Ballyduff Upper into first Intermediate Football County Final in 2 Decades.

Ballyduff Upper are Western Intermediate Football champions for the first time since 1982 after they proved to be too strong from Geraldines in Sunday’s Western Final at Fraher Field.

Over the course of the hour there could be no disputing that the better team won and if the margin of victory proved to be greater than it actually was, then again, few if any could have complained.

Gaelic Games lovers in Waterford will know that Ballyduff have a very proud tradition in hurling and that much of their energies go into the small game, but in this game as they have all year, they showed that the village side from alongside the North Cork border showed that they are able to play football as well as anybody else.

Tactics is something we have seen come more and more into the game, especially at senior level in the last few years, but in more recent times they have also come into play at Intermediate and Junior level. But whatever plan of action that the two sides had come up with for this game went out the window in the opening minutes of the game when referee John Condon gave Ballyduff’s Kenneth Geary and Geraldines Edmond O’Donovan their marching orders on a straight red card after both got involved in an off the ball incident that was not very clear to most, especially from the bottom half of the stand.

Seamus Hannon opened the scoring for Ballyduff Upper in this game with a point on five minutes and a minute later then extended their lead when Mickey Kearney, winning his third medal in a month hit his first score of the game.

The same player shot over twice more to give Ballyduff a four point lead before the Geraldines hit their first score of the game, a free from Danny O’Keeffe.

With five minutes to go, Mikey Kearney ran at the Geraldines defence, and once he got inside the large box a challenge went in, which in another code would have seen the player go to ground like a ton of bricks, but credit to him he remained on his feet as best he could and it paid off as he put over for his fourth of the game.

The impressive Kevin Casey got his name on the score sheet three minutes from time when he pointed from play. Danny O’Keeffe responded with a point from a free but Ballyduff Upper before the break managed to put further daylight between the sides when Jamie Hannon and John Twomey both linked up to set up Kevin Casey for the games first goal seconds from the end of the stoppage time played at the end of the opening thirty minutes.

The second half began with Mikey Kearney from a ’45 and Eamon Mernin trading points, before Brian Kearney and Danny O’Keeffe did likewise.

A goal from Raymond Connery followed by a point from Danny O’Keeffe helped Geraldines come right back into the game, but it was Ballyduff that were to finish the stronger of the two sides.

Shane Hannon and Jamie Kearney kicked Ballyduff Upper further in front before Danny O’Keeffe pulled one back,  but efforts from Seamus Hannon, Brian Kearney and William Keane in a three minute spell just before the hour mark ensured that the ribbons on the County Intermediate Football Cup this year will be red and white as Ballyduff set up a meeting with De La Salle, meaning that we will have at least one new duel club playing at the top level of football and hurling within the county next year.

Ballyduff Upper: Kevin Martin; Kenneth Geary, Thomas Molumphy, Tommy Feeney; Jamie Hannon, Shane Kearney, Cian Leamy; Seamus Hannon, Jamie Kearney; Stephen Molumphy, Brian Kearney, Shane Hannon; Mickey Kearney, John Twomey, Kevin Casey. Subs: Aidan Feeney for Brian Kearney, Michael Drislane for Jamie Kearney, William Keane for Tommy Feeney, Colin Keane for Kevin Casey.

Scorers: Mickey Kearney 0-5 (2 frees, 1 ’45), Kevin Casey 1-1, Seamus Hannon 0-3, Brian Kearney 0-2, Jamie Kearney, William Keane 0-1 each.

Geraldine’s: Pat O’Donovan; Johnny Healy, Stephen Fitzgerald, Stephen Keane; Brendan O’Dwyer, Jerome Maher, Eamon Mernin; Matty O’Brien, Raymond Connery; Ger O’Donovan, Stephen Kennefick, Stephen Hally; Shane Lambden, Edmond O’Donovan, Danny O’Keeffe. Subs: Michael Murray for Shane Lambden, Shane Kenny for Ger O’Donovan, Peter Coughlan for Stephen Kennefick.

Scorers: Danny O’Keeffe 0-5 (5 frees), Raymond Connery 1-0, Eamon Mernin 0-1.

Referee: John Condon.