Dogged Birr can counter Portumna’s pace

WHEN will the GAA address the unfair imbalance that exists in all its championships? Birr and Portumna are two worthy hurling finalists but consider their respective routes to Croke Park after their county championships.

Birr had to face reigning All-Ireland champions Ballyhale Shamrocks of Kilkenny in the Leinster semi-final, followed by a talented and powerful Ballyboden-St Enda’s from Dublin, against whom they scraped home by one point.

Portumna, meanwhile, in their only game in Connacht, were demolishing James Stephens of Mayo (6-23 to 0-7). Next up for Portumna were Loughmore-Castleiney, who had beaten Erin’s Own, Adare and Tulla — champions of Cork, Limerick and Clare respectively — in Munster.

Portumna won that match but in another year, because of the vagaries of the GAA’s strict provincial rotation policy at All-Ireland semi-final stage, they could just as easily have met Ulster champions Dunloy, the least dangerous team left. As it happened Birr ended up meeting the Antrim side and beat them comfortably up in Clones. Fair? I think not.

Nevertheless, inequitable as the system is, we have been served with a mouth-watering prospect. Last year, having been well beaten by Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Leinster final, the obituaries began to appear for Birr. The finest club side of the last 15 years with seven Leinster titles and four All-Irelands were being put on the grass. But back came manager Padjoe Whelahan and back came Birr with a new-look side. There were several new faces while several old faces were in new positions, including Rory Hanniffy in midfield, Gary Hanniffy at wing-forward, Brian Whelahan at centre-forward, Paul Cleary up front and Dylan Hayden in defence.

“People are saying to me — Ah sure Birr are old!” says Portumna’s full-back Eugene McEntee; “I ask them, ‘Name me the old men on that team.’ And they can’t. Brian Whelahan is the only one and he’s fantastic for his age. They hurl together as a unit and a very hard team to beat.”

But what of Portumna themselves? From the team that won the All-Ireland two years ago, there is only one change, according to captain Ollie Canning. They have blinding pace everywhere, on the forward flanks especially, they have power up the middle. With only one championship match lost in three years, this is a battle-hardened side, determined to win at least one more All-Ireland crown.

With no common form-line it’s difficult to predict how this one will go, but something Birr captain Brian Whelahan said is interesting: “What worries me is the pace of the game compared to what we’ve been doing. I don’t think you’ll get a bigger contrast in field conditions than between Clones (where Birr beat Dunloy) and Croke Park; Croke Park is a flying field, the ball is going at 100 miles an hour, where in Clones, when the ball landed it plugged. They have electric pace, especially their two wing-forwards, their two corner-forwards.... Our backs aren’t slow but they haven’t experienced anything like this before.”

So, Portumna to win then? Hmm...

* Diarmuid O’Flynn’s Verdict: Birr.