Lusmagh have good chance, Drumcullen up against it

By Kevin Egan

The Leinster intermediate club championship draw has been relatively kind to the Lusmagh hurlers, who will take on Ballyfin of Laois in Birr tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, 1.30).

The men in red are slight underdogs for this fixture which is a little bit of a surprise. It certainly undersells the degree to which they have improved over the past 12 months.

Brian Mullins’ stock as a coach continues to rise but on an individual level, players like Ruairí Kelly and Eimhin Kelly have pushed on to a new level, with more experienced players like Darren Healy and Paul Kinsella also in outstanding form.

The heavyweight contest in this championship is the meeting of St Mogue’s and Danesfort in Wexford Park, where the home side are perceived as one of very few clubs that might have the beating of an impressive Danesfort outfit this year. Meanwhile the winner of the Carnew Emmets and Ratoath tie will also be a tough opponent for whoever wins in Birr.

For this weekend, however, Lusmagh look like the best chance by far of an Offaly team making progress.

Meanwhile, some supporters who are travelling to Kilkenny for Kilcormac-Killoughey's showdown with Shamrocks Ballyhale might go early and drop into the Young Irelands club in Gowran to see if Drumcullen can pull off a huge upset against Barrow Rangers. And a huge upset is exactly what it would be.

There aren’t many championships in Ireland that have been monopolised quite like the Leinster Junior club hurling championship. Since Blacks and Whites became the first club from the Marble County to lift the trophy in 2002, there have been just four occasions when the winners came from any other county. Ballinamere’s 2-8 to 0-13 win over Lisdowney 12 years ago is one of those four rare wins for any other side, and Offaly teams have lost four more finals to Kilkenny opposition since then.

In an All-Ireland context, Barrow Rangers might not be as strong as some other Kilkenny junior winners. Joe Healy and Jack Kelly are prolific inside forwards but unlike (for example) the Tullogher-Rosbercon team that looked very strong in beating Carrig & Riverstown in the final of this competition a couple of years ago, the Paulstown and Goresbridge club will do well to hold onto intermediate status in the coming years.

All that said, they still look to have far too much firepower for Drumcullen that will do very well to get up close to 20 scores in this game. The Sash men showed great battling qualities to come through a competitive Offaly IHC, but this should be too much of a step up for them.

FIXTURES

Saturday, November 8

AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Hurling Championship quarter-final - St. Brendan’s Park, Birr (1.30pm) Lusmagh v Ballyfin (Laois), Matthew Redmond (Kildare).

Sunday, November 9

AIB Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final - Young Irelands GAA, Gowran (12.00) Barrow Rangers (Kilkenny) v Drumcullen, Brian Kearney (Kildare).