Lorrha make it three successive group wins as Portroe head for relegation with form

FBD Insurance Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship - Group 4 - Round 3

Lorrha 1-23

Portroe 2-17

Lorrha continued their perfect run in the Premier Intermediate grade to date by getting the better of Portroe for the second time in the 2023 championship in this Group 4 encounter in Cloughjordan on Sunday afternoon.

Both sides came into the game with nothing to play for in terms of the result with Lorrha secure as group winners coming into the contest while Portroe were already headed for the relegation playoffs, however, both were keen to head into their respective upcoming knockout games with momentum, and both sides will take a lot from this low-key encounter.

As expected, both sides didn’t take chances with injury with Lorrha lining out without Christopher Fogarty and Eoin McIntyre who limped off in the round 2 win over Killenaule while Cian Hogan was also unavailable, so for Lorrha to continue their winning run without half of their starting forward line will be pleasing with Martin Gorman, David Fogarty and sub-Donnacha O’Meara doing well in their absence while Patrick Maher, Colm Fogarty and Niall McIntyre continued their good form with 1-8 from play between them.

Portroe opted not to play Kevin O’Halloran to allow him more to recover from an ankle injury sustained in their round 1 loss to Killenaule and while they came up short on the day, they will be pleased with how the responded after trailing 1-12 to 0-11 at half time, with Micheal Creamer, out of position at corner forward, posing Lorrha particular problems in the opening half.

The first half went pretty much score for score in the opening twenty minutes when Patrick Maher got on the end of a flowing move to fire to the corner of the net to open up a four-point lead which Lorrha took to the break.

With the wind at their backs, Lorrha stretched it to five when Mark Gennery goaled on 45 minutes to bring Portroe back within one.

The Port backs, led impressively again by Robert Byrne, took a stranglehold and after Lorrha regained a three point lead, Diarmuid Boyle, who had just come out from the goals to replace injured skipper Justin Conroy, punished Lorrha sloppiness in defence to rifle past Michael Kennedy from close range to bring the sides level and when John Sheedy slotted over one of his twelve points, Portroe led on 54 minutes.

However, Lorrha responded well to the threat of losing their unbeaten record with Martin Gorman and sub Donnacha O’Meara pointing before the latter and Patrick Maher earned frees which Colm Fogarty converted for a three-point lead.

Deep in added time, Portroe had one last chance to claim a draw when John Sheedy stepped over a 21-yard free but the Lorrha line stood tall to make the block with referee Joe Leahy’s final whistle sounding moments later with Lorrha continuing their winning run into the county quarter-finals while Portroe showed enough to suggest that if they play to their potential, they should retain their premier intermediate status in the upcoming playoffs.

Lorrha: Michael Kennedy; Brendan Fogarty, Daniel O’Donoghue, Tom Duggan; Conor Hogan, Michael Dolan (0-2f), Ciaran Haugh; Alan O’Meara (0-1), Darragh Guinan (0-2); Oisin Guinan, Patrick Maher (1-1), Niall McIntyre (0-4); Martin Gorman (0-2), Colm Fogarty (0-9, 0-6f), David Fogarty (0-1).

Subs used: Denis O’Meara for O Guinan (28, inj); Donnacha O’Meara (0-1) for D Fogarty (43); Padraig Kennedy for Hogan (47); James Dunne for A O’Meara (Blood 59-60).

Portroe: Diarmuid Boyle (1-0); William Flood, Michael Breen, Adrian O’Halloran; Kieran McKeogh, Robert Byrne (0-1), Jack O’Callaghan; Justin Conroy, Brian Keating; Colm Gleeson (0-1), John Sheedy (0-12, 11f), Mark Gennery (1-1); Sam Madden (0-1), Conor Byrne, Micheal Creamer (0-1).

Subs used: David Gleeson for Conroy (46 inj).

Referee: Joe Leahy (Moyne Templetuohy)