Portarlington on the hunt for revenge as they face Kilmacud Crokes in the Leinster All Ireland Club semi final

Off the back of a very convincing win against Carlow champions Palatine, Portarlington have every reason to be optimistic ahead of their rematch with Kilmacud Crokes this Saturday eve in GAA Mecca Croke Park. The two will battle it out for a place in the Leinster senior club final. The Dublin champions knocked Portarlington out of Leinster at this stage last year. 

Portarlington was leading that game heading into the last quarter and again late on but it wasn't to be for the Laois champions as Cian O Connor's 45th-minute goal proved to be crucial. More below tweet 

Brilliant finish from Cian O'Connor to find the net for @KCrokesGAAClub as they defeated @PortGAA 1-11 to 0-12 in the @gaaleinster club SFC semi-final #rtegaa @RTE2 @RTEplayer pic.twitter.com/cw9mNWmrUo

— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) December 18, 2021

Portarlington would have learned an awful lot from that run in Leinster and look like a more composed team this year. They have come through some tight battles and have managed to find a way to win even when not playing well. The Portlaoise and Castletown games come to mind immediately. If Portarlington manages to find themselves with a narrow margin heading into the last ten minutes on Saturday it will be those tight games that will really stand to them and help them close it out. 

The suspension of Keith Bracken has turned out to be not as big of a concern as initially feared as Laois club Player of the year Paddy O'Sullivan has made the transition into midfield seamlessly. There is a strong case to be made for leaving O'Sullivan in midfield even upon Bracken's return but that is not something that Murphy has to concern himself with in the lead-up to this Saturday. 

What to do with the Galway Imposter? 

One of the key matchups will likely be whoever Portarlington decides to put onto the exceptional Galway star Shane Walsh. Out of the two cornerbacks, Cathal Bennett would probably slightly have an edge over his comrade Alex Mohan in terms of man-marking ability. I don't believe it's in Portarlington's nature to drop back a sweeper or to double-mark and I don't think they should just because Shane Walsh is on the pitch. However, the workhorses of the county champions will have to be working extra hard on the hallowed turf. The aforementioned O'Sullivan, wing-forward Rioghan Murphy, and wing-back Jason Moore are all key components to Port's high-pressing tactics. They all work extremely hard and will regularly force turnovers or pick up loose balls. The key to stopping Walsh on Saturday will not be trying to stop him as an individual but to try and cut out the supply of balls into the All-Star at the source. 

Fitzpatrick Dilemma 

Jordan Fitzpatrick is a player who started last time out for the suspended Jake Foster against Palatine and did exceptionally well. He scored the two cracking points and both were probably the best points scored on a day where the county champions racked up 3-19 in total. Now Jake Foster will more than likely walk back into the starting 15 but Fitzpatrick's performance last time out poses a dilemma for Martin Murphy. Should Fitzpatrick hold onto his spot in the starting 15? In theory, Colm Murphy could move out to center forward in place of Ronan Coffey as Murphy does tend to come out towards the 45 quite a bit. this would leave space inside for a full forward line of foster, David Murphy and Fitzpatrick. 

Rampant Rioghan 

Rioghan Murphy has really stood out for Portarlington this year and this was proven once again by his performance against Palatine last time out. notching himself a nice total of 2-2, his first of which made for exceptional viewing. His work rate off the ball was incredible as it has been all year. If a possession breaks down you can nearly always rely on the number 12 to be there to collect the loose ball. The Port stat man must be sick of buying batteries for Murphy's GPS. And who can forget that goal in this year's county final. More below tweet 

37 nóim @ODempseysgfc 0-04@PortGAA 1-12

Cúl ó Rioghan Murphy!!!

Portarlington increase their lead with a well-worked goal! @GAA_BEO | @officialgaa | @CLGLaois

BEO/LIVE AR @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/MDIcgt1gkj

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) October 9, 2022

Some key match-ups 

Outside of the aforementioned Shane Walsh, Crokes have several key players that can do damage and have done it over the last few games. Craig Dias in midfield will probably be left for Sean Byrne to deal with so as not to limit O'Sullivan's influence elsewhere. Dias put in an incredible showing against Naas in Pairc Tailteann last time out. Dominated midfield for the Dublin champs and scored a marvelous individual goal. If you stand off him or give him free reign Dias will tear you apart. If Byrne is given the task it will likely involve him sacrificing large parts of his own game to quell the influence of Dias. 

Shane Cunningham is also a huge danger at number 11. Against Naas, he led by example and provided three exceptional scores. However, there is no better man to deal with Cunningham than the Port center-back Robbie Piggott. Piggott's tough style and no-easy-way-pass mentality will be key to disturbing the flow of Cunningham. 

Final Prediction 

This is going to be without a doubt Port's toughest test since facing the same opposition this time last year. The neutrals are not giving the Laois champions much of a chance. The bookies have Crokes as 1/4 hot favorites. I'm going to stick my neck out here, I think Portarlington can edge this one. They certainly can put themselves in at least as good a position if not better than what they were in 12 months ago. They look like they are far better at closing out tight games this year. A year on and despite the addition of Shane Walsh to the Kilmacud outfit it does appear that Portarlington is in fact the ones that have shown the most improvement. Portarlington to win by two points. 

What time and Where can you watch 

For those not making the trip to Dublin the match is being shown live on RTE 2. The match is part of a double header with Ratoath and The Downs going to battle in the other semi-final. Coverage of the two games commences at 5 pm with the Portarlington game throwing in at 7 pm.