Stephenites break through but subpar final still leaves bitter taste

When you think of the Mayo club championships this year, the senior final is the one game that comes into full focus. It did, of course, but not for good reason.

The unanimous feeling of neutrals watching Ballina Stephenites and Breaffy was it being among the worst Mayo club finals ever played in MacHale Park, and the lowest scoring Mayo SFC final since 1935. It received not just local attention but attracted national headlines also for the poor standard of play,. Whatever was said by the likes of John Maughan, Colm Parkinson, Joe Brolly and Irish Examiner sports journalist Maurice Brosnan, it was not remotely complementary.

This game was not a one-off. It happened across the Mayo senior championships. Concerns over the negative football at this level, and inter-county level also, only heightened and in this scribe’s view, rule changes for the game will have little effect. It has become a results business, with players and coaches alike happy to play a particular style of football providing the ends justify the means. That won’t change and unless fans vote with their feet and decide not to pay to watch, nothing is going to change anytime soon.

Will this matter a jot to Ballina? Of course not. Nor should it for that matter, and Stephenites supporters will not care how a 16-year wait for the Moclair Cup ended.

A semi-final defeat in 2020 and a quarter-final exit 2021 left many wandering would a talented group make the breakthrough. It appeared they could do so in 2022 but were beaten by Westport in the final. While Castlebar Mitchels and Westport stumbled and fell to Breaffy, the Stephenites look assured in their win over what was a limited Belmullet while their victory over Knockmore in the semi-final answered any critics who felt they could not win a game if it became an out and out battle.

Breaffy were one of the stories of the championship. Not spoken about by anyone as contenders, they stunned the county after beating holders Westport before sending Mitchels packing in the semi-finals. A close affair was expected in the final but Breaffy misfired badly as they fell to a fifth county final defeat in 10 years while Ballina freed themselves from the shackles of near-misses over the past three years to end a long wait and how fitting it was given the town’s memorable year off the pitch.

While their Connacht run was ended by Corofin, the Stephenites were game opponents for the Galway aristocrats and should they go on to retain the Moclair Cup in 2024, they will be a more potent threat for provincial success.

If you wanted entertainment, the Mayo intermediate championship was the place to be once more. It had its odd dud but on the whole, it continues to be the standout championship we have in the county especially given its unpredictability.

Moy Davitts, Ballinrobe, Crossmolina, Louisburgh, Davitts, Kilmeena and Hollymount-Carramore were all contenders before it began but the one of the stories of the entire championship was Castlebar Mitchels ‘B’s run to the semi-final.

In a group with Moy Davitts, Crossmolina and Kilmaine, few gave Mitchels ‘B’ any hope of progressing but a stunning win over Crossmolina saw them advance to the quarter-final where they comfortably disposed of Louisburgh.

They were beaten in the end by Ballinrobe but they proved a breath of fresh air and it will come as no surprise to many of their young crop form part of the senior teams for years to come.

Whomever comes up from junior ‘A’ is always someone to watch also and Islandeady were no different and they caused an upset in dumping out Davitts, relegated from senior, in the group stages. A heavy defeat to Ballinrobe ended their championship but hopes will be high they can kick on once more.

The journey that Kilmeena have been on the last four years is has been the things dreams are made of and they will now play senior football for the first time in 2024. The year ended in heartbreaking fashion after a loss to Monivea in the Connacht semi-final but it should not detract from what has been a breakthrough year for John Reilly’s side and they will be one to watch next year.

One team’s journey that has not ended just yet is Lahardane’s. After a historic year in 2017 when they won the county junior ‘A’ title and Connacht for the very first time, they went gone to repeat the feat this year. Spoken about as one of the pre-championship favourites along with Cill Chomáin and Shrule/Glencorrib, they swept through the group stage before having things a bit trickier in their quarter-final win over Killala.

They needed to fight once again to get over the line against Eastern Gaels in the semi-final, while Shrule/Glencorrib came through a dogged battle over Cill Chomáin. A close final was expected but Lahardane’s second half burst saw them win the title and bounce back to intermediate at the first time of asking, two first-half goals by Mark Noone proving the difference.

While Kilmeena were left devastated at Tuam Stadium, 35 miles down the road in Castlebar saw very contrasting scenes as Mickey Murphy converted the decisive spotkick in the penalty shootout win over Menlough. Arriving in MacHale Park for the final against Owenmore Gaels, the decision to have the game go ahead initially looked a risky one given the dense fog. Lahardane weren’t at their best and the Gaels stayed with them for long periods but goals by Kyran Jordan, Shane Finnerty and Matthew Maughan created another piece of history for Eddie Conroy’s men.

A chance to exercise the demons of the defeat to Multyfarnham in 2018 now await as Listowel Emmet’s of Kerry await in Tullamore on Saturday, January 6 in the All-Ireland semi-final.