Unmarkable Wallace helps Multy men deny Ballymore
Multyfarnham 0-16, Ballymore 0-8
It was the Ronan Wallace show in a bright and sunny Kinnegad last Saturday evening as Multyfarnham comfortably defeated Ballymore in the opening round of this year’s Intermediate Football Championship, playing at a faster and more direct pace which was represented in the full-time score.
Ronan Wallace signalled his arrival in Kinnegad after just 15 seconds when he caught the throw-in, charged up the field and scored a lovely point, starting what became the general trend. Wallace and Jamie Coffey in the eighth minute, and Stephen Sweeney in the 16th minute, would put four between the sides. Three minutes later, Jamie Coffey’s effort on goal was kept out to his peril by Conor McNeill, diving heroically to his right and deflecting the shot for a '45', which Ronan Wallace converted. It took until the 22nd minute for Ballymore to score thanks to corner-forward Brian Finerty, and after more damage by Ronan Wallace, Multyfarnham were 0-9 to 0-2 ahead at half-time.
It was a more even second half, though Multyfarnham continued to control large parts of the game. Seán Keena’s monster score in the 50th minute left Ballymore only six behind with ten minutes to play, and all of a sudden they found a new sense of self-belief. Ronan Wallace and Sam Maxwell traded frees with four minutes of normal time remaining, and the sense of a Ballymore goal was present until three clinical points from the foot of substitute Ian McGovern in four minutes sapped the life out of a Ballymore comeback. Ronan Wallace got the final point of the game following a counter attack three minutes into added time and that sealed victory.
Scorers - Multyfarnham: Ronan Wallace 0-11 (3f; 1 ‘45’), Ian McGovern 0-3 (1f), Stephen Sweeney and Jamie Coffey 0-1 each.
Ballymore: Sam Maxwell 0-3 (2f), Seán Keena, Luke Power (free), Brian Finerty, Derek Molloy (free) and Ciaran Finerty (free) 0-1 each.
Multyfarnham: Craig Sweeney; Ronan Greene, Feichín Óg Brennan, Aran Whelan; Niall McDermott, Ronan Wallace, Adam Bale; Cian Lee (black card 35), James Greene; Louis Greene, Anthony McGivney, Stephen Sweeney; Jamie Coffey, Gareth Mullaniff, Mark Reynolds. Subs: Ian McGovern for Gareth Mullaniff (46), Brian McLoughlin (black card 61) for Cian Lee (52), CJ Tighe for Jamie Coffey (57).
Ballymore: Conor McNeill; Jack Kearney, Seán Keena, Darragh Monaghan; Daniel Ennis, John Gilligan, Eoin Ryan; Brian McCabe Jnr., Declan Rooney; Eanna Keena, Sam Maxwell, Colm O’Roarke; Luke Power, Ronan McLoughlin, Brian Finerty. Subs: Ciaran Finnerty for Luke Power (40), Derek Molloy for Brian Finerty (43), Shane Kincaid for Eanna Keena (50), Kian Maloney for Declan Rooney (61).
Referee: Paul McCaughey (Milltown).