Portumna men on the brink of hurling history

STEPHEN GLENNON

HARDWORKING wing-forward Niall Hayes is set to return to the Portumna attack for his side’s All-Ireland final clash against Kilkenny and Leinster champions, Ballyhale Shamrocks at Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day.

Hayes missed the club’s semi-final win over Dunloy through suspension, but kept himself sharp by lining out for Galway seniors hurlers in their victorious Walsh Cup run and, again, against Limerick in the first round of the National Hurling League.

Now, though, Hayes is poised to return to a Portumna outfit seeking an unprecedented three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles and manager Johnny Kelly is delighted his No. 10 is back in the fold. “Niall is going very well and it is very hard to overlook him. Obviously, we haven’t picked the team yet, so there are a couple of positions up for grabs. Niall is definitely in the running. He is an experienced guy and his work-rate is second to none.”

Indeed, Hayes’ absence was notable against Dunloy, both in the hard inches that he wins from game to game, and for his link-up play with those around him. “All in all, you would miss Niall’s experience as well and that probably did tell on us a little bit [against Dunloy],” says Kelly. “It was not only missing Niall, though. Our own ball work and decision-making maybe wasn’t as good as it should be, but we still won the game by 12 points. So, you have to be happy with that.”

With Hayes’ return, the question is who will give way? If the management team choose to revert to the side that won the county final, Ciaran Ryan – a goal machine en route to their All-Ireland club final win last season – could be the one to lose out.

When pressed, though, Kelly gives nothing away. “Ciaran Ryan did very well for us in the semi-final. He worked hard and got his goal. Ciaran will be a big help to us the next day as well.”

No doubt, Portumna’s real strength in recent times has been that they boast a settled side, with few changes from year to year. Everyone in the team has a role, which they perform with incredible intensity and nuance.

From their 2009 All-Ireland winning side, there has already been a couple of changes. Martin Dolphin has returned to the forward division, with Aidan O’Donnell switching from wing-back to corner back and Peter Smith nailing down the wing-back berth. If anything, the defence – backboned by Eugene McEntee, Ollie Canning, Garreth Heagney and Micheál Ryan – has become a stronger unit because of it.

Eoin Lynch and captain Leo Smith form a formidable midfield partnership, with both complementing each other brilliantly. Lynch has such a commanding presence in this area, and he is usually good to pick off a point from distance. Smith, then, would be the Portumna equivalent of Ballyhale’s James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, and, if anything, gets through just as much work. The match-up between these two men, alone, is mouth-watering.

Up front, the half-forward line – should the management keep faith with their county final side – will be Niall Hayes, the impressive Kevin Hayes and livewire Andrew Smith. The work ethic of these three players alone would rival that of any team.

Inside, the line should read Damien Hayes, Joe Canning and Martin Dolphin, with Dolphin, most likely, to drop deep at some point to leave the space for sharpshooters Damien Hayes and Canning to do what they do best – rack up a sinful amount of scores!For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.