Byrne delighted to be back in the fold

Sean Byrne made his return for Portarlington in Round 3 of this year’s championship, having been away from the club for a few years. He spoke after Saturday evening’s county final win over Courtwood.

“Delighted I came back. I saw the boys winning it last year. Even though you're away and you’re not there, it's hard to watch, but you're delighted. The boys put in a massive effort and the same this year. We’ve a huge squad and looking forward to the next couple of weeks,” he said.

Byrne admits that his side had to dig deep as they knew what Courtwood would bring to the replay, having surprised most people in the final two weeks previously, but not Portarlington who knew what they were in for.

“We had to really dig deep. We weren't hit by surprise the last day; we expected it. We know they've good players. I’ve played with Sean O’Flynn and Rob Tyrell. They have a really strong midfield, really strong inside line. They're dangerous players, but we just had to dig deep, and we're starting to bond and connect now,” Byrne said.

The Portarlington midfielder says they won’t mind facing former manager Brian Lonergan in next weekend’s AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship when they take on Carlow champions Old Leighlin.

“We won't mind that. Brian knows all about us, but yeah, we have a couple of new lads too, a few new tricks up our sleeves. So yeah, looking forward to it,” he ended.