Arch rivals Portumna and St. Thomas’ are drawn in the same group

GALWAY’S last two All-Ireland club champions – Portumna and St. Thomas’ – have found themselves in the proverbial dogfight after they were pooled together in a ‘Group of Death’ in this year’s county senior hurling championship.

Holders Gort also face a number of tricky assignments. They were pitted against 2010/11 All-Ireland club winners Clarinbridge and South Galway rivals Ardrahan when the eagerly anticipated draws took place at the Salthill Hotel on Monday evening.

With it agreed that last year’s 2014 semi-finalists – Gort, Portumna, Craughwell and Beagh – would be seeded to head up the respective four groups, all eyes turned to the other leading contenders, such as St. Thomas’, Loughrea and Ardrahan, to see what drama could be produced.

The draw didn’t disappoint with the main talking point quickly becoming Group C or, to use the well-worn cliché, the ‘Group of Death’. Consisting of five teams with two to advance to the last eight, St. Thomas’ and Portumna have been joined by Turloughmore, Mullagh and 2014 quarter-finalists Killimordaly.

Aside from the impending battle between former All-Ireland club winners Portumna and St. Thomas’, who needed a replay to separate them when they last met in the 2013 county semi-final – Portumna taking the win on a 0-18 to 2-11 scoreline – there are various other sub plots to this group.

None more so than that of last year’s defeated finalists Portumna and Mullagh. In 2014, former Clare trainer Mike McNamara had Mullagh under his stewardship but since then he has departed that set-up and joined Portumna’s backroom staff. It should add some spice to that encounter.

Then you have Turloughmore, who were at the centre of the controversy that saw the suspension of the senior hurling championship for two months last year after they contested their expulsion from the competition for fielding an illegal player. They should be eager to prove a point in 2015.

Elsewhere, reigning champions Gort have been drawn in a six-team group which also consists of Ardrahan, Padraig Pearses, Clarinbridge, Athenry – buoyed by their U-21 ‘A’ win last year – and Kiltormer. Gort should have enough to see them through to the knockout stages with 2014 quarter-finalists Ardrahan front-runners for the other spot.

The other six-team group – Group A – will be a free-for-all. 2014 semi-finalists Craughwell will renew their rivalry with Tommy Larkins, the side they accounted for in the quarter-finals. City outfits Castlegar and Liam Mellows – two of the dark horses in the championship – and Kilnadeema/Leitrim and Carnmore make up this section.

Beagh head up the remaining five-team group – Group D – where they are joined by one of the leading contenders Loughrea, Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry, Sarsfields and 2014 county intermediate champions Cappataggle.

Two from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals with the rest of the teams to play off for the remaining four places in next year’s 12-team restructured Senior ‘A’ competition. The other 10 teams will make up Senior ‘B’, along with this year’s intermediate finalists.

Kinvara, relegated from senior in 2014, will be favourites to secure one of those places, with Ahascragh/Fohenagh, Abbeyknockmoy and Rahoon/Newcastle sure to lead the chase for the other spot.