Favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey brace themselves for huge Ballinamere challenge

THE extent of Kilcormac-Killoughey's favouritism for Sunday's Senior Hurling Championship final is quite remarkable when you examine the pool of talent at the disposal of their opponents, Ballinamere.

It may be Ballinamere's first final in over a century, Kilcormac-Killoughey may be the holders, the home of some of the brightest young talent in Offaly and they may have a lot of the ingredients for a period of dominance but Ballinamere certainly don't deserve to be written off.

Bookmakers have Kilcormac-Killoughey at 1-5, Ballinamere at 4-1. Those odds generally represent a mismatch, a landslide but Ballinamere have to have a decent outside chance here. After all, they had more players on the Offaly senior hurling team this year than Kilcormac-Killoughey and that has to count for something significant.

Mark Troy, Ciaran Burke, Dan Bourke and Brian Duignan all started in the Joe McDonagh Cup final win over Laois while Sam Bourke came on as a sub, Ross Ravenhill would have been there or there abouts only for injury and his younger brother Dan would also have been very close to the grade

Kilcormac-Killoughey's Cillian Kiely, Charlie Mitchell and Adam Screeney started in that Joe McDonagh Cup final while Colin Spain came on as a sub.

K-K did have more players starting on the Offaly team that won the All-Ireland U20 Hurling Championship in such sensational style this year but Durrow, and the players' hurling club, Ballinamere also contributed powerfully. Team captain Dan Bourke was one of the stars of the show, the sight of him racing forward, moving so fluidly was enough to set the pulse racing. Dan Ravenhill came on as a sub in the All-Ireland final win over Tipperary and would have been a certain starter only for injury.

The K-K contribution was pivotal to the win. The quality and potential of James Mahon, Brecon Kavanagh, Ter Guinan, Colin Spain, Leigh Kavanagh and Adam Screeney was obvious to all who watched them in action. Alex Kavanagh also contributed very well, coming on as a sub in the Tipp shootout. Daniel Hand also came on that day and in a couple of years time, it is likely that Kilcormac-Killoughey will have the largest representation on the Offaly senior hurling team.

Cillian Kiely, out of the final with a broken thumb, has another few years to give while Adam Screeney is among the most exciting hurlers Offaly has ever produced. Brecon Kavanagh is as good as anyone on that U-20 squad, a man who gets the job done with such simple, effective brilliance. Barring something goes wrong, he will play senior hurling in the defence for Offaly for a decade while James Mahon, Ter Guinan and Colin Spain have obvious potential. Leigh Kavanagh and Daniel Hand could also make that step forward – all of these players have physical developing to do and Hand's size and the power he is capable of developing when he gets stronger in the upper body could be a great asset.

The clubs in the deep south may not be overly enthusiastic but this is a great final for Offaly hurling. They have been clearly the best two teams in the championship this year and they have several of the best hurlers in Offaly, both established and emerging.

It is a final pairing to whet the appetite and Ballinamere's appearance here adds greatly to the sense of excitement. They have been coming for a while, making steady, incremental progress since winning senior “B” in 2018. With Brian Duignan, Ciaran Burke and Ross Ravenhill in the first batch of new emerging talent, followed by Sam Bourke, Mark Troy and then Dan Ravenhill and Dan Bourke, their potential to develop into serious contenders was obvious.

It did take time and they took some brutally hard knocks on the way, a couple of heavy, bad defeats in big games that forced them to have a good, hard look at themselves. Every year, however, they took a step forward, achieved a new goal or learnt something new about themselves and what was needed.

Firstly they had to establish themselves in the top flight and begin to pick off the weaker teams consistently. Then they had to get out of the group, make the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. They did all of this in the right order but there were days when they wondered what they were at. The 2022 3-17 to 0-11 quarter-final mauling by a Birr team not good enough to win a championship was one of those. There was no Sam Bourke or Dan Ravenhill playing that day and Dan Bourke was very young, just up out of minor, but it was still a serious setback in their aspirations.

