Anthony Daly: Dunloy must believe and hope Ballyhale can't be as pumped again

Can Dunloy summon the resolve and absolute brilliance required to take down a side in their fourth successive All-Ireland final?

READY FOR BATTLE: Joey Holden of Ballyhale Shamrocks, left, and Ryan Elliott of Dunloy Cú Chullains pictured ahead of the AIB GAA All-Ireland Hurling Senior Club Championship Final. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

In the immediate aftermath of the All-Ireland semi-finals in mid-December, all the talk was naturally about the Ballyhale Shamrocks-Ballygunner game, and the standout takeaways from that match; Stephen O’Keeffe’s brilliance, Ballyhale’s resilience and defiance, and their absolute refusal to be beaten by the Waterford champions for the second time in ten months.

In the minds of the hurling public, Ballyhale were almost anointed All-Ireland champions on the spot. That wasn’t being disrespectful to Dunloy because it was just reality over-ruling a fairytale ending.