First-half goals seals victory for Portlaw

Gerry Kennedy Crash Repairs Eastern Intermediate Final

Portlaw 3-21 

St. Mollerans 0-13 

It had been expected that this clash of near neighbours would go right down to the wire in Walsh Park on Saturday last given that just two points separated the sides when they met in the league stages a few weeks earlier. Having just survived an extra time epic against Ballyduff the previous week and lost top scorer D.J. Foran to injury in the course of achieving an unimpressive victory the defending champions looked under pressure going into this game against an improving Mollerans side.

The test of champions, however, is their reaction when under pressure and things seem to be going wrong and in that regard Portlaw came up trumps on Saturday last, producing their best all round team performance of the last two years with new county hurling manager Peter Queally directing operations. A sparkling first half display that produced three goals of real quality proved decisive and left an outplayed Mollerans side facing a nine point deficit going into the second half.

STIFF BREEZE

Playing into the stiff breeze the Mollerans got off to the best possible start with Evan Foley breaking clear from the throwin to send over a point in the opening seconds. Portlaw’s reply was immediate with Evan Burrows and Jack Walsh sending over points before David Comerford levelled from a free for Mollerans after four minutes. That was as good as it was going to get for the Carrickbeg side Portlaw proceeded to dominate the middle third, winning the breaking ball and the puck outs from both ends.

The speedy and ever dangerous Cormac Rooney shot his side into the lead in the 5th minute and after Evan Burrows had added another from a free Rooney crated the opening for Jordan O’Sullivan to race through for Portlaw’s first goal in the 7th minute. Rooney and Burrows followed up with points before the Mollerans’ defence was breached again in the 15th minute with John Power giving Fiddis no chance with a superb finish to the net.

The game was rapidly slipping away from Mollerans but they hit back with three points from frees by David Comerford to one in reply from Burrows before Evan Foley set up a great goal chance for Conor Reade whose shot was brilliantly saved by Killian Dee and Mollerans hopes of getting within striking distance of Portlaw were almost immediately dashed as Luke Woods got through at the other end to score his side’s third goal which was followed by a Cormac Rooney point.

Mollerans completed the first half scoring with two points from David Comerford frees to trail by 3-8 to 0-7 having failed to score from play following Foley’s opening point.

MARKER LAID DOWN

Playing into the breeze in the second half nothing changed for Portlaw as three points from a John Dee ‘65’, Cormac Rooney and Evan Burrows (F) in the opening three minutes left Mollerans facing a near impossible task. Despite their best efforts the goals they needed just would not come and with Killian Dee making two great saves in the Portlaw goal they could only add six second half points four coming from Comerford frees and one apiece from Conor Reade (36 mins) and Evan Foley in added time. Portlaw, scoring thirteen points were always in control with Burrows sending over six frees and one from play.

Portlaw have certainly put down a marker here heading into the county final. In Cormac Rooney they had the man of the match as his work rate saw him involved in almost every Portlaw attacking movement and he was well supported by Killian Dee, in goal, John Dee, Conor Shankey, Blake O’Connor, Luke Woods and Evan Burrows.

On a young Mollerans side that will learn from this experience Evan Foley was their most industrious player while Daniel Fiddis could not be faulted in goal and young David Comerford’s free taking was top class under pressure.

Scorers:- Portlaw – Evan Burrows 0-11 (8Fs), Luke Woods 1-1, Cormac Rooney 0-4, John Power and Jordan O’Sullivan 1-0 each, John Dee 0-2 (1F, ‘65’), Blake O’Connor, Craig Fraher and Jack Walsh 0-1 each.

St. Mollerans – David Comerford 0-10 (Fs), Evan Foley 0-2, Conor Reade 0-1.

Portlaw – Killian Dee, Cian Kiely, Conor Shankey, John Dee, Darren Rockett, Blake O’Connor, Jack O’Connell Jack Walshe, Luke Woods, John Power, Jordan O’Sullivan, Jake Scanlon, Evan Burrows, Shane Power, Cormac Rooney. Subs – Craig Fraher for Scanlon (42), Ronan O’Connell for S. Power (53), Jack Walsh for Kiely (58).

St. Mollerans – Daniel Fiddis, Dean Dowley, Kieran Barry, Dylan Casey, Jack Walsh, Jimmy Dunne, Peter Keane, Oscar Geoghegan, Killian Cloona, Bobby Drohan, Evan Foley, Richard Comerford, David Comerford, Conor Reade, Mikey Mulcahy. Subs – Sean Cooney for Cloona (HT), Coady Phelan for Walsh (41), Harry O’Leary for Keane (46).

Referee – Seaghan Walsh (De La Salle).

Star man – Cormac Rooney.

Talking point – Perhaps now that they are in a county final Portlaw could invest in three sets of white knicks for those players choosing black or are they in some way paying tribute to the legendary “Kiloe” whose trademark in the fifties and early sixties was his black togs.