Super sub Smith wins the under-21 championship for St Jarlath’s
St Jarlath's Senan Guilfoyle tries to avoid the reach of Ballinrobe's Barry Langan during the Mayo U21 B Final. Picture: Conor McKeown
As he was readied to be brought on the field, a member of St Jarlath’s backroom team told David Smith to go and win it for them. That, he surely did.
This final looked destined for extra-time after Aidan Sloyan levelled it for the seventh time with his fourth point of the evening. Two minutes into additional-time, Smith fisted over to put St Jarlath’s and although Ballinrobe looked to work one more score to send the game deeper into the night, St Jarlath’s held on to win their first under-21 title since their amalgamation at underage.
St Jarlaths got themselves off to a great start through a Shane Walsh point, which was followed up by Senan Guilfoyle playing in Dara Flanagan for the game’s opening major.
Guilfoyle himself soon got his first of the evening to put the 1-2 to 0-0 in front, but Ballinrobe would strike back with 1-1 of their own, Aaron Crowley finishing soccer-style for the Robesiders.
Guilfoyle and Cian May, who would be the main men for their respective sides in this contest, traded points, before a Conor Jennings placed ball made it all square with 17 minutes played.
It would remain level after Tom Hession and Caoimhín Donnelly exchanged scores before the latter missed a glorious opportunity to bag a second goal for the Ballinrobe, his shot going wide of the post.
That miss was Ballinrobe’s seventh wide of the first half, and Guilfoyle edged St Jarlath’s in front, 1-5 to 1-4, with his third of the evening.
Cian May put Ballinrobe back in front with a two-pointer and then struck a marvellous ’45 off the ground that sailed between the posts. Sloyan and Guilfoyle, a free, brought the game level once more before substitute Caelan Tansey struck a free with his first kick of the game to put Ballinrobe back in front.
St Jarlath’s hit a purple patch and scored four of the next five points, including two frees from Guilfoyle and a point each from Sloyan and Adam Noone to extend their lead to two going into the final quarter.
Another brilliant two-pointer from Cian Maye, this time from a free, made it level yet again and Ballinrobe would score a further three points without reply though Jennings, Crowley and Tansey (a free that was brought forward for dissent) and it appeared Ballinrobe were on their way to a first under-21 title at this grade since 2007.
There was still time for St Jarlath’s however. Although Tom Hession’s shot on goal was well saved, a fifth Guilfoyle free and two points from play by Aidan Sloyan left the game tied with two added minutes of the four played. Then Smith went out and carried out his management’s instruction to a tee: he won St Jarlath’s the under-21 county title.
