The Nire are Senior Football Champions for the Eight Time

The Nire might have saved their best football for the closing weeks of the year not for the first time as they easily accounted for Ballinacourty in this year’s JJ Kavanagh & Sons Ltd. Senior Football Championship final at Fraher Field on Sunday, winning the game by the biggest margin since Kilrossanty beat neighbours Kilmacthomas in the 1986 decider on a 3-13 to 0-3 score line.

The fact that Ballinacourty finished this game with fourteen men paid little difference to the result of this game but it might have contributed in some way to the final score.

Ballinacourty on the day were best served by Patrick Hurney who hit seven of his side’s eight points while Stephen Enright showed why he is the number one net minder within the county, pulling off a number of good saves to keep The Nire’s final tally on the score board down.

Ballinacourty who were beaten in last year’s final against Stradbally had former Inter County hurler Richie Foley sent off on twenty minutes by referee Alan Kissane after he was issued with a second yellow card.

The first of the cards came nine minutes earlier when he was booked for a challenge to the head of 35 year old Centre Back Martin Walsh and the second came for a challenge on Conor Gleeson.

Gleeson who was returning to the side after sitting out the last two games due to suspension was in flying form for the winners in this game, kicking five points from play, the same tally as former Inter County hurler Liam Lawlor who just pipped his team mate for the Man of the Match Award.

Playing against the strong wind at a freezing Fraher Field, The Nire were marginally the stronger of the two sides in the opening half and went to the dressing rooms holding a 0-6 to 0-5 advantage showing on the score board, but in the second half they produced a very strong showing, outscoring their opponents 1-11 to 0-3, and in doing so will have impressed any on-looking Rosscarbry officials who they will play in the Munster Semi Final next Sunday in West Cork.

The Nire who won their eight title on Sunday last appearance in the Munster Club Championship was just two years ago, where they had to finish second best to Kerry side Austin Stacks at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, a defeat hurt Benjie Whelan’s side, one that they hope to make up for this year in the same competition.

The loss of Richie Foley after just twenty minutes of this game was a big blow to the chances of Ballinacourty, but so to for the Nire were the losses of Martin Walsh after eleven minutes as he left the field with concussion and seventeen minutes later they lost Maurice O’Gorman who moved from corner back to centre back when he picked up a facial injury.

It was The Nire that were first on the scoreboard in this game, Conor Gleeson pointing for them on three minutes.

Ballinacourty hit back and within three minutes they were in front as Mark Ferncombe and then Patrick Hurney landed points to give them a one point advantage playing with the strong wind at their backs.

The Nire however wasted no time in getting back in front and once Conor Gleeson and then Liam Lawlor with a brace of scores on eleven and seventeen minutes the winners never fell behind.

Patrick Hurney pulled a point back on eighteen minutes but The Nire went two in front once more when Brian Wall put over the free that resulted after Richie Foley was sent off.

Liam Lawlor gave his side a double score advantage (0-6 to 0-3) eight minutes from the end of normal time at the end of the first half which was followed by five added minutes after three Nire players needed treatment for knocks, but it was Ballinacourty that finished the half the stronger of the two sides in the opening half as Patrick Hurney put over points on twenty four and thirty five minutes to leave just the minimum between the sides at the break.

The Nire however could claim they were unlucky not to have been even further in front as Darren Guiry saw an effort for a green flag go astray close to the end.

Mark Ferncombe saw an effort for a goal blocked two minutes into the second half and with it went any chance they had of winning this battle as the winners upped their game.

Two Brian Wall frees with a Darren Guiry effort sandwiched in between gave their side a four point lead seven minutes into the second half.

Patrick Hurney pulled a point back for Ballinacourty, but it was followed with efforts from Seamus Lawlor, Conor Gleeson and Liam Lawlor in a six minute spell to give their side a 0-12 to 0-6 lead with thirteen minutes remaining.

Patrick Hurney again pulled back a point for Ballinacourty, but it was followed with points from Conor Gleeson, Brian Wall, Liam Lawlor, another from Gleeson and Kenneth Brazil between the forty-ninth and sixty first minutes to give their side a 0-17 to 0-7 lead.

Patrick Hurney rounded off a very good performance by him with his seventh score of the game two minutes into stoppage time, and in the final attack of the game Darren Guiry shook the roof of the net for a goal in injury time, the first time a goal was scored in the decider since Ger Power had a green flag raised back in 2012.

The Nire: Tommy Wall, Justin Walsh, Thomas O’Gorman, Maurice O’Gorman; James McGrath, Martin Walsh, Jamie Barron; Shane Walsh, Dylan Guiry; Seamus Lawlor, Darren Guiry, Shane Ryan; Brian Wall, Conor Gleeson, Shane Ryan. Subs: Jake Mulcahy for Martin Walsh (11), Dermot Ryan for Maurice O’Gorman (28), Craig Guiry for Justin Walsh (56), Keith Guiry for Liam Lawlor (58), Kenneth Brazil for Brian Wall, Conal Mulcahy for Seamus Lawlor (62).

Scorers: Conor Gleeson, Liam Lawlor 0-5 each, Brian Wall 0-4 (4f), Darren Guiry 1-1, Seamus Lawlor, Kenneth Brazil 0-1 each.

Ballinacourty: Stephen Enright; Conor McCarthy, David Collins, Brian Looby; Sean O’Hare, Shane Briggs, Richie Foley; John Hurney, Conor Prunty; Evan Collins, Patrick Hurney, Michael O’Halloran; Gary Hurney, Mark Ferncombe, Shane O’Donovan. Subs: Neil Montgomery for Shane O’Donovan (36), John Elstead for Brian Looby (39), Michael Maher for Mark Ferncombe (52).  

Scorers: Patrick Hurney 0-7 (3f), Mark Ferncombe 0-1.

Referee: Alan Kissane (Dunhill).