Ballinrobe girls playing the generation game
In Croke Park for the official launch of the Lidl All-Ireland Senior Post-Primary Schools Finals were captains Ali Hughes of Ballinrobe CS and Lily Maher of St Anne's SS, Tipperary. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
A generation ago, just seven months after their opening, Ballinrobe Community School began what became known as the ‘Nine in the Nineties’ era.
Between 1991 and 1999, the Gaelic football teams from the school would win two All-Ireland senior men’s ‘B’ titles, two All-Ireland junior ladies ‘A’ crowns and five consecutive All-Ireland senior ladies ‘A’ championships.
Many of those ladies would form the backbone of the Mayo team that captured four All-Ireland titles inside five years in the late 1990s and early 2000s including Cora Staunton, Christina and Marcella Heffernan, Denise Horan and one Sinead Stagg (née Costello).
Stagg, who is the current Mayo LGFA chairperson, is now in a full circle moment in her first year as coach, with many of her former teammates’ daughters on the panel, as well as her own daughter Chloe.
Ballinrobe captain Ali Hughes (daughter of Emer Farragher), Emily Jennings (daughter of Noreen Warde) and Tara Fitzpatrick (daughter of Joyce O’Hara) are also looking to follow in their own mothers’ footsteps.
“There’s a lot of history and a lot of generations coming back to play for the school which is lovely,” Stagg told the . “The uniqueness of Ballinrobe Community School is they have players playing from Clonbur, Tourmakeady, Kilmaine, The Neale, Hollymount, Ballinrobe, all coming together to play for the pride of their school.”
Another exceptional group is now making their own path and two years ago, Ballinrobe won the junior ‘C’ title, a first All-Ireland Ladies PPS title since 1995.
Much of that team have made a seamless transition to the senior ranks and they lifted the Connacht title by defeating Presentation College Headford by five points, which would also be the winning margin when they defeated Dominican College, Fortwilliam in the All-Ireland semi-final after extra-time.
“That was new territory for us,” said Stagg. “You had no time to really reminisce and think about what had gone wrong. You really just had to turn quickly into action as to what we're going to do in the extra-time to pull us into the final.
“Semi-finals are for winning and you need to be getting yourselves into the All-Ireland and that’s really what they did in the extra-time, went out and set the marker down from the very start. Quick hands and a quick goal to kind of settle everything but they kicked into top gear come the extra-time. I'm hoping that'll stand to us in the final.”
From back to front, there is vast experience despite the youthfulness of the team, from Kayla Hughes in goal, Sari Vahey and Lola Tiernan at the back, Mayo senior footballer Kate Brennan in midfield to Maura Hughes up front.
“We have a lot of leaders all over the field and a good blend of youth as well which not every team has at senior level, because it is an under-20 competition. We're very lucky to have a mix of both.
“Kate is a true leader, and I’m delighted for her to get the debut against Donegal for Mayo in the National League.
“She's been showing her skill and her character throughout the years for Mayo at underage level and right through up to senior level. I'm really looking forward to seeing what type of player she becomes.” Kate Brennan’s impact was telling in extra-time, with two goals as well as one from Ali Hughes.
“When we needed a leader to stand up there [in the semi-final], she got that ball. She laid it into Chloe Stagg, at 11 at the time. Chloe got the ball, got it back to Kate, back of the net and it was just that marker being set from the very start of that extra-time.”
It will be the last chance of All-Ireland success for nine of the Ballinrobe Community School panel, who are in Leaving Cert this year, and their coach is hoping they can emulate what they did a generation ago, although St Anne’s Secondary School, Tipperary, will provide a stern test.
“They know they have to work for it. Nothing's going to come easy. That semi-final, they did have to work. No doubt it's going to be a real tough encounter against St Anne's. They have a lot of quality too. They have a senior player as well and a few minor players and they're an experienced older bunch compared to [us]. We have a few under-16s.
“It should be a right good battle and all going to plan, hopefully we'll put in a performance. As long as we put in a performance and don't have any regrets, I think we should come out the right end.
“If we're not good enough on the day and if the best team wins, we can only control our own controllables. Hopefully, the Gods are shining us on that day.”
