Portumna eye historic hat-trick

STEPHEN GLENNON

Reigning champions Portumna – on an unbeaten championship run of 29 games – make their bid for the unprecedented three-in-a-row of All-Ireland club senior hurling titles when they face Henry Shefflin’s Ballyhale Shamrocks at Croke Park tomorrow (2pm).

Portumna have not tasted defeat since their loss to Loughrea in the 2006 county final, but manager Johnny Kelly insists records and statistics are the farthest thing from their mind entering the national decider.

“There is no real angle,” says Johnny. “The angle at the end of the day will be to win the Tommy Moore Cup. I mean, it is a brilliant, brilliant competition, in that you are hurling with the fellows you grew up with. I know it is clichéd but really, there is nothing like playing with your friends and family in Croke Park. Hopefully we can perform to a level that will get us over the line on the day. That is the only angle we have at the moment.”

Wholly focused on the task in hand, Kelly is delighted with the manner in which his charges have handled themselves in the build-up to the big day. “Preparations are going well, thanks be to God. It is always easier when you are not going out in frost, fog or rain. So, training has been going well over the last two weeks. We realised we had to up it a bit regards ball work and stuff after the Dunloy game.”

The Portumna defence will have to be in top form if they are to hold the likes of Henry Shefflin and TJ and Eoin Reid. In the provincial and All-Ireland series to date, Shefflin has amassed 1-32, from four games, while TJ and Eoin Reid have tallied 3-9 and 1-10 respectively.

That said, Portumna are not without their attacking aces either. Having totalled 8-67 in the county championship, Joe Canning added another 1-8 to his personal tally for the current campaign in his side’s semi-final victory over Dunloy.

For his part, Damien Hayes – having scored a whooping 11-19 from play in the Galway championship – hit Dunloy for two points, while Ciaran Ryan (1-1), Andy Smith (0-3) and Kevin Hayes (0-3) also featured prominently among the scorers in that 2-18 to 0-12 win.Given both sides firepower, it is no wonder that, between them, Portumna (2006, ’08 and ’09) and Ballyhale (2007) have won the last four All-Ireland titles.

With James Stephens of Kilkenny winning the 2005 title, defeating Athenry in the decider, it underlines the grip that Galway and Kilkenny have exerted on the club championship in recent years.

Although both teams will only be focused on winning the game on Patrick’s Day, the outcome will have a significant impact on the roll of honour. For one, Portumna will not only top the list with Birr and Ballyhale, who have four titles each, but they will also become the first club to achieve the three-in-a-row of club titles if they win.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.