Tullaroan & Shamrocks ready for Tom Walsh Cup decider
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship Final 2026
Shamrocks Ballyhale vs Tullaroan
Senior County Final day on Noreside will always be a wonderful occasion, but to have the top two in the competitions roll of honour battle it out this year, will make the 2026 St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship Final extra special. The competition’s first ever winners versus the most successful team, and current holders certainly make the mouth water. Tullaroan and Shamrocks Ballyhale will take to the pitch at Kilkenny headquarters on Sunday with everything on the line, and no doubt both sides will be prepared to die with their boots on to claim the coveted Tom Walsh Cup.
For Tullaroan Sunday will see them contest their first senior decider since 1994, when they defeated Dicksboro in a low scoring affair, captain Derek Gaffney top scoring for The Sash with 4 points. Their very first crown, claimed in 1887 against big rivals Mooncoin, saw an even lower scoreline, 1-1 to 0-4 in a time when a goal outweighed any number of points. Meanwhile, Shamrocks Ballyhale returned to the summit last season under the guidance of Henry Shefflin, having had a ‘baron’ couple of seasons watching O’Loughlin Gaels and Thomastown triumph.
We’ll start with the defending champions. Death, taxes and Shamrocks claiming County titles, for a long period this appeared to be the ‘status quo’ on Noreside, but as mentioned, others emerged to lift the Tom Walsh Cup in ’23 and ’24. When Henry took the reins for a second time, the mission was simple, get the men from Páirc na Seamróg winning games and challenging, and that’s exactly what the new Kilkenny boss achieved. When the club season got underway this year, new boss Mark Aylward had the services of the Shamrocks intercounty stars much earlier than anticipated. This surprise has clearly benefited the Holden Plant Rental’s sponsored side as they came out of the blocks quickly when the league got underway. Slipping up in the last group game was the only blot on the copybook, but that much-changed side that took to the field against Danesfort, knew the league final berth had been secured.
The league final saw Shamrocks face off against Thomastown, and this was a real battle with both sides looking to bag the first major silverware of the season, and it would be Aylward’s charges that won out by the bare minimum. Switching to knock-out mode hurling saw a South Kilkenny derby clash as Glenmore took on Ballyhale in the last of the quarterfinal encounters. This game saw Adrian Mullen make great strides on his return from injury, the flame-haired stickman registering six lovely points, all from play as his side emerged 5-point winners over Seamie Dollard’s men, who gave the Shamrocks a real competitive outing.
Having successfully navigated the stiff challenge of the Pairc na Ratha side, the reward was a last four clash with old foes Thomastown. Both teams went into this, aware of the stakes and the large crowd in attendance at UPMC Nowlan Park. A game that promised much turned into a stop-start affair, with the free-taking of Robbie Donnelly and TJ Reid to the fore. Noel Doherty’s charges kept going and when former Cats skipper, John Donnelly struck for a goal in the 57th minute, the odds were heavily stacked in the favour of the 2024 champions, but before their supporters had finished celebrating, Niall Shortall had fired past Diarmuid Galway to nudge the Shamrocks a point ahead. With the game entering additional time, the sides were level, thanks to a Robbie Donnelly free, but Aylward’s outfit pushed on and scores from TJ and shortall saw the holders progress to the final once more.
With Dean Mason still a massive presence between the sticks, the defence has been anchored brilliantly by the evergreen Joey Holden. His knowhow has really helped the likes of Killian’s Corcoran and Ryan push on and become stable fixtures in the Shamrocks rearguard. Darragh Corcoran looks really comfortable at centre back, with Evan Shefflin and Killian Corcoran in recent games flanking him. As mentioned throughout the season, there are scores in this line, and this is crucial to the way Mark Aylward’s team wants to play. Everything being equal, Ronan Corcoran and Richie Reid will man the engine room, and this duo can help provide a good platform for the ‘stardust’ ahead of them.
Last season, Eoin Kenneally was really impressive for the side, getting through mountains of work and notching scores, but his absence has been masked by the performances of Brian Cody. Brian has been instrumental in his sides’ run to the final, and his manager and supporters will hope he shines once more on Sunday. In an ideal world, Brian will line out in the front six and have the likes of Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen and TJ for company. We know that TJ is vital in keeping the scoreboard ticking over, while the quality of Eoin and Adrian speaks for itself. When goals have been scored, Niall Shortall appears to have had the monopoly on the green flag raising, and he has taken his game to a higher level this season. This has taken the pressure off the latest player to join the senior ranks, Jake Mullen. Following in the footsteps of Paddy, Darren and Adrian, the youngest of Clan Mullen looks to be a real talent and playing with little fear.
Tullaroan have been a breath of fresh air this season. With Dave Mulcahy at the helm, the 20-times winners have played some lovely hurling and provided plenty of entertainment along the way. The Sash recorded 3 wins and 2 defeats in their group games but looked dangerous in every outing. The mixed back in the league set them up for a round 1 meeting with the dangerous Mullinavat. The Vegas Boys battled hard, and there were only 5 points between the sides at the long whistle. A quarter final clash with O’Loughlin Gaels was the reward, and this match up was keenly contested. Mossy got an early goal, and Shane Walsh was going well also, while brother Padraig was keeping things tight at the back. The Sash pushed on and won out by 4 points to advance to the last four.
Bennettsbridge were up next for Mulcahy’s men. The Sash bossed the opening period, and looked to be in no danger, but Brian Lannon’s side kept plugging away, and the direct ball into Liam Blanchfield was proving fruitful. The likes of Padraig and Tommy Walsh needed to stand up in defence and they duly did. Gearoid Dunne’s goal proved crucial as Tullaroan secured a first final berth in 32 years.
Like Sunday’s opponents, the goalkeeper is playing out of his skin. Niall Holland is formidable presence who is hard to beat, but the netminder has an extra string to his bow, as he is an excellent long range free taker that is prone to getting on the scoresheet. In front of Holland you will find Tomas Dunne, patrolling the edge of the square and it will be interesting to see who the number 3 picks up on Sunday. The half back line oozes class and quality. Padraig Walsh at six, flanked by another Walsh, Tommy and Bill Walton. I’d say we could see Padraig battling with TJ and Tommy shadowing Eoin Cody, God, this could be good.
The middle third duo of Martin Walsh and Bill Gaffney will not be found wanting and will be more than up for the physical battle with their counterparts and as usual winning this sector can make all the difference. We don’t need to do a ‘deep dive’ on Mossy Keoghan’s importance to The Sash. The talented forward does so much for the team, his movement and threat, creating space for others to roam and do damage. One of his half-forward colleagues and been shining all season and leading the way in the scoring stakes, step forward Dylan Simpson. Throw the returning Shane Walsh and bustling Gearoid Dunne into an inside forward line, and you can see that Mark Aylward will need to have done his homework in getting his matchups right for Sunday’s battle.
You get the sense that the final is the perfect stage for attacking stars to shine. Mossy Keoghan and Gearoid Dunne on one side, Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen on the other. The placed ball duel between TJ Reid and Shane Walsh will as ever by key, and The Sash have Dylan Simpson and Niall Holland waiting in the wings should they be needed on frees. Darragh Corcoran and Padraig Walsh dictating the tempo from the’6′ position. Messrs. Aylward and Mulcahy will have their sides prepped for the decider, and both will be confident of emerging as winners.
Neither of these teams will be thinking about a provincial campaign at this stage, but we can be certain that whichever of these two talented teams claims victory on Sunday, Noreside will have a big say on the destination of the Leinster title.
