ALL IRELAND CLUB SHC FINAL/Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-19 Portumna 0-17:PORTUMNA MIGHT have taken the quest for a third successive AIB All-Ireland club title to the final stage, but at no point during yesterday's match did they get any closer than that.
The anticipated epic never really materialised, although the defending champions mounted spirited resistance in the second half only for a calamity of a goal to copperfasten the outcome at the beginning of the final quarter.
But it was Shamrocks, who now sit proudly at the top of the championship’s roll of honour with five All-Irelands, who governed proceedings with a far keener tactical appreciation of the challenge than they had shown last year against the same opponents.
Performances were also pitched at a higher level throughout the field. Compare even the statistics on the scoreboard. Ballyhale conceded five goals in the 2009 semi-final, but on this occasion the much-maligned defence shut out the considerable threat of the Galway side and ended their All-Ireland campaign having conceded no goals to either the Munster or reigning All-Ireland champions – a tribute to them and manager James McGarry.
They couldn’t keep Joe Canning quiet, but they successfully contained the damage. The prodigious young forward gave another exhibition – although on this occasion it had to be filed in the “magnificent in defeat” category.
His 12 points kept the match vaguely in play but from the 12th minute when Ballyhale stretched the lead to 0-5 to 0-1, the champions never again got the margin below four points.
The irony of this pattern was that it placed Portumna in the exact position they like to have their opponents; chasing a match and leaving themselves vulnerable to being picked off on the break.
From the start the Kilkenny champions’ made adjustments to the team that had won the semi-final. Pádraig Holden came in at corner back and David Hoyne, impressive as a replacement in Thurles last year, started in the left corner in place of Mark Aylward.
Perhaps the most interesting switch was placing Colin Fennelly in at right-corner forward specifically to pressurise Portumna’s defensive conductor Ollie Canning.
Although it appeared initially to disturb Canning, he eventually responded and took control at the back, although at times his flicks and passes to create space for clearance looked a bit hair-raising.
Ballyhale understood they had ample room for improvement on last year’s display whereas Portumna couldn’t afford to let performance levels drop by too much. Noted for their blitzkrieg openings – 12 months ago they had 2-2 on the scoreboard by the sixth minute and 3-6 with no wides by the 14th – Portumna were hustled out of it by determined opponents.
As a statement of intent, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick – who struggled last year with the after-effects of illness – whipped over a point within 15 seconds of the throw-in.
There were significant moments in the following minutes that suggested it wasn’t going to be Portumna’s day.
Joe Canning got on a weaving run and went for goal in the third minute. He was under pressure, but got the shot away and, although it was blocked by James Connolly, the umpire gave it as a wide. Minutes later, it was full back Aidan Cummins who got the block in when Canning again swooped.
In between, the prodigious full forward had mishit a free and then referee Cathal McAllister had awarded a free when a genuine advantage was on the cards.
But these were the extent of the hard-luck stories for the champions. Ballyhale kept calm and picked off scores. Henry Shefflin played the usual, non-flashy steadying role, shooting his frees and winning and distributing ball around the middle – a lovely low delivery setting up Patrick Reid for his 16th-minute point.
Although Micheál Ryan put up spirited resistance at centre back, the Portumna half backs were unable to exert the sort of dynamic influence that drove the team in last year’s meeting.
Shamrocks’ half forwards got stuck in and the type of individual contests that the Galway champions had previously torn through weren’t going their way.
At the back, Ballyhale were solid. Corner back Alan Cuddihy won the television man-of-the-match award for a tidy display in an effective full-back line.
Portumna were forced into early changes. By the second quarter Joe Canning and Damien Hayes were out in the half forwards such was the scarcity of ball going inside. Eventually, a new pairing had also to be found for a centrefield that, again, in contrast to last year, was being overrun.
It could have been all over in the 26th minute when Portumna goalkeeper Ivan Canning lost the ball and Patrick Reid tapped it across the goal only for David Hoyne to miss his stroke as the chance sat up nicely. Ollie Canning was in to tidy up, but, although Damien Hayes clipped a couple of pre-interval points to get the margin down to six for the second half, 0-5 to 0-11, the sense was of a match moving beyond the champions.
Joe Canning went to work on trying to bring around things in the third quarter and three successive points between the 34th and 37th minutes closed the gap to just four, 0-9 to 0-13.
A couple of chances went a begging in the minutes that followed and the margin could have been down to two, but Ballyhale recovered the initiative to extend the lead with nice points from Shefflin, Eoin Reid and Hoyne.
Any notion that Portumna were hovering with intent was squashed in the 46th minute.
Fortune can be particularly fickle for goalkeepers. A year ago James Connolly had to come to terms with errors that were implicated in three of Portumna’s goals. This time around he was sound throughout, but his counterpart Ivan Canning had the horror story.
More short passing at the back ended abruptly with the goalkeeper spilling the ball and Hoyne was on hand to take the goal. From then on it was just a matter of playing out the time.
The margin came down by two, but there was no denying the Kilkenny side before a good crowd of 34,357.
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: J Connolly; A Cuddihy, A Cummins, P Holden; P Shefflin, E Walsh (capt.), B Aylward; J Fitzpatrick (0-2), M Fennelly; E Reid (0-3), H Shefflin (0-8, six frees), TJ Reid (0-3, one sideline); C Fennelly, P Reid (0-1), D Hoyne (1-1). Subs: J Holden for Fennelly (48 mins), M Aylward (0-1) for P Reid (50 mins).
PORTUMNA: I Canning; A O’Donnell, E McEntee, O Canning; G Heagney, M Ryan, P Smith (0-1); L Smith, E Lynch; N Hayes, K Hayes, A Smith (0-1); D Hayes (0-2), J Canning (0-12, six frees, one 65), M Dolphin (0-1). Subs: C Ryan for N Hayes (41 mins).
Referee: C McAllister (Cork).
2010 Ballyhale 1-19Portumna 0-17Att: 34,337
2009 Portumna 2-24 De La Salle 1-8Att: 32,952
2008 Portumna 3-19 Birr 3-9Att: 31,246
2007 Ballyhale 3-12 Loughrea 2-8Att: 25,285
2006 Portumna 2-8 Newtownshandrum 1-6Att: 33,454
Games Score
Henry Shefflin (Ballyhale Shamrocks) 5 1-40 (43)
Ben O’Connor (Newtownshandrum) 40-32 (32)
Joe Canning (Portumna) 21-20 (23)
TJ Reid (Ballyhale Shamrocks) 53-12 (21)
