One win each and a draw in three big Kilcormac-Killoughey v Shinrone clashes

2025 Senior Hurling Championship Group 2 Round 5

Kilcormac-Killoughey show feet of clay as huge Shinrone draw shakes up race for Robbins Cup

Shinrone 0-19

Kilkcormac-Killoughey 1-16

THE whole race for the Offaly Senior Hurling Championship was thrown up in the air as a fired up, finely tuned Shinrone team snatched a fully deserved point from Kilcormac-Killoughey in the final group game in Birr a few weeks ago.

The immediate impact of the draw was that it denied Kilcormac-Killoughey direct passage into the semi-finals and they will instead face Ballinamere in a repeat of last year's county final in the quarter-final. This is a pairing that will capture the imagination of the entire county and it won't be for the faint hearted – there will be no hiding place for anyone and it will certainly shake Ballinamere out of their slumber as they have fallen into the quarter-finals.

It gave Belmont a direct passage to the semi-finals that they were certainly not expecting – a win for the holders and favourites would have put them into the last four.

It was a real statement of intent by Shinrone, who now face Coolderry in the quarter-finals. They have been moving very well for most of the campaign but needed a performance after losing to Belmont in their last game. Even though a semi-final berth was out of reach for them, they certainly gave that performance with a terrific, whole hearted display, fighting every inch of the way and taking the game to their opponents for extended periods.

The real big focus and takeaway, however, will be on Kilcormac-Killoughey's display. Hot favourites to retain their title, they displayed feet of clay here in a very stuttering display, blowing hot and cold with very little in that all important middle ground. They had begun to look unbeatable but this performance will give hope to everyone else left in the campaign.

In particular, their attack misfired on the day, hitting 17 wides compared to 8 for Shinrone. K-K remain favourites and they would have won here had their shooting not been uncharacteristically poor. They hit some dreadful wides, some of them under pressure but a good few down to their eye not being in – the positive they will take from this is that this won't happen every day and if they had been more clinical here, they would have won by three to four points.

In the wind up, it was a very good draw for Shinrone, a poor one for K-K but it is one that may well serve the holders very well in the long run.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Brecon Kavanagh (Kilcormac-Killoughey): Plenty of contenders on both sides but my choice is K-K centre back Brecon Kavanagh, who was brilliant almost from start to finish. His reading of the game, distribution and general composure was of a very high order. Jack Screeney was also superb beside him in a game where a lot of players played well in spells but not consistently for K-K – Tom Spain, Damien Kilmartin, Adam Screeney and Charlie Mitchell all had excellent patches.

Shinrone had more players who played well for more sustained spells. Luke Watkins was brilliant in the first half while Killian Sampson was immense in the heart of their defence and Eamon Cleary, Dara Maher and Adrian Cleary also caught the eye.

THE SCORERS

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Adam Screeney 0-9 (6f), Charlie Mitchell 1-2, Conor Slevin (f0, Damien Kilmartin, Colin Spain, James Gorman, Peter Geraghty 0-1 each.

Shinrone: Donal Morkan 0-4 (3f), Eamon Cleary (2f), Adam Landy, Luke Watkins, Paul Cleary, Jason Sampson 0-2 each, Eoin Bailey-O'Brien, Killian Sampson, Dara Maher, DJ McLoughlin and Declan Cleary 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

KILCORMAC/KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Mark Mulrooney, James Mahon; Jordan Quinn, Brecon Kavanagh., Jack Screeney; Damien Kilmartin, Colin Spain; Daniel Hand, Conor Mahon, Charlie Mitchell; Alex Kavanagh, James Gorman, Adam Screeney. Subs – Cillian Kiely for Alex Kavanagh (38m), Peter Geraghty for Gorman (44m), Thomas Geraghty for Conor Mahon (58m),

SHINRONE: Eamon Cleary; Darren Crean, Michael Cleary, Darragh Cleary; Dan Doughan, Killian Sampson, Dara Maher; Adrian Cleary, Adam Landy; Luke Watkins , Donal Morkan, DJ McLoughlin; Paul Cleary, Jason Sampson, Eoin Bailey-O'Brien. Subs – Ciaran Cleary for McLoughlin (44m), Declan Cleary for Doughan (44m), Fionn Carney for Paul Cleary (51m), Gearoid Maher for Landy (51m), Peter Cleary for Crean (55m),

Referee – Kieran Dooley, Drumcullen.