Their perseverance has been hugely impressive and last year, Ballinamere kept on the right road and took another important step when winning their group to qualify for the semi-final. Having beaten champions Shinrone to top the group, they were blown out of the water by them in the second half of a 1-19 to 0-16 semi-final defeat but unlike Birr the previous year, they were at least competitive and it also meant that their target had now changed to a final place,

They achieved that this year with a very solid, impressive campaign. They drew with Birr in the first round but a lot of their players looked tired after long campaigns with Offaly and since then, they have answered every question, ticked every box. They secured top spot and a semi-final berth with wins over Belmont, Shinrone and Kinnitty. The 4-22 to 0-16 win over Shinrone caught attention in particular. While the 2022 champions, 2023 finalists, may have been showing signs of decay, they still had a strong team out and it was a serious result and performance for Ballinamere.

In the semi-final, they showed another very positive side to their character when scoring the last seven points to beat St Rynagh's by 1-21 to 0-14. With St Rynagh's having been mauled by Kilcormac-Killoughey in the group and a few of their team showing the ravages of long years on the road, we knew they were sitting ducks and that Ballinamere might have the legs for them in the last ten minutes. We didn't know if Ballinamere would have the composure to come from behind late on but they did and quite spectacularly. In a way, the semi-final win was a coming of age moment for Ballinamere and they now find themselves in the final very much on merit.

Ballinamere now face their greatest challenge, a county final with all that entails for a first time team and a team of remarkable talent bang in top form.

Kilcormac-Killoughey have been irresistible this year. They also went the direct route into the semi-finals as group winners after beating Tullamore, St Rynagh's, Seir Kieran and Coolderry, who they also beat in the semi-final.

They have played some sensational hurling and two results in particular are part of the reason they are such hot favourites. They destroyed St Rynagh's in the group by 4-26 to 0-15 while Coolderry were annihilated in the semi-final, 4-21 to 1-11. Those results and performances against two of Offaly's most aristocratic clubs show how good they are and how big of a task Ballinamere face.

Do Kilcormac-Killoughey deserve to be such overwhelming favourites?

No, not with the quality of player Ballinamere have? They have too many good hurlers not to be competitive, not to have a chance.

No team is unbeatable and Kilcormac-Killoughey have demonstrated feet of clay in the past, most recently in their 2022 county final defeat by Shinrone. They are a different animal now. Adam Screeney, James Mahon, Brecon and Leigh Kavanagh, Daniel Hand etc were not playing that day and K-K are a very different animal now.

They have been a great force since winning their first title in 2012 but it is also in K-K's DNA that they can have bad days and be beaten and that possibility is here for this. They have been rampant this year – apart from the last group game against Coolderry, and when it really counted, they showed the huge gulf between those sides.

The absence of Cillian Kiely with a broken thumb also enhances Ballinamere's prospects. K-K may have the depth in strength to manage that loss. Brecon Kavanagh will probably go centre back with either Enda Grogan, Jack Screeney, Alex Kavanagh or Cathal Kiely coming into the team. They could start Grogan wing back or move Ter Guinan back with Screeney, Kavanagh or Kiely starting in attack.

They have options that no one else would have in this situation but Kiely is still a savage loss. He is playing the best hurling of his career and is K-K's single most influential hurler – and that is saying something considering the quality of talent they have.

Do Kilcormac-Killoughey deserve to be favourites?

Absolutely. Some Ballinamere people may have a flutter on them at odds of 4-1. They would be foolish not to and the squad and those close to the team should certainly back themselves but you can be sure that there won't be many outside of Ballinamere having a big pot on them, even at those tempting odds.

It is hard to see Kilcormac-Killoughey being beaten. They have such talent throughout the field and they have options on the line that Ballinamere certainly don't have, players who can turn a game. Alex Kavanagh, Jack Screeney and Cathal Kiely would make any senior hurling team in the county. Peter Geraghty and Enda Grogan would make most and Grogan would be on the Ballinamere side.

