Balyna 1-16
Raheens 0-15
Tony Donohue Trophies U21 B Championship final
Jack Robinson’s sensational haul of 1-11 inspired Balyna as they captured the U21 B Football Championship title on Sunday afternoon thanks to a thrilling extra-time win over Raheens.
There were spells in this game when the more rounded attacking threat of Raheens looked likely to win out, but Robinson was unstoppable at the other end and effectively won the game for his side by scoring all but five of their points.
He stepped up late in the day to send the game to extra-time as he smacked over a difficult point in the 63rd minute to level the game at 0-13 apiece, and his goal eight minutes into the first additional period proved pivotal.
Balyna started in excellent fashion as they kicked the first three scores of the game, with Raheens really struggling to exit their own half and failing to get a grip on proceedings in midfield during those early stages. It was the reliable attacking threat of Jack Robinson that would get the combined side up and running, with the Clogherinkoe clubman winning and converting a free in the second minute before striking his first from play a couple of minutes later.
Robinson kicked his side three clear with another from a placed ball, but Raheens began to come into the game after that as their attacks down the wings reaped reward time and again. The excellent Michael McGovern got the first of his three first half points to settle the Caragh club into the tie, before Paddy Woodgate followed that up with his own opener from close range after he sold a sublime dummy to Mark Newman.
McGovern levelled matters in the 13th minute with a score from the right wing, and from that moment onwards it was very much a see-saw battle.
Robinson fired Balyna back into the lead with a good score from play, but Raheens responded almost immediately as Jason Earley picked out the unmarked Colin Malone with a fine pass and he tapped over from close range.
Balyna enjoyed a good run of it over the next five minutes as they registered three points in quick succession, with Sam Doran cutting through and pointing to start the purple patch before Robinson and Mark Grehan added to their tally. Woodgate kept Raheens ticking over with a free during that spell, and they soon went through their own blistering spell as they raised three white flags in succession to take the lead for the first time.
McGovern split the posts before Rob Thompson barrelled towards goal and fisted over a point to level the tie, and a fine score soon after from Woodgate pushed Raheens into a one-point advantage. Robinson had the final say in the half however, smashing over his sixth point of the afternoon to level the scores at 0-8 apiece.
The finely balanced nature of the game continued throughout the third quarter as neither side managed to really exert any authority, though Balyna were threatening to pull away at stages.
The scoring rate dropped significantly as wides became more commonplace, but it was Raheens who were guilty of kicking most of them as they couldn’t make their domination of possession count.
Balyna looked to be setting themselves up for a big second half when Grehan fired over a brilliant point from distance and Robinson followed up with a score from a free, but the west Kildare side lost control around the middle and the impact of the Raheens substitutes began to make a difference. Aidan Dunlea hacked over an unorthodox score with three minutes of coming into the game, while Woodgate pulled them level with a big score soon after that.
Robinson and Woodgate traded points at either end after that to ensure the tie remained right in the balance, and with 10 minutes to go it was anyone’s game as the teams were level at 0-11 each. When McGovern and Woodgate both missed gilt-edged opportunities to put Raheens into the lead it looked like they might be letting their best chances slip, but the latter fired them into the lead with four minutes left as he pointed a close range free.
Balyna wouldn’t lie down however, and a point from Sean Holton in the last minute of normal timed levelled the game.
It looked for all the world that Raheens had rescued the win when Thompson curled over the go-ahead score, but Robinson held his nerve at the other end in the 63rd minute to angle over a superb point from the right wing and send the game to extra-time.
Extra-time always tends to be a tentative affair, and goals are absolutely golden currency in the additional 20 minutes. Balyna managed to bag the game’s only goal in the first additional period, with Jack Robinson’s 68th minute effort really invigorating his side. Before that, Raheens had looked in control as Thompson floated over a couple of superb points, but Robinson got his side into the game with a brilliant score from the left wing before finding the net when he skipped past Jason Earley and lobbed Declan Campbell in the Raheens goal.
Raheens had a golden opportunity to draw level immediately upon the restart as Balyna ‘keeper Rory Phelan fumbled a high ball into the path of Woodgate, and the Kildare U20 forward was upended by a defender as he struck for goal, prompting referee Fintan Barrett to award a penalty. Phelan atoned for his error however, diving to his left to keep out Woodgate’s penalty and the follow up was skewed wide by the Raheens man.
Robinson added further salt to the wounds with a point from a free to send Balyna four clear, and it was hard to see a way back for Raheens after that. They failed to score at all in the second half of extra-time as players dropped like flies with cramp in the closing stages, and it was Balyna who won out after 80-plus exhilarating minutes.
Scorers for Balyna: J Robinson 1-11(5f), M Grehan 0-2(1f), S Nolan, S Holton and S Doran 0-1 each.
Scorers for Raheens: P Woodgate 0-6(2f), R Thompson 0-4, M McGovern 0-3, C Malone and A Dunlea 0-1 each.
Balyna
Rory Phelan; Mikey Barea, Elian Scanlon, Mark Newman; Killian Galligan, Eoghan McMonagle, Ashley Langan; Mark Grehan, Joey Higgins; Tom McDonnell, Sam Doran, Sean Holton; Jack Robinson, Jack Donegan, Calum Flanagan.
Subs used: Sean Nolan for McDonnell 42mins, Karl Langan for Donegan 50mins, Cathal Moran for McMonagle 50mins, Shane O’Neill for Flanagan 59mins, C Flanagan for Galligan 77mins.
Raheens
Declan Campbell; Paul Waters, James Dolan, Cathal Duffy; Jack Hamill, Shane Crowley, Colin Malone; Matthew Betts-Symonds, Jason Earley; Nicholas Kennedy, Conor Kielty, Mikey McGovern; Conor Murphy, Rob Thompson, Jack Robinson.
Subs used: Killian Thompson for Murphy HT, Aidan Dunlea for Kennedy 34mins, Rory O’Neill for Dolan 43mins, Adam Malone for Kielty 61mins, N Kennedy for A Malone 72mins, C Murphy for McGovern 76mins.
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