Murphy dares to dream ahead of county final

To win a county championship is the dream for every player, and James Murphy is 60 minutes away from achieving just that with Ballinrobe.

After battling past Moy Davitts last time out, Ballinrobe will face a close namesake of their semi-final opponents next Saturday, as they aim to end a 24-year wait for a county intermediate title.

Defeating many people’s favourites for the Sweeney Cup in the semi-final on a 0-14 to 0-8 scoreline, the favourites tag might well be theirs now as they head into this MacHale Park showdown with South Mayo rivals Davitts.

Ballinrobe’s defence in particular stood out in the battle with Moy Davitts, where both teams were pushed to their limits. The effort shown by Ballinrobe on the night is something that midfielder James Murphy was especially proud of.

“It was a ding-dong battle between ourselves and Moy Davitts; it was a battle of attrition in the second-half.

“They came back strong at us in the second-half. It was about trying to keep things simple and work as hard as we can to get over the line. The work is never finished.” 

Ballinrobe were last in the final in 2023, where they were defeated by Kilmeena by two points.

The club have learned the hard way of how difficult the intermediate championship is, having been on the wrong side of close quarter-finals and semi-finals through the years.

After an opening group stage defeat to Ballyhaunis, it looked like another season of what-ifs could be ahead for the club. However, James Murphy has praised the group for quickly getting their season back on track and not panicking.

“Intermediate is a real wide-open championship, anyone from one to 16 can get to the final.

“No game is settled at all, every game is a battle. In our first game, we had a bump in the road, it wasn’t good enough in our loss to Ballyhaunis.

“You have to regroup, and with that was a local derby against The Neale. There is no easy game when you get through the group or the knockout rounds. Everyone fancies their chances and there are no favourites with anyone. It is exciting like that, but you can’t rest on your laurels or you will get found out.

“A bit of momentum has driven us on in those past few games, which have been quite tough; there is no easy games,” insists Murphy.

Under the new management of Eoghan Hughes this year, the club looks to have turned a corner, with the very experienced Kieran Fitzgerald joining Conor Keane and Ruairi Keane in the backroom team this season.

For Murphy, the injection of youth and added depth has forced players to up their performances.

“You can’t beat the youth on the team. They are a major driving factor in our team. We have some great young players, Cian May, Barry Langan and Caoimhin Donnelly, along with loads of other young players.

“It does drive a lot of competition in training and matches as well. There is no place nailed down, it is all up for grabs, so it does make you drive on in the training pitch.” If Ballinrobe were to win their first title since 2002, it would be a dream achieved for Murphy, who has been inspired by watching other clubs become champions across the country in recent weeks.

“It would be one of my lifelong dreams for however long I have been playing. Looking at social media with some of the county finals finishing up and what it means to people, including myself, it would be one my dreams to get to that promised land and get the county title and bring it home to Ballinrobe.”