Ger "Sparrow" O’Loughlin warns Kilmallock are ‘battle hardened’ for Tuesday’s All-Ireland

Ballyhale Shamrocks (Kilkenny) v Kilmallock (Limerick)

Ger "Sparrow" O’Loughlin maintains his Kilmallock team will be battle-hardened for Tuesday’s All-Ireland senior club hurling final.

The south Limerick outfit had a comfortable semi-final victory over Portaferry compared to Ballyhale Shamrocks’ more difficult assignment against Gort.

Apart from the fact no Munster team has won the Tommy Moore Cup since Newtownshandrum 11 years ago, just once since 2005 has a team that has beaten the Ulster winners gone on to become All-Ireland champions (2012, St Thomas).

O’Loughlin isn’t fazed in the slightest by history nor Kilmallock’s path to the St Patrick’s Day decider. Although, he said of the one-sided semi-final: “It is certainly something you always say that you might be better off with a really tight competitive semi-final. Nine times out of 10 it helps you in the final. Ballyhale probably got that against Gort. But you can only play what’s in front of you. We played a couple of good (challenge) games since January 10 and we have learned a good bit from it.”

With Gavin O’Mahony (suspended) and Mark O’Loughlin (shoulder) available again, O’Loughlin should have a full deck to pick from in four days’ time. Facing a team as accomplished as Ballyhale ‘focuses the mind’ quickly according to O’Loughlin.

“A lot of the times you are better off to be playing one of the best teams in the country because there is no room for a lack of attention to detail. We definitely know from where we are what we will have to do to beat Ballyhale on the day.”

Underdogs in all their games from the Limerick semi-final up to the Portaferry game, Kilmallock will enjoy being the unfancied side again against Henry Shefflin and company.

O’Loughlin appreciates they’ve been fortunate on occasions in their progression to the club’s first decider since 1995 but those cut-and-thrust Munster matches he hopes will stand to them.

“We have had what you would call a few lucky bounces during the season. Probably our most decisive display was in the Limerick final where we beat Na Piarsaigh, not comfortably but certainly we were in control. The other matches in the Munster championship campaign could have gone any way.

“Our games against Sarsfields of Cork in Kilmallock was a very tight affair, literally up to the last minute or two. The same applied with Cratloe, that went to extra-time, so that shows you how close it was between winning and losing. They were great games that probably steeled us.

As a Clareman, the second successive one from the county to guide “The Balbec” after Tony Considine, O’Loughlin hasn’t given too much thought to how much a victory would mean for Limerick.

“I suppose the Limerick people would like to see a Limerick team win something in Croke Park but for me it’s a club issue, really. We would be absolutely thrilled if we can do it for Limerick as well. The thing about it is Limerick teams find it hard to get to Croke Park firstly, and in All-Ireland finals their record hasn’t been great.”