Dominant Dunmore best brave Ballina
At the interval, with Dunmore leading by three points courtesy of a 10-7 lead over Ballina, it seemed impossible to separate the two teams. An attritional war where both sides found aspects of the game they were superior in, Ballina dominating the scrums while their visitors disrupted every home lineout.
Once the whistle blew to signal the second half, Dunmore were a completely different side, outmatching Ballina for the majority of the latter period. They led 20-7 until the 70th minute where Ballina replacement Daniel Feeney latched on to a kick and sailed between the posts, leaving the trailing Dunmore backs in his rearview. A successful conversion from Craig McCormick gave Ballina faint hope of a comeback.
Dunmore would go on to kill the game only a few minutes out from the 80 mark, with captain Conor Burns delivering both the try and successful conversion that ensured Dunmore’s spot in the final four.
It was the Galway side who struck first in this tie, turning Ballina over and winning a penalty. Burns kicked for touch in the left corner, the lineout seeing the ball quickly move flanks. Despite some resolute goal-line defending from the hosts, Dylan Brady found a gap on the right and Burns converted from a tight angle for an eighth minute Dunmore lead.
Entering the halfway point of the first half, Thomas Hannigan burst off a lineout inside the Dunmore 22 but was held up on the line. A fatal error from Dunmore followed though, as they kicked it straight out of play giving Ballina a scrum, which they were mightily superior in at the early stages. Ballina’s number eight Oisin McNicholas was the man to capitalise, powerfully getting himself over the try line to level on 24 minutes played.
Ballina struggled to get their lineouts going, and Dunmore’s lineouts were coming out with ease. The Moy men finally got one out but a penalty against them in play saw Burns kick an easy penalty over, giving Dunmore their 10-7 lead at the break.
The second half was all Dunmore, pinning Ballina back within their own 22 for most of the second 40. Ballina had to be staunch to stop a second try after a good run from Burns, but a Dunmore knock-on eventually relieved some pressure. Just after 15 minutes had passed in the half, the pressure the home side were under finally told.
Dunmore replacement Euan Groenwald with an excellent carry down the left seized control of the game for the Galway men, which they would not rescind. Burns made no mistake with the conversion either, opening up a 10-point gap.
Despite the Feeney try, Ballina were suffocated by an excellent Dunmore side for the remainder of the half. Their late pushes were withstood and when Burns’ final try was scored, there was no way back in sight for the valiant Ballina side, who must now regroup for a crucial league clash at home against Mayo rivals Castlebar this Saturday night.
