AIB Leinster Club SFC q-final: Portarlington edge out Rathvilly
Padhraig Bolger of Rathvilly is tackled by Cathal Bennett, left and Robbie Pigott of Portarlington during the AIB Leinster GAA Senior Club Football Championship quarter-final match between Rathvilly and Portarlington at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow. Photo by Tom Beary/Sportsfile
AIB Leinster Club SFC quarter-final
Portarlington 1-13 Rathvilly 1-12
By Kieran Murphy at Netwatch Cullen Park
A brave Rathvilly attempted comeback just fell short in this Leinster Senior Football Club Championship Quarter-final at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday.
The visitors looked set to win easily when they stretched into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead by the twelfth minute. Colm Murphy opened the scoring for Portarlington and Ronan Coffey added another point from a free before Liam Gavin replied with a Rathvilly free.
Murphy added another point and when Ronan Coffey played a 40 metre through pass into the edge of the small square Murphy was on hand to beat Regan Murphy in the Rathvilly goal.
In wet damp conditions, Gavin brought the Carlow champions back into the game when he landed a two-point free on 13 minutes. Three minutes later, he added another to open up the game.
Rathvilly had an edge at this stage but on two occasions they brought the ball into a contact situation and got turned over each time. Murphy scored another Portarlington point but they could well have conceded a goal when their defence was opened up. When the ball fell to Peter Burgess he may have rushed his shot and the ball flew high over the crossbar. At the break, Portarlington led 1-5 to 0-6.
Rathvilly’s Conor Doyle opened the second half scoring with a free and it was anybody’s game from there. Rioghan Murphy scored a Portarlington point with Burgess replying with his second. Centre-back, Robbie Pigott made it look easy when he advanced and stroked over a Portarlington point. Two each from Coffey and Murphy stretched the visitors lead out to six with seven minutes to go.
In that final quarter, Rathvilly lost Padhraig Bolger to two yellow cards.
Gavin struck again bringing his total of two-point frees to four as the Carlow outsiders dug deep. Substitutes, Sean Moran and Keith Bracken vindicated their introduction with both of them raising a white flag each. With six minutes of injury time to be played due to an injury to Carlow intercounty player, Colin Byrne, Rathvilly made one last effort to save themselves.
Brandon Kelly picked up loose ball and from half-way he spotted Gavin who had got inside his marker. Gavin chased the kicked pass and somehow managed to squeeze the ball past the advancing Evan Grattan.
With only a point in it now, the resultant kick-out was vital but Portarlington were not for turning and taking control they saw out the game to win by the narrowest of margins.
Scorers for Portarlington: Colm Murphy 1-6 (3fs), Ronan Coffey 0-3, Robbie Piggott, Rioghan Murphy, Sean Moran, Keith Bracken 0-1 each.
Scorers for Rathvilly: Liam Gavin 1-9 (4-2pfs f), Peter Burgess 0-2, Conor Doyle 0-1 (f).
PORTARLINGTON: Evan Grattan; Alex Mohan, Tom Corcoran, Cathal Bennett; Darragh Slevin, Robbie Pigott, Conor Moran; Hugo Emerson, Eoin McCann; Sean Michael Corcoran, Rioghan Murphy, Sean Byrne; Jordan Fitzpatrick, Ronan Coffey, Colm Murphy.
Subs: Hugh Connolly for R Murphy (41), Sean Moran for Byrne (52), Keith Bracken for McCann (54), Patrick O’Sullivan for Corcoran (61).
RATHVILLY: Regan Murphy; Paraic Deering, Josh Moore, Robbie Ryan; Peter Burgess, Dara Curran, Padhraig Bolger; Brendan Murphy, Conor Doyle, Adam Burgess, Liam Gavin, Colin Byrne; Brian Smith, Brynn Nolan, Brandon Kelly.
Subs: Eric Molloy for Smith (35), Ed Finnegan for A Burgess (39), Darragh Murphy for Byrne (40), Diarmuid Gavin for Nolan (55).
Referee: I Howley (Dublin).
