Stars to shine despite weather

IF only tomorrow’s Leinster Club senior hurling final between Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny) and Birr (Offaly) were being held a month ago – what a contest we’d have had in store!

The Kilkenny kingpins come bristling with big guns, from Hurler Of The Year Henry Shefflin, Young Hurler of the Year ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick through other Kilkenny stars at various levels like centre-back Aidan Cummins, Maurice Nolan, Michael Fennelly and the brothers Paddy, Eoin and TJ Reid.

Ranged against them are Brian Whelahan of the Team of the Millennium, his brothers Simon and Barry, the towering Hanniffys, Rory and Gary, with veteran Joe Errity in reserve alongside young Aaron Whelahan — son of Brian.

However, even on a pitch as well-maintained as Portlaoise, what is there to look forward to? Even Ballyhale Shamrocks’ manager Maurice Aylward is less than enthused: “I don’t like the weather forecast. It looks like wind and rain continuing for the week. We played an U-21 championship game last Sunday, against Carrickshock, and it was a shame to see such good hurlers trying to play in those conditions.

“The likes of ‘Cha’, Michael Fennelly, Maurice Nolan for us, Richie Power, John Tennyson, John Dalton for them, in the wind and the rain, it made a mockery of it (Ballyhale won, now going for four-in-a-row U-21 in Kilkenny). It’s my biggest worry, but look, I’m not going to let it affect us. Mind you, I know from talking to a few people up there that Birr are hoping for a wet and windy day.”

A team of hurlers as good as Birr hoping for a bad day? Doubtful, Maurice.

“I accept that, and we’re a good hurling team ourselves, but we’re that bit younger than they are. That’s not to say that Birr are a team in decline. A lot of people might think they are, but they’re definitely not, they have a lot of very good young players.

“The whole full-back line is young, a few of their forwards as well — Browne and Hyland are both young. Even the two Hanniffys are younger than people think, though they’ve been around for a while now. Henry was only saying this the other night, one of them is about a year older than him, the other fella is younger than him, Rory I think it is, he’s only about 26. He’s had a tremendous season. Claffey is young as well, in his mid-20s. Take Brian Whelehan out of it, and they’re a young side, really, their average age would be under 30. Joe Errity is only a sub for them, but he’s still a dangerous man.”

That’s exactly what happened for Birr in their Leinster semi-final win over Dublin champions Craobh Chiarain; Errity came on, stirred things up, scored a point and helped Birr home.

“We were down three points at half-time, the very same as last year against UCD,” Birr manager Michael Lyons explains, “Then they scored the first three points of the second half, so it was looking like déjà vu (Birr lost that match). It was ten minutes into the second half before we started to hurl but once we settled, we were fine, finished very strongly.”

Errity had a lot to do with that. So did the youngest Whelehan.

“Aaron is only 17, but he trains very hard, works very hard, earned his minutes against Craobh Chiarain, and did well. A big strong lad, plenty of hurling, he eats it, sleeps it, but why wouldn’t he?”

It’s not the first time these sides have met in the Leinster club championship; once before it happened, the Leinster final of 1991. Not the happiest memory for Maurice Aylward.

“They walloped us, a huge gap, something like 4-12 to 0-3 (2-14 to 0-3), but that was a Ballyhale team in decline, while Birr were on their way up, proved themselves a wonderful team afterwards. Four All-Ireland titles they won, along with six Leinsters.”

They didn’t win the All-Ireland that year, however, denied by Galway champions Kiltormer in the final. Who was Michael Lyons shouting for?

“I had just moved to Birr, but I’m from Ballinasloe, and was actually a Kiltormer supporter at the time, so I was shouting for them.”

Ballyhale have a decent record themselves, only one All-Ireland title behind Birr along with four Leinster crowns. Offaly and Kilkenny have hogged this crown for the last six years, Birr with three titles for Offaly, Graigue-Ballycallan, O’Loughlin Gaels and James Stephens with three for Kilkenny. Now they go at it again, with Kilkenny hurling on a high.

“It is indeed,” says Michael; “Senior and U-21 All-Ireland champions, in the Leinster Club final now, and these boys are hungry, the coming team in Kilkenny. People have been talking about Ballyhale for a while, Henry is player-of-the-year, ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick was on the shortlist, but they have a lot of other fine hurlers as well.”

But it comes back to the weather.

“Conditions will play a part on Sunday, there’s no doubt about that,” Lyons says, agreeing with Aylward.

“It’s not going to be good. We’re underdogs, but Offaly teams like that tag. We’ll have to produce a very big game to beat them, we know that.”