A familiar ring to Sunday’s county final pairing at Walsh Park but this renewal of hostilities breaks with the great battles of the nineties and noughties. These two devoured every title available in that period but now they are desperate for a return to the podium.
Ballygunner return to the same place where they let a seven point lead slip last year. Their record in county finals since 2000 stands at four wins and eight losses. A new broom swept away last year’s despair. After tackling the matter directly, Fergal Hartley moved on straight away from the past. Unlike the previous two campaigns, they got their act together from the off. No need for a late dash to the line on this occasion.
Although they dropped below the 20 point mark for the first time against Dungarvan, they are generally returning 26 points per game. Pauric Mahony spared them in the semi final and he leads the standings on 57 points. Full forwards Conor Power (2-16), Brian O’Sullivan (2-26) and JJ Hutchinson (1-15) have all scored freely throughout the season.
After a trouble-free run through the group, the knock-out games presented different challenges. Despite being reduced to fourteen against Lismore, they hit 2-14 in the second half. They encountered trouble with Dungarvan and elimination beckoned when they trailed 1-12 to 0-12 entering the last quarter. Five unanswered points over the final quarter put some doubts to bed over their mental strength.
A couple of defensive tweaks also improved the feel of the team. Barry Coughlan moved back to the more familiar surroundings of full back after a spell on the wing. The return of Philip Mahony alongside Shane Walsh and Wayne Hutchinson gives them a formidable half back division. Walsh swept up plenty of ball when Dungarvan applied the pressure. The demons won’t be banished completely until the cup is safely secured just before five o’clock.
Eight years away for the Monastery men makes this final something of a novelty for all involved.
Mount Sion’s presence could have been predicted back in April after knocking on the door in the previous two campaigns. By late August, that optimism looked misplaced given the manner of the defeats to Ballygunner and Dungarvan.
Five changes in personnel resulted. They decided to batten down the hatches in defence and kept back to back clean sheets. Only seven points from play conceded to Abbeyside and De La Salle managed eight. In the most important move of all, Austin Gleeson nestled into centre back and that also brought the best out of wing men Michael Gaffney and Owen Whelan. The hassling from the forwards also affected the quality of the deliveries.
How will Ballygunner attempt to storm the castle? De La Salle opted for the direct route into Madigan and Moran with limited success. Sion will face a different proposition this time as the Gunners will strike ball in front of their inside line and use the full width of the pitch.
The Dungarvan speedsters caused the Ballygunner backs trouble but Mount Sion’s threat lies elsewhere. They play a short game and the vast majority of their scores come from numbers eight to twelve. Will Ian O’Regan deviate from that strategy? Two of these puckouts resulted in the concession of scores to De La Salle during the first half of the semi final. They will want to keep dropping ball away from Walsh, Hutchinson and Mahony. Richie Roche and Sean Ryan are recognised goal scorers in the full forward division but they feed on breaks around the goal rather than carefully constructed moves. Ballygunner look more likely to nab the first green flag of the afternoon.
The battle between Austin Gleeson and Pauric Mahony will have a huge bearing on which team enters the winner’s enclosure. In all likelihood, these two players will pair off on Sunday. Gleeson defends from the front and that may leave the space for the inside men to exploit. He will have to pick and choose his moments. Sion cannot allow Mahony an extra second to look up and spray his passes.
At the other end, Ballygunner will surely stay tighter to Eoin McGrath than De La Salle managed. He played a huge part in Sion’s blistering start to the semi final. The hard working pair of Martin O’Neill and Stephen Roche hold the edge over their direct opponents based on current form. A lot of ball went through their hands last time around and Roche rushed forward to claim 1-2.
Experience must count for something. Ten Sion starters will line out in a county final for the very first time. Conor Power is odd one out in a Ballygunner fifteen accustomed to these occasions. The potential impact from the stands also needs to be scrutinised. JJ Hutchinson and Peter Hogan made an immediate impression when introduced at crunch times during the knockout rounds. Apart from Kenny Stafford and Ian Galgey, the rest of Sion’s reserves fall largely into the untested category.
Ballygunner needed to pass that character test against Dungarvan. Up to that stage, their average winning margin was 12 points in this year’s championship. They must match Sion’s workrate all over the field and remain patient to break down that new defensive arrangement, especially the strong half back division. They displayed a determination in the semi final to fight and grind out a win. Another steely showing should bring back the bacon and their want must be greater than Sion after last year’s events. Time to stand up and be counted.
Probable Teams
Mount Sion: I O’Regan; M Hoban, C Ryan, S O’Neill; M Gaffney, A Gleeson, O Whelan; Martin O’Neill, S Roche; T Browne, E McGrath, Martin ‘F’ O’Neill; R Roche, S Ryan, G Carroll.
Ballygunner: S O’Keeffe; S O’Keeffe, B Coughlan, A Kirwan; Philip Mahony, W Hutchinson, S Walsh; H Barnes, S O’Sullivan; Barry O’Sullivan, Pauric Mahony, D O’Sullivan; JJ Hutchinson, Brian O’Sullivan, C Power.
Odds: Ballygunner 1/2 Draw 9/1 Mount Sion 15/8
Prediction: Ballygunner
