Proud O’Donnell lauds efforts of heroic players

There will be hurt over the coming days, weeks and possibly months for Balla Secondary School, but joint-manager Gareth O’Donnell, alongside Adrian Phillips, will remind their panel of how proud they should be of their efforts.

Balla put up a tremendous performance over the 80-plus minutes but were undone largely by the brilliance of Shea McDermott, a member of Tyrone’s All-Ireland under-20 winning team last year, as St Ciaran’s College from Ballygawley found that bit more in extra-time to win the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools senior ‘C’ football title.

“You couldn't ask for any more than that today. I couldn't be any more proud of these fellas,” said Gareth O’Donnell afterwards. “I have been all year but today really typified what it's like.

“The one thing you want is a performance when you come to a final, that fellas don't get nervous and deviate from what we've been doing all year, and our lads didn't do that. They were absolutely exceptional.” 

On the game, O’Donnell offered: “It looked like we were beat there into the breeze, 14 men atn the end of normal time. Liam [Glynn] comes up and gets a two-pointer. Just a couple of moves maybe let us down in the second-half of the game. I thought maybe we could have snuck it then.” 

With the wind at their backs, Balla had built up a strong lead before McDermott began the St Ciaran’s comeback with a goal before half-time. The Errigal Ciaran clubman also kicked over four two-pointers, including an audacious one from 55 metres out near the sideline to put them ahead for the first time, but Liam Glynn kicked four of his own, his third levelling the game to take it to extra-time.

“We had a tentative enough start but then we kicked on, we kicked a few two-pointers and we were 9-0 up and I thought if we got in nine points up at half-time that we'd be in a decent position.

“The goal was the sucker punch. We had one or two chances that we missed, and they got their chance and I've never seen a free like he kicked over there, I think we were two points up at that stage and then just the mental boost for them and the way it just floored us. But then again like we came straight up the pitch and Liam kicked a two-pointer into the breeze from outside the arc.” 

As well as Shea McDermott, three of the St Ciaran’s panel won the 2025 All-Ireland minor title with Tyrone, yet it was St Ciaran’s who were struggling with the pace of the game as Balla kept coming at them. But the first period of extra-time, where St Ciaran’s hit 1-5 without reply, proved too big an obstacle.

“I think they made three or four subs with cramp. We didn't really, ours were more soft tissue kind of things. Our fellas, even though they were tired, were going to keep going,” said Gareth O’Donnell proudly. “We had a few fellas that played for Mayo, we knew what we were up against coming up here today and we weren't surprised by anything that we saw.

“Just probably one or two key things throughout the second-half swung the game, even though I thought in extra-time that we had got back into it. The momentum was with us, probably being down the man for the first three minutes didn't help us with the black card as well. But they gave everything.

“You see the score there, six points and you're worried, is this going to go to nine or ten? But I shouldn't have doubted our fellas. We came up, we got a goal, a few two-pointers. We kept at it right to the end of the game.” 

It will be the end for up to seven of the starting Balla fifteen, who are in Leaving Cert this year. But O’Donnell predicts a bright future for football in Balla Secondary School, as well as for several of the players at inter-county level.

“They will go on and I would hope they will play senior football for their clubs and a lot of them will have under-20 appearances with Mayo to come for sure.”