Portumna’s first-half scoring blitz does the trick

Date Published: 05-May-2011

Portumna 3-20

Tommie Larkins 2-10

Darren Kelly

in Athenry

THEY may no longer be county champions but Portumna are still the team to beat as they showed last Saturday in Kenny Park with this emphatic 13 point victory over Tommie Larkins.

Time will tell whether they can produce the performances of the past decade when the stiffer tests come later in the championship, there’s no doubt that their attacking sextet will still punish any team that gives them an extra half second on the ball.

Tommie Larkins will be disappointed they didn’t remain competitive for longer than 12 minutes as they saw plenty of ball and had scoring chances, but every moment counts in a 60 minute joust with Johnny Kelly’s former All-Ireland kingpins as the border men underlined in the first 15 minutes.

It took Portumna two minutes to score when Andy Smith split the posts and Joe Canning added a free to make it 0-2 to 0-0. But the next passage of play would typify the overall nature of this contest.

Eamonn Hayes started a Tommie Larkins attack finding Niall Kelly on the right channel but his effort dropped short into Joe Keane’s hands. Straight away, the ball was sent back into play and worked its way to Canning on the 40. He turned, looked up, picked out Damien Hayes and the All-Star didn’t need a second invitation for the first goal.

Instead of a one point ball game, Portumna led 1-2 to 0-0 but Jason Flynn opened Tommie Larkins’ account in the sixth minute before Canning and Ger Kelly, playing as a third midfielder for the Woodford/Ballinakill side, left it 1-3 to 0-2 in the 10th minute.

Larkins had weathered the storm but were caught again 60 seconds later. Starting from a Keane puck out, Smith got possession on the left flank before striking off a determined Darra Starr for their second green flag.

The expected scoring blitz didn’t occur immediately as Tommie Larkins continued to take the game to their opponents. A delivery into the Portumna penalty area in the 12th minute saw a mix up between Ollie Canning and Michael Ryan. Paddy Moroney applied the pressure before winning control for Larkins as Keane couldn’t regain possession and Declan Garvey was at hand to help the ball over the line for a goal.

Twice, Noel Murphy’s charges responded positively and trailed by just 2-3 to 1-2 but the third blow did the job in the 13th minute. Keane recommenced play down the centre; Smith took the ball and saw Niall Hayes in space and the centre forward hit the net and Portumna were seven points ahead again.

This time, they put the boot down. Niall Hayes set up Joe Canning for a point before Canning converted a free. He added another from the right wing after receiving a Garret Heagney pass in the 18th minute, with his brother Davy registering a point before Martin Dolphin made it 3-8 to 1-2 in the 21st minute.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.