2023 Senior Hurling Championship final

Breathtaking Kilcormac-Killoughey turn on the style as shellshocked Shinrone hand over title

Kilcormac-Killoughey 3-26

Shinrone 3-8

GIVING as complete, as breathtakingly brilliant, as convincing a display as we have witnessed in an Offaly Senior Hurling Championship final in several years, Kilcormac-Killoughey left a shellshocked, stunned Shinrone reeling when they powered to a remarkably easy win in St Brendan's Park, Birr in 2023.

It was a dream display by Kilcormac-Killoughey, a nightmare one from the reigning champions and the final scoreline of 3-26 to 3-8 shows exactly the way this went. In fact, if anyone was flattered by the score, it was Shinrone , whose three goals came in the closing eleven minutes when they were as badly beaten as any team can be and when K-K were emptying their bench. Two of those goals came from Dara Maher frees and it was just one of those days for Shinrone when nothing went remotely right for them.

That was down to the excellence of Kilcormac-Killoughey and the intensity of their performance, the way they kept it going for the full sixty minutes plus took most observers by surprise. Beaten by Shinrone in last year's final, K-K's hunger shone like a beacon from the throw in and it was not long before the champions were a beaten docket.

It was an extraordinarily one sided game, one that no one expected. In fact Shinrone were favourite in many people's books but they were completely over powered here. It was K-K's fifth title, their first since 2017 and one that they badly needed after a series of near misses in the last few years.They may have a lot of the ingredients for a spell of dominance but that is all for another day and for the moment, they will just enjoy a truly unique performance and win.

They were on top in absolutely every sector and they had a handful of players who performed at their optimum. Centre half back Cillian Kiely and centre half forward Conor Mahon were the two obvious ones in this category as they ran the game and their intensity, work rate and quality on the ball inspired all around them. Oisin Mahon, Brecon Kavanagh, Jack Screeney, Damien Kilmartin and Charlie Mitchell were others who performed at their best, at least for most of the game but it was one of these rare days where everything clicked as a unit and K-K were so much the better team.

Shinrone had no player who will look back on this game with any fondness and the only consoling factor is that their collective failure was so absolute that there will be no individual recriminations. Shinrone's achievement in winning their first title last year set Offaly hurling ablaze but this was a very painful dose of reality for them.

At times, you also had to pinch yourself to believe what was unfolding here. It almost defied description and it certainly defied all expectations of a tight, fiercely contested game that would be in the balance going down the closing straight.

In the first half, there were some similarities to last year as K-K hit the ground running but this time it was a very different story. Last year, K-K let Shinrone off the hook with a few goal misses in the first half and were over ran in the second but this time, they kept the pedal to floor, went for the jugular and never gave the losers a glimmer of hope.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Conor Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey): Now in the Winter of his long career, Conor Mahon had arguably his greatest day in the green and gold of Kilcormac-Killoughey. A six point haul was phenomenal and the way in which he operated on the forty, winning possession, driving forward and closing down was a joy to behold. His contribution to K-K's success can't be understated. In the semi-final, Mahon had done what K-K wanted by stopping St Rynagh's centre forward Ben Conneely from dominating. They would have been happy with a similar type display on Conor Doughan but Mahon took it to another level altogether as he scored with such abandon and missed a couple of chances as well. Cillian Kiely was his closest contender, capping his best ever year with a dominant display at centre half back while the quality of Oisin Mahon's play at full back also took the breath away at times – it is a sign of K-K's dominance that Mahon had too many long periods watching play unfold up the far end of the field to get man of the match but when he was called on, he was immense.

THE SCORERS

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Charlie Mitchell 1-4, Adam Screeney 0-7 (5f and 1 '65'), Conor Mahon 0-6, Cathal Kiely 1-1, James Gorman 1-0, Jack Screeney 0-3, Cillian Kiely 0-2 (2f), Brecon Kavanagh, Damien Kilmartin and Thomas Geraghty 0-1 each.

Shinrone: Dara Maher 2-1 (2-1f), Jason Sampson 1-0, Declan Cleary, Donal Morkan (2f) and Killian Sampson (1f) 0-2 each, Luke Watkins 0-1.

