Portumna men edge home in semis replay

Portumna 0-18

St. Thomas’ 2-11

PORTUMNA may not be the team they were when winning All-Ireland club finals for fun in the last decade but they have still managed to retain the spirit of that side as evident in their county championship semi-final replay victory over St. Thomas’ at Kenny Park on Saturday.

Throughout those successful years, the Portumna players had always stressed the importance of maximising the opportunities that had been afforded them. They knew they had a great team and they were determined that it would be one not haunted by hard luck stories. So, they chased the dream with all the vigour they could muster.

Over the last two weekends at in Athenry, there was that sense of purpose in Portumna’s play once more and even if, one suspects, this is the last hooray for some of the older brigade, it looks as if the spark they have been missing in recent seasons has been reignited again. The hunger is back.

That is not so much reflected in the intensity of their play or in the pure genius of Damien Hayes or Joe Canning or the movement that left teams like Newtownshandrum of Cork, Ballyhale Shamrocks of Kilkenny, Birr of Offaly and De La Salle of Waterford struggling to catch breath.

It’s more the relentless nature of their play; the manner in which they can turn a deficit into a surplus. Here they were up against the reigning All-Ireland club champions and, even when St. Thomas’ had a result within their own reach, you still felt Portumna were going to win the day. They just have that aura.

As noted, though, St. Thomas’ delivered some good body shots. As early as the 10th minute – at which time the victors had raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead thanks to two Canning frees and points from Hayes and Leo Smith – Conor Cooney blasted a 20-metre free to the net to unceremoniously wipe out their challengers’ advantage.

To some degree, Portumna must have thought of what they had to do to shake off St. Thomas’ – doggedly determined as you would expect from the defending champions – particularly when their opponents reeled off four unanswered points through David Burke, Cooney (two frees) and James Regan to take a 1-6 to 0-6 23rd minute lead.

That advantage could have been more substantial had a David Burke strike, following a move involving his two brothers Eanna and Kenneth, on 23 minutes stood. Instead, referee Leonard Faye, who in fairness had sounded the whistle for a foul seconds earlier, did not allow the advantage but called play back. Cooney converted the placed ball.

In truth, Thomas always looked far more threatening when it came to seeking out the net in that opening period and they were again unlucky not to do so on 28 minutes when Anthony Kelly found himself in on goal, following a flowing move involving Shane Cooney, David Burke and Eanna Burke, but he was correctly pulled for over-carrying.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.