Portarlington Dominate Courtwood to Retain Laois Senior Football Crown

Portarlington Dominate Courtwood to Retain Laois Senior Football Crown

Portarlington showcased their absolute dominance in Laois football on Sunday afternoon, pulling away in the second half after a tight first half to dismantle Courtwood and claim their sixth Senior Football Championship title in seven years. The victory also marks an impressive second three-in-a-row for the club in recent seasons.

While this fixture was a repeat of the 2025 final that went down to the wire in a replay, there was never any danger of a repeat drama once the champions hit top gear. The win brings Portarlington’s overall tally to 18 Jack Delaney Cups, lifting them past Stradbally into sole possession of second place on the all-time roll of honour.

Courtwood capitalized on a strong breeze in the opening half, striking inside 90 seconds through an Alan Kinsella two-pointer from outside the arc. Colm Murphy quickly answered to get Portarlington moving, but Courtwood built an early 0-3 to 0-1 advantage after Rob Tyrrell set up Cian Doyle to point over Tom Corcoran. Courtwood full-back Dan Boland then produced a massive interception, denying Colm Murphy’s pass to an unmarked Jordan Fitzpatrick in the square.

Portarlington drew level by the quarter-hour mark courtesy of two scores from Rioghan Murphy—one from play and one converted free. Kinsella put Courtwood back in front with a free, before goalkeeper Matthew Byron made a crucial smothering save to deny Curtis Lyons. Ryan Little widened Courtwood’s lead to two, but Jason Moore responded for Portarlington. Just before the break, Byron tipped another stinging strike from Lyons over the crossbar, leaving the sides deadlocked at 0-5 apiece at halftime.

Portarlington started the second period sharply, taking their first lead through consecutive points from Colm Murphy and Fitzpatrick. Alex Mohan threatened with a goal attempt, but Byron cleared the danger. Courtwood rallied briefly to take their fourth lead of the contest when Byron pushed forward to raise both an orange and white flag from two frees.

However, that marked the end of Courtwood’s scoring entirely, as Portarlington blew the game wide open with an unstoppable 1-12 unanswered run over the final 20 minutes.

Fitzpatrick kicked off the onslaught with a two-pointer before Sean Byrne picked out Colm Murphy, who smashed the ball into the net. Murphy quickly followed with a point from play, while Rioghan Murphy landed a two-pointer straight over the black spot.

Substitute Daragh Galvin fisted over, before Man of the Match Colm Murphy drilled his third two-pointer. Late points from Ronan Coffey and substitute Sean Michael Corcoran kept the momentum going, before Coffey sealed the 14-point margin with a late two-pointer outside the arc.

Final Score: Portarlington 1-19, Courtwood 0-8

Portarlington Scorers: Colm Murphy 1-5, Rioghan Murphy 0-4, Ronan Coffey 0-3, Jordan Fitzpatrick 0-3, Jason Moore 0-1, Curtis Lyons 0-1, Daragh Galvin 0-1.

Courtwood Scorers: Matthew Byron 0-3, Alan Kinsella 0-3, Ryan Little 0-1, Cian Doyle 0-1.