Ballyroan Abbey crowned Junior champions after hard-fought win over Barrowhouse

Laois Shopping Centre Junior Football Championship Final 

Ballyroan Abbey 1-15 

Barrowhouse 1-11 

BALLYROAN Abbey’s second team claimed the 2025 Laois Shopping Centre Junior Football Championship title on Friday evening with a four-point victory over Barrowhouse at Laois Hire O’Moore Park.

The new champions came into the decider buoyed by an impressive semi-final triumph over Stradbally, while Barrowhouse advanced after seeing off The Rock. Despite defeat, Barrowhouse will still carry Laois’s hopes into the AIB Leinster Club Junior Football Championship later this year.

It was Barrowhouse who settled first, taking the lead five minutes in through a Lee Day point. Earlier, Ballyroan Abbey suffered a setback as Evan McEvoy was forced off with a knee injury. Their early luck didn’t improve when Padraig McMahon’s goal effort rattled the post.

Barrowhouse made the most of their opportunities and moved five clear before Ballyroan Abbey could find their rhythm. Kodi Dunne opened their account, and moments later James Baldwin added a quickfire double, one orange flag, one white flag, to stretch their advantage.

That seemed to spark Ballyroan Abbey into life. Four unanswered points in a five-minute spell turned the contest on its head. Ben McDonald kicked their first point on 12 minutes, with Darren Mulhall, McMahon, and another from McDonald closing the gap to a single score by the 17-minute mark.

Emmet Malone’s free briefly steadied Barrowhouse, but Ballyroan Abbey soon took control before the interval. McMahon, Jack Finlay, and Mulhall all found the target, and while Malone landed a fine 45 before the whistle, Brian Whelan rounded off a flowing team move to give Ballyroan Abbey a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 lead at half-time.

The second half couldn’t have started better for the men in blue. Within 30 seconds, Whelan, who had scored the final point of the opening period, rattled the net. Finlay’s initial effort dropped short, McMahon palmed it across, and Whelan was on hand to fire past Darragh Phelan.

Barrowhouse weren’t finished, however. James Baldwin pounced for a goal after Day’s shot was saved by Ed Slevin, and soon after, Oran Kelleher levelled the sides again with a tidy point from play.

A dramatic second goal almost followed when Baldwin’s fisted effort clipped the crossbar after Malone’s delivery caused chaos in the square. Ballyroan Abbey held their nerve, though, with McMahon adding his third of the night before two frees from Whelan restored a three-point cushion. Substitute Lochlann Kelleher reduced the margin with an instant point, but Whelan responded again, finishing with a tally of 1-4.

Barrowhouse pushed hard in the closing stages. TJ Burke broke through but couldn’t convert his goal chance, while Day trimmed the gap to two. Ballyroan Abbey’s goalkeeper, Ed Slevin, then stepped up to land a stunning two-point free, effectively sealing the win.

The final exchanges saw both sides trade scores, Scott Flynn for Barrowhouse and Ben McDonald from a free, as Ballyroan Abbey closed out a deserved four-point victory to lift the cup and secure promotion to next year’s Intermediate Football Championship.

SCORERS:

Ballyroan Abbey: Brian Whelan 1-4 (0-2fs), Ben McDonald (0-1f) and Padraig McMahon 0-3 each, Ed Slevin (1 two-point free) and Darren Mulhall 0-2 each, Jack Finlay 0-1.

Barrowhouse: James Baldwin 1-3 (1 two-pointer), Emmet Malone (0-1 45) and Lee Day (0-1f) 0-2 each, Kodi Dunne, Oran Kelleher, Scott Flynn and Lochlann Kelleher 0-1 each.

BALLYROAN ABBEY: Ed Slevin; Ruairi Dunne, Patrick Whelan, Jack Finlay; Evan McEvoy, Niall Walsh, Charlie Whelan; Michael Brennan, Stephen O’Donnell; Alan McWey, Brian Whelan, Paudi McDonald; Ben McDonald, Padraig McMahon, Darren Mulhall.

Subs: Sam Quinn for McEvoy (3m, inj), Stephen Thompson for P McDonald (55m), Michael Parlon for Brennan (57m), Jack O'Dea for McWey (63m).

BARROWHOUSE: Darragh Phelan; James Brennan, Alex Robinson, Josh Deveraux; Kodi Dunne, Martin Murphy, TJ Burke; Emmet Malone, Oran Kelleher; Alex Kenny, Brian Malone, Séan Phelan; Lee Day, James Baldwin, Andrew Baldwin.

Subs: Denis Brophy for Brennan (42m), Lochlann Kelleher for Phelan (45m), Scott Flynn for Kenny (50m), Mark Kenny for Dunne (60m), Luke Malone for A Kenny (63m).

Referee: Colin Bailey (Mountrath)