Facile victory as Ballinabrackey easily advance

There are few things in sport as dispiriting as watching a player or group of players floundering in an environment where they are totally out of their depth. Ballinabrackey showed up for this Leinster JFC encounter at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday and did what they had to do. They treated their opponents with respect and went about winning the game. It was hardly their fault that the Harpers offered little or no resistance to the unrelenting waves of attacks that descended on their goals from the word 'go.’ Maybe the GAA should bring in some sort of rule whereby a team could throw in the towel just like they do in boxing. It would at least spare spectators the unedifying spectacle of a team unprepared for the challenge getting pounded and battered - and humiliated. Considering their plight Moydow Harpers needed all the help they could get and their cause certainly wasn’t aided when they had David Tiernan sent-off just before the interval. When the whistle sounded for the break the Meath side led 5-10 to 0-0. Moydow Harpers represented Longford in this competition yet they are not the Longford junior champions. They didn’t even get into the final. They were given a place in the provincial competition because they are the only first team in their county’s JFC. Therefore they get to be Longford’s representatives. It is a crazy rule that makes a farce of the Leinster JFC particularly in the opening rounds because invariably you will get what we got on Sunday - an encounter that was a lop-sided as a shipwreck and just as unedifying to watch. The spectators that paid €10 would have had the right to demand a refund on their way out. Some years ago Australia played the tiny island of American Samoa in a soccer qualifier for the World Cup. The Aussies ended up 31-0. This was on that scale. Never mind the scoreboard for a moment - as unbelievable as it might seem it didn’t reflect Ballinabrackey’s dominance. At one stage early in the second-half Ballinabrackey’s Danny Quinn was presented with a golden chance to score a goal. He was a few metres out with the goal gaping. Instead he put the ball over the bar deliberately. Shortly afterwards Damien Carroll did something similar. The goal was on but he went for the point. It would have been easier to knock the ball to the net. Quinn and Carroll, like his colleagues, no doubt would have preferred if this had been a more competitive encounter because at least it would prepare them better for the stiffer challenges that lie ahead. Magnanimously, they didn’t want to inflict any more humiliation on the Harpers than was necessary. While the Harpers are unlikely to see too much humour from this, their maiden voyage to Pairc Tailteann, there were some comic moments, especially towards the hour mark. At one stage as Moydow Harpers launched one of their rare moves downfield a spectator shouted “tighten up, tighten up” at the Ballinabrackey defence. He may have meant it, but in the context of what was happening it sounded funny. This was probably a record competitive victory in the long history of football in Ballinabrackey. Quinn will look back on the game with considerable satisfaction. He scored 2-7. Wearing the number 10 jersey, but playing at full-forward, he revelled in the acres of space given to him as did Carroll who bagged 2-2 which included a superbly struck penalty midway through the opening half after Carroll himself was fouled. Neville Brazil, Brendan Glennon and Joe Bannon also fired home goals, Chris O’Connor was another to get a goal in the first-half and it was a spectacular effort from about 25 metres out. The ball flew into the corner of the net. There was no celebrating by the Ballinabrackey players at the end. Players don’t usually celebrate after winning what effectively was a practice game. Ballinabrackey - G Glennon; N Judge, P Kenny, K Darby; N Brazil (1-0), R Kearney (0-2), D Flynn; T Bannon (0-3), F Bannon (0-1); D Quinn (2-7), S Curry, P Loftus (0-2); D Carroll (1-4), C O’Connor (1-0), A Munnelly (0-1). Subs - J Bannon (1-1) for Curry, half-time; B Lucey (0-1) for F Bannon, half-time; A Flynn (0-2) for O’Connor, half-time; B O’Connor for Darby 48mins; B Glennon (1-1) for Flynn 66m. Moydow Harpers - D Farrell; G Farrell, M Keenan, D Clyne; M Quinn, D Tiernan, C Keenan; K Farrell, P Stewart (0-1); C Hilliard, T Prunty, T Higgins; R Higgins, C Clyne, B Keenan (0-1). Subs- J Doyle for Keenan half-time; R Byrne for K Farrell 36m; B Conway for B Keenan 42m; J Donlon for R Higgins 43m. Referee - Peter Daly (Westmeath).