K-K hurlers have chance to prove they belong in elite company

By Kevin Egan

Eighteen years have passed since Birr went to Nowlan Park and beat Shamrocks Ballyhale as part of their run to the All-Ireland senior final the following March, the last time that an Offaly club won a Leinster SHC game, home or away, against the Kilkenny champions.

Bridging that gap is the challenge facing Kilcormac-Killoughey this Sunday and while the aura of Tom Walsh Cup winners was dented a little by the win that Castletown-Geoghegan secured against Thomastown this time last year, it’s not being disrespectful to Thomastown to say that they don’t carry the same reputational heft as the club that tops the roll of honour in Kilkenny, in Leinster and in the All-Ireland championship.

In the last 20 seasons, Shamrocks have won 12 Kilkenny titles and how they fare in the next month or so will determine if nine or ten of those dozen will have been subsequently turned into Leinster championship wins.

In personnel terms, their half-forward line in their most recent game, against O’Loughlin Gaels, was Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen and TJ Reid. Or to put it another way, this is not the same as playing Thomastown.

From an Offaly perspective, this is an ideal draw. Chances are that Kilcormac-Killoughey would have had to beat this Ballyhale team somewhere along the road if they were to win a second Leinster title, and while meeting them in a final in Croke Park would have taken away the home advantage aspect, at least this way they will either rubber stamp their credentials as leading contenders for Leinster and All-Ireland honours, or else the raft of Offaly players in the panel will get a few weeks of real rest before preparations for the 2026 National Hurling League begin in earnest.

For the players too, getting to last year’s provincial final was all very well but they’ll want to test themselves against an elite opponent and take their chances at taking a big scalp.

All across the pitch, the likely individual match-ups are fascinating. Conor Mahon up against Richie Reid, Charlie Mitchell squaring off against Joey Holden, Brecon Kavanagh testing himself against Mullen; this is a glorious chance for Kilcormac-Killoughey’s players to prove that they belong in this company.

It's the nature of taking on the very best like this that the Offaly flag-bearers could put in a fantastic performance and still fall short, but whether you’re travelling to Nowlan Park or simply watching the game on TG4 (1.45pm), it should be unmissable viewing, and a game where the Double Ks have the chance to make the whole country sit up and take notice.