Hayes happy to lay ghost of ’06 to rest

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH Damien Hayes agreed that while a fifth county title for Portumna – and a fifth medal for him – had been very rewarding, beating Loughrea in yesterday’s Galway hurling decider in Pearse Stadium had been extra special because of what happened three years ago against them in the final.

“For this bunch of players, it was very important for us to win this one, because there has been a lot said about ‘06,’’ he commented.

“At the end of the day Loughrea won the county final and they had their county medals and that’s it. End of story. I never got involved in the rest of it. We just wanted to put a stop to the talk; all the rest has been said. It was so important for this bunch of players to go and win it.