Portarlington chase Leinster Club SFC Final place while Castletown battle Clough-Ballacolla in U-20

Saturday promises to be a significant day on the GAA calendar with two major fixtures down for decision across football and hurling.

In Newbridge, Portarlington continue their pursuit of a first-ever Leinster Club SFC final appearance when they take on Kildare champions Athy, while Castletown and Clough-Ballacolla will meet in the semi-final of the Laois Shopping Centre U-20 Hurling Championship.

Portarlington are bidding to finally break through a hurdle that stopped them in 2021 and 2022, while Athy are representing Kildare for the first time since 2011.

Portarlington v Athy in an AIB Leinster Club SFC Semi-Final in Newbridge at 2pm

Laois champions Portarlington, who have won five championships in the last six years, are looking to reach their first-ever Leinster Club SFC final. They reached the semi-final in 2021 and 2022 but were beaten on both occasions by Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes in Croke Park.

Port’s Leinster journey in 2025 has been impressive so far with two superb performances. They began their provincial campaign just a week after defeating Courtwood in the Laois SFC final replay. In Round 1, they travelled to Netwatch Cullen Park to take on Carlow side Old Leighlin. They played that game without Jake Foster and Sean Byrne, who had both returned to Australia in the days after the county final. Pat Roe’s side were comfortable winners on a 1-12 to 0-6 scoreline, with Rioghan Murphy scoring 1-2 and Colm Murphy contributing four frees.

That victory brought them to Drogheda for a quarter-final meeting with Louth champions Naomh Mairtín. Portarlington, backed by a large travelling support, saw the game remain tight for the first 12 minutes before taking control with six unanswered points, opening up a five-point half-time lead.

Naomh Mairtín levelled early in the second half with a two-pointer and a goal, but Portarlington responded strongly. They shut down the Louth side’s main threats and were inspired by full-forward Darragh Galvin, who scored four points and played a key role in creating scores and winning frees throughout the second period.

That result sets up today’s semi-final, which throws in at 2pm at Cedral St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge. The fixture takes place on Saturday as the Leinster final is fixed for Croke Park as part of a double header with the Leinster Club SHC final on Saturday, December 6, giving the finalists an extra day of preparation.

Athy, Saturday’s opponents, are representing Kildare in the Leinster Club Championship for the first time since 2011. Their 2020 Kildare Senior Championship win did not lead to a provincial campaign as the Leinster series was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, they ended Naas’ run of four consecutive Kildare titles by defeating them in the county final on October 19.

Since then, Athy have beaten Baltinglass of Wicklow in Round 1 in Aughrim, before their quarter-final win over Meath champions Summerhill was televised live on RTÉ2 two weeks ago. That game was close in the opening half, with just a point between the sides at the break, but Athy pulled away impressively to win by ten as Summerhill were restricted to a single point for the remainder of the contest.

Having watched Athy’s performance, Saturday’s match has the potential to be a tightly contested affair, with both teams possessing strong defensive units capable of handling key threats at either end. One positive for Portarlington is the apparent return of Jake Foster to Ireland, as evidenced by a photo posted by the club on social media earlier this week. Bookmakers have Athy priced at 3/10 favourites, with a handicap of -4 in favour of the Kildare champions.

Castletown v Clough-Ballacolla in the Laois Shopping Centre U-20 HC Semi-Final in Castletown at 2pm

The other big game on Saturday sees Castletown and Clough-Ballacolla go head-to-head for a place in this year’s Laois Shopping Centre U-20 Hurling Championship final.

Castletown topped Group A with three wins from three, receiving a walkover from Rathdowney-Errill in their final group fixture. Their earlier results included a 4-17 to 2-11 win over Ballyfin/Mountrath and a 4-14 to 1-5 victory in their opening match against Abbeyleix.

Clough-Ballacolla finished second in Group B behind The Harps, who are bidding for a fourth consecutive title at this grade. Several of Clough-Ballacolla’s young players were also part of the senior squad that pushed Ballyhale Shamrocks all the way in last weekend’s Leinster Club SHC semi-final, which should give them confidence heading into this tie. 

The game throws in at 2pm on Saturday in Castletown with the winners facing The Harps in the decider.

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