Gunners primed for a fourth consecutive Munster Club title
AIB GAA Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship Final, Semple Stadium, Thurles, Tipperary 3/12/2023 Ballygunner vs Clonlara Ballygunner’s Stephen O’Keeffe and Philip Mahony lift the trophy Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Kipling’s oft quoted line about “keeping your head when all around you are losing theirs” could well be uppermost in Ballygunner minds going into next Sunday’s Munster final where the Deise champions will be seeking an unprecedented fourth successive Munster title and a record breaking sixth provincial title moving one clear of Cork’s Blackrock.
Last year’s All Ireland Club championship was probably the most closely fought in years with the minimum separating the provincial winners at the semi-final stages. With champions Ballyhale having exited in Kilkenny Ballygunner had been considered warm favourites to regain the title won in 2021. The Waterford champions went out in dramatic fashion to seasoned campaigners St. Thomas of Galway by 4 to 2 in a penalty shootout after extra time. O’Loughlin Gaels had seen off Ballyhale in Kilkenny and in the Leinster final they had but a single point to spare over Dublin first timers Na Fianna. Ruari Og of Cushendall had come out of Ulster with an extra time win over Portaferry and they lost out by a single point to O’Loughlin Gaels in the semi-final. The All Ireland final was again a close fought affair with St. Thomas coming through with a point to spare over O’Loughlin Gaels.
This year has seen the landscape change completely with Ballygunner the only semi-finalist of last year to retain a county title title and stay in contention for a semi final place as ‘last man standing’ while champions St. Thomas and O’Loughlins crashed out in their county finals and Cushendall lost out in their Ulster semi-final to battle hardened Slaughneill after extra time in what was a candidate for game of the year. Slaughtneill now face Down side Portaferry in the Ulster Final. Galway’s Loughrea go forward to face the Leinster winners while the winners of next Sunday’s Munster final will face the Ulster champions.
On the face of it the door is open for Ballygunner to go all the way, retaining Munster on Sunday and following up with All Ireland success. It may not be all that simple. The mantle of favourites can weigh heavily as has been the case with all the other big hitters from last year’s championship, showing that no team can take anything for granted. New Galway champions Loughrea will b e hungry to take over from St. Thomas while Na Fianna are well resourced and will be favourites to come out of Leinster given how close they came last year though considering how Thomastown crashed out anything is possible in Leinster. Experienced Slaughtneill will be favourites to beat Portaferry and set up a potential repeat of their 2021 semi-final against Ballygunner.
Recent form and the result of last year’s first round clash between these teams marks Ballygunner down as clear favourites to repeat last year’s win in Walsh Park. Sarsfields arrived at the Waterford venue as newly crowned Cork champions but appeared completely out of their depth as they crashed to an embarrassing 2-20 to 0-9 defeat. This year they return to the Munster championship, not as champions but as runners up to divisional side Imokilly. The only significant changes to the team that lost last year and that which beat Clare champions Feakle were the introduction of Ben Graham in goal and Cillian Roche at centre back. Elsewhere the line out was basically reliant on that of last year with dependence on such as Eoghan Murphy, the McCarthys, Cathal and Colm, David Kearney, Daniel Hogan and Jack O’Connor to see them through.
The Ballygunner line up in the wins over Doon and Loughmore has shown only one change from the side which beat Sarsfields last year with Harry Ruddle replacing Shane O’Sullivan at wing back. Elsewhere we have the seasoned campaigners for club and county backed up by rising stars such as Tadhg Foley, Ronan Power, Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavey, Kevin Mahony and Patrick Fitzgerald making up a truely formidable squad.
Sarsfields remain adamant that they are a far better side than that which turned out in Walsh Park last year and manager Johnny Crowley insists that they are not going to Thurles on Sunday next to make up the numbers. One would have no doubt but that they will not be as easily overwhelmed as they were last year but the gap between the sides was so wide it is difficult to see how it could be fully bridged on Sunday.
Ballygunner saw off a difficult Doon challenge in a game they needed after a long layoff. They were a much better and settled side against Loughmore-Castleiney and can be expected to move up a further gear on Sunday. The Gunners are a well oiled machine and with Stephen O’Keeffe in goal and Pauric Mahony in attack they have real leaders currently at their best.
Ballygunner’s biggest danger on Sunday would be complacency on their part such as may have caused the downfall of other favourites this year but they have been on the road too long to succumb to that malady. The Gunners will keep their heads while others have lost theirs and take that record breaking sixth title on Sunday but it will be a bit harder earned than was last year’s win over the same opponents.
