Title Number Ten for Rathgormack Who Break Big Three Dominance over Last Twenty Years

The dominance of the big three in Waterford football is broken and it is the last side to win the county senior football championship outside of Stradbally, The Nire and Ballinacourty that are the new County Senior Football Champions in the Déise County.

First half goals from Paul Drohan and William Hahessy proved decisive in this game for the winners, and while Ballinacourty started the second half with a goal inside sixty seconds of the restart which helped cut Rathgormack’s 2-4 to 0-5 half time lead, the West Waterford side never capitalised on this score, hitting just one further score in what was an overall low scoring game.

The winners did not fare much better themselves in the second half when they had the breeze at their back’s and playing into what is often perceived to be the scoring goal at the town end of Fraher Field as they landed just two points in the thirty plus minutes played by referee Anthony Fitzgerald.

Played out in front of a very healthy attendance of just under 2,100 Rathgormack will have to wait a little longer to see who they will play in the first round of the Munster Club Championship. Drawn against the Clare Champions earlier this year, while this game was going ahead in Fraher Field this afternoon at the same time in Ennis near neighbours Kilmurry-Ibrickane and Miltown-Malbay were fighting out a nine point each draw in Ennis, a result that will allow Rathgormack manager Ger Power and his selectors the chance to see their opponents in action when the replay takes place.

Much has been said of the dominance of the big three when it comes to football in Waterford. Since the turn of the Millennium up to today Stradbally, The Nire and Ballinacourty had shared all titles won at this grade between them, and now that their dominance is broken it will give plenty of hope to the group of three or four clubs that are working hard in recent years to close the gap between them and the big three.

It was Rathgormack that opened the scoring on four minutes when Jason Curry split the posts but not before former inter county goalkeeper Stephen Enright went full stretch to keep an effort from Jason Curry going on his right hand side.

Ballinacourty levelled matters two minutes later through Sean Whelan Barrett who split the posts at the town end of the ground, but Rathgormack went back in front when Jason Gleeson was quickest to react when Stephen Curry’s effort came off the Ballinacourty post.

The feeling amongst many was if Rathgormack could get off to a good start in this game as they did when they beat Stradbally in the semi final they stood a good chance of winning, and it they might get that good start as the game entered its second quarter. The Rathgormack attack opened up the Ballinacourty defence as they did a number of times against Stradbally and when Jason Curry played in Jason Gleeson it looked as if he had a goal at his mercy but he saw his effort go wide of the upright.

Rathgormack did not have to wait long however for the first green flag of the afternoon to be waved as with the very next attack after James Power ran at the Ballinacourty defence he laid the ball off to Paul Drohan who palmed the size five past Stephen Enright in the Ballinacourty goal.

Ballinacourty’s response was a good one. David Looby put over a free on 18 minutes which was followed with a Mark Ferncombe point from distance and a Sean Whelan Barrett point his second of the afternoon on 22 minutes.

One of the players that has impressed in Rathgormack’s run to being crowned County Senior Football Champions is Willie Hahessy. The wing back who has two All-Ireland Underage Medals has made a habit of breaking into the opposition half of the field to create chances for himself and others, and he got his name on the score sheet in fine fashion when on 22 minutes after some good work by Conor Murray and James Power he finished to the net to give his side a 2-2 to 0-4 lead.

David Looby from a free and Sean Whelan Barrett landed scores for Ballinacourty with Stephen Curry responding for Rathgormack which had the eventual winners in front 2-3 to 0-5 with five minutes of the first half remaining.

Just one more score was hit in the first half off the boot of Stephen Curry. Ballinacourty were feeling they were in a game in this one and they sent on Patrick Hurney who missed the win over The Nire in the semi final as a result of his sending off against Kilrossanty in the quarter finals, replacing Mark Twomey but there was not enough time left for him in the opening half to make an impact before the break as referee Anthony Fitzgerald blew the half time whistle soon after his entry with Rathgormack leading 2-4 to 0-5.

A score soon after the restart could often be the making or the killing of the game for a side, and when Ballinacourty goaled inside a minute of the restart to leave just two points between the sides it looked as if it was going to be game on and a terrific battle in the following 29 plus minutes would ensure.

If Patrick Hurney did not have enough time in the first half to make any sort of impact he started the second with some fruit for thought for the Ballinacourty selectors who had left him out of the starting fifteen as he left a cross field pass off to Sean Whelan Barrett who hit the Rathgormack post with Padraig Hunt beaten between the posts and in a crowded goal the ball appeared to come off the body of Cathal Crowch with Mark Ferncombe the closest Ballinacourty player to him who indicated that he might have also got a touch on the ball.

When four minutes later David Looby put over his third free of the game to leave just one between the sides, it looked as if it would be the side in green and white that would win a fourth final since 2007. But they missed a great chance to go in front on 38 minutes when Neil Montgomery shot wide when it looked as if a goal was on the cards.

Scores in the second half were hard won. Jason Curry put Rathgormack two in front from a free on 42 minutes. Despite trailing Ballinacourty were creating chances but they could not get past a strong Rathgormack defence as Tom Walsh twice made block downs and Michael Curry and Liam Connolly also got their body in the way of the ball going between the posts.

Jason Gleeson pointed for Rathgormack from a free on 44 minutes, a score that remarkably was to be the last of the game.

Ballinacourty in added time had their numbers cut to 14 when Patrick Hurney was ordered off after a foul on Conor Walsh that saw him issued with a second yellow in this game scarcely a minute apart.

Rathgormack: Padraig Hunt; Cathal Crowch, Conor Walsh, Liam Connolly; Willie Hahessy, Michael Curry, Tom Walsh; Jason Curry, Robbie Flynn; Billy Power, Stephen Curry, James Power; Conor Murray, Jason Gleeson, Paul Drohan.

Subs: John Kirwan for Paul Drohan (44), Declan Hennebry for Stephen Curry (58), Ronan Cahill for Robbie Flynn (59), Ronan Crotty for Billy Power (60), Jamie Kirwan for James Power (64).

Scorers: Jason Gleeson 0-3 (0-1f), Paul Drohan, Willie Hahessy 1-0 each, Stephen Curry 0-2, Jason Curry 0-1 (f). 

Ballinacourty: Stephen Enright; John Elsted, Brian Looby, Darragh McGrath; Neil Montgomery, Richie Foley, David Collins; Conor Prunty, James Beresford; David Looby, Michael O'Halloran, Mark Twomey; Sean Whelan-Barrett, Mark Ferncombe, Michael Maher.

Subs: Patrick Hurney for Mark Twomey (30), John Hurney for James Beresford (HT), Michael Kiely for David Looby (47), Tom Looby for Michael Maher (51), James O’Mahony for Sean Whelan-Barrett (59).

Scorers: Mark Ferncombe 1-1, David Looby 0-3 (3f), Sean Whelan Barrett 0-2

Referee: Anthony Fitzgerald