Experienced champions likely to justify favouritism tag

WHEN is enough, enough? When does greed become a vice? Today, Portumna bid for their third All-Ireland senior club hurling title in four years, Waterford’s De La Salle are trying to win their first.

In such circumstances, in almost any other sphere of life, the Galway champions would be looked on with very little favour. But this is sport, where the parameters are different. If the De La Salle fairytale is to continue today, it will have legitimacy — especially for De La Salle themselves — only if they defeat the likes of Portumna.

It was thus for Portumna when they won their first title in 2006; it was thus for them when they won their second, last March. And it will ever be thus.

Portumna full-back Eugene McEntee recalls those two wins, and the obstacles they overcame to become champions. “The first time was nice – it always is. We had tasted defeat against Dunloy in 2004, our first attempt at the All-Ireland championship. We came back from that to beat James Stephens – the All-Ireland champions – in the semi-final in 06, then Newtownshandrum, the champions of 2004, in the final. That took a massive effort, beating two big teams like that, but it was an unbelievable feeling. To do it again then is better, and beating big teams again, especially Birr. We had Loughmore-Castleiney in the semi-final, the Munster champions, then Birr in the All-Ireland final. That was one of our sweetest wins, the fact we felt we should have been there the year before (Portumna lost a bitterly contested Galway final to Loughrea). To get back and play Birr, one of best teams in history and to beat them, that was special.”

That’s the philosophy that drives champions. It was that ruthless attitude that saw Portumna past Ballyhale Shamrocks in this year’s semi-final, a game for which – in the eyes of the bookmakers at least – Portumna were underdogs.

And it was that same ruthless attitude – and here’s the rub – that saw De La Salle past another underdog, Cushendall, in their semi-final extra-time win. The Antrim champions had been to that stage many times before, had their hearts broken many times before – did De La Salle show mercy? Portumna and Eugene McEntee have just one thing in mind today – win. On the basis of their display against Shamrocks, and despite De La Salle having beaten the champions of Cork and Limerick in Munster, Portumna are hot favourites. They’ll win, probably, but they’ll definitely earn it.

* Verdict: Portumna