Crusheen win with late flourish

Crusheen 1-14  Ballyea  1-8

The result shows a win for the favourites but for three quarters of Friday evening’s senior championship clash between Crusheen and Ballyea the underdogs looked the likely winners.
They led from the third minute until two minutes into the final quarter. A further seven minutes passed until Crusheen took the lead for the first time with a Fergus Kennedy goal but Ballyea should have been awarded a free out because Gerry O’Grady’s pass to the goalscorer wasn’t a proper hand pass.
It was an evening when Ballyea should have done better and Crusheen players and mentors were the first to admit this after the game.
A goal in the third minute by Tony Griffin after Gearóid O’Connell made the break gave Ballyea a lead they would hold until midway through the second half. Crusheen closed the gap to the minimum on a couple of occasions but their finishing on the evening was atrocious, a fact highlighted by a tally of 18 wides, 11 of which came in the opening half.
While the wides were mounting for Crusheen, the Ballyea forwards were finding it difficult to create chances and the only member of their forward line to get on the scoresheet was Tony Griffin, who scored 1-2 in the first half but saw little action in the second period.
It was 1-6 to 0-7 in Ballyea’s favour at half time, with three of their points coming from long-range frees by goalkeeper Shane O’Neill. They scored first in the second half through county minor captain Paul Flanagan but after this they managed just one more score and this was a pointed free from goalkeeper O’Neill.
Paddy Meaney from play and two pointed frees from Joe Meaney brought the sides level 17 minutes into the second half. O’Neill quickly restored Ballyea’s lead but Joe Meaney, the game’s top scorer, hit back with another pointed free to level matters again with nine minutes to play.
The decisive moment came three minutes later when Gerry O’Grady won possession and passed to Fergus Kennedy, who hit the ball first time into the net. It proved to be the crucial score and a killer blow to Ballyea as, within a minute, the winners added points from Cian Dillon and Kennedy. There was no way back for a brave Ballyea side and the game ended on a disappointing note for them as they were reduced to 14 men when substitute Frankie Griffin picked up two yellow cards in a minute at the death.
The Dillon Brothers in defence and David Forde in attack worked hard throughout for the winners while Kevin Sheehan, Niall Keane, Paul Flanagan and Tony Griffin in the first half did best for Ballyea.

Crusheen: Donal Tuohy; John Brigdale, Cronan Dillon, Alan Brigdale; Cathal Dillon, Cian Dillon, Ciaran O’Doherty; Tony Meaney, Gearóid O’Donnell; Joe Meaney, David Forde, Fergus Kennedy; Paddy Meaney, Gerry O’Grady, Conor O’Donnell.
Sub: Alan Tuohy for P Meaney (53 minutes).
Scorers: Joe Meaney (0-9, 8f); Fergus Kennedy (1-2); Cian Dillon, Paddy Meaney, Gerry O’Grady (0-1) each.
Frees:18; Wides: 18; 65s: 1
Bookings: Fergus Kennedy (48 minutes).
“I can’t ever remember being involved in a game that it took so long for things to come right. They harried, they tackled and it wasn’t until we got the few breaks that we got that bit ahead.” Michael Browne, Crusheen

Ballyea: Shane O’Neill; David Sheehan, Kevin Sheehan, Brian Carigg; Niall Keane, Paddy O’Connell, Francis O’Reilly; Paul Flanagan, Alan Carigg; Gearóid O’Connell, Cormac Murphy, Cathal Doohan; Brian Murphy, Gary Brennan, Tony Griffin.
Subs: James Murphy for O’Reilly (19 minutes); Donal Chambers for C Murphy (39 minutes); Frankie Griffin for Carigg (50 minutes); Francie Nealon for G O’Connell (58 minutes).
Scorers: Tony Griffin (1-2); Shane O’Neill (0-4, 3f, 1 65); Paul Flanagan (0-2).
Frees: 7; Wides: 1; 65s: 2
Bookings: Frankie Griffin (61 and 62 minutes); Donal Chambrs (62 minutes).
Sent off: Frankie Griffin (62 minutes).
“It was there for the taking, I suppose. Crusheen left us in the game. It’s a learning process but it’s getting hard to come out and be close and not get over the line.” Michael Hehir, Ballyea.

Referee: Kevin Walsh, Wolfe Tones