Might Muredach's show Ballinrobe no mercy
St Muredach’s Dylan Sweeney, right, was a powerhouse in midfield for his side's win over Ballinrobe Community School. Picture: David Farrell Photography
A week since they gave St Gerald’s College a thumping on their way to the Flanagan Cup, St Muredach’s College dealt out another to a Mayo rival to seal their place in the knockout stages of the Connacht Post Primary School Senior A football championship last Wednesday evening.
The unfortunate opponents on this occasion were Ballinrobe Community School, who were literally blown away as St Muredach’s made use of the strong wind in Bekan to devastating effect. By half-time, the North Mayo school led 3-18 to 0-1, which featured an incredible 15-minute spell that saw them score 2-12, including six two-pointers in a row, and the South Mayo students would have been forgiven wishing to be in front of their books as opposed to the St Muredach’s machine that was dishing out a scoring exhibition.
It was not just the scoring that was so impressive, but the work ethic of their entire side. In midfield, Oisin Gavin and Dylan Sweeney were dominant. Ardnaree duo Cathair Tighe and Kenzie McKee did not give Ballinrobe an inch while their fellow Ardnaree clubmate Nathan Roddy bordered on unplayable, the former Mayo minor scoring 1-11 on the evening.
By the seventh minute, St Muredach’s led 1-3 to 0-1. Conor Jordan and Patrick Carr, a free, both pointed before Ballinrobe got their only score of the half through wing-back Ross Burke. St Muredach’s were in on goal on six minutes after excellent work by Corey Lavery McCay set up Sean Foody only for the corner forward to blast over the bar. McCay made no mistake a minute later when St Muredach’s won the Ballinrobe kickout and McCay ran almost thirty metres before firing an arrow into the top corner.
By the end of the first quarter, St Muredach’s tagged on another two goals. Nathan Roddy finished soccer style after Ballinrobe failed to clear the ball away, which was followed by Foody palming in from Conor Breslin’s ball across. Ballinrobe almost countered with a goal of their own. The Neale’s Daithi Butler played in Luke Muniz, but the rising Kilmaine star shot inches wide of the post.
St Muredach’s would then reel off half a dozen two-pointers, four coming from Roddy, including one from a placed ball. In between, he almost set up a fourth goal when he won the Ballinrobe kickout and put through Jordan, only for the woodwork to come to Ballinrobe’s rescue.
Patrick Carr also got in the act form outside the arc with a pair of two-point efforts, and he would tag on two frees in the last action of the half to put St Muredach’s in an insurmountable lead.
To their credit, Ballinrobe battled bravely and now playing with the breeze, fired over the first two scores through a Cian May ’45 and a point from Aaron Crowley.
St Muredach’s kept the scoreboard ticking through a Roddy free and one from play by Foody. The boys in red then won a free for a Ballinrobe breach, but the free would then be awarded the other way for dissent, and Evan Lydon made use of the inclement conditions to fire over his first of his three two-point frees in the second half.
That would be cancelled out by McCay and Roddy, and when Ballinrobe hit another two-pointer through Maye, Muredach’s would keep the gap as is through Roddy and Carr.
Those two points at the end of third quarter for Muredach’s would be their last. Ballinrobe would hit 1-9 in the final 15 minutes, the goal coming through a classy finish into the bottom corner through Crowley, who hit a two-pointer moments before. Lydon and Maye would get Ballinrobe’s remaining efforts of the evening, but it would only put a degree of respectability on the final scoreline on a night that St Muredach’s officially announced themselves as Connacht contenders.
Scorers - St Muredach’s: Nathan Roddy 1-4-3 (1tpf, 1f), Patrick Carr 0-2-5 (4f), Sean Foody 1-0-2, Corey Lavery McCay 1-0-1, Conor Jordan 0-0-1.
Ballinrobe CS: Evan Lydon 0-3-0 (3tpf), Aaron Crowley 1-1-1, Cian Maye 0-1-3 (2 ’45, 1f), Rossa Burke and Luke Muniz 0-0-1 each.
St Muredach’s: Conor Bohan; Cathair Tighe, Peter Quinn, Kenzie McKee; Conor Breslin, Cian Hastings, Alexander Smyth; Oisin Gavin, Dylan Sweeney; Oisin McCann, Conor Jordan, Corey Lavery McCay; Sean Foody, Nathan Roddy, Patrick Carr. Subs: Eoin Golden (for Smyth 45), Marc Munnelly and Sean Fleming (for Foody and Breslin 48), Conor Mayock (for McCann 50), Cathal Finn (for Hastings 55).
Ballinrobe CS: Rian Gilligan; Mark Economopoulos, Caoimhín Donnelly, Karl Gorman; Jack Tuffy, Barry Langan, Rossa Burke; Evan Lydon, Daithi Butler; Darragh O’Dea, Cian Maye, Luke Muniz; Aaron Crowley, Jack Philbin, Rory Gilrane. Subs: Donagh Gilligan (for O’Dea 22), Ben Donnelly and Nathan Dooley (for Burke and Tuffy h/t), Padraic Mylotte (for Philbin 57).
REF: John Glavey (Aghamore).
