Rebel Gaa News - Portumna over come Newtownshandrum challenge

Portumna captured the 2006 All-Ireland senior club hurling championship with a comfortable 2-8 to 1-6 victory over Newtownshandrum in the national decider at Croke Park.

With St Patrick�s Days victory, Portumna become the fifth Galway club to claim the Tommy Moore Cup. The historic victory owed a lot to sharpshooter Joe Canning, who waded in with a match-winning personal haul of 1-6.

Newtownshandrum lined out as selected, while Portumna captain Eugene McEntee was fit enough to start, with Willie O�Mahony coming in late at right corner back, wearing the No.21 jersey.

The shake-up made no difference to the Galway side as they settled quickest and were first to every ball as they roared into the lead inside the opening quarter.

Indicative of the day the losers would endure, Cork star Ben O�Connor missed an early 65 after Portumna �keeper Ivor Canning did well to avert a goal.

At the other end, Joe Canning also missed the target from distance but the No.15 made immediate amends � and how! � when he rattled the net at the Canal End to open the scoring with a dream goal for the Galway and Connacht champions.

Amazingly, Niall Hayes added a second Portumna goal in the eighth minute, when he rolled the sliothar into the empty Newtown� net following good approach play from Joe Canning.

A Canning free made it 2-1 to 0-0 with nine minutes played. Effectively, game over.

There were still five points between the teams after wing forward Cathal Naughton opened Newtown�s account with a brace of magnificent points at the start of the second quarter.

Damien Hayes extended Portumna�s advantage with a tap-over after Canning�s initial free had been blocked and, bizarrely, Ben O�Connor missed a third successive chance for the Cork side. Maybe it was the new boots�

Newtownshandrum were floundering. However, in the 21st minute, inspirational midfielder Jerry O�Connor boosted their flagging spirits with a wondergoal. He danced though the Portumna defence before placing the ball precisely into the bottom corner of the net.

Joe Canning had another goal effort from a very difficult angle expertly saved by goalkeeper Paul Morrissey and the Newtown shotstopper then easily dealt with Ollie Canning�s shot which dropped short after the corner back had made a brilliant upfield surge.

Ben O�Connor finally got off the mark from a 27th-minute free to reduce the gap to two points, 2-2 to 1-3, but Andy Smith had no such joy for the Galway representatives when he tried his luck at the other end.

Portumna messed up a couple of promising situations before Leo Smith closed the first-half scoring with a massive score from distance to register an important point in the first of two additional minutes.

There were only nine scores in a very scrappy first half, which ended with Portumna a goal ahead, 2-3 to 1-3. Only eight flags were raised after the break.

Philip Noonan had an early wide for Newtownshandrum on the resumption. Ben O�Connor�s radar was working again, however, and the No.15 reduced the arrears with a neat point in the 33rd minute.

Five minutes into the second half, Joe Canning landed an astonishing point from a free to restore the three-point differential. Scores remained hard to come by, with some patient Portumna build-up play coming to nothing, and there were only two points in the first ten minutes of a tepid second period.

When Damien Hayes was fouled around the middle of the field, Canning obliged with his third successful free on 41 minutes. Top scorer Canning also got the next score to give his side a 2-6 to 1-4 lead with three-quarters of the decider played.

Seven minutes from the end, the same player, en route to Man of the Match accolades, floated over another free. Ben O�Connor registered his only score from play in the 55th minute.

Pat Mulcahy appeared to be playing a dangerous game all afternoon and the Newtown� centre back finally walked when receiving a second yellow three minutes from the end. The red card compounded a very poor day at head office for the 2004 champions.

Ben O�Connor landed his fourth point from a long-range free just before the end of normal time.

Joe Canning had opened the scoring and he also closed it when he blazed over a late, late free. If Joe was impressive in attack, brother Ollie and Eoin Lynch were equally sublime at the back as Portumna claimed national glory with five points to spare.

Source: hoganstand.com