Eddie Gibbons filling big boots for Kilmacud Crokes after Matt Collins return to Ballinhassig

Eddie Gibbons of Kilmacud Crokes ahead of Saturday's Go-Ahead Dublin Senior Hurling Club Championship final taking place in Parnell Park in Dublin. Leading public transport provider, Go-Ahead Ireland are the titles sponsors of all adult Dublin club leagues and championships. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

When former Cork underage goalkeeper Matt Collins returned to play for Ballinhassig this year, Kilmacud Crokes were left with considerable boots to fill.

Collins, brother of current Cork goalkeepers Patrick and Ger, was between the sticks for Crokes when they won their last Dublin hurling titles in 2012 and 2014.

He was also there for three of the four finals the Stillorgan side contested between 2016 and 2018, one of which went to a replay.

Eddie Gibbons was the player the club turned to for 2021 and it's worked out well so far, keeping clean sheets in three championship games and helping his team to Saturday's county decider.

The thing is, while Gibbons has impressed as a goalkeeper with Dublin underage teams, he's best known locally as a forward.

"At underage with Crokes, I would have started off playing in the forwards," said the 21-year-old. "My first two years with the senior team, I would have played in the forwards also and a bit in midfield. I was kind of brought into goals at school and then from that I would have played on underage Dublin teams in goals and then with Crokes eventually this year."

Truth be told, Gibbons' goalkeeping ability was road tested to a degree with the Dublin U-20s who contested a delayed 2020 All-Ireland final in July.

It's no great surprise they've got such quality coming through having won a three-in-a-row of Dublin Minor A hurling titles between 2018 and 2020. Na Fianna, Saturday's senior final opponents, won the previous four minor crowns between 2014 and 2017.

Crokes have needed that fresh talent too because Collins isn't the only big name to have left them.

Niall Corcoran and Ryan O'Dwyer returned to their home clubs in Galway and Tipperary across 2020 and early 2021, while Ross O'Carroll, another former Dublin hurler, is now based in Sligo and popped up recently playing for Coolera-Strandhill in the Sligo football final. Sean McGrath, who has also played for Dublin, left for Canada.

"There are still a few very experienced lads, the likes of Bill O'Carroll, Naomhan Ó Riordain, Caolan Conway, they're still knocking around so I think we still have a good mixture of experience and then a lot of freshness from the younger lads coming through off those recent minor teams," said Gibbons.

"The team was quite similar for a good few years so I think we probably needed a bit of change and a bit of freshness and I think that's really stood to us this year."

Brian Sheehy is another of those exciting young Crokes players and was full-back on the Dublin team that reached the 2021 Leinster U-20 final. He came on last weekend for the Crokes footballers in the county semi-finals and as the only dual player operating between both squads.

"There's a bit of talk about it outside our team but within the team we're just trying to focus on ourselves and how our team performs and our own game," said Gibbons of the double quest.

* Leading public transport provider, Go-Ahead Ireland are the title sponsors of all adult Dublin club leagues and championships.