Boyle GAA Blog ...by Tony Conboy

Roscommon versus Mayo;
The above game will take place in Castlebar on Saturday the 20th at 5 p.m.

Boyle 0.14 Balinameen 1.5
Boyle had a good win over Ballinameen on Wednesday at Ballinameen. While it was a convincing win it could have been even more comfortable with a couple of goal chances just missed, in the first half particularly. Again the ball forward was slow with over-elaboration in the passing department. It is difficult for forwards, who make their runs and the ball is still not let in. Then when the forward makes that run early, by the end of it he is too close to the player in possesion and is redundant. In that first half also there were big unattended areas in the final fifth of the field. Too many voices cause cofusion also. That said 9and I always hope that it does not offend people) there were some good scores and displays. I wonder would it be considered for Damien Keenehan to go to midfield with Stephen and withAaron, who can get some very good scores, going to wing-forward and Mark to centre. The reality is that it is not going to be easy to pick the championship team and keep everybody happy!

The play:
Cian Smith got Boyle off to a good start with a point in the opening minute. Indeed Cian is a very effective scorer but needs the ball put close to him from outside. Mark O'Connor added another on 4 minutes and there then was a gap until the third score a Cian free on fifteen minutes. Boyle had conceeded two points from frees to Gary Hanly. There were a number of pretty wild shots for points at this stage and as I used to advise years ago 'give it to the shooters'. Cian had a goal chance on 22 minutes as Boyle finished strong with good points by Lochlainn and a good improvisation by Stephen Tonra. The half time score; Boyle 0.7 Ballinameen 0.3.
Boyle's scoring was more even in the second half the points coming in 1, 6, 10, 12, 14, 21 and 24 minutes from five different players. Indeed Mark o'Connor was through for a sure goal but was fouled in the first minute of the half.
Oddly Boyle took the foot off the pedal in the last five/six minutes and Ballinameen forced a goal which gave the scoreboard a more reasonable look from their perspective. The reality seems to be, in viewing clubs around that demography (population trends) seems to be biting into rural clubs, or perhaps the great under-age work of Boyle Club is moving them forward. Whether the current climate will bite Boyle as well in that respect but it is a while since there was this gap between Boyle and Ballinameen.
Next Sunday's game, at 2.30 in Boyle, against St. Michael's, who seem better equiped in numbers terms, will tell us more.
Boyle are now through to the play-offs of the O'Gara Cup with Roscommon Gaels, St. Dominick's and X.
Boyle: T.McGarty, B. Supple. K. Supple (who had a fine game), C. Beirne, T. Egan, S. Purcell, c. Boylan, S.Tonra (0.1), A. O'Connor, M.O'Connor (0.2), D. Keenehan (0. 2), D. Casey, C. Smith (0. 5; 3 frees), L. Conroy, D. O'Connor with L. Conboy (0.2), K. McLoughlin (0.1), A. Finn. I may have missed another substitution. Overall, while there were ups and downs, it has been a pretty good O'Gara Cup campaign to date with a side which seems to have pretty good resources. So well done to all involved!