21/10/2026
🏉 Creggs v Ballina J1A League Round 2 🏉
Ballina edged out Creggs in a thrilling Connacht J1A League clash in Ballina on Saturday evening last.
Creggs began well and early pressure was rewarded with a Shane Purcell penalty in the fourth minute, followed by an opportunistic Mark Dowd try four minutes later. However, Creggs’ early success was quickly undone, when a defensive mix up in the Creggs back line resulted in a Ballina try and conversion, bringing the score to 8-7.
A poor restart by Creggs followed, but went unpunished despite a penetrating counterattack by the men in green. As the first half progressed, Creggs were forced to turn to their bench early, with Nato Kiripati replacing the injured Ethan Glennon in the 21st minute. Four minutes later, a promising Creggs attack again yielded dividends, when a long pass from Mark Dowd found James Brandon, who powered over the line for a second Creggs try. An excellent touchline conversion from Shane Purcell saw the visitors stretch their lead to 15-7.
The hosts responded swiftly however, with heavy pressure leading to an attacking 5 metre penalty. Ballina’s decision to opt for a scrum was rewarded when centre Callum Quinn touched down under the posts after a dominant carry and offload by his centre counterpart.
Creggs’ defensive struggles continued after the restart, opening the door for Ballina captain Luke Sweeney to make a forty metre break, yielding another seven-point return for the home side. A further penalty kick on the stroke of half-time consolidated Ballina’s lead, leaving the score 24-15 heading into the break. More maroon and white misfortune saw an injured Mahe Funaki make way for Cormac Dolan at half-time.
An undeterred Creggs commenced the second half energetically. A late tackle on Eoin Kelly was penalised, and the visitors capitalised with an accurate kick to touch. The introduction of second-row Bryan Walsh helped Creggs maul the hosts over their own line, with Lee Kilcoyne taking the spoils after James Brandon secured possession from the throw. Purcell again converted, bringing the deficit to just 2 points: 22-24 in Ballina’s favour.
In the ninth minute of the second half, Creggs suffered a game-changing setback, as Darren Gately saw yellow for a deliberate knock on, shifting the momentum in Ballina’s favour. Further Creggs inaccuracies gave Ballina life, when a missed kick to touch from Shane Purcell allowed Ballina to suddenly stretch their lead to 9 points, 31-22.
Minutes later, the depleted Creggs side were isolated in possession and Ballina pounced. Another try resulted, and the westerners pushed on to a 16-point lead, a win now looking increasingly unlikely for the visitors.
Creggs turned to their bench for energy, with front-row substitutes Tom O’Brien and Tommy Curley replacing Eoghan Cahill and Tom Farrell. Cormac Dolan stepped in to scrum-half, and Tommie Devine came on to the wing replacing Mark Dowd. The introduction of fresh legs provided the men in maroon with a new impetus and led to an Eoghan Coyle try after Bryan Walsh succeeded in the lineout. Purcell again added the extras, edging Creggs back to just a 9-point deficit: Ballina 38 Creggs 29.
A revived Creggs were now throwing caution to the wind, and the comeback of Sean Og Higgins from a season-long absence brought another wave of energy from the bench. James Brandon’s dominant carry, followed by a superb offload allowed the pitch to open up for Dolan, Cathal Feely and Higgins, creating a wonderful scoring opportunity for Tom O’Brien, who duly touched down near the posts. With the scoreboard now reading 38-36, suspense was building, with both sets of supporters now making their presence known.
The excitement was short lived, with the Creggs defence penalised twice in quick succession. The Ballina pressure persevered, this time Tom O’Brien was sin-binned for a high tackle offence, providing Ballina a platform to close out the game against a 14-man Creggs. The hosts capitalised, with the Ballina out-half rounding off a sustained period of pressure with a well taken try.
The final score of Ballina 45 Creggs 36 meant the Kieran Cawley cup goes back to Ballina for this year. Kieran represented both Creggs and Ballina before he passed away all too soon. His family presented the cup to winning captain, Ballina Number 8 Luke Sweeney.
Creggs can take a lot of positives from this encounter, not least the performances of Brian Diffley, James Brandon, Darren Gately and Eoghan Coyle, as well as promising contributions from new and returning players. However, improvements will be required in the crucial aspects of defence and discipline if they are to retain their status as Connacht’s premier side 🏆 🇱🇻
