s white flags, Ballygunner trailed 0-8 to 0-5. Jason Ryan’s side had managed just one point in the previous 17 minutes. They were in bother. Serious bother.

“I'm sure some of the supporters and club people up in the stand might have thought that. But we always just plough on, prepare as best we can and give it everything.

“In fairness, we were probably lucky to be only two points down [at half-time]. We just said that we'd make sure we had no regrets come the final whistle. Even in the first half, the effort was 100 per cent, it just wasn't happening for us. But we stuck at it, we never let it drop.” 

The shift in proceedings from minute 37 onwards has been attributed in many quarters to Ballygunner stepping up and pushing on. That’s not entirely accurate.

St Martin’s, in a departure from their short-passing-out-from-the-back risk-reward approach up to that point, started leaving far too much to chance. Deliveries became hopeful rather than purposeful. Ballygunner were clinical in punishing.

Across the four unanswered points that Ballygunner clipped in a three-minute-and-21-second period to assume a 0-9 to 0-8 lead, two stemmed from a Martin's delivery and puck-out up-field that had no intended target. Harry Ruddle and Mahony swept in and cleaned out. A third was rooted in a Rory O’Connor sideline sent straight to Peter Hogan.

Mistake after mistake from Martin’s. Point after point from Ballygunner.

St Martin’s launched 11 attempts at the Ballygunner posts in the closing 25 minutes. Only two stuck. Ballygunner nailed 14 from 18 in the same period.

“It felt like we got a nice bit of momentum in the first five or six minutes of the second half. We got the first score, which was big. In fairness, they came back into it and went three up. But we kicked on from there,” 34-year-old Mahony continued.

They now kick on to Croke Park. Galway champions Loughrea await on January 18.

“We had a good game against them a few years ago. I was away at the time, but I remember how highly the lads spoke of them. We'll just switch off for a few days now. I had a busy week leading into the game [Mahony’s partner gave birth to a baby girl] so I'm looking forward to going home and relaxing and building up again to the final. But I'm delighted to be there, especially at my age.”