Novel pairing set to serve up a hurling final to savour
THE ‘One Life, One Club’ motto appeals to traditional GAA sensibilities but it is less reflective of the realities of modern Ireland and the population shift from rural to urban. Darragh O’Connell is just one example. A pillar of Abbeydorney and Kerry before being based in the capital prompted a Dublin call-up and a shift in focus after linking up with Cuala. Don’t try and tell him that his home club, or home county doesn’t matter. For the same reason, a set of Clare brothers find themselves in opposing dug-outs. Niall Keane joined Cuala never thinking that he’d be sharing a Croke Park stage with his younger sibling Aonghus. It’s easy to paint this with similar broadstrokes: David versus Goliath; small, country club versus it’s big city rival who have a playing base that simply can’t be matched. But Cuala is just as much a success story in its own right. Establishing and continuing a hurling tradition in Dalkey where other codes have a traditional foothold didn’t happen by accident. The family connections that span the generations to previous mould-breaking teams tell everything about a love for the game that has been handed down, just as in Ballyea, whether it’s the Schuttes or the Traceys. After a slew of St Patrick’s Day hurling finals that have been one-sided — St Thomas’ low-scoring victory over KilcormacKilloughey the only time in the past 20 years that the outcome has hinged on a puck of a ball — this one really has the potential to excite. Austin Gleeson may be the reigning Hurler of the Year but on current form, Tony Kelly holds the mantle. Artistry is one thing but it has been his leadership too that marks him apart. It was his late point against the head that staved off what would have been a calamitous collapse. Niall Deasy’s scoring exploits have been critical too while Gary Brennan provides the perfect ball-winning foil. And yet the bookies have the first Dublin team to appear in a senior club hurling final as slight favourites. With reason, too. The backbone of the team knows Croke Park inside out via their exploits with Dublin. A defence that can boast the likes of Oisín Gough, Cian O’Callaghan and Paul Schutte suggests a formidable unit and the inspired form of wingback Seán Moran has only added to the steely mix. O’Connell is all engine around the middle while David Treacy and Mark Schutte provide a world of experience. And then there’s Con O’Callaghan, moonlighting as a hurler to brilliant effect, before he joins up with the Dublin senior football team. If Cuala need a plan
to curb the influence of Kelly, then Ballyea need to try and figure some way of curbing the goal-threat of the Dublin dual player. The joy of the club championship is that history will be made either way. Ballyea seek a first title and to bridge the link with the St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield side of 1999 while Cuala are in unchartered waters for any Dublin club side. The only shock will be if this is a drab, goal-less affair.