Football

As it happened: Ballinderry overcome Austin Stacks challenge after a second-half scoring blitz

The Shamrocks scored seven of the last eight points to take their place in the All-Ireland IFC final

Ballinderry Darren Lawn (left) celebrates with Matt Quinn after scoring the winning point in the final seconds against Arva
Ballinderry Darren Lawn (left) celebrates with Matt Quinn after scoring the winning point in the final seconds against Arva during the Ulster Club Intermediate Football Championship final played at Healy Park, Omagh on Saturday 14th December 2024. Picture Margaret McLaughlin (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN PHOTOGRAPHY )
By Liam Grimley

AFTER a late venue change, Ballinderry sawa off Austin Stacks and booked their place in the Intermediate final at Croke Park.

The original venue of O’Connor Park in Tullamore was deemed unsuitable due to adverse weather, so the match now takes place at Parnell Park in Dublin.

Stacks posed a major threat to the Shamrocks as the Tralee side have a strong background in Kerry senior football, winning the county championship 13 times before dropping down to intermediate and returning to the top tier of Kerry football at the second time of asking this season.

Ballinderry and Austin Stacks have both tasted success at the very highest level, with both sides having been crowned All-Ireland Club Senior champions, Stacks in 1977 and the Derry side rising to the peak in 2002.

The game started off as a cagey affair, with Austin Stacks getting most of the chances in a low-scoring affair, with the Tralee outfit leading 0-4 to 0-2 at half-time.

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In the second half, it seemed that another Ballinderry side emerged from the tunnel as Daniel McKinless made a strong impact from the bench to help his side turn the tide of the game and emerge as winners after an enthralling last 20 minutes.

The Shamrocks of the Oak Leafy county knocked out last year’s Ulster and All-Ireland Junior champions Arva of Cavan in a thrilling final, where Darren Lawnkicked over the crucial score in the final seconds.

Austin Stacks' Munster title win was more straightforward, with Cian Purcell‘s second-half hat-trick contributing to a seven-goal haul to firmly cement the black and amber of Tralee as Munster Intermediate champions.

As Ballinderry travel on to Croke Park in a fortnight, Crossmolina Deel Rovers or Caragh await them at GAA HQ in the All-Ireland decider.