Portumna turned the screw in the opening two minutes of the second-half with another Canning point being followed by a scrambled goal from Kevin Hayes for a 1-10 to 0-6 lead.

Athenry, despite the loss of Cloonan, never gave up but they undid their cause with a litany of bad wides although Diarmuid Byrnes picked off a couple of very good points after being introduced and David Donohue did likewise either side of a couple of missed efforts.

Athenry got within a goal of Portumna with six minutes left but then Joe Canning pointed a lineball from 65 metres on the right and then blasted another under pressure from play.

Victory was sealed in the dying moments when Niall Hayes set up Damian Hayes for a clinching goal and the game finished with a couple of nasty fights as tempers exploded but to then it had been a sporting clash well refereed by Eoin Shaughnessy.

Portumna: I Canning; M Gill, E McEntee, O Canning; G Heagney, M Ryan, A O'Donnell (0-1); E Lynch, L Smith; N Hayes (0-2), J Canning (0-12, eight frees, one sideline), K Hayes (1-0), A Smith, D Hayes (1-1), D Canning. Subs: I Muldoon for K Hayes, 48 mins; C Ryan for D Canning, 69 mins.

Athenry: M Crimmins; K O'Donovan, D Cloonan, T Kelly; L Howley, MJ Quinn, J Feeney; B Higgins, S Donohue; B Hanley (0-1), D Donohue (0-2), S Glynn (0-3); C Cloonan, E Cloonan (0-6, four frees, two 65s), A Healy. Sub: D Byrnes (0-2) for E Cloonan, inj. 47 mins.

Referee: E Shaughnessy.

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