Portarlington manager Pat Roe looks ahead to County Final showdown with Portlaoise

Portarlington manager Pat Roe is facing his first County Final as a manager when they take on Portlaoise on Sunday, October 13. His side came through the semi-finals with an impressive 3-10 to 0-11 victory over Graiguecullen.

Roe feels that his side controlled the game well especially in the first-half with Graiguecullen having such a strong wind behind them. 

“I think possibly the first half really. The conditions were very, very difficult. It really was a gale-force wine and I think going in at half-time, only a point down. Albeit, we got a fortuitous goal but at the same time I thought we controlled the game for a large part. The game went on our terms and we were able to wind down the clock in the first half,” he said.

The weather for the semi-final was dour and Roe was in agreement that it was a day where football went out the window and it was more about game management which he says his side did well.

“To be honest, I hate football matches being played on days like that. If it's a steady downpour,both teams have to manage it but it was just a game of two halves really and that's very, very difficult but notwithstanding that, I was very pleased with how the lads managed the game,” Roe said.

The 2020,2021, and 2022 county champions put on a great display of shooting in the second-half as they scored 2-7 against Graiguecullen. 

“I think psychologically going in at half-time only a point down put us on the front foot. We got the goals at vital times in the second half and with the wind, it gave Graiguecullen a mountain to climb then. 2-7 in any 30 minutes will win or lose a game,” the Portarlington manager remarked.

Portarlington came into the championship having been relegated from Division 1 of the ACFL but Roe feels that his side had ‘one eye on the championship’.

“It's a combination of things. I mean, we weren't happy with being relegated. There were games where we drew with St Joseph’s and it's a game we probably could have won. We lost to Stradbally by a point, we lost to Graiguecullen by three points. We were there and thereabouts and there wasn't a lot in it. A lot of the time, we just weren't happy with the fact that we weren't able to close out games. The real key was that we kept working hard and I think hard work is crucial to any successful team. We were keeping one eye on the Championship, it's really where it's at, isn't it?,” Roe said.

The former Carlow, Offaly and Wexford football manager had set a quarter-final as his main aim this year and anything after that would be on a ‘game by game’ basis.

“Initially, we wanted to get to a quarter-final. We figured that we were good enough to get to a quarter-final and then if and when we got to a quarter-final, we'd take it from there. We'd take it game by game after that,” he said.

Roe knows how hard of a task it’ll be to get the better of Portlaoise in Sunday’s County Final given Portlaoise’s record in the competition over the decades. 

“Portlaoise are perennial winners and perennial contenders. If you're to win a county title, you're going to have to beat Portlaoise somewhere along the way. I mean, Joseph’s  won it last year because they beat Portlaoise in the final. You always set your standard by Portlaoise. As I said, they're perennially the best team in the county. We’re in a final against Portlaoise and to win it, we have to beat them,” Roe said.

Portarlington’s quarter-final victory over Ballyroan-Abbey saw the return of Paddy O’Sullivan while Colm Murphy returned in the semi-final defeat of Graiguecullen. Those two players were an integral part of Portarlington’s three-in-a-row from 2020-2022. Roe was delighted to have those players at his disposal and complimented them on their commitment to their club.

“Both those players made contributions when Colm came in and when Paddy started. It's very difficult for them, both of them came home or arrived home two or three days before a match after spending 30-odd hours in the air or travelling, it's very, very difficult for them. So I think psychologically, it was a huge boost for the team. I think that's the real key to it. It's an immense sacrifice that they've made in terms of committing to their club and I admire that. It’s a huge statement to say that you're going to contribute and commit yourself to your club and make that physical sacrifice to travel so far,” the Portarlington manager said.

Roe has had to deal with two significant injuries to two of his half-backs but both lads played against Graiguecullen so he’s hoping that they can play their part come Sunday.

“Cathal Bennett picked up a knock in training a couple of weeks ago, he's struggling a little with that so we're trying to manage that. Darragh Slevin is only coming back after ten weeks, really and he's still carrying an injury but we're trying to manage the situation as best we can. We don't have a huge panel and players of that calibre are usually important to us. It's not easy but we're trying to get them as ready as we can for Sunday week,” he said.

When asked where he sees the County Final being won or lost against Portlaoise, Roe had this to say, “My own opinion is that the two best teams are in the county final so I think it's 50-50. It could come down possibly to a goal. If a team can score a goal or two, it puts them in a very strong position. Portlaoise have been scoring goals at will all year and they've got so much talent all over the field. We'll be aiming to try and reduce the opportunities that we give them to score goals but it could come down to that.”

The 2024 Laois Shopping Centre Senior Football Championship final will take place on Sunday, October 13 from 4pm.