Senior final rematch among elite hurling contests this weekend
Champions K-K and Ballinamere to renew rivalry
By Kevin Egan
Outside of Waterford and Carlow, where both counties operate their own internal ‘split season’ and so their domestic senior champions for 2025 have already been crowned, it feels like the temperature is rising all across the country in elite club hurling championships.
This weekend alone will see senior quarter-finals in Cork, including a glamour tie on Sunday where champions Imokilly will take on the fable blue jerseys of St. Finbarr’s. Meanwhile plenty of South Offaly people will have one eye on how things go in Nenagh the same afternoon as 2022 Tipperary champions Kilruane McDonaghs play the 2023 Dan Breen Cup winners Kiladangan in what should be another feisty North Tipp encounter.
Turloughmore, Cappataggle, Sarsfields and Loughrea are some of the heavy hitters in Galway that are down for do-or-die games this week and if life took you north, you could do a lot worse than take in tomorrow’s Belfast derby between Naomh Eoin and O’Donovan Rossa.
There are senior quarter-finals in Limerick, senior semi-finals in Clare, and a quarter-final double bill in Portlaoise on Sunday which will presumably feature plenty more spiky confrontation, in keeping with the trend of the 2025 Laois SHC.
But here in Offaly, tomorrow’s clash in Tullamore between Kilcormac-Killoughey and Ballinamere should be every bit as fascinating and relevant as any of those. Shinrone gave the reigning champions something of a wake-up call last time out and while Ballinamere’s form so far this year has been underwhelming to say the least, there is still more than enough potential in the group to really test the Double Ks.
Durrow’s decision to concede a walkover to Rhode last weekend has drawn plenty of criticism, but from the perspective of the long-term harmony of their community, it was the only call that they could make.
There was absolutely no upside for Durrow in fulfilling the fixture. Their options were to ask the dual players to divert their focus and to risk injury for no obvious benefit, or to promote a swathe of juniors, exposing those players to a harrowing experience and also leaving the club with far too many players graded senior for 2026.
This gesture of support for Ballinamere will no doubt come back to Durrow at another time when they will need the commitment of their dual players, and the reciprocal support of their neighbours.
That the concession of the football game has been criticised should be a galvanising force for the Ballinamere players in O’Connor Park on Saturday. Of course, even if they hurl to the best of their ability, Kilcormac-Killoughey will still be expected to prevail, provided they don’t misfire themselves. A tally of 17 wides last time out is unlikely to be repeated, as is the statistic that four of their starting forwards scored 0-1 between them.
But in a weekend packed full of outstanding club hurling all across the country, Ballinamere pose more than enough threat to make this essential viewing, at least as good as anything else that’s on offer.