Brian Lohan now has huge options in his forward line

The guttural and deafening roar that erupted at the final whistle just seconds after Shane Kingston had landed the winning point was like a thunderous war-cry

The greatest irony of the competition is that it will still produce some brilliant contests in the opening weeks before managers and players decide to pull up the handbrake

When you think of the great hurling clubs none of them are anywhere near Ballyhale

In the end, Ballygunner broke but it was more that Ballyhale broke them

Ballygunner are an incredible team and were deserving nine-point winners, but Ballyea probably couldn’t have done any more than what they produced.

Tony Kelly and almost every other Ballyea player, will need a season-defining, possibly even a career-defining display, to win this one

In fairness to the Barrs, they couldn’t have done much more than they did after losing Conor Cahalane so early to a red card

Ballygunner will be marginal favourites against Na Piarsaigh but they’re coming up against a side with lethal inside forwards and incredible experience all over the field, both at club and inter-county level. 

To score 3-23 in a county final in 60 minutes against a team with Kilmallock’s experience showed the firepower Na Piarsaigh have