Portumna produce storming finish to claim minor B title

Portumna 2-16St Thomas’ 4-6

Cian O’Connell in Loughrea

IN a club as decorated as Portumna, every piece of silverware carries importance and the gutsy manner in which this County Minor B title was captured in Loughrea on Saturday afternoon thrilled those associated with the great Galway hurling force.

Character, commitment, but most crucially courage were all demonstrated as Portumna staged a remarkable rally to defeat a St Thomas' outfit that had ruled the majority of the first half. When Portumna got motoring in the closing stages, though, St.Thomas' challenge surprisingly wilted and all their early work was rendered insufficient.

That shouldn't have been the case because there had been flickers of St. Thomas' considerable ability at the outset. Three opening period goals were pocketed, but St. Thomas' weren't clinical enough converting opportunities as at least another two green flags should have been registered.

They weren't, Portumna regained their composure with Ronan O'Meara occupying the lead role and Thomas’ faltered down the home stretch. These kind of what might have been losses are certainly the worst and Thomas' will winter with plenty of regrets as they failed to truly reflect their initial superiority.

Then towards the end of the first half, Portumna shifted O'Meara from centrefield to the edge of the square and suddenly their attack had a more potent cut to it. St. Thomas’ reacted by switching the influential Eanna Burke from centre to full back and it had significant implications. Burke wasn't able to hurl as much ball in the last line of defence, he went from creator to stopper, and Portumna prospered.St. Thomas’ were briskly out of the blocks pumping deep deliveries into the imposing Shane Cooney, who had the unusual honour of bagging a hat-trick of goals, but ending up on the defeated team.

Cooney's menace was one of the reasons St. Thomas’ nicked a fourth minute goal as a long distance Burke free crashed off the post. In the ensuing scramble, Michael Fallon applied the last touch to the sliotar as Thomas' hit the front.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.