THE TEAMS

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Brecon Kavanagh, Oisin Mahon, Tom Spain; Jordan Quinn, Cillian Kiely, Enda Grogan; Cathal Kiely, Damien Kilmartin; Jack Screeney, Conor Mahon, Charlie Mitchell; Colin Spain, James Gorman, Adam Screeney. Subs – Peter Geraghty for Gorman (44m), Ger Healion for Conor Mahon (49m), Thomas Geraghty for Cathal Kiely (52m), Killian Leonard for Jack Screeney (58m), Shane Guinan for Kilmartin (58m),

SHINRONE: Eamon Cleary; Darren Crean, Darren O'Meara, Darragh Landy; Michael Cleary, Conor Doughan, Dara Maher; Declan Cleary, Luke Watkins; Adrian Cleary, Donal Morkan, Killian Sampson; Sean Cleary, Jason Sampson, Sean Cleary. Subs – Dan Doughan for Declan Cleary (39m), Ciaran Cleary for Paul Cleary (39m), JP Cleary for Morkan (46m), Joe Cleary for Watkins (46m), David Murray for Sean Cleary (53m)

Referee – Brian Gavin (Clara).

2022 Senior Hurling Championship final

Brilliant Shinrone make history with first title after stunning second half display

Shinrone 0-26

Kilcormac-Killoughey 2-13

WITH history staring them in the face, Shinrone produced a quite sensational second half display as they powered to victory over favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey in a superb Senior Hurling Championship final in O'Connor Park in 2022.

As players stood up to be counted all over the field in that stunning second half, Shinrone won their first ever Senior Hurling Championship title amid scenes of heartwarming joy, the most raw of emotions.

It was a fantastic, extraordinary win for Shinrone. Two points ahead at half time, Shinrone were lucky to be in the game at that stage as K-K had a series of shocking misses in the first half. Behind by 0-10 to 0-8 at half time, K-K could have had 2-12 if not more on the board and they could have killed off the Shinrone challenge in the first quarter.

Instead, the first timers took full advantage. With Ciaran Cleary brilliant in that first half, they took control in all sectors in the second half and if anything, their win was even more clearcut than the final score line suggests – in the second half, a ten point winning margin would not have flattered Shinrone.

It is hard to find the words to describe the drama that unfolded here in Tullamore, the tension and excitement as it became clear quite early in the second half that Shinrone's momentum was unstoppable and Kilcormac-Killoughey had actually shot their bolt.

It was some turnaround from a first half in which K-K had been the better team and considerably so for the first 20 minutes – while Shinrone had improved significantly in the ten minutes coming up to half time, there was absolutely no way K-K should have been trailing at half time.

They had only themselves to blame for that and as so often happens in these cases, K-K found that they could get nothing going when the serious questions were asked in the second half.

Shinrone were brilliant in the second half, playing the hurling of their lives, operating on a different level. They were like men possessed as they chased everything, closed K-K down and took a sequence of quality points from a variety of distances and angles.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ciaran Cleary: While Killian Sampson staked a powerful claim in the second half, Ciaran Cleary was an automatic choice as man of the match. He got five points, four in the first half when Shinrone were struggling, and proved such a focal point at full forward. He battled for everything, oozed class and he has been a major factor for Shinrone in the latter stages of the championship.

THE SCORERS

Shinrone: Donal Morkan 0-7 (4f and 1 '65') Ciaran Cleary 0-5, Killian Sampson and Jason Sampson 0-4 each, Sean Cleary 0-2, Declan Cleary, Paul Cleary, Conor Doughan and DJ McLoughlin 0-1 each.

Kilcormac-Killoughey: Cathal Kiely 0-7 (4f and 1 sideline), Cillian Kiely 1-1 (1 '65'), Ger Healion 1-0, Alan Spain, Conor Mahon, James Kilmarin, Lochlann Kavanagh and Charlie Mitchell 0-1 each.

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THE TEAMS

SHINRONE: Eamon Cleary; Darren Crean, Darren O'Meara, Peter Cleary; Killian Sampson, Michael Cleary, Dara Maher; Declan Cleary, Luke Watkins; Donal Morkan, Sean Cleary, Adrian Cleary; Paul Cleary, Ciaran Cleary, Jason Sampson. Subs – Conor Doughan for Adrian Cleary (47m), Cillian Ryan for Sean Cleary (56m), DJ McLoughlin for Paul Cleary (56m), Mark Morkan for Declan Cleary (62m).

KILCORMAC-KILLOUGHEY: Conor Slevin; Oisin Mahon, Enda Grogan, Thomas Spain; Jordan Quinn, Damien Kilmartin, Alan Spain; Cillian Kiely, Colin Spain; Conor Mahon, James Kilmartin, Cathal