Tension rises as title races begin to take shape
Rival managers Pete Warren of Ballyhaunis and Stephen Healy of Charlestown Sarsfields shake hands following last Sunday's East Mayo derby that saw Ballyhaunis spring a surprise win in their Mayo SFC Group 4 match. Picture: John Corless
Take the out of Ballina and what have you got? Balla. The difference between the pair of them is that Ballina are still the race for the Moclair Cup and Balla are .
Ballina Stephenites’ 11 points victory at James Stephens Park on Saturday means Balla are one of three teams who will enter the final round of group games in the Mayo Senior Football Championship without a chance of reaching the quarter-finals. Conversely, Ballina are one of three teams whose place in the last eight is already secure, with their Group 2 rivals Westport, and Breaffy, also safely through. That should probably come as no surprise as between them, that trio have contested the last finals.
It means, however, that there are as many as 10 other teams who will face into Round 3 matches still with ambitions of going deeper into the race for Moclair Cup honours. Only half can be successful.
Unlike Ballina, Westport and Breaffy, winning their opening two group games has not been enough to guarantee Ballaghaderreen their place in the quarter-finals. That’s because of other results in Group 2, where Knockmore and Claremorris have both won one game apiece. Their North v South encounter at St Joseph’s Park last Saturday never caught light as many had anticipated it might, but Knockmore’s five points win has flung the group up in the air – with all four teams, pointless Belmullet included, still able to finish in the top two positions in the group table – and three still able to end up in the relegation scramble.
Belmullet sorely missed Ryan O’Donoghue in their 1-10 to 1-7 defeat to home to Ballagh’ last Sunday, with the Mayo star confined to the bench because of injury. Whether another fortnight will be long enough to have him right for a make-or-break showdown with Knockmore, in a repeat of the 2021 Mayo SFC final, remains to be seen.
The aforementioned Balla are joined by Mayo Gaels and Kilmeena in knowing that their qualification race is already run yet all three will have something major to play for next time out. The first two named, next door neighbours (and both losing to Ballina Stephenites by 11 point margins), will clash in the final round of Group 2 to decide who ends up in the relegation playoffs. And while Kilmeena, in their first season playing senior championship football, are pointless after their opening two games, they not only have the opportunity to avoid those same playoffs by winning their third match, but to cause a seismic shock and place Ballintubber in there instead, when they take on the five-time champions on neutral soil.
Ballintubber’s eight points hiding at home to Breaffy was one of the surprise results of the weekend – but not as big a surprise as the victory of Ballyhaunis away to Charlestown Sarsfields.
From being one of the stories of the first round, by virtue of their late draw away to Castlebar Mitchels, Charlestown now find themselves bottom of Group 4 and having to beat Garrymore in Round 3 if wishing to reach the knock-out stages. But also, Ballyhaunis, managed by canny Galway man Pete Warren and who were full value for their four points win at Fr O’Hara Park, have the carrot of knowing they could cause the shock of this year’s Mayo SFC by knocking Mitchels out, if beating Barry Moran’s side on the weekend after next. There is actually the possibility of all four teams ending on three points, should Mitchels and Ballyhaunis draw and Charlestown overcome Garrymore.
It’s a question for the archivists but when last did a team score 2-17 or the equivalent in a Mayo club championship match and end up beaten? That was the dubious honour bestowed upon Crossmolina Deel Rovers last Saturday afternoon when surrendering a nine points lead and lose to Moy Davitts for the second year running.
The result has guaranteed the latter, who scored an impressive 5-13, including 5-05 in the second-half alone, their place in the intermediate championship quarter-finals while Crossmolina are now tasked with a winner-takes-all clash against Louisburgh for the right to fill the other qualification spot.
Indeed the intermediate tier is proving to be equally as competitive as its senior counterpart, with Moy Davitts, Davitts and Hollymount-Carramore the only teams to have won both their opening games, while Kiltimagh and Castlebar ‘B’ are the only two out of sixteen teams without a mathematical chance of reaching the last eight, heading into the final round of group games.
Group 4 could not be any tighter, with all four teams – The Neale, Ardnaree Sarsfields, Islandeady and Burrishoole – level pegging on two points. Mayo attacker Tommy Conroy struck a hattrick of goals in The Neale’s five points victory over Burrishoole while the weekend’s other big talking point was a second straight game without a win for Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin – who some had thought as potential title contenders. They came a cropper away to Kiltane whose 1-14 to 1-13 win in Group 3 gives them every chance of reaching the quarter-finals if gaining any sort of a result against Ballinrobe in Round 3.
