Laois SFC Final/ Portlaoise 1-14 Stradbally 0-7: Club football rivalry doesn't come more intense than Stradbally against Portlaoise, or so we were told anyway.
Between them, they've won six of the last 10 Laois county titles and even share the same colours and no surprise then the latest battle for supremacy was a highly-charged, though ultimately disappointing, contest.
Yet, no one could have expected such a crushing result. Two years ago Stradbally beat Portlaoise to end their reign as Leinster champions, and that clearly hurt the team affectionately known as "the Town".
This time revenge was both swift and sweet as Portlaoise got a hold on the match early on, never let go, and in the end collected their 23rd county title with a show of real class.
It didn't make for the most exciting afternoon for the large crowd drawn to O'Moore Park in the beautiful autumn sunshine. Stradbally looked off the pace of Portlaoise from the start, and did well to stay in touch up until half-time when they trailed by just three points. That merely postponed the heavy defeat that was to come.
The second half was all about Portlaoise, as they continually ran home their dominance. They killed off any chance of a Stradbally comeback on 47 minutes with a goal by Craig Rogers, and were almost casual with their finishing after that, and yet still won by 10 points.
Stradbally's disappointment was no doubt made worse by the knowledge that they couldn't be that bad.
Yet, they never once put up an honest challenge to Portlaoise. Brian McCormack and Colm Parkinson hit two great scores in the opening three minutes and that set the trend for the half, with Portlaoise doing most of the attacking, displaying their wealth of forward talent in the process.
Parkinson ended up man of the match for his typically tireless contribution, hitting three points in the process. He was surrounded by equally ambitious forwards, including his look-alike Zach Tuohy, Peter McNulty and Rogers. Big Kevin Fitzpatrick was his usual threat at full forward and, while he could have done better with a couple of goal chances, he still chipped in with 0-2.
Stradbally started without team captain Darragh Mulhall, still injured from the semi-final (although he came on during the second half), and that left Australian Rules convert Colm Begley to effectively hold the fort around the middle of the field.
He scored their first point on seven minutes and Padraig Langton quickly added another, but they then went almost 20 minutes until their next score, two closing frees from the boot of Colm Kelly. Begley tried hard throughout, but Stradbally's biggest problem was getting into suitable scoring positions.
As the game progressed it also appeared Stradbally were running out of steam, and it has been a long campaign over the last number of years. Eamon Delaney and Jeremy Kavanagh were both playing in their seventh county final (including one replay), and their forward play looked particularly stale.
They had a couple of goal chances in the first half, but Portlaoise held out, with dual player Cahir Healy smothering practically every major threat they made. Portlaoise captain Eoin Bland wasn't living up to his name as he also provided some tasteful defending, and in the end Stradbally were limited to just three scores from play. After pulling 0-7 to 0-2 clear in the opening 25 minutes, Portlaoise then let Stradbally back in it with two frees from Colm Kelly. But that was as close as Stradbally got. Portlaoise hit 1-4 without reply in the second half, with Parkinson instigating the move that brought Rogers his goal.
Stradbally finally replied through substitute Jamie Kavanagh, but even then it was far too late to announce a fight back. Portlaoise hit six second-half wides, but still had more than enough in reserve to ease home comfortable winners, with Rogers and Tuohy closing out the match with two characteristically confident scores.
It was a balanced and composed performance from Portlaoise that suggests they'll be a factor again in the provincial championship.
"We feel we let this club down over the last two years," said Bland afterwards, "but I think now we can start making up for that".
Needless to say, this victory comes with serious bragging rights, but Portlaoise will now meet Louth champions St Patrick's in the first round of the Leinster championship, and a win there will surely be the least of their ambitions in the weeks ahead.
PORTLAOISE: M Nolan; C Healy, E Bland, B McCormack (0-1); B Mulligan, T Fitzgerald; A Fennelly; S McManus, S Cotter; Z Tuohy (0-2, one free), C Parkinson (0-3), B Fitzgerald; P McNulty (0-4, two frees), K Fitzpatrick (0-2), C Rogers (1-2). Subs: B Glynn for Cotter (57 mins), B Gaynor for T Fitzgerald (58 mins), D Reddin for McNulty (58 mins), T Scully for B Fitzgerald (59 mins), J Delaney for Healy (60 mins).
STRADBALLY: R Kelly; K Molloy, P Begley, C Beale; J Kavanagh, E Delaney, S Lawlor; C Begley (0-1), P Langton (0-1); G Kavanagh, D McEvoy, D Murphy; C Delaney, G Ramsbottom, C Kelly (0-4, three frees, one 45). Subs: B Murphy for Beale (16 mins), L Keenan for Langton (19 mins, inj), D Dunne for Jeremy Kavanagh (38 mins), D Mulhall for Murphy (42 mins), Jamie Kavanagh (0-1)for Delaney (47 mins).
Referee: P Moran.
