Goal-hungry Portlaoise secure first Minor Football title since 2012 with victory over Portarlington

Portlaoise have been crowned the 2024 Midlands Park Hotel Minor Football champions after a superb second-half performance saw them past Portarlington in Sunday's final in Laois Hire O'Moore Park.

There was a great atmosphere inside the stadium with both side's Senior teams playing in the game after it. Three goals in nine second-half minutes put Portlaoise well on their way to victory with the sides having been level before hand.

Portlaoise 4-7

Portarlington 0-11

This is Portlaoise's first Minor county title since 2012 which is a fair drought for a club that has a rich history of having great underage sides down through the years.

Portarlington started the better of two sides and kicked the first two scores of the game. Lucas Coleman pointed after a minute while Sean Moran followed suit three minutes later. Darren Brennan kicked Portlaoise's first score of the game from a free off the ground just inside the Portarlington 45'. Moran took his tally to two with a well-taken score from the top of the 'D'. 

Portlaoise started to grow into the game and with the next attack, they had the ball in the back of Calumn Doody's net. A great run from Aaron McCormack down the sideline saw him racing into the Portarlington square. His attempted pass landed in the path of Liam Conroy and he had an easy task of kicking the ball into an empty net. Brennan kicked a second free from the ground for Brian Dunne's team.

Coleman was fouled for Portarlington's fourth white flag with Moran pointing the resulting free. Portlaoise fired back with two scores without reply. Josh Finn kicked over a great score while Conor O'Callaghan finally found his radar having had three wides and an attempted shot drop into Doody's arms. Portarlington ended the half on a high as full-back Tom Corcoran came forward to kick two excellent scores before half-time. Portlaoise led by a single point, 1-4 to 0-6.

O'Callaghan kicked the opening score of the second period and his second of the contest. The game would soon be level as Portarlington raised two white flags within 60 seconds. Moran pointed a free with Coleman catching the resulting kick-out and splitting the posts.

Then came Portlaoise's purple patch as Darren Brennan rattled the Portarlington net twice with two superb finishes past Doody. McCormack got his name on the score-sheet with a point before Finn Dawson put the ball into the top corner to give Portlaoise a 10-point advantage. Brennan took his tally to 2-3 as he kicked a third placed ball, this time from a 45' after Paddy Murray had cleared the ball off the line. Portarlington needed goals and fast as Sean Moran (free), James Saunders and Coleman cut the gap to eight points. Portlaoise were deserved winners on the day to end a 12-year wait for a Minor Football crown.