Champions Portarlington hit top gear in 20-point Laois GAA SFC quarter-final rout of Arles-Killeen

The headline act was the return of Jake Foster from Australia, and he quickly reminded Port supporters of his value. Lively from the throw-in and clinical in front of goal, he ended with five first-half points and later added a brilliant second-half goal to cap a superb individual display.

It was Arles-Killeen who struck first. Paul Kingston converted a free inside the opening minute to give his side a brief lead. Ronan Coffey levelled straight away, and then Foster announced himself with his first score of the day. He added another soon after, before Colm Murphy chipped in, and although Arles-Killeen had a chance when Donie Kingston set up Colin Dunne, his effort rose just over the bar.

From then on, Portarlington took control. Arles-Killeen went 19 minutes without a score as Port hit 1-7 in reply. They might have had goals earlier. Daragh Galvin was twice denied, first by keeper Jason Enright and then by Niall O’Rourke on the line, with Enright also producing another strong save soon after. The breakthrough finally came when Rioghan Murphy broke through the defence and unselfishly squared to Coffey, who palmed in from close range.

Points from Galvin, Colm Murphy, Rioghan Murphy and Foster followed, as Arles-Killeen struggled to cope with Port’s intensity. Paul Kingston finally ended their long drought with a free, but Galvin quickly responded to leave the half-time score at 1-12 to 0-3 and Portarlington firmly in command.

Arles-Killeen almost reignited the contest straight after the break when Sean O’Shea set up Dunne, but Port keeper Luke O’Reilly produced a stunning point-blank save. Minutes later, O’Shea did find the net, rifling a shot into the top corner after being set up by Dunne. It was a well-taken goal, but Arles-Killeen’s hopes of building on it were cut short. In the 38th minute, John Mahon was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident with Jordan Fitzpatrick.

Port continued to press forward, with Colm Murphy adding two points, though parity in numbers was restored shortly afterwards when Hugo Emerson was sent off following a clash with Adam Donoghue. Even so, Port stayed on top. Colm Murphy hit another brace, while substitutes Tom Corcoran and Coffey also found the range, stretching the lead to 1-19 to 1-4 with 12 minutes remaining.

Arles-Killeen briefly responded through Conor Keightley, but Portarlington delivered another hammer blow soon after. Corcoran and Murphy linked up to set Foster free, and he rifled the ball into the top corner for his side’s second goal.

The discipline problems for Arles-Killeen didn’t end there. In the 54th minute, Noel Gaughan was shown a red card for an off-the-ball strike on Foster, leaving them down to 13 players. From there, the game fizzled out as Portarlington, already assured of victory, coasted through to the finish.

FINAL SCORE

Portarlington 2-24

Arles-Killeen 1-7