Bring on St. Patrick's Day We now have another exciting senior club championship final to look forward to. Many would have predicted at the start of the year that these two teams would contest this year's final. But few have predicted at the ease in which Portumna made the final and how difficult Newtown would find their Northern opponents. Portlaoise was the venue for one of the games and Thurles the other and why both games were not played at the same venue, I cannot understand. I know it is still only February and the weather can play havoc at this time of year but Thurles would have benefited everyone who wanted to see both games. They were two very attractive fixtures and a big following would have endured even more excitement on a winter's afternoon. Newtownshandrum v Ballygalget Credit where credit is due, Ballygalget surprised a lot of neutrals by their performance, myself included. They played a very exciting brand of hurling and more importantly, they had their homework done on the tactics of Newtown and certainly for long periods of the game stopped the Cork boys in using the so called running game. After beating Cushendall in the Ulster final, they showed glimpses of what they were about and had great belief in their own ability. Nine of the team would have played against Westmeath in the Christy Ring Cup final so we were warned that they had plenty of experience of the big day. To fall short in the way they did must be heart breaking for them because they controlled the game for long periods and the biggest upset of the hurling championship looked on the cards. But this is a very seasoned Newtown side and when their backs were to the wall, it needed character and one Ben O'Connor to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck to win it for Newtown. Maybe the Down boys lacked that killer belief, that they were good enough to win it and ultimately they paid the price. Rather than be negative though let's be positive about the performance because Ulster hurling needed it and needed it badly. They have a lot to be proud of in this performance and if they can build on it and take it forward another step, who knows what might happen down the line. I am not trying to sympathise here about another great performance and say that next year is another year because that would defeat the purpose. There is still a lot of hard work ahead of them and there is no guarantee of Ballygalget reaching this stage in twelve months but if they can learn from defeat and learn from where they feel they went wrong, then there is no reason they cannot be around. As for Newtown, they have probably got the biggest kick up the backside they will ever get and still they are only one match away from being All-Ireland champions again. Bernie O'Connor has said he was not happy with the performance but was satisfied that, when the big questions needed to be answered about the character of his side, they did not let him down and that is a sign of a great team. Make no mistake about it, they will be underdogs going into this final and what a way to prepare - Bernie will have no problems with complacency! Portumna v James Stephens It has to be said that at intercounty level over the past number of years that Galway teams would never fear Kilkenny and I suppose the same can be said at club level now also. It was a stunning performance from Portumna all over the field but in particular Ollie Canning and the inside forward line. He maybe only 17 but Joe Canning has to be the best underage talent in the country at this stage. They ran the Cats ragged all over the field with power, pace and quickness of thought but more importantly, they had the ability to get goals. It is going to take a very good team to stop them. From a neutral point of view, this has all the makings of being a classic in which both teams will thrive on the open spaces of Croke Park. They played each other already this year in the build up to their own county championships in a so called friendly and the coach of Newtown is on record as saying that very game alone was the making of his team this year and I am sure Portumna would say the same. Now to whet your appetite, throw in a chance to win an All-Ireland medal and an All-Ireland title for your club and the whole country can't wait. Before then though most intercounty teams will have had a few national league matches under their belts with most looking to unearth new talent in time for the championship season commencing in May. I expect a big performance in the league from Limerick and Tipperary and would not be surprised to see either one of these winning it. Babs knows that winning the league is no guarantee to winning the championship but it will test the strength and quality of the players at his disposal and a bit of silverware would not go astray in Tipp. Limerick finally seem to have convinced the hurlers who play football to concentrate on one game and that will enhance their chances of making it a successful league campaign and set them up nicely for the championship. Tweet

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