AIB All-Ireland Club SHC: Ballygunner finish with a flourish

AIB All-Ireland Club SHC Semi-Final

Ballygunner 0-19 St Martin’s 0-10

By Stephen Barry at FBD Semple Stadium

Ballygunner made it back to a first All-Ireland final in four years with a smooth second-half turnaround to rack up a nine-point victory over St Martin’s in front of 3,373 fans at FBD Semple Stadium.

That margin of victory looked outlandish early in the second half when the Wexford champions led 0-8 to 0-5, but the Gunners romped home by reeling off 14 of the next 15 points.

Teenager Mark Hartley played a key role. Of their initial eight-point surge, the substitute was heavily involved in five; scoring one, assisting two, and winning two converted frees.

Man of the match Dessie Hutchinson accounted for 0-7 (six from play) and Pauric Mahony, held scoreless in the first half, also notched 0-7 (two from play). They will face Loughrea in the decider next month.

This began as an attritional contest with both teams running the sliotar from deep and swarm tackling at every opportunity.

Superb defensive showing by the likes of Eoin O’Leary on Patrick Fitzgerald and Daithí Waters on Mahony held Ballygunner to 10 shots in the first half.

Hutchinson started brilliantly, though, to pick off an opening brace, while Fitzgerald was denied a goal by Callum Quirke’s fine save.

Martin’s finally began to get purchase with three points in the space of four minutes. Waters created all three, assisting Joe Barrett and

David Codd’s attempts, and fouled for a Rory O’Connor free from where the sliotar landed.

They wouldn’t score again for 14 minutes, but limited the damage to two points via Fitzgerald and Hutchinson. Both teams struck a handful of wides in this spell, with O’Connor missing two frees and Hutchinson erring with a routine chance.

The Gunners got a fright in the 22nd minute when Michael Coleman got in behind the cover and fell to the turf as the sliotar skittled to the net. Seán Stack gave a free out for a throw ball.

They still took momentum from that moment, pressing up on the Ballygunner backs with renewed intensity. O’Connor won a pair of frees, with one each slotted by brothers Rory and Jack.

Barrett, wearing four on his back but playing on the wing, picked off a second from distance for a 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead.

Mahony had a pair of early frees, but missed the second to leave Martin’s ahead.

Rory O’Connor again won and converted a free and Darren Cood tagged on a point for their biggest lead; 0-8 to 0-5.

Ballygunner called for minor graduate Hartley and he made an immediate impact by assisting a Michael Mahony score before finishing a wonderful effort of his own when backed onto the sideline.

Added to a Pauric Mahony brace and Hutchinson’s fourth, the Gunners swiftly moved two in front. Hartley kept his charge up, winning the next two frees for Mahony to convert and feeding the centre-forward for his next from play. That rounded off an unanswered burst of 0-8 in 12 minutes for a five-point lead.

Jack O’Connor pulled one back, but the Gunners shot six more through Hutchinson (0-3, 1f), Pauric Mahony (free), Peter Hogan, and Harry Ruddle.

Barrett’s third provided scant consolation for Martin’s.

Scorers for Ballygunner: Dessie Hutchinson (1f), Pauric Mahony (5fs) 0-7 each, Harry Ruddle, Peter Hogan, Patrick Fitzgerald, Michael Mahony, Mark Hartley 0-1 each.

Scorers for St Martin’s: Joe Barrett, Rory O’Connor (3fs) 0-3 each, Jack O’Connor 0-2 (1f), David Codd, Darren Codd 0-1 each.

Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe; Ian Kenny, Tadhg Foley, Aaron O’Neill; Harry Ruddle, Philip Mahony, Ronan Power; Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey; Michael Mahony, Pauric Mahony, Peter Hogan; Kevin Mahony, Patrick Fitzgerald, Dessie Hutchinson.

Subs: Mark Hartley for K Mahony (37), Conor Tobin for Fitzgerald (48), Cormac Power for Pauric Mahony (59).

St Martin's: Callum Quirke; Philip Dempsey, Eoin O’Leary, Conor Firman; Joe Barrett, Daithí Waters, Diarmuid O’Leary; David Codd, Aaron Maddock; Darren Codd, Jack O’Connor, Jake Firman; Michael Coleman, Barry O’Connor, Rory O’Connor.

Subs: Ben Maddock for Coleman (43), Ben Stafford for Waters (44-46, blood), Stafford for J Firman (55), Michael Codd for A Maddock (55), Paddy O’Connor for Waters (55).

Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin).