Narrow win for Portumna in game of shadow-boxing

Portumna 3-15

St Thomas’ 0-23

There may have been an element of shadow boxing in this meaningless Group C fixture on Sunday but, in saying that, both of these serious title contenders had periods when they sought to lay down a marker in advance of the business end of the championship.

With these former All-Ireland club champions having already qualified for the quarter-finals, both fielded weakened teams. Favourites Portumna didn’t line out with Leo Smith, Ollie Canning or Damien Hayes; while four of the Burkes – Darragh, David, Eanna and Kenneth – began this tie on the bench for St Thomas’.

Indeed, by the time the Burkes began to make their way onto the field for the Kilchreest/Peterswell outfit, Portumna had already built up a sizeable first-half lead that had, at one stage, extended to nine points.

It was typical Portumna really, hitting their shell-shocked opponents for 2-8 in the opening 21 minutes. To the fore was Galway star Joe Canning with the two goals on five and 21 minutes respectively, with the first coming after Ivan Canning and Richie Murray had exchanged early points.

It was a glorious move in the lead-in to Canning’s opening goal, initiated by a Joe Keane puck-out and incorporating fine work from Kevin Hayes and Paddy Dolphin. The score ignited the title favourites as Ronan O’Meara, Joe Canning (2) and Ciaran Comerford hit a succession of points in the ensuing minutes.

All the intensity and pace came from Portumna in this period which more resembled a shooting drill at training rather than a SHC championship encounter. St Thomas’, who by now fearing their attitude was perhaps a little too laid-back coming into the game, stirred somewhat.

Bernard Burke, Conor Cooney (2) and Richie Murray subsequently exchanged points with the two Cannings – Joe and Ivan – but Portumna had not finished laying down their markers just yet and when Conor Cooney had his pocket picked by Martin Dolphin, it set up Canning for his second goal.

In fairness to Thomas’, they responded to this mini-crisis of falling nine points behind in some fashion – they would go 11 points arrears in the second half! – and by the end of the game they were looking to pinch the win. However, a wides tally of 13 to Portumna’s six proved detrimental to a positive outcome.

That said, they finished the first half the stronger, outscoring Portumna four points to two; Conor Cooney leading the charge with three points – two frees and a sideline ball – while Anthony Kelly also scratched his name on the scoresheet in this time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.