Club Football/ All-Ireland Semi-finals Ballina Stephenites 0-10 Kilnurry-Ibrickane 0-8: They say semi-finals are for winning and the only clear thing to take from this fascinatingly poor All-Ireland contest was the final score.
Ballina find that they land in the St Patrick's Day showdown in spite of, rather than because of, what happened in Pearse Stadium yesterday.
They managed to keep their noses in front throughout a second half that had, at times, very little to do with football and have much reason to thank Kilmurry, who got lost in an uncharacteristic haze of ill-discipline.
Red cards to Kilmurry forwards Michael Hogan on 41 minutes and Evan Talty in the 49th minute left the Munster champions in a vulnerable position as this clash entered its final 10 minutes without either side able to build on the half-time score.
That Kilmurry were still sniping at Ballina's heels at the death - Johnny Daly's injury-time free put the score at 0-9 to 0-8 - was typical of the kind of fortitude that has seen the coastal club emerge as a lighthouse for followers of Clare football.
They played bravely here but not without the poise and purpose that won them many tight battles in deepest winter.
The best of Kilmurry was seen in the opening 20 minutes. Pat O'Dwyer changed his initial line-up before the throw-in, drafting in two named substitutes in Martin Keavey and Aidan Moloney.
Shane Hickey was the lone forward to start in his announced position, with Odran O'Dwyer leaving midfield to operate in the right corner. A ploy that might have isolated one of Kilmurry's go-to men instead worked a treat, with O'Dwyer winning four quick frees as Kilmurry charged into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead. The finest of these came from Hickey.
Kilmurry were vivid in terms of purpose and candour through this phase, in contrast to the Mayo champions, who have a habit of starting slowly.
Kilmurry's sweetest moment ought to have landed Ballina in the doghouse. On 18 minutes Odran O'Dwyer got a flick to a breaking ball, Peter O'Dwyer picked it up and a slick transfer between Daly and Hickey put the over-lapping Declan Callinan out alone and going for glory, with a one-on-one confrontation with John Healy.
The Ballina goalkeeper got down sharply on Callinan's low, driven shot and, as Kilmurry manager Pat O'Dwyer noted sagely afterwards, "defenders just aren't used to being in that position."
As if in reaction to that stark moment, Ballina came alive with Liam Brady clipping over two fine points as they surged ahead. The midfield pairing of Ronan McGarrity and David Brady was undeniably central to the Ballina effort but, although they enjoyed vitally important moments, they were neutralised enough for Kilmurry to profit.
Brady got sucked into the heat of extra curricular battle more than was wise while McGarrity seemed tired - although he hustled back for an invaluable interception in the dying moments.
Ballina's half back line was strong and, at half forward, Ger Brady and Patrick Harte played a cool game in the last five minutes.
Harte had the composure to twice land sensible points that kept Ballina two points clear, finishing a movement that saw Ger Brady's goal chance saved by Dermot O'Brien and finally ending the contest with a clever, fisted point deep in injury-time.
The comfort Ballina can take from this game lies in having won it while only briefly touching anything like their best form.
The euphoria of qualifying for a club All-Ireland will undoubtedly ensure a few good nights in Ballina this week but a cold examination of their performance will probably encourage Portlaoise.
The Mayo champions almost fell into a hole in the first 15 minutes and in the second half, which at times resembled a junior contest of no lasting consequence, they seemed distracted and caught up in the fact that the game simply did not feel like an All-Ireland semi-final.
In fairness, scoring was tough, with both defences stacked and tackles flying with such abandon that the production of red cards seemed inevitable.
Ballina can take satisfaction in limiting their card collection to a single yellow during that rough and scoreless 20 minutes after the break. But they will be disappointed by their failure to rise above the mediocrity of the play.
It was hard to know whether it was the tension of the day or the quality of the fare that so incensed the crowd but for several periods, the stands were the source of more animation than the field. There was much shouting and finger-pointing, though whether the masses had located a troublemaker or just someone volunteering to try his luck at shooting a score remained unclear. For both sides had chances, with the score still locked at 0-7 to 0-5 in Ballina's favour to land points that could have made the difference.
In other games, Kilmurry were fairly ruthless in their execution of chances but, with the exception of Michael O'Dwyer, that was not the case here. Ballina, with a richer source of options - particularly after the dismissals - had just enough to negotiate a safe passage.
But the fitful nature of this win means at least that they won't be riding into Croke Park on the wave of popular expectation that has drowned other Mayo All-Ireland hopes. They headed for home delighted to have their chance and well aware it could have been very different.
BALLINA: J Healy; K Golden, M Wynne, C Leonard; D Devenney, S Sweeney, B Ruane; R McGarrity (0-1), D Brady (0-1); P Harte (0-3), G Brady, E Casey; P McGarry, L Brady (0-5, two frees), S Hughes.
KILMURRY-IBRICKANE: D O'Brien; J O'Connor, B Moloney, E Talty; D O'Callinan, M Cahill, M Keavey; P O'Dwyer, A Moloney; M Hogan, M O'Dwyer (0-3), S Hickey (0-1); E Coughlan, J Daly (0-3 frees), O O'Dwyer (0-1, free). Subs: A Corry for S Hickey (inj, half-time).
Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).
