Kerry, Kilkenny, Croke Park, Glory
In sport certain combinations just go together. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh. However one that normally doesn’t spring to mind is a Kerryman and Kilkenny hurling.
Well Kilmoyley’s Christy Walsh is looking to change that, and he and his Bennettsbridge side are only 60 minutes away from AIB GAA Club Championship glory in Croke Park this Sunday. The Leinster champions face Fullen Gaels of Manchester in the All-Ireland junior final in Croke Park at 2pm.
The north Kerry native has taken charge of a number of Kilkenny club sides over the last two decades, and he’s firm that he hasn’t been changed by his time on Noreside, rather the other way around.
‘Are the Kilkenny ways rubbing off? No, it’s more that the Kerry ways are rubbing off on them I’d say! I’m here the last 20 years. Bennettsbridge are my local club. Once you’re into GAA, football or hurling, it’s hard to get out. I started off with St Martins six or seven years ago when we got to senior final. I was with Dunamaggin then, and Emeralds, and this is my third year with the locals.’
The club have finally escaped form the lower ranks of Kilkenny hurling this season with a famous win over Mooncoin in the county final back in November. The club had long struggled to try and escape junior ranks, going into the Nowlan Park showdown having lost the previous two county deciders. Walsh was determined they would not fail again,
‘This is my third year over the ‘Bridge and really this year it had to be won. After that then whatever happened was a bonus. The very fact that when you look at the other sides involved over the weekend if you win in Kilkenny you have a very good chance of winning the provincial and the All-Ireland if you go about it right. We’re there now and we have good chance of winning it.’
There are changes to the All-Ireland club championships afoot with hopes that the season can be condensed into a calendar year. It’s a plan that Walsh feels would benefit clubs and managers. However, he also thinks that players don’t really mind training in the winter months, especially for a chance to play at Croke Park,
‘It’s a bit long drawn out no doubt, but if you’re playing at this time of year you’re winning something and it’s good. It means you’re qualifying for things and you’re competing so that in itself keeps everybody going.’
Kilkenny club sides have a proud record in all grades of the AIB GAA club championship over the last number of years. In fact, Thomastown defeated Sunday’s opponents Fullen Gaels in the the 2013 All-Ireland junior final by three points. Walsh is well aware of the threat the English side carry and how they will embrace their underdog status.
‘In all fairness they are there with last three or four years. They are well focused and they won the UK competition five years in a row. They are a passionate club, they’re not huge but they see this as a great chance to finally win an All-Ireland and get over the line. They have beaten Munster champions, last year they beat Leinster champions, they’ve been there the whole time. If you pick players from every hurling county – they’ve a few from Cork, Limerick, Clare – you’re bound to build a team. They won’t be bad at all.’
Bennettsbridge have made it to this stage having been largely untroubled in their campaign outside of Kilkenny. They recorded handsome wins on their way to the Leinster title. Despite Annaghdown’s efforts they found they were no match for the Kilkenny side after half-time in their All-Ireland semi final in Nenagh. The Kerryman thinks greater hunger,especially around the middle, was a key factor in their success.
‘We had a tough semi final, they played very well in first half. But after half-time we got some breaks and that knocked them back a bit. In that type of game that’s what won it for us. We grabbed a stranglehold of the game and we never left hold of it. I suppose our biggest hassle was against Galmoy in the county semi final.
The Kilkenny side are favourites for the title, as any side from Noreside would be when heading to Croke Park but Walsh feels that the Lancashire outfit’s previous experience of Croke Park could be a factor in a much closer game than many believe.
‘Fullen Gael’s have more experience of Croke Park than us. We have three minors from last September (Kilkenny’s All-Ireland triumph) which is a plus but Croke Park is the big thing. It’s the carrot at the end of the line.We’re all looking forward to it. All of the people here can’t wait for it. There’s great excitement and everyone’s in good form. We’ve had a good run and we’d like to it continue for another few days. If we play near what we we are capable of we should be ok. It’s between us now and let the best man win.’
AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final Kilburn Gales (London) v O’Donovan Rossa (Antrim), 3.45pm
The name of Kilburn, for hundreds of thousands of Irish people, has been synonymous with Irish culture in London for generations. The GAA club that bears the area’s name is regarded as one of the biggest units of the GAA in Britain and with such power it is no surprise that they are favourites for Sunday’s All-Ireland final in Croke Park. The London side caused one of the great shocks of the club championship when dumping out Kilkenny’s Mullinavat at the quarter final just after Christmas. Galway native Stephen Lambert underlined his class as he scored 1-7 that day and followed it up with 0-6 in a famous win over Cappataggle in their All-Ireland semi final.
O’Donovan Rossa from Belfast are bridging a 26-year gap this weekend, back to their last All-Ireland final appearance in a senior final in 1988, when they lost to Buffers Alley by 2-12 to 0-12. They were the underdogs going into their All-Ireland semi final with Cappoquin but pulled off a powerful result as the Waterford side struggled with their explosive start and incredible aerial prowess. Reports from the game suggest that Cappoquin were shellshocked by conceding 2-1 inside the opening seven minutes and never really recovered.
All the signs point to a shoot out between both teams and there should be plenty of entertainment on offer for those who decide to stay around after the junior final. Don’t rule out another day to split the sides.
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