The AIB club championship finals and their well designed and created advertisements on TV have a way of sucking you in and making you feel welcome and part of a greater cause. The interlinking of club and family is a terrific hook to hang a slogan on, and in many ways it fits the bill perfectly. Again, last Tuesday afternoon the image of family, friends, wives, children, mothers and fathers, mentors and club supporters running onto the green field in Croke Park and hugging each other in intense bear hugs is one that we never tire off.
There is a genuineness and sense of unity in those scenes that is impossible to replicate.
Watching Johnny Magee hoisting the Andy Merrigan Cup in one hand and holding his daughter in the other would melt the heart of even the most anti-sport person in the country. Afterwards the Kilmacud Crokes’ captain summed up what winning the club All-Ireland meant to him with one word. Everything. And we should admire and respect his honesty and commitment to the cause. He is 30 years of age and has spent the last 12 years trying to reach an All-Ireland final at both county and club level. He finally got there, and winning an All-Ireland club medal is a just reward for such endeavour. Down the country, and I include myself in this assessment, we can be quite dismissive and pass-remarkable about the good and proactive work that clubs in Dublin are doing in the promotion of GAA.
It cannot be easy in south Dublin selling the gospel of Gaelic games, and yet Kilmacud do so and do so very well. It is easy to tag them with the “League of nations” moniker when they have men like Brian Kavanagh (Longford ) and Adrian Morrissey (Wexford ) in their ranks. However it is unrealistic in this day and age of traffic jams, toll roads, big mortgages, and recession issues to expect young men who are living and working in an area and will be for life perhaps, to spend their evenings beating up and down the highways and byways of the country. Players will do that for a few years, however the monotonous nature of such commuting wears you down over a period of time, and once you get married and have family commitments it makes complete sense to throw in your lot with the nearest club. How else are you ever going to fit in and get to know your community?
Portumna excel again
Portumna hurlers too will be ecstatic about collecting their third All-Ireland title in four years. That is an extraordinary achievement and puts them up as the greatest club hurling team of all time. They have serious talent all over the field and in winning by 19 points - the biggest margin in the history of the competition — they laid down a marker to any would-be challenger of their desire to stay as the top hurling club in the land. They played some irresistible hurling on Tuesday allied to some sublime team play, and by half-time and with a lead of 15 points the contest was over. The trophy could have been handed over to Ollie Canning at that stage. Portumna delivered big time again and showed great skill, pace, commitment, and — above all — work-rate.
That was typified by Kevin “Chunky” Hayes at centre-forward who set up his colleagues and worked his socks off all through. His industry meant that the De La Salle half-back line were constantly under pressure and incapable of getting any quality ball into their forwards. This Portumna team has proven itself well up with the likes of Athenry, Birr, Blackrock and the Barrs of Cork, and there can be more to come if the desire and spirit to do so is there.
Three-in-a-row? Based on their performances against Ballyhale Shamrocks and how they won on St Patrick’s Day in a canter, that intention is a distinct possibility.
The million euro question is: Why, if Galway clubs are so impressive at national level, can the county not raise a gallop at inter-county level? John McIntyre will be hoping that he and his management team can harness the bond, the team spirit, the work-rate, the confidence, and the winning attitude that Portumna possess to try to have a cut at doing something in the summer with Galway.
The arrival of the likes of Joe Canning, Ollie Canning, Damien Hayes, and Kevin Hayes back to county training should provide a genuine impetus for a panel that have been struggling in the league. There are other players too, like the skilful Martin Dolphin, who have shone in the club All-Ireland series and are well worth a look at over the coming months.
