Newtown's band of brothers close ranks for final push

THERE are four O'Connor brothers, not two, in the Newtownshandrum squad that faces Portumna in what promises to be a titanic All-Ireland club senior hurling final this Friday.

However, according to Eamonn, youngest of those four, that's the tip of the iceberg. A band of brothers, that's what they are, the whole panel.

"A lot of hard work has gone into this team from U12 up, trying to keep all the players together, keep them involved. We were lucky that no-one had to go away to work, no-one went away travelling, they've stayed together. They know each other well, know each other's play, I suppose you could say we're all like brothers."