LEINSTER CLUB SFC FINAL/Portlaoise 1-9 Garrycastle 1-5:THE FOUR-POINT margin in yesterday's AIB Leinster final at Tullamore obscures Portlaoise's gun-to-tape superiority. Having compiled an early lead – three points without reply by the sixth minute – the Laois champions controlled most of the match despite losing Peter McNulty to a second yellow card before half-time and seeing their advantage shrink momentarily to a single point minutes into the second half.
If the expected challenge from Garrycastle never fully materialised, Portlaoise did a great deal to ensure that was the case. Their attacking movement was far more menacing and they created plenty of chances, even if the finish didn’t always do justice to the approach work.
Yet they were sufficiently clinical to open up a five-point lead in the first quarter: Craig Rogers got the ball rolling with two early scores to atone for a first-minute wide and the scores came freely with only Paul Dillon – after being released by Dessie Dolan – responding for the Westmeath club.
Centrefield had been expected to be a sector where Garrycastle might pressurise the favourites but instead during the dominant opening phases Séanie O’Donoghue and David O’Shaughnessy were swamped and successive points for Kevin Fitzpatrick and Aidan Fennelly came from Garrycastle kick-outs lost in the middle.
It was the winners’ defence, however, that laid a solid basis for the performance. They contested tenaciously without giving away frees and Cahir Healy, switched from centre back to the right corner to take personal care of Dessie Dolan, succeeded much as he had when dropping back on to Thomas Deehan in the abandoned semi-final against Clara.
Dolan, who has been injury-free and inspirational for his club this campaign, was never given an inch to try and influence proceedings. As has been the case in the championship to date, he dropped quite deep on occasion but never managed to drift off his marker whereas at close quarters – he started at left corner forward – he was seeing too little of the ball and too much of Healy.
During the second quarter Garrycastle found a foothold. O’Donoghue’s work-rate at centrefield began to show results and a couple of points from him and a Dillon free cut the gap to a more manageable three, 0-3 to 0-6, and if Paul Cahillane stretched the gap before half-time that was balanced by McNulty’s late tackle on a Garrycastle defender, which cost him a second yellow and dismissal.
Portlaoise had been playing with wind advantage although this was a treacherous ally, influencing a far higher wides’ count for both teams when playing with it.
The precariousness of the lead was illustrated four minutes after half-time when Dessie Dolan dropped in a ball from the left for brother Gary to steal in and, despite a suggestion of square ball, fist into the net to bring Garrycastle right back into it at 1-3 to 0-7.
Nonetheless as the meagre crowd of 3,400 braced themselves for a contest, Portlaoise responded. A clever ball over the top of the defence from captain Brian McCormack to Barry Fitzgerald gave the latter time and space to fire home a goal in immediate response.
Fitzgerald was the main influence on the second half, scoring all of Portlaoise’s 1-2 (as well as the goal, a free and a safety-first fisted point when in on goal, again courtesy of McCormack). Jolted by the concession of a goal, Garrycastle struggled to respond. Opportunities fell short and were kicked wide – or on occasion were not seen quickly enough – as they tried to close the gap once more.
Victorious manager John Mulligan said the win had made up for last year.
“It was great for us to show the character to come back. We had a big disappointment here last year when we lost the first round of the championship to Rhode. We were just delighted to get the chance to get back to O’Connor Park and win something here. The record shows this is a Leinster final but we just see it as a stepping stone to our next outing, which is in February. We’re down to the last four in the country then, in with the really big guys.
His Garrycastle counterpart Anthony Cunningham regretted the failure to show greater economy.
“We were disappointed. The first thing I would say is there’s no fault attributed to any player or any corner. We were just unfortunate in that we got a lot of chances there in the second half and failed to convert them.
“We had eight wides, a few more dropped into the ’keeper’s hands. Guys don’t go out there to do that. We didn’t have that bit of luck today. We slipped and let in a goal at the worst time to concede a goal – after you score one.”
PORTLAOISE: M Nolan; C Healy, K Fitzpatrick (0-1), E Bland; M McNulty, K Lillis, B Mulligan; A Fennelly (0-1), B McCormack; C Rogers (0-2), B Fitzgerald (1-2, one free), B Glynn; P McNulty, C Byrne (0-1), P Cahillane (0-2). Subs: J Fennell for Byrne (39 mins), C Boyle for Glynn (50 mins), B Smyth for Rogers (56 mins), A Kelly for Mulligan (60 mins).
GARRYCASTLE: C Mullin; P Rattigan, E Mulvihill, J Gaffey; D Harte, K Henson, M McCallon; S O’Donoghue (0-1), D O’Shaughnessy; P Dillon (0-2, one free), J Duignan, J Dolan; P Mulvihill, G Dolan (capt; 1-1), D Dolan (0-1, free). Subs: T McHugh for Rattigan (19 mins), A Browne for O’Shaughnessy (35 mins), D Hermbusche for McHugh (36 mins), S Mulvihill for P Mulvihill (50 mins), A Daly for Duignan (57 mins).
Referee: D Fahy (Longford).