Ballinamere have to have a good outside chance. We have mentioned their seven best players a lot but they have many more who have played county for Offaly at various levels. John Murphy was on the Offaly senior hurling team just a couple of years ago, Chris McDonald was a defensive stalwart for a period, David Magner, a serious operator who does so much crucial, unseen work, has played senior and U-21. Players such as Jack Fogarty and Aaron Maher, who has also featured on the senior panel, have played underage hurling for Offaly.

Kevin McDermott may be a better footballer but he has been brilliant for the hurlers this year – he was on the Offaly senior football panel this year but has also played minor and U21 hurling for Offaly.

Man of the match in a couple of the group games, he went off injured for Durrow footballers in their quarter-final defeat by Tullamore. That meant, he wasn't as good against St Rynagh's but two weeks down the road, he should be moving much better on Sunday.

It all suggests that Ballinamere can win this but the dice is loaded against them. Things will never go fully right for any side in a final but they need a good 80% to go according to plan and their big players to fire on all cylinders. It could happen but the likelihood is that a couple of their stars mightn't go well. K-K can afford a bit more to go wrong and they have more options on the line.

They have a lethal full forward line in Daniel Hand, Charlie Mitchell and Adam Screeney, they have so many players who will score.

Ballinamere have to hit the ground running with huge intensity. K-K have had most teams on the back foot within minutes this year and they have been ruthless once they get on top. Ballinamere can't afford to let them open up an early gap, they can't afford to be a few points behind at half time. Deficits can always be pulled back and Ballinamere have that potential but it also opens up the possibility of it going the opposite direction.

Ballinamere do have more weak links than K-K and let no one be under any illusions about this. When the team managements sit down to finalise their tactics in the coming days, K-K have more players to pinpoint for exploitation than Ballinamere do. Yet the joy of sport is that shocks do happen, some players excel, others flounder in finals. Some times, it is the unexpected player who emerges as a match winner – Aaron Maher's four point haul in the first half was instrumental in Ballinamere's semi-final win while brother Joe also went well. Kevin McDermott ran the show for them in some group games while the potential of Mark Troy, Ciaran Burke, Ross Ravenhill, Sam Bourke, Dan Bourke, Brian Duignan and Dan Ravenhill to be man of the match is clear.

There is a possibility that K-K will win this well, that the winning margin could head for double digits but Ballinamere should have too much quality and strength for that. They are definitely the best side that K-K will be meeting this year and will test them in very new ways. Hopefully it will be a tight, very closely contested match and the absolute key for Ballinamere is to be there with 15 minutes to go. Then anything will be possible but if the deficit is north of five points, then they are in trouble and probably won't win it – K-K won't run out of legs the way St Rynagh's did. St Rynagh's didn't score after the 47^th minute and no matter what way we imagine this one, you just can't see that happening K-K..

Ballinamere's progression to date has followed a very definite form. They lost a quarter-final before they made the semi-final; they lost a semi-final before they made the final. Teams do win finals at the first attempt. It happened Offaly hurlers in 1981 and fairytales do emerge. It is hard, however, to escape the belief that Ballinamere's development will continue in the way it has to date; that they will lose a final before they can win one.

They are unlucky to be arriving at the same time as K-K's golden generation. They would have had a 50-50 chance in any final for a few years up to 2022 but this isn't the case here.

Yet this opportunity may not crop up again. You would imagine that Ballinamere will reach more finals, that the breakthrough will come once they keep knocking on the door but you never know. The age profile of their best players is perfect but if any lose interest, get injured or players drift away – Gerry Spollen transferred to Na Fianna in Dublin this year and is a loss -, they are in bother. Chris McDonald is getting on now, David Magner has a lot of hurling and football under his belt and Ballinamere have a bit of a vacuum when it comes to emerging replacements for a couple of years at least.

Now is the time to win but the more likely outcome is that Ballinamere will have to wait for their day in the sun – a day which they deserve and no one would begrudge.

Verdict – Kilcormac-Killoughey.