Castlebar cruise to win against West Mayo rivals
Cian Walsh was in red hot scoring form for Castlebar Mitchels in their victory over Balla last Friday evening.
If there was any doubt that Castlebar Mitchels could be caught in their opening group game of the Mayo senior football championship two years in-a-row, it was answered emphatically last Friday evening.
The intensity and physicality that Mitchels played with throughout was something Balla simply could not live with. Indeed, many observers in the buildup felt Balla could catch the visitors here given a third of Castlebar Mitchels’ starting side were only a week removed from their county-wide exploits following Mayo’s historic All-Ireland win.
Donnacha McHugh, Paddy Durcan, John MacMonagle, Sean Morahan and Bob Tuohy all started for Mitchels, with goalkeeper David Dolan also lining out for Balla. MacMonagle and Morahan both impressed for Mitchels, yet it was Fintan Borotto and Cian Walsh who laid down markers with excellent performances.
Playing with the aid of the breeze, Castlebar Mitchels capitalised on two early wides for Balla with the first six points of the game through a brace by Calum Filan (one free), Paddy Durcan, a two-point free from Ethan Gibbons and Cian Walsh’s first of the evening.
Balla went through the first quarter scoreless and did not register their opening score until the 18th minute through an Oisin Cronin free. James Durcan and Cillian Golding traded points on 21 and 23 minutes but the latter’s score was Balla’s last of the half, with Cian Walsh kicking the next three points for Kevin Filan’s men and that was followed by a Bob Tuohy two-pointer.
Two sliding doors moment arrived in first-half injury time when Balla made a rare breakthrough past the Mitchels defence. Jude Clarke’s delivery inside looked teasing for the Balla attack but Borotto made a crucial interception. Down the other end, Tuohy’s soccer style pass picked out MacMonagle, and he drove at the Balla defence before laying the ball off to Tuohy who simply had to palm it into the net, but Patrick McLoughlin got a big hand to tip it onto the post.
That left the gap at ten points, 0-12 to 0-2, and Balla, who now had the win, got the first point of the half through Conor Walsh.
Any faint hope of a fightback was ended on 33 minutes. A brilliant diagonal ball by Shane Cunningham picked out Cian Walsh and while his strike was not the cleanest, it trickled into the bottom corner to end this game as a contest.
Rory Byrne, a free, and Conor Walsh exchanged scores, while Neil Douglas made an immediate impact off the bench for Mitchels with a point just seconds after coming on.
Balla’s luck was summed up when Cronin missed a free from 22 metres out, and Cian Walsh brought his tally to 1-5 with a point after James Durcan turned over possession inside the Balla half.
Liam Glynn and Ryan Fadden got Balla’s first back-to-back points of the half, but that was met with a second green flag for Mitchels on 50 minutes through Anthony O’Boyle after excellent work by MacMonagle and James Durcan in the buildup.
Liam Glynn, a free, a Colm Murphy two-pointer and a David Dolan ’45 eventually moved Balla into double figures for the evening, but it was a game to forget for the men in maroon. The impressive Sean Morahan finished off the scoring for Castlebar Mitchels on the evening with a fine point.
Mitchels will now prepare for a big showdown with champions Ballina Stephenites on Saturday week, while Balla will need a big result away to Garrymore on the same day to ensure they avoid a relegation battle.
Scorers – Castlebar Mitchels: Cian Walsh 1-0-5, Anthony O’Boyle 1-0-0, Ethan Gibbons (tpf) and Bob Tuohy 0-1-0 each, Calum Filan 0-0-2 (1f), Paddy Durcan, James Durcan, Rory Byrne (f), Neil Douglas and Sean Morahan 0-0-1 each.
Balla: Colm Murphy 0-1-0, Conor Walsh and Liam Glynn (1f), 0-0-2 each, Oisin Cronin (f), Cillian Golding, Ryan Fadden and David Dolan (45’) 0-0-1 each.
Balla: David Dolan; Sean Brohan, Ger Flanagan, Brian O’Donovan; Conor Dunleavy, Oisin Jordan, Patrick McLoughlin; Cillian Golding, Odhran O’Connor; Colm Murphy, Ryan O’Donnell, Jude Clarke; Ger Holian, Conor Walsh, Oisin Cronin. Subs: Luke Flatley (for Holian ht), Liam Glynn (for Brohan 35), Ryan Fadden (for Golding 40), Shane Conway (for O’Connor 53), Harry Freney (for O’Donnell 54).
Castlebar Mitchels: Rory Byrne; Joe Tuohy, Donnacha McHugh, Fintan Borotto; Paddy Durcan, John MacMonagle, Sean Morahan; Bob Tuohy, Ultan O’Reilly; Anthony O’Boyle, Calum Filan, Shane Cunningham; Cian Walsh, Ethan Gibbons, James Durcan. Subs: Neil Douglas (for Gibbons 39), Donal Newcombe (for Morahan 53), Morahan (for Borotto 57).
REF: Liam Devenney (Ballina Stephenites)
