A unique occasion beckons as Shinrone face first final since 1960

By Kevin Egan

Ten years ago, over 7,500 supporters filed into O’Connor Park for an Offaly senior hurling final that captured the imagination of the entire county, and beyond. St Rynagh’s were chasing their first Seán Robbins Cup in nearly 20 years, and Kilcormac-Killoughey were hoping to break new ground and finish on top of the pile for the first time ever.

Offaly county teams were struggling, but at club level, we still had one of the most vibrant and competitive championships in the country, as evidenced by the achievements of Coolderry in winning Leinster and getting to an All-Ireland final, a feat Kilcormac-Killoughey were on the way to matching.

This Sunday’s meeting of Kilcormac-Killoughey and Shinrone (Bord na Móna O'Connor Park, 4pm) is probably the most appealing final since that first Sunday of October 2012, with so much to capture the imagination.

Producing talented hurlers has never been a problem in Shinrone, but even the most ardent fans of the club would agree that too many immensely gifted players from the club have underachieved down the years. That was reflected in the Offaly senior championship as well, where Shinrone would invariably show up and catch the eye during the group stages of competition, before falling short of their own standards when it came to the serious business.

This year was the completely opposite of that. They fell behind against St Rynagh’s, a club with absolutely nothing to prove when it comes to big match temperament, and they found a way to win. Against Belmont, they looked dead and buried, and yet somehow came up with two late goals to change history and secure their place in this weekend’s decider.

Were the two goals sublimely-created works of sporting art? Absolutely not, but the record books don’t record such things. All that matters is that Shinrone found a way, and now here they are.

In a lot of clubs, ‘transition’ is a dirty word, an excuse for failing to deliver that gets trotted out far too frequently. Shane Hand would have been more than entitled to say his Kilcormac-Killoughey team was in transition in 2022, given the number of established older players that have either stepped away, or are getting very close to doing so, and of course with a golden generation that is coming up behind them.

Yet he never did. He worked with the players at his disposal, he put together a side that is incredibly tough to break down, that works well as a unit, and while they don’t score huge amounts as a rule, they’ve been the most solid, consistent team in this championship.

As a club, Kilcormac-Killoughey is absolutely thriving. They are the dominant force on the underage scene, and if they do earn the right to play in this year’s Leinster club championship, they are a lock to represent the county incredibly well.

The challenge for Shinrone is a difficult one. K-K are masters at playing the game on their own terms, while Shinrone would arguably thrive if free-flowing chaos was the spirit in which Sunday’s final was played.

The outsiders have the stardust needed to pick up an historic victory, but people only appreciate the taste of the herbs and spices in a stew if the base ingredients are all in place first.

Kilcormac-Killoughey will look after the basics well, that much we know for sure. In their semi-final, Birr needed to find a way to let their flair players express themselves, and instead they were ruthlessly locked down until late in the game, when K-K had already accumulated a winning lead.

The safe, smart money says that Kilcormac-Killoughey will be the team celebrating on Sunday night, but they’ll know that fairytales have come true before, including one of their own a decade ago. Expect a huge crowd to travel to see if another one materialises this Sunday.