NEIGHBOURS BALLINACOURTY AND STRADBALLY CLASH IN COUNTY FINAL FOR THE FOURTH TIME

County Senior Football Champions for 2012 and 2013 Stradbally and Ballinacourty clash in this years County Senior Football Final at Fraher Field on Friday evening next, the first time that a senior football final has been played under lights at the ground that has hosted most All-Ireland senior finals outside of Croke Park.

This will be the fourth time that two neighbouring clubs have contested the final since 2010 with Ballinacourty currently leading 2-1 on head to heads between the two at this stage of the competition.

The winners (of course should there be one on Friday evening) will go forward to represent Waterford in the Munster Club Football Championship but the bad news for the winners is as we all know that they will have less than 22 hours to recover from their win as they will return to Fraher Field on Saturday evening to play Cork side Nemo Rangers in the Munster championship.

This is something that is totally unsatisfactory and must never again be allowed to happen.

With the past number of years here in Waterford and indeed in other counties we are suspending games during the summer resulting come September and October we are playing off games in quick succession with little consideration for players to recover from any niggling injuries that may have picked up, all so that counties have teams in place to play in the provincial championship.

The less than 24 hours to recover may not prove to be a factor however, as just two years ago, Ballinacourty travelled to Cusack Park in Ennis to play Cratloe beat Doonbeg 0-10 to 0-7 and 24 hours later they beat Ballinacourty 1-10 to 0-11, as a winning momentum can often see teams through games played in quick succession, but it is not ideal.

Stradbally since the turn of the Millennium have proven to be without question the best senior club in Waterford, contesting all but two county finals in that time.

Each passing year many of us, myself included have asked can the Cove-Men come back for more especially as those that have served the club well down the years decide to hang up their boots, but they are constantly bringing forward young talent, maybe one or two players each year who are showing the same hunger as those that have worn the famous red and white shirt before them.

Ballinacourty have in the last decade become a serious force in Waterford football. It did not happen over night as going back to the mid 90’s they injected serious energy and time into promoting the game at juvenile level from a young age and it paid off as they won numerous under 12, 14 and 16 levels at Bord na nÓg level before transferring that success to the minor and under 21 grades and eventually senior while all the time continuing to promote the game for the players of the future.

Both sides head into Friday’s game with excellent results all year at their backs.

Stradbally have had a 100% record beating Gaultier, Brickeys, An Rinn, Saint Saviours and Kilrossanty in the group stages of the competition, before beating Ardmore in the quarter finals and the Nire last weekend in the semi finals.

Ballinacourty’s path to the final is equally as impressive. They ad wins over Rathgormack and De La Salle before loosing to The Nire but ended the league section of the competition beating Ardmore and Clashmore.

After Ballinacourty, The Nire and Clashmore all finished level on eight points, play offs were needed to decide the final placings in the group as The Nire did not get the chance to improve their score difference after getting a walk over from De La Salle.

In the first play off game Ballinacourty beat Clashmore and conceded a walk over to The Nire in a game to see which of the two would top the table. Finishing second they played and beat Gaultier in the quarter finals and beat Kilrossanty in the semi finals last weekend with three points to spare.

Both sides head into the game having hit impressive tallies so far in the championship.

Stradbally come into the game having scored 10 goals and 83 points conceding 5 goals and 47 points.

Ballinacourty have been equally as impressive at either end of the field scoring 16 goals and 99 points while 3 goals and 60 points have passed them, having played an extra game to their neighbours from across Ballyvoile Bridge.

Stradbally up to this point have had 20 different players get their name on the scoresheet with Shane (1-18) and Robert (2-9) Ahearne proving to be their top scorers with Michael Sweeney (0-12), Ger Power (2-5), David Grey (1-7) and Daniel Weldon (1-6) also featuring prominently for Pat Curran’s charges.

Ballinacourty have had seven fewer scorers to this point than Stradbally with Shane O’Donovan proving to be their main score getter accounting for 7-9 of their impressive tally mentioned above while Patrick Hurney (0-29), Michael O’Halloran (1-19), Mark Ferncombe (2-15) and Gary Hurney (3-11) all registering impressive tallies for the side managed by Mattie Kiely.

Stradbally in addition to their big hitters mentioned above will be looking to the likes of Eoin Cunningham, Kevin Coffey, Jack Mullaney, Tommy Connors, Tony Grey, Shane Lannon, Michael Walsh, John Hearne, Luke Casey and Stephen Cunningham who is likely to see action coming off the bench for their leadership.

It will be interesting to see if Shane Briggs is available for Ballinacourty this game as he was a surprise inclusion last weekend in their win over Kilrossanty. They like Stradbally in addition to their big hitters already mentioned will be looking to the likes of Stephen Enright, Sean O’Hare, Brian Looby, David and Evan Collins, Richie Foley, John Hurney and Conor Prunty to see them over the line.

This is a game that could well go right to the wire with victory going to the side that wants it most.

As a bit of a traditionalists at times, believing that Championships should be run on a straight knockout system, it would be nice to see Stradbally as the only unbeaten side in the competition go on to move closer to the record number of titles won within the county in this competition by Dungarvan.

However, the competition is knockout and the way that competitions are run have to be accepted, even if we do not agree with them.

As can be seen above both sides have registered some good scores but to know, but its in defence that this game could be won, with the side that performs best at the back winning.

Stradbally in their seven games have kept three clean sheets and have conceded as pointed out already five goals.

Ballinacourty with a game extra played have kept five clean sheets and just three green flags have been waved against them.

Stradbally may have more scorers going into this game, but it’s the Ballinacourty forwards that are hitting the more impressive tallies, while at the back they appear to be the better outfit.

While Stradbally are often very good at grounding out results at this time of the year, often happy to win by the off point in eleven, thirteen or fifteen, all year Ballinacourty have looked the more impressive team for me and am predicting that they will make the short journey across the River Colligan again on Saturday evening to play Nemo Rangers.