Ballyhale secured their sixth AIB GAA All-Ireland club title with an impressive 1-18 win by 1-6 win in Croke Park over a disappointing Kilmallock this afternoon. The Munster champions were second best for almost the entire hour as TJ Reid and Colin Fennelly inflicted blow after blow on the Shannonsiders.
The game was over as a contest with almost a full 15 minutes to play as the Kilkenny side led 1-12 to 0-5. TJ Reid top scored with 0-6 while Henry Shefflin also notched 0-2 on what could be his last appearance in Croke Park.
We've broken down where the game was won and lost this afternoon for the respective sides and why the St Patrick's Day party is just beginning on Noreside.
The disallowed goal
Kilmallock launched a number of high balls towards the Ballyhale rearguard in the opening minutes and they had what looked like a perfectly good goal disallowed from one of those missiles into the square after four minutes. The ball was launched in by Jake Mulcahy from 70m out and tapped into the net by Eoin Ryan as he got above the goalkeeper Richie Reid. However, after much consultation between James Owens and his umpires, the Wexford ref decided the goal should not stand. It seemed that the goal was ruled out due to square ball but on the replay it looked like a harsh call.
After just four minutes a goal for Kilmallock could have opened up the game for them and given them a platform they needed to try and force Ballyhale out of their impressive defensive shape. Instead the victors got the next three scores and went on to dominate the half, as they led by 1-7 to 0-4 at the short whistle.
Kilmallock's wastefulness
If the Limerick side were to betray their underdog status then they needed to be razor sharp taking scores. Because of the much heralded Ballyhale forward division it would be vital for the Munster champions to pick off points at every opportunity. Unfortunately they had 10 wides alone in the first half and ended the day with 15. One of those wides from Paudie O'Brien led directly to the puckout that Colin Fennelly scored the all important goal from after 26 minutes.
Kilmallock needed to take every single opportunity but being in double figures from misses after just 30 minutes was a major problem. Ballyhale hit 11 wides during the game which on paper would suggest they were just as wasteful. However, a number of their misses came within the last 15 minutes when the game was over and it became a case of target practice for the champions.
Ye shall not pass the Ballyhale defense
Ballyhale's full-back Joey Holden being named man of the match tells you all you need to know about how impressive the Kilkenny side were in defense. Kilmallock's goal came five minutes from the end and was merely a footnote for an attack that got no time or space from a dogged rearguard for most of the game
The oldest player on the Kilmallock side was 28. Ballyhale's eldest was 36. The Limerick side were hoping that their younger forwards and less mileage would be able to stretch the Ballyhale defense that many felt leaked scores too easily. The concession of just four points in the first half was a key reason for the Kilkenny's sides triumph as Joey Holden mopped up ball after ball that broke from an impressive half-back line in front of him. The Limerick side dropped a number of aimless balls into Richie Reid's hands as well while they never got their running game going.
Michael Fennelly at centre-back held the middle all day and with Holden behind him and a buzzing 'Cha Fitzpatrick winning a huge amount of possession the Kilkenny side really never had any serious defending to do.
Ballyhale's efficency
Before the game Colin Fennelly spoke of how everyone in the squad knew each other, knew where players were moving and where they had to be at every stage in a game. The Kilkenny side's gameplan was clear for the early stages as TJ Reid was an outlet for the defense and his link up play was a joy. They had free men almost all the time and in every battle it would be hard to say that any Kilmallock man got the better of his opponent.
The fact of having so many inter-county players in their squad was clear with players linking up and seeming to be at a higher standard in decision making, point taking and all round play than their opponents.
Henry Shefflin's move from centre forward to almost a lone full-forward role at the edge of the square gave Ballyhale more room for players to burst through and with the pace of Colin Fennelly and craft of Reid they were able to cut open a path to goal. Fennelly's move to centre-forward led him to pick up the puck out after 26 minutes that gave the Kilkenny side enough breathing space to keep their opponents at bay for the entire second half.
