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*Ballyea’s Jack Browne. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
Ballyea have predominantly blazed a trail over the last decade since their remarkable senior hurling title breakthrough in 2016. Four titles in seven seasons, three under the watch of managerial alchemist Robbie Hogan, carved out a veritable duopoly with Sixmilebridge to share eight consecutive Canon Hamilton crowns evenly between 2015 and 2022.
Since then however, Ballyea have developed an unwanted run of three opening round championships defeats which resulted in back-to-back group exits before bouncing back superbly last year for the start of Hogan’s third stint as manager to eventually reach the last four.
However, in such an Avengers-like superpower group with 2023 champions Clonlara, perennial title-chasers Inagh/Kilnamona and 2022 intermediate winners St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield, suddenly a first round win takes on a whole new precedence.
“We’re actually the seeded team in the group which is supposed to be a reward,” commented manager Robbie Hogan with a wry smile. “But the reward we got was to be grouped with two of the favourites for the competition plus a very, very good, young and talented Doora/Barefield team that’s coming as well. We just seem to be inside in the tough group every year and this year ours seems particularly challenging but look, that’s the name of the game and that’s why we love it and get involved in it.
“For us, game number one is Inagh/Kilnamona and there’s a huge amount at stake in that so it’s real shoulder to the wheel time now as you simply have to hit the ground running or else you could find yourself in quicksand very quickly”.
With Inagh/Kilnamona seeking revenge for their 2021 County Final reverse to Ballyea, whoever wins in Zmmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg will receive a major leg up in the unquestionable ‘Group of Death’.
“An opening victory settles everything down because you seem to be forever waiting for the first round so if you do win it, everyone can just breathe a sigh of relief that what you’re doing is the right thing. In a first round, you just don’t know what you’re going to get when you enter the Park as aside from an in-house game in the week or two before championship, it’s possibly the first time that year that you will have everyone together.
“You just have to try and get over that first hurdle if you can in order to settle things down a bit. We just have a few injuries at the minute that we mightn’t have some lads for that first round this Friday evening but we have to trust the lads we have and go as hard as we can at it. In this group, it’s game number one only and we’re not even looking beyond that so we just have to hit the ground running”.
With up to half of the players that featured in the 2021 senior decider between the same pair now departed the scene, a new injection of fresh talent is always welcomed by Hogan and Co. “A senior team is constantly evolving. As sure as two or three leave, two or three more young players enter the scene and that’s just the way the club works. For example, we had three players on last year’s Clare minors that contested the All-Ireland Final but unfortunately two of them, Dara Kennedy and Evan Cleary are still recovering from very serious injuries but we did get to see a bit of Eoin O’Connor in the league and he impressed.
“We’d like to have seen all three and the other two are in the way back thankfully but whether they’re ready for championship or not is another story. Our inter-county players like Dan Costelloe with the Under 20’s have really brought a bounce back into the set-up and the older players like Jack [Browne], Paul {Flanagan] and Tony [Kelly] feed off that energy and vice versa those experienced players impart nuggets of information that can help the younger lads. So it’s a two way swing which is great for the younger lads coming through”.
However, in terms of underage conveyor belts, arguably Inagh/Kilnamona’s is unsurpassed which makes Ballyea ultra wary of the potential of Friday’s opening opponents. “They’ve very good management and you look at any St. Flannan’s or Clare inter-county team and they’re invariably awash with Inagh/Kilnamona players in every line of every team. So they are blessed with individual talent and that’s credit to the club and the amount of hard work that goes into developing that underage talent. They’ve obviously got great potential but hopefully they can hold off another while”.
Ballyea Factfile:
Management: Robbie Hogan (Manager); Andrew Fahey, Alan Duggan (Coaches); Raymond O’Connor, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Jude Quinlivan (Selectors); Shane McNamara (S&C); Kieran Connelly (Physio); Cillian Moylan (Kitman)
Captain: Gearoid O’Connell
Key Player: Tony Kelly
One to Watch: Dara Kennedy
Fresh Blood: Evan Cleary, Conor Hill, Dara Kennedy, Eoin O’Connor
Departures Gate: None
Treatment Table: Dara Kennedy (Hamstring), Evan Cleary (Shoulder), Aaron Griffin (Knee)
Titles Won: 4 (2016, ’18, ’21, ‘22)
Last season’s run: Reached a first semi-final since their last title in 2022.
Schedule
Round 1 v Inagh-Kilnamona at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg Ennis (Friday, July 24th) 7pm
Round 2 v Clonlara at Páirc Micheál Uí hEithir Cratloe (Sunday, August 9th) 1pm
Round 3 v St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Fr. Murphy Memorial Park Newmarket-on-Fergus (Saturday, August 22nd) 4.30pm
Championship power ranking (1=weak/unlikely winners, 10=strong contenders): 7
