Portumna’s greatness has long been confirmed, but Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final success at Parnell Park offered another reminder of their ability to deal with an awkward situation.
The hot favourites dealt comfortably with Dunloy’s physicality, and even when the Antrim outfit gained encouragement in the third quarter, Portumna remained unflustered.
Inevitably Joe Canning tapped over a free to regain the initiative after a burst of Dunloy pressure, and in the dying stages all that needed to be determined was the margin of Johnny Kelly’s team victory.
Twelve points eventually separated the sides last Sunday and Portumna can now turn their attention to an interesting St Patrick’s Day decider with Ballyhale Shamrocks.
Half-forward Andy Smith says Portumna are fortunate to be blessed with such a special group of hurlers.
“It is an unbelievable time for the club.This will be our fourth final in five years - it's absolutely phenomenal. We have a quality bunch of players at the present minute, and we are making the most of it because we know these days won't last forever either.
"It is another All-Ireland to look forward to. The boys will be ready to go back training straight away which is a great thing. That is the way the boys’ mindset is - it is just fantastic the desire the lads have in this squad.
"It can be tough coming into a game as overwhelming favourites, but we have worked extremely hard at training all over the winter. We are very lucky that we have a very dedicated bunch of hurlers and once the game, starts the favourites’ tag goes out the window.
Having won three county titles in a row, Portumna are contesting their fourth All-Ireland club final in five years, and seeking their fourth title - a distinction already achieved by their opponents Ballyhale Shamrocks of Kilkenny.
Portumna enjoyed a goal-laden win over Ballyhale at the penultimate stage in 2009, and manager Johnny Kelly is relishing the prospect of facing the ultra-talented Kilkenny outfit.
"Ballyhale and Newtownshandrum are two quality teams, and I felt there would only be a puck of the ball in it, and that is the way it turned out. We meet Ballyhale now, they will have a lot of motivation after last year, and it should be a great game."
Though Portumna were not at their flowing best in Donnycarney, there was still a grit and resilience in the manner this win was crafted. When Dunloy reeled off four second-half points without reply, a lesser side might have been disturbed. Portumna were not too bothered.
Said Kelly: "I wasn't too worried when Dunloy got on top there for a while at the start of the second half because we had told the players to expect that before the game. At half time we again said that they may get a run on us, but what was important was that if they did get a few scores together that we would respond and get on the board again.
“Every team is going to get a run during a game, and they got that 10 minutes into the second half, and they made good use of it. Thankfully we came back and got a good few scores and we were happy with that.
"We were beaten by Dunloy before, and maybe that day we weren't ready for a battle, but we realised it was going to be a battle this time around. We were happy enough to get out with a win that was all that mattered to us."
The ambition was apparent from an early stage as Portumna went in at the break 1-10 to 0-5 ahead with Ciaran Ryan’s 19th-minute goal manufactured by a slice of Joe Canning class. The gifted full forward struck frees with trademark accuracy after the restart, and decorated the triumph with a 57th-minute major. So many contributed to the Portumna cause with half forwards Andy Smith and Kevin Hayes exemplifying the drive as the Galway and Connacht champions cruised to a 2-18 to 0-12 victory.
Portumna: I Canning; A O'Donnell, E McEntee, O Canning; G Heagney, M Ryan, P Smith (0-1 ); L Smith, E Lynch; A Smith (0-3 ), K Hayes (0-3 ), C Ryan (1-1 ); D Hayes (0-2 ), J Canning (1-8, 8fs ), M Dolphin.
Dunloy: G McGhee; M McClements, J McKeague, Cathaior Cunning; K McKeague (0-2 ), Conor Cunning, K Molloy; P Shivers, P Shiels (0-4, 4fs ); G O'Kane (0-1 ), L Richmond (0-1 ), C Cunning; P Doherty (0-1 ), P Richmond (0-1 ), S Dowds (0-2, 2fs ). Subs: A Elliott for Dowds (35 mins ), D Kelly for Doherty (45 mins ), M Molloy for Shivers (52 mins ).
