ALL-IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL: Portumna v Ballyhale ShamrocksTHERE IS so much history swirling around this afternoon's AIB All-Ireland club hurling final that the actual mechanics of an intriguing match sometimes get lost.
Naturally, the contest is framed by issues that arose last year when the clubs met at the semi-final stage. On the one hand the Galway champions’ barrage that yielded an extraordinary 60-minute total of 26 points, or 5-11, sticks in the memory, but not many teams would have survived conceding 1-16 to Ballyhale.
The abiding memory of Portumna in Thurles was of how ruthlessly they worked the space to hammer home the advantages of pace and marksmanship.
Croke Park is no longer markedly smaller than Semple Stadium and the Galway side have enjoyed their outings here in the past four years without ever being properly tested.
One-sidedness has been a feature of club hurling finals over the past decade and you have to go back to – coincidentally – the last Galway-Kilkenny clash, Athenry and Graigue-Ballycallan, for a match that put any pressure on the pulse-rate.
There are good reasons to believe this afternoon will not disappoint. Although last year’s contest was dazzling, it was well-won, but can Portumna be as good again and will the Kilkenny champions be as subdued?
And will they again go out to play their own game without making tactical adjustments for a team of Portumna’s strengths?
Presumably James Connolly, who made some cracking saves in the Newtownshandrum semi-final, won’t again have a nightmare – three of last year’s five goals will have caused him painful recollection – and key personnel are likely to be on better form.
James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick was scarcely recovered from illness and this afternoon he will be completely at home playing the dynamic role of covering deep and playing those exquisite shots.
It’s also unlikely Shamrocks will be over-run again at centrefield or that they will again leave Henry Shefflin in the half forwards, tasked with winning ball as opposed to giving him some period of time testing a full-back line that leaked spectacularly against Gort in the county championship and which can’t always be protected by the formidable line in front and the preternatural positioning of Ollie Canning (who it is rumoured will effectively be man-marked by Colin Fennelly).
Such was the dazzle caused by the flair of Joe Canning and Damien Hayes, it’s necessary to emphasise how hard Portumna grafted for success. Their half backs were relentless, blitzing man and ball and rushing the ball up to the attack.
Coach James McGarry has sharpened Ballyhale and improved the defence, but it still looks fallible and Newtown ran them closer than expected in the semi-final.
There is slight unease in Galway over the levels of entitlement (against a Kilkenny side!) that seem to be arising going into the match as well as the unthinkable prospect of Joe Canning going through a lean spell, given his Fitzgibbon travails last week.
But, despite rising levels of uncertainty, the closer the day comes, the sweep and penetration of the Galway champions should prevail in a match it is hoped we can all sit back and enjoy.
