Hogan & Doherty lead their sides into battle
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
St Canice’s Credit Union Kilkenny SHC Final
O’Loughlin Gaels vs Thomastown
This weekend sees the culmination of the Kilkenny senior club hurling season as UPMC Nowlan Park hosts the meeting of O’Loughlin Gaels and Thomastown in this year’s St Canice’s Credit Union final. (Throw in 2:30pm). Sunday’s final promises much, so hopefully the wind doesn’t become the biggest factor like it did in the Intermediate Final last weekend. Both finalists arrive in the decider with confidence, having navigated one of the Island’s toughest senior club championships to reach the showpiece occasion.
Holders, O’Loughlin Gaels lifted the Tom Walsh Cup last season for the fifth time following a dramatic one-point victory over Shamrocks Ballyhale and then went on a run which saw them also claim the provincial title, before they lost our narrowly to St Thomas’s of Galway in the All-Ireland club final. Brian Hogan and his side will be keen to get another crack at the national title, but they know that they cannot afford to look any further ahead than Sunday, where Thomastown stand between them and the defence of their county title.
This season’s campaign has been relatively straight forward for the Loughs, and while they may not have reached the heights of some of the previous year’s performances, they have shown resilience and nous as they bid to go back-to-back on Noreside. One of the big factors in their run this season, has been the form and impact of Kerry’s Fionán Mackessy who has settled in to his new club and life in the Marble City with ease. The Kingdom star has had some great showings and has displayed great leadership in games, none more so than the semi-final win over Bennettsbridge, where in the absence of suspended captain, Mark Bergin, Mackessy took on the role of placed ball specialist and finished the game with a hugely impressive personal tally of 1-7 as they overcame a stern challenge from Tim Dooley’s side.
While the Two-time Poc Fada champion has added much to O’Loughlin’s, some of the ‘usual suspects’ have been more than prominent during this campaign. At the back, goalkeeper Stephen Murphy has got a pretty decent full-back line ahead of him. Huw Lawlor is usually flanked by Mikey Butler and Tony Forristal, with the former likely to return to the starting XV, following his recent suspension. Having said that, Ronan Buckley, didn’t let anyone down when he came in for the semi-final encounter. If numbers, 2,3 and 4 are solid, the trio ahead of them are equally as important to how manager Hogan wants his charges to play. Anchoring the half-back line at six is Paddy Deegan, who is a vital cog in the O’Loughlin’s machine. Tough to get past and always good for a score, least seasons Kilkenny skipper won’t be found wanting in the heat of battle. Either side of Paddy is David Fogarty and Jordan Molloy. This trio will have a pivotal role on Sunday as they look to cut off supply to the Thomastown inside forward line and curb the influence of county star John Donnelly. All three of the Loughs half back line regularly trouble the scoreboard and their markers may find themselves defending as much as attacking!
In midfield, Jack Nolan and Jamie Ryan have struck up a lovely partnership. The former’s work rate and constant scheming around the middle third is a vital ingredient in the St John’s Park’s ability to provide a platform for those further forward to ply their trade. In their most recent outing, Jamie Ryan hit four wonderful points in a display that caught the eye. When you have a focal point like Luke Hogan, there is always the option of a fast delivery into the bustling full forward who can cause plenty of problems to any defence. Sean Bolger gives absolutely everything for his side and is a great link player, knitting together moves across different lines and constantly breathing down the neck of any defender in his path. In Owen Wall, you have a real jack-in-the-box who you can’t take your eye off, otherwise he’s on his bike. Another returning player is likely to be captain, Mark Bergin who will be keen to get his hands on another Tom Walsh Cup.
Standing in O’Loughlin’s way on Sunday is the formidable challenge of Thomastown. Having won the intermediate title on Noreside last season, Noel Doherty’s outfit went one better than their fellow finalists and claimed all three available titles, county, provincial and national as they returned to the top table of hurling in Kilkenny. Thomastown settled into senior life quickly and looked impressive as they got a couple of early wins under their belt before a little blip saw them lose to Glenmore, Dicksboro and then to Mullinavat in the Shield final.
A quarter final tie with Shamrocks Ballyhale saw the Town lay down a serious marker to the remaining sides in the competition as they emerged winners, with 2 points to spare. Goalkeeper Diarmuid Galway had a big hand in the win, pulling off a fantastic save to deny a certain goal. Ahead of netminder Galway, Peter Connellan, Ned Kirwan and Brian Staunton will be busy shackling the Loughs attacking threats, while the ever-improving Zack Bay Hammond will get up and down UPMC Nowlan Park with superb dynamism.
Captain Peter McDonald and John Joe Farrell will square up against the impressive Jack Nolan and Jamie Ryan, and will be keen to stifle the O’Loughlin’s duo’s impact on proceedings, in order to provide a platform for a trio of Donnelly’s, John, Stephen and Robbie to cause a little havoc in the Loughs rearguard. Robbie Donnelly has been keeping the scoreboard ticking over for Thomastown, looking fairly reliable from the placed ball, while getting Stephen back from injury looks to be a huge boost to Noel Doherty’s side. Luke and Rory Connellan will cover plenty of ground for their side ad are both more than capable of tagging on a couple of scores also.
As usual, the impact from both sides’ benches could play a big role in the outcome of Sunday’s decider. Brian Hogan can spring the likes of Paddy Butler, Eoin O’Shea and Conor Kelly, while their opponents have the likes of Thomas O’Hanrahan, Jack Holden and Naoise Dempsey to call upon.
If the weather conditions are fair, we could have another great county final on our hands, and while Thomastown won’t fear their opponents, O’Loughlin Gaels look primed for another assault on Leinster this winter and will go into this weekend’s final as favourites. The bookies normally get things right, and Brian Hogan could well be smiling again this Sunday afternoon.
