Toughest test ahead as McLoughlin and CIT cram for final

LORCAN McLOUGHLIN has grown accustomed at this time of the season to easing himself back into another third-level hurling campaign with Cork IT.

These months are traditionally the teething stages of the preparations for next spring’s Fitzgibbon Cup but instead this year the stakes are raised considerably higher. Next Sunday McLoughlin will lead his teammates into combat as they make their inaugural appearance in the county senior hurling final.

“It’s a different experience but I’m delighted to be in that situation,” remarks the Kanturk man. “Hurling in bad weather at this time of year is nothing new to us as that’s the classic Fitz conditions but it means a lot more to be doing it when you’ve a county senior final ahead of you. It’s a very satisfying thing that you start off the year on the short, cold evening straining in January and if you’re successful, you’ll be training in those same type of evenings at the end of the year. We’ve come full circle after all the effort that’s been put in this year.”