O’Donoghue to give Belmullet fighting chance in northern tussle

Sunday, October 1 

1.30pm in St Tiernan’s Park, Crossmolina 

BALLINA STEPHENITES v BELMULLET 

Ref: Paul Lydon (Kiltimagh) 

A tasty North Mayo battle is on the cards in Crossmolina as Ballina Stephenites and Belmullet face off in what is sure to be an intense affair.

Although the Stephenites have more Moclair Cups (36) than anyone else, their last one was all the way back in 2007 and their recent record has given them an unwanted tag of nearly men.

Three consecutive semi-final exits from 2019 to 2021 was ended last year as goals from Frank Irwin, Evan Regan and Luke Doherty saw them break the hoodoo at Ballintubber’s expense, although defeat to Westport in the final saw a wait for a record-breaking 37th title enter a sixteenth year.

The championship so far has been a very positive one for Niall Heffernan’s side. Without being at their best, Ballina defeated Breaffy and in their following game against Mayo Gaels, they hit 1-9 before the Abbeysiders got going, running out ten point winners in the end. A concession of 2-12 against Balla might offer some concern but the Moysiders were already through to the last eight and played with shackles off.

Their mixture of youth and experience continues to blend well and grow. Sam Callinan, Frank Irwin and Dylan Thornton will have learned much from reaching a first county final last year and their willingness to take more responsibility is easing the burden that rests on Padraig O’Hora and Evan Regan, the latter’s tally of 1-17 only bettered by his Belmullet counterpart Ryan O’Donoghue in this year’s championship.

O’Hora still remains the heart and soul of the team and should he remain fit and firing, the Stephenites have a big chance of ending their Moclair drought. However, they must be vary wary of the fearless men from the Barony who have made an impact since their return to the grade in 2020. After a quarter-final appearance that year, they enjoyed a magical run to the final in 2021 which saw them fall to Knockmore.

Failure to get beyond the group stage last year will have been a black mark but they have responded since, after guaranteeing a spot in the quarter-finals with a wins over Garrymore and The Neale. Even the defeat to Ballintubber had positives as they almost pulled off a great comeback with only fourteen players.

Ryan O’Donoghue, as mentioned, is the championship’s top scorer with 2-16 to his name, which is just over half of Belmullet’s scores to date (4-30). Ballina will need to keep a lid on his effectiveness and whoever has the job of marking him – Ger Cafferkey, Sam Callinan and O’Hora are possibilities – will need to be at their best.

As mentioned in previous weeks, however, calling Belmullet a one-man team would be a disservice to the likes Marty Boylan, Jason Boylan, Fionan Ryan, Fionan Ryan, Shea O’Donoghue and former professional footballer Ronan Murray.

It’s a tight one to call but Ballina’s greater overall threat may swing it for them.

Verdict: Ballina Stephenites