Ballina 66
Ballinrobe 10
Ballina’s U18.5 Boys posted another comprehensive win in changeable conditions by the Moy. On a day when all the learnings in training came together on the pitch, the home side executed their gameplan perfectly in the face of very dogged resistance from a very well drilled and physical Ballinrobe side.
The final score does not tell the full story, where the Ballina boys worked hard for every score and showed guile and ingenuity to complement their undoubted skill to achieve a memorable result and performance.
On a day where all the squad performed excellently, the scoring of ten tries was spread throughout the team, with Alex Mescal going over the whitewash three times, team captain Cian Fitzpatrick leading from the front with two touchdowns, Conor Murphy, Adam Naughton, Tom Ruane, Oisin Breslin and Anthony Neary all crossing for great individual and team scores.
Despite the scoreline, Ballinrobe’s physically big team made the home side scrap for every score, and their well-drilled pack made sure the home side remained honest throughout to secure the victory.
Whilst the display in attack and defence was excellent to a man, the exceptional tries scored by Adam Naughton, who ran the full length of the field from his own goal line, turning defiant defence into a great score and Tom Ruane who bamboozled the Ballinrobe defence with his Dancing with the Stars footwork stood out. These scores were added to by a tour de force from Alex Mescal, who capped an excellent all round display by scoring a hat trick of tries, and hooker John Langan, who broke the gain line on several occasions to set up field position.
In defence, special kudos to Anthony Neary who gave a masterclass in tackling, executing textbook tackles to alleviate the danger posed by Ballinrobe on the edges, whilst also finding time to score a well worked try in the corner.
Special mention also for the replacements Sean O’Hora, Finn Sheehan, Adam Foody and Conor Moore who seamlessly knitted into the team to great effect when called upon.
We look forward to completing our league program away in Tuam on March 8 and getting ready for the Cup competition.

A SPECIAL THANKYOU TO CARRABINE JOINERY WHO SPONSORED THE AFTER-MATCH HOSPITALITY