Portumna manager Jimmy Heverin insists his side's emphatic victory over Kinvara in the Galway SHC final has finally brought closure to the controversy which surrounded last year's final loss to Loughrea. "Last year was a big burden on us with all the controversy so we're delighted to win this," he said after Portumna's third county championship success in five years. "Of course it rankled with us, particularly with the subsequent suspensions that came out then. We felt it wasn't a reflection on what happened and that made the situation worse but I'd be of the mind that the occasion could have been spoiled for Loughrea as well. "To an extent, this will give us closure. We've been playing nervous hurling so this is like a monkey off our back. Hopefully we'll hurl more freely now," he added. Portumna captain Ollie Canning remarked: "We have waited all year for this day. We parked what happened last year a long time ago and concentrated on winning this year's title. That hard work has now paid off." Tweet

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