Ballysaggart Seek All-Ireland Spot

In Ireland some things don’t change. Time to many usually means time. The fact that the Sunday morning mass in St Mary’s Church in Ballysaggart is moving from its usual 9-30am start to an 8am start means that something really big is happening in the parish as the mass times is something that seldom if ever changes in Ireland. In most places the Mass start time is sacristan.

The reason for the change in time for mass in Ballysaggart this coming Sunday is as we all know is that the tiny West Waterford Club are involved in an All-Ireland Club hurling final against Sligo side Calry/St Joseph’s in Tullamore.

Waterford’s record in the Munster Junior and indeed the Intermediate Club championships is not one that you would boast about. However, Ballysaggart this year have done some magnificent work to rectify Waterford’s overall record after winning a county final, and its fair to say that the whole county will be behind them with their support as will clubs from the neighbouring counties of which the Ballysaggart Parish boundaries to the north borders.

In fact, as we all know Waterford people love their hurling and its fair to say that pockets of support from clubs across the county and in particular the west of the county could make their way to Tullamore to support the side in Navy and Blue.

Ballysaggart’s roll of honour shows that they have won four Junior County Final’s and one Munster Club Hurling final since the early 1970’s, but there is some in the small tightly knit community that would swap their previous successes for a win in Tullamore on Sunday, as the ambition of every hurler and footballer should be to run onto the hallowed sod of Croke Park on All-Ireland Final day.  

Its only five months ago that two Ballysaggart players, brothers Shane and Stephen Bennett were part of the Waterford minor hurling team that took to the field on Jones’ Road and then beat Galway in the All-Ireland Final. It’s a day that they and the rest of the Waterford will never forget.

However, if they were to return there again with their club it would be extra special. To play and win an All-Ireland with your county is special. To play at the venue with your club in extra special as it is done with players that are your neighbours, players that you went to school with, players that you socialise with, players that you idolised before you joined the panel. People who have won in the past with their county or who have won while playing with another club have said that nothing compares to playing with those that you grew up with and those that you meet every day of your life as you go about your daily business. They tell you that the club (the club in your area) is the most important unit within the GAA and that nothing beats the joy of winning with it.

Ballysaggart go into this weekend’s game as the warmest of favourites. Some bookies early in the week had them almost un-backable. However, nobody in Ballysaggart will be paying much notice to what the bookies are saying and they will be giving the utmost respect to the Calry/St Joseph’s team that will face.

The Sligo side are an experienced outfit. Like every other club in Ireland in recent years, they have been badly hit when it comes to players moving away. And while they may be short some of the players that has lead them to success in recent years, they still will have 15 strong players out on the field, all looking to do what Ballysaggart will be doing.

Calry/St Joseph’s are the kingpins of hurling in Sligo in recent years. They play in the senior ranks but because of Sligo’s position on the National scene are able to play at this level when it comes to the inter county scene. They have won the last three Sligo Senior Hurling Championships and won the last two Connacht Junior Club Hurling Championships as well.

Last year they were very unlucky to loose out to Fullen Gaels from Manchester in the All-Ireland semi final, the Manchester side going on to loose to Thomastown from Kilkenny in the final, and with the Manchester side in the second semi final, its save to say that the two would love nothing more than a second meeting in just over twelve months.

Heading into this weeks game, nobody could fault the effort of Ballysaggart. They have taken one game at a time and will be doing the same this weekend. All that matters will be that they beat Calry/Saint Joseph’s. If it happens, then the focus will switch to the next step.

Since breaking up after winning the Munster Final for a break over Christmas, since they got back together, the attention has all been on this weekend. They have played opposition from Dublin and from WIT in recent challenge games which will stand to them this weekend.

However if no stone is left unturned in Ballysaggart for this weekends game, the same could be said of the Sligo lads.

They two have played in a series of challenge games against club and college sides since winning the Connacht final and will be well ready for this game.

Both sides are expected to field sides close to that which won the respective provincial finals.

That will mean that for Calry/Saint Joseph’s the likes of Billy McArdle, Noel Treacy, Niall McDermott, David Cox and Keith Raymond will be crucial, while for Ballysaggart, the Bennett’s, Ken Cashell, Ronan Walsh, Matty Meagher, Bobby Ryan, Kieran Fennessy, Eugene O’Brien, Barry Murphy, and Daniel Devine will be crucial.

Calry/Saint Joseph’s may have had Ballysaggart watched in the Munster Final while Ballysaggart may not have got to see the Sligo side in the flesh. They no doubt will have done their homework. Any DVD’s that may be available will be sourced and any connections in the West of Ireland may be contacted to know what they know of the Men from ‘Yates County’.

The Sligo side will have seen how good and crucial Stephen Bennett is to Ballysaggart and will feel that they have come up with a plan to curtail him as much as possible.

However to focus to much on the one player could well allow others to prove to be as dangerous to their defence as Bennett could. It could be a real case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Will the Sligo side be prepared to do this?

Playing in Tullamore should be a huge plus to Ballysaggart. All year they have made plenty of room around the field and then fed Stephen Bennett with some quality ball. The field in Tullamore is a big one and if they can repeat what they have done all year they could inflict a lot of damage on Calry/Saint Joseph’s.

The bookies are making Ballysaggart favourites to win. Some are giving the Sligo men a six point head start in the handicap betting and still fancy Ballysaggart to win.

January hurling is very difficult to predict. Ballysaggart should win this game but it will be tough. The Handicap betting may not be the way to go. I’m sure Ballysaggart won’t mind if they are one point in front or six at the end of the hour, so long as their interest in the 2013 championships extends for a while more in 2014.