Brilliant champs start defence of Co. senior title with a bang

In an open, high scoring, and interesting game, Portumna did most of the damage during an opening period in which the standard bearers delivered a lesson in the art of finishing. The statistics were staggering as Portumna posted 1-18 in the half from 24 chances which highlighted how fluid this match was.

Despite leaking scores and struggling to cope with the pace and range of the Portumna attack, Castlegar will have taken positives from the gritty way they fought. Dean Higgins’ 23rd minute dismissal undoubtedly deprived the underdogs of a key player for a significant portion, but they demonstrated admirable resilience.

Indeed, following a burst of Cashel enterprise after the restart Portumna’s advantage which was 1-16 to 0-6 in the 29th minute was trimmed to four. Cashel, though, had emptied the tank and in the dying embers a late flurry of Portumna scores put a healthier sheen on the winning total.

Early on it was evident that Castlegar were going to endure some harship because Portumna were out of the blocks smartly. The first 11 minutes was a simple reminder of how efficient and electric Portumna can be when the mood strikes.

From nine opportunities Portumna shot seven points, in the same stint Cashel took two from two, but they were in severe distress. Damien Hayes was dashing about scheming, while inside Ronan O’Meara was busy too as Castlegar were forced to chase precisely the scenario Portumna craved.

At centrefield Joe Canning was hurling plenty of ball and came within a whisker of netting a memorable goal. Six minutes had elapsed when Damien Hayes flicked a thoughtful hand pass to Canning, who had joined the attack expertly. Canning unleashed a powerful strike, but the sliotar thundered off the woodwork and Castlegar briefly cleared the danger.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.