Portlaoise book final appearance with merciless show against Emmet Og
By Brendan O’Brien, O’Moore Park
Portlaoise 5-12 Emmet Og 0-11
Portlaoise qualified for a third Leinster club football final in four seasons courtesy of a superb display against Longford champions Emmet Og on home turf on Sunday afternoon.
A quickfire brace of goals from Craig Rogers and Brian McCormack gave ‘The Town’ a 2-7 to 0-7 lead at half-time and they were followed by a pair of three-pointers from Paul Cahillane inside three minutes shortly after the interval.
It was impressively incisive stuff from the nine-in-a-row Laois champions who will hope to make up for recent provincial decider losses to Ballymun Kickhams and St Vincent’s when they face Ballyboden St Enda’s in this year’s final.
Cahillane was sensational, his movement constantly engineering room for himself, but McCormack, Rogers and Brian Smith were just as pivotal to the win against an Emmet Og side that brought considerable support and commitment.
Captain Michael Quinn was playing a day after featuring for Ireland against Australia at Croke Park and he started well before fading – so too did his team after Cahillane’s brace put the result beyond doubt with 25 minutes to play.
Portlaoise looked gettable through the middle of their defence in the first-half, but their net wasn’t breached thanks to one sensational save from goalkeeper Graham Brody and the manner in which they finally took the game by the scruff of the net.
It ended with Portlaoise claiming the last seven scores, the last goal, from substitute Ciaran McEvoy, among them.
Portlaoise: G Brody; D Seale, C Healy, J Delaney; E Whelan, K Lillis, B Mulligan; C Boyle, D Cullen; G Dillon, C Rogers, C Dunphy; B McCormack, P Cahillane, B Smith. Subs: R Maher for Dunphy (46); C McEvoy for Cullen (53); K Fitzpatrick for Smith (56); J Lynch for Rogers (black card, 57); C Finn for McCormack (60).
Emmet Og: C Burns; L Hughes, P McCormack, D Keogh; J McCormack, M Quinn, C Farrelly; P Thompson, S Kiernan; D McGoldrick, D Mimnagh, P Kiernan; S Dowd, S McCormack, M Hughes. Subs: E Clarke for McGoldrick (43); S Clarke for L Hughes (53); R Keogh for Dowd (59).
Referee: N Ward (Westmeath).
