Mayo Gaels and Ballyhaunis to produce epic ‘inter’ decider

EGAN JEWELLERS MAYO IFC FINAL PREVIEW

Mayo Gaels v Ballyhaunis; Fr. O'Hara Park, Charlestown (Saturday, November 20; throw-in 2 p.m.)

By Aiden Henry

After an enthralling intermediate championship to date, there are now just two sides – Mayo Gaels and Ballyhaunis – as to who will be crowned champions this year.

Few could disagree that these two teams have reached this decider fully on merit and both will have their backers regarding who will triumph in the final, which is down for decision in Fr. O’Hara Memorial Park, Charlestown, on Saturday next (November 20) at 2 p.m.

From what we have seen from these two teams throughout the championship so far, this final has all the ingredients to be a real cracker. Indeed, we could be in for one of the best finals for a long number of years such is the brilliant footballing talent these two teams have. As a result, trying to separate them and trying to predict the outcome is close to near impossible.

The first thing worthy of mention is that when one goes through each team, they are very similar. For a start, when you look at Ballyhaunis and Mayo Gaels from one to 15, the balance they have in their sides is second to none. They are very solid in defence, have good midfielders and an abundance of fine scoring forwards. When you add in that in both teams have a mixture of youth and experience, it is very easy to see why predicting the outcome is very difficult, to say the least.

However, come next Saturday evening there will be only one winner and the big after-match celebrations will only be taking place in one location, either the heart of Ballyhaunis or in Mayo Abbey.

Ballyhaunis took the scenic route to the final. Their intermediate campaign got off to a very bad start. Indeed, in the group stages they had lost their one and only lifeline in the first game when they went down to Crossmolina Deel Rovers at home. From that moment onwards it was knockout football for the east Mayo side.

In round two of the group stages they had to travel to Ballinrobe to play the home side. It was never going to be an easy task, especially knowing that their previous visit to this venue to play Ballinrobe didn’t end up too well. But on this occasion they upped their game and came away with a sweet victory to get their championship aspirations back on track.

In their final group game against Castlebar Mitchels B, a place in the quarterfinals was on offer for the winners. While they had to pull out all the stops, Ballyhaunis prevailed to get through to the last eight where they were pitted against a strong Parke team in the last eight.

Once again, Ballyhaunis were asked serious questions by Parke. However, when push came to shove in the final quarter of the quarterfinal, their greater fitness told and they ended up deserving winners.

While Ballyhaunis looked to be improving with each game that passed, it was their performance in the county semi-final against pre-match favourites, Louisburgh, that was eye-catching. Here, in what turned out to be a very tough but excellent game of football, Ballyhaunis produced their best display of the year before booking their place in the decider. It was just a great all-round team display, and a repeat of this would make them difficult to beat in the final.

CONTENDERS

Meanwhile, Mayo Gaels laid down a marker from day one that they were serious championship contenders.

They hit the ground running with an impressive victory over a fancied Hollymount/Carramore team in their first group game. The seven-point victory here over tough championship campaigners signalled they were ready to take up from their 2020 intermediate championship campaign, in which they just lost out to eventual winners Balla.

After this good opening victory, Mayo Gaels were in a very strong position to come out of the group as one of the two qualifiers for the last eight. They made it two wins from two with another strong victory over Burrishoole. This guaranteed them a place in the quarterfinals. But they didn’t lay off in their final group game where they beat Lahardane by eight points.

In the quarterfinals they were pitted against Moy Davitts. Mayo Gaels were expected to be asked serious questions here but again they rose to the challenge and came away with a deserved four-point victory to set up a semi-final meeting with Kilmaine.

In the semi-final, despite not producing their best performance, they still managed to come away with a five-point victory. They laid the foundations in the opening half when favoured by the strong wind. By the time the interval arrived they found themselves seven points clear and in a very strong position to win.

While it was always going to be an uphill battle for Kilmaine to get back into the game, Mayo Gaels managed playing into the elements very well and never allowed their opponents in for easy scores. In the end, it was a fully deserved victory for James Fallon’s side. So, five games on in the championship for Mayo Gaels and no team has come any closer than four points of them. While it is a very impressive run, it is still not a great surprise. Like their final opponents, they are a very strong outfit and a very balanced side. While it is a very youthful team, they still have plenty of experience. Indeed, having done so well in last year’s championship, the experienced they gained in 2020 is certainly a big plus this time around.

As already alluded to, predicting the outcome of this final is very difficult. There is little doubt a strong case can be made for both Mayo Gaels and Ballyhaunis. Both seem to be in flying form and on top of their game.

But in what we can expect to be a close and rip-roaring final, I am just going to give the nod to Ballyhaunis. Before the championship started, I had put down Ballyhaunis as one of the dark horses. While I am not going to go against that now, I do believe that anything but a top class performance will not be good enough to beat Mayo Gaels.

Verdict: Ballyhaunis