My brother’s father-in-law, Johnny Carty, is a hearty 80-year-old Wexford man (Rathnure ) who loves most sports, but especially hurling.
Last Sunday morning after he had spent the night on the tiles in the Claregalway Hotel for a family birthday he was bubbling with excitement and hopped, skipped, and jumped to his spin to Thurles for the Portumna v Ballyhale game.
He was full of the joys as he intended slipping into Semple Stadium for the game on the way home to the east coast. He had no tangible connection with either side, and yet it was a game that he did not want to miss. And he was dead right. That is the kind of attraction that last Sunday’s epic encounter held for sports people. And it did not fail to deliver on its pre-publicity.
It was superb stuff and Portumna were absolutely incredible. It was breathtaking the way they raced into an eight point (2-2 ) lead after only six minutes and they never looked back.
The Galway champions play the game at a relentless pace and their workrate all over the field is astonishing. Again after half-time they were out of the traps like top quality greyhounds and had nailed 2-1 in the space of three minutes.
Those early second-half scores were decisive and gave Ballyhale a mountain to climb. It did the heart good to see a Galway hurling team produce such a terrific performance against a top Kilkenny outfit.
Indeed Portumna provided a template to the county hurlers to follow for the coming year. Pace, power, workrate, passion, and real clinical finishing are the hallmarks of this Portumna side. A tally of 5-11 is wonderful and it will make them the hottest of favourites to collect the Tommy Moore Cup on March 17.
Of course any team with the phenomenal talent that is Joe Canning on the side have a great advantage. He is a glorious sportsperson to watch in full flight and some, sorry, most of the skill and artistry that he produces, is world class. His pointed sideline cut was like a drive from a rejuvenated Tiger Woods and some of his flicks and lay-offs were sheer poetry.
Youngsters are not easily impressed these days, but on Monday morning in Tuam - which is not a renowned hurling stronghold - all that the children were talking about from the weekend was the touch, vision, and sheer class of Canning.
What is also so admirable about Joe is his humility and friendliness. After the game last Sunday he remained for more than half an hour to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Such civility and decency is fabulous to see in such a talented youngster and some of our leaders in this country could take an example out of his book on how to treat people with respect and integrity.
Portumna, however, are miles from being a one-man team and they have a wonderful unity of purpose that makes them almost impossible to break down. Niall Hayes, Kevin Hayes, Eoin Lynch, and the Smiths work like Trojans every day they go out for the full hour, while Aiden Donnelly and Micheal Ryan were excellent the last day in the half-back line. Ollie Canning was like a red helmeted fireman on speed in the full-back line, bobbing around quenching flames here, there, and everywhere. Up front Damien Hayes hit 2-1 out of the 5-11 total and all the forwards scored.
It was the complete team performance and showed what can be achieved when talent, passion, and hard work are harnessed properly.
Ballyhale manager Maurice Alyward was fair and magnanimous in his assessment of his side’s defeat. “You don’t win anything with a one-man team and it was their overall team from their goalkeeper right through that beat us.”
Damien Hayes also summed up why they are on the cusp of their third All-Ireland success in four years when he pointed out after the game; “We are the ultimate team and we work for each other and we are all about each other.” Hard to beat any team, in any sport, that goes out with a belief system and attitude like that.
