Rhode ready to punch their weight

Rhode 2-9 Portlaoise 1-10: RHODE HAVE been the form team in Offaly for the past five years and yesterday they took a big step towards carrying their form through the frigid Sundays of November.

There was a time when these hardy club afternoons were exclusively the preserve of gnarled old timers, but in the end, this untidy but absorbing tie was decided by a 17-year-old.

Anton Sullivan has already established himself as one of the brightest prospects the Faithful County has seen in some time and he was on the field just six minutes when he landed a memorable point in the last minute of normal time to end what had been an audacious Portlaoise revival.

The Laois champions had trailed 2-7 to 1-4 and looked all out of ideas with 20 minutes remaining when they suddenly began banging over points for fun to transform what might have been a cantering closing quarter for Rhode into a hell-for-leather finale.

The recent history between the clubs - Portlaoise roasted Rhode at this stage four years ago - gave this tussle an edge and with several county veterans lining out for both sides and the rain pelting across O'Connor Park, this was vintage border stuff.

After just seven minutes, Colm Parkinson and Shane Sullivan abandoned all thoughts of the match and gripped one another in the kind of passionate headlock not witnessed in Tullamore since Serge Gainsbourg was the sound in the dancehalls.

After that diversion, the teams settled into an uneasy trade of frees before the game came spectacularly to life after 25 minutes, when the crowd was treated to two goals in a minute.

Both scores had innocuous beginnings. Niall McNamee slipped deep in Rhode attacking country, but there seemed little to worry about until Parkinson gave his marker the slip and looped a flat ball into the Portlaoise square.

Craig Rogers made a catch on the run and finished perfectly, low and beyond the reach of Rhode goalkeeper Colm Masterson.

The Laois men enjoyed their advantage for about 20 seconds - from the kick-out, McNamee broke it down to Pascal Kelleghan who - after spying Portlaoise goalkeeper Michael Nolan off his goal line - kicked an outrageous half-volley with the outside of his boot. It looked unstoppable from the second he kicked it and will go down as one of the more famous goals scored by Rhode players, which is no mean feat given Rhode is Séamus Darby's old stomping ground.

Kelleghan had the good manners to follow his remarkable major with a humble wide, but Rhode weren't done.

With Aidan Fennelly slipping in defence, old stager Roy Malone cleaned up possession and flicked a ball across the square, leading to one of those every-man-in, muddy afternoon scrambles during which the ball was somehow smuggled across the line.

There were bodies everywhere when play stopped and the record books will show Niall Darby got the final touch and the teams were called ashore.

Two fine points after the break - with McNamee's effort particularly skilful - left Rhode firmly in control. Perhaps they erred in bringing the tireless Kelleghan back to help mop up because the Rhode back six had looked utterly composed to this point.

Just when the Offaly champions looked set to coast, they found themselves on the rear foot. Zach Touhy took over at midfield and Brian McCormack landed three big points as Portlaoise made a run that looked brilliantly timed.

Touhy showed great poise to land a 45 with two minutes left to leave it at 2-8 to 1-10. This was the epitome of the club game - driving rain, the sky blackening by half past three, the crowd half-frozen and fully thrilled.

Rhode were surviving on their wits at this point and they landed a hugely important score when McNamee played midfielder Páraic Sullivan though with a fine handpass and Sullivan managed to squeeze over his point.

Programmes were scanned to see if extra-time or a replay was on the cards. Young Sullivan had other ideas and around Tullamore, Offaly football fans whooped.

Portlaoise crash out, knowing they never gave the best of themselves here.

Rhode look to have the stuff to make it back to their second Leinster final in three years.

RHODE: C Masterson; D Murphy, J Kilmurray, B Darby; C Heavey, S Sullivan, E Byrne (0-1); P Sullivan (0-1), A McNamee; N Darby (1-2, free), R Malone (0-1), G O'Connell; G Hickey, P Kelleghan (1-0), N McNamee (0-3, one free). Subs: D Hope for J Kilmurray (38 mins), A Sullivan (0-1)for R Malone (54 mins), J Kavanagh for G O'Connell (60 mins).

PORTLAOISE: M Nolan; C Healy, T Fitzgerald, M McNulty; A Fennelly, B Mulligan (0-1), C Lillis; K Fitzpatrick, B McCormack (0-4, two frees); S Cotter, B Fitzgerald (0-1 free), Z Touhy (0-3, one free, one 45); P McNulty, C Parkinson (0-1), C Rogers (1-0). Subs: S McManus for S Cotter (26 mins), C Boyle for S McManus (57).

Referee: P Fox(Westmeath).