Date Published: {J}

AT first glance, it appears that the bookmakers have suffered a collective bout of untypical generosity. Odds of 100/1 are freely available on Dunloy causing what would be, admittedly, a stunning upset in Sunday’s All-Ireland Club hurling semi-final at Parnell Park. Yet, the Antrim team are the only blemish on Portumna’s otherwise perfect championship record outside their county’s boundaries.

It was February, 2004, just a few months after Portumna’s historic first county title, when the Galway champions took on their Antrim counterparts in the All-Ireland semi-final at Clones. They were burdened with the mantle of strong favourites despite it being their maiden voyage in the competition and Dunloy having no shortage of experience of this level of hurling – 12 months earlier, the admirable Antrim men had shocked Mount Sion of Waterford in Mullingar.

In that match six years ago, Portumna probably didn’t do themselves justice though credit must be given to Dunloy for a really committed effort and no shortage of quality hurling which saw them carry the day on a 2-13 to 2-10 scoreline. Ollie Canning, thrown up front in a desperate late move to try and bail out the Galway title holders, came close to saving the day but his low effort flew just wide of the opposition posts.

At the time, it was a sickening reversal for Portumna and though again reaching the county final the following Autumn, they hadn’t overly impressed in that campaign and, ultimately, fell victim to a late Athenry surge at Pearse Stadium. Some local pundits were starting to wonder if the border men were a one-hit wonder but, incredibly, they have only lost a single championship game in the interim – the controversial showdown of 2006 against Loughrea.

That is phenomenal consistency by any standards and they have now amassed five county and three All-Ireland titles along the way. In fact, Portumna stand on the brink of hurling history as they are now just two matches away from doing what no other club has achieved before . . . capturing the Tommy Moore Cup for the third consecutive year. Johnny Kelly’s charges are overwhelming favourites to do it too despite the presence of recent All-Ireland champions, Ballyhale Shamrocks and Newtownshandrum in the other half of the draw.

Not alone are Portumna protecting a long unbeaten record, but no team has really troubled them over the past two seasons bar Clarinbridge in the knock out stages of the 2008 Galway championship. They have been routinely handing out hammerings – inside and outside the county – with Waterford’s outclassed De La Salle beaten out the gate at Croke Park almost 12 months ago. A few weeks earlier in Thurles, Portumna produced a magnificent opening half display in taking care of the considerable challenge of Henry Shefflin and Ballyhale.

In full flight, I have never seen a better club team. Their mix of pace, quality and work-rate has elevated them to a different level compared to all their adversaries and there are no indications whatsoever that Portumna’s squad is losing any of its motivation or ambition. If anything, they are more driven than ever at the prospect of achieving the three-in-a-row and with Joe Canning in tremendous physical shape at present, the champions are going to take some stopping.

That doesn’t mean they are the proverbial ‘good thing’, but the team’s winning pedigree is such these days that many opponents are already beaten psychologically before the ball is even thrown in.

Still, it wouldn’t be in Portumna’s psyche to get ahead of themselves. They will treat the Dunloy challenge with respect and having a score to settle with the Ulster title holders from six years ago should ensure that there will be no complacency in their ranks. Furthermore, Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry’s eclipse by St. Gall’s in the recent All-Ireland intermediate semi-final will also help to keep the Portumna players on their toes.

The fact Sunday’s semi-final is going ahead in the relatively tight confines of Parnell Park is possibly a plus for Dunloy, who have won 11 Antrim titles over the past 19 years with two players, Gregory O’Kane and Alastair Elliott, introduced as a substitute in their county final win over Cushendall (3-14 to 1-13), featuring in every one of those campaigns. Significantly, goalkeeper Gareth McGhee was the man of the match on that occasion with strong contributions too from Malachy Molloy, the Richmond brothers, Paddy and Liam, Darren Quinn and the long serving O’Kane. They subsequently beat Ballycran of Down in the Ulster final on a 2-16 to 2-11 scoreline.

The Antrim bush telegraph suggests Dunloy are not the force of old, but that they remain as enthusiastic as ever. Remember, this is a club which has contested four All-Ireland finals in the past and took Birr to a replay in 1995. Unfortunately, they were well beaten in that game and it was a similar story in their other three final appearances against Sixmilebridge (1996), Birr (2003) and Newtownshandrum the following year. Still, they keep coming back for more.

Portumna may be without the suspended Niall Hayes on Sunday, but his absence should only have a minimal impact on a proven attack, especially as Dunloy’s defence are not used to dealing with opponents which possess the title holders’ movement and mobility. It’s hard to see anything other than a clearcut Portumna victory, but Dunloy’s admirable pride alone is likely to ensure that they will have the odd moment to savour even if a heavy defeat looks unavoidable.

For more, read page 53 of this week’s Connacht Tribune.