Can Westport spoil Ballina’s three-in-a-row dream?

Sometimes you cannot beat a siege mentality.

In interviews after their incredible extra-time victory over Crossmolina last Saturday, both Kevin Keane and Eoghan McLaughlin referenced more talk about the Deel Rovers than them in advance with Keane saying ‘we weren’t really in the conversation’ in terms of serious championship contenders this year.

It is exactly the type of approach managers and players love in Irish sport; for all the talk to be of the opposition. It allows you to hint at disrespect towards your own team, the cliched ‘pin it to the dressing-room wall’.

After all, Westport were the last team to lift the Moclair Cup before Ballina. Crossmolina will be trying to end a 20-year wait next season. And when you look through the Westport team and subs, there is no shortage of quality and inter-county experience.

The trouble is, their form this season up to the semi-final has not been at the levels they know they can get to.

They were somewhat fortunate to get a draw in the group stages against Knockmore, with a controversially awarded late two-point free. They finished second in the group behind Knockmore, albeit only on scoring difference, with solid but far from spectacular wins over Mayo Gaels (1-18 to 1-13) and Balla (0-15 to 0-11) Against Breaffy, they were abject for 40 minutes, trailing by nine and lucky not to be further behind. Given that Breaffy had beaten them in the previous two quarter-finals, Westport looked like they had a surprising level of malaise in the first-half of that game.

But something stirred in them when goalkeeper Paddy O’Malley was sent off after 40 minutes (overturned on appeal) and Westport turned their season around.

“We spoke about that, not too much, but we had to acknowledge that we were poor for the majority of 40 minutes of that game and it took a sending-off to throw the shackles off and just go at it,” admitted Kevin Keane, Westport’s matchwinner on Saturday.

Against Crossmolina, something much closer to the real Westport stood up. The trouble is their cover is most definitely blown!

Leaving Crossmolina after Ballina’s comfortable and assured win over Knockmore, the general feeling was it was going to take a very good team to beat them. Watching the second semi-final, it was apparent long before the end that a very good team was going to emerge from Charlestown.

It sets up an intriguing final clash but it may not be the helter-skelter type of game we witnessed in Charlestown.

Westport are scoring a bit more of late, scoring an average of 18 points per game in their last three games (not including the extra-time in Charlestown where they scored an impressive ten points). Ballina, meanwhile, have averaged 16.

Crucially, the Stephenites have been much more frugal defensively.

They’ve conceded a miserly average of 11.33 in those games, compared to 15.67 for Westport.

If those trends repeat themselves, it points to the 15 to 18 point range being enough to win, perhaps lower still.

A crucial factor could be the extra-time Westport had to play in. It was also a ferociously fast-paced game, compared to Ballina’s win, where the Stephenites were able to boss the game and control the tempo much more. But Westport showed reserves of energy and conditioning in extra-time that could be telling. They also had significant impact off the bench, with Kevin Keane (2), Pat and Tom Lambert all scoring in extra-time.

In all the chaos in Charlestown, few will have noticed that Killian Kilkelly limped off at half-time in extra-time. His availability or lack thereof could be decisive.

Quietly, without much fuss, Kilkelly has become a pivotal player for Westport. He’s struck 2-29 in this campaign, fully 1-13 of which has come from play and his import is significant. He is a real livewire and deadly accurate, a proper footballer.

It’s arguable that he was only the second most influential member of the Westport full-forward line on Saturday though.

The return of Colm Moran has been a huge boost for Pat Holmes’ team. Moran is a real match-winner and his unavailability in recent years due to a spell in America and injury has severely impacted Westport.

He was the focal point of their attack, kicking three points and having the assist (either through a foul or the final pass) for a handful more scores.

It was his first start since returning from injury but he was pivotal in their win over Breaffy, getting the match-winning goal and also kicking a two-pointer from play.

Westport impressed in winning primary possession on Saturday too with Eoghan McLaughlin, Brian O’Malley and Lee Keegan pivotal in this regard.

There is a certain irony that Crossmolina have been pivotal to both sides’ progress. Ballina’s 3-20 to 4-10 loss in St Tiernan’s Park in August was a timely reminder for them of how hard three-in-a-row is. That it did not come in a knockout game made it a blessing in disguise and they have built steadily since then. They were not altogether convincing in their last group game over Garrymore, winning 0-16 to 0-13 (a draw would have eliminated them) but have moved through the gears since with comfortable wins over a fancied Ballaghaderreen and Knockmore.

On Saturday last, they made their neighbours look distinctly average. They dominated midfield, were rock solid in defence and created plenty of chances. If there is a concern for them heading into the final, it is that they only scored 1-12. They led 0-6 to 0-2 at half-time but if their lead was twice that, it still would not have reflected their dominance in that first-half.

Evan Regan was kept on a tight leash by Seán Holmes and while they had six other scorers, you get the feeling they will need more than four points from their talisman in order to triumph.

There is a very good balance about them for the most part, a real feeling that collectively they are greater than the sum of their parts. That’s not to say they don’t have individual quality – they have plenty of it – but they really know what they are about, are well coached and played with a control, energy and purpose on Saturday.

Defensively they are rock solid – Knockmore did well to score two points in the first-half. Mikey Murray and Frank Irwin are a formidable midfield partnership and they have a lot of mobility in the middle eight.

While Westport might argue they were not given enough credit going into the semi-finals, it was their clash with Crossmolina that brought out the best in the Covies.

Their victory and performance levels send them into the final surging with confidence, form and belief. The Deel Rovers will perform the role of kingmakers this year regardless of who wins.

There was a sense that once Westport won one, they would go on and win several. As it happens, it was Ballina who responded better to that 2022 final.

But in chasing the three-in-a-row, they are meeting a Westport team determined to prove they are not a one-hit wonder. And, perhaps, a Westport team with the greater scoring power and coming to the boil at the right time.

Verdict: Westport