Can Bal regain the crown they wore in 2022? Or will Mathúnas end their 14-year wait?
THIS year’s RCM Tarmacadam Carbery Junior A hurling final features two teams with very different recent history in the competition.
Ballinascarthy are aiming to win their fourth Flyer Nyhan Cup in six years while Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas are going for their first junior A hurling crown since 2010.
The battle commences at 4pm on Sunday in Enniskeane.
Mathúnas are on a high this year. Not only is this the Castletownkenneigh club’s first Carbery JAHC final in nine years but they are into the junior A football final the following weekend.
‘It’s unbelievable really. It’s a huge achievement for such a small club to be in the two finals,’ said Mathunas’ selector Pat Lucey.
‘Our squad is small and both teams are the same. It’s hard going but the buzz around the community and schools is unbelievable since we got over the line again on Friday (against Castlehaven). There’s nothing being spoken about but GAA which is brilliant.’
The lift around the area is reaching fever pitch as they compete in their first final since 2015.
‘If you drive around here now, there are extra flags gone up around the place. You’d swear it was an All-Ireland final that was coming up. Even going to the shops, there is nobody talking about anything but hurling and a week later it will be football,’ Lucey added.
‘It is brilliant because we are very tight with numbers. We’re hemmed in by Newcestown and Marys. We have a very small pick but we are just getting the best out of the lads which is great.’
There is excitement around the Ballinascarthy community too but preparations for this have taken somewhat of a hit with potentially two big absentees. Full back Chris Ryan is definitely injured for Sunday while centre back Ciarán Nyhan is a doubt.
‘We might have been favourites but I think with recent injuries, I don’t know if we’re still warranted to be favourites,’ Bal manager JC O’Flynn explained.
‘We are probably down our full back and our centre back going into the weekend. They are two very key positions. In my eyes, it is a very 50/50 game now. There will be a lot of rejigging to do to cover those positions but look, it will be an opportunity for someone else to step up to the mark and be the hero on the day.’
Bal are going for their first title since 2022 and there is a lot of hope for the team that they have built. Excitement is mounting.
‘At training, there are young fellas helping out. They want to get involved with the team. It’s massive. This is a tight knit community. It is great to bring success to the village of Ballinascarthy. If we can get it right on Sunday, hopefully we’ll be celebrating again,’ O’Flynn said.
For Mathúnas, recent success has been hard to come by but the 2024 group have given the area a lot of reason to cheer.
‘There are people going to the games now that haven't gone in a couple of years. There is a buzz around the place. It is great to see these people coming back, a lot of them put time into the club years ago,’ Lucey said.
‘They were around after the Newcestown game and it was lovely to see them coming down and giving a hand to the players and management. It is a huge lift for us as well.’
The fact that Mathúnas are in this position in both codes speaks to the character the team has shown throughout the campaign. Beyond their wildest dreams, they didn’t see themselves in this situation.
Diarmuid Ó Mathúna's Jamie Lucey swings away from the challenge of Newcestown's Niall Murray during the RCM Tarmacadam JAHC semi-final.
‘We made the quarter-final last year and lost to St James in a penalty shoot-out. I didn’t think we did ourselves justice on that day. We were hoping to go a step further. Our goal was to make the semi-finals this year.
‘We knew that we were making progress. It’s unbelievable, to be honest, to make the final. We’ve played very well all year. Trying to keep lads injury-free is the biggest thing with both codes,’ Lucey said.
While Mathúnas won the Carbery Division 1 league this season, Bal also have a trophy in the cabinet, winning the county league Division 7 title.
‘That league was very competitive. Going into the last weekend, there could have been four teams qualified for the final. We had some really good, challenging games which we did come out the better side of so there is a winning mentality in this bunch. It will stand to them,’ O’Flynn explained.
So what is going to be the key to taking the Flyer Nyhan Cup home? The mentors had their say.
‘We’ve seen Bal down through the years, they are a very good side. Up along the spine, they have some great players. They’re all brilliant hurlers and are going in as favourites. However, I think if we can get every fella going on the day, I think we’ll give it a fair rattle,’ Pat Lucey said.
‘One half isn’t going to do it this weekend. It has probably been our biggest challenge throughout the championship – we haven’t been performing for 60 minutes,’ O’Flynn admitted.
‘It is going to take a 60-minute performance to beat Mathúnas. They are absolutely flying in both football and hurling. They’re riding the crest of a wave. It is going to take a massive performance to stop the momentum that they do have.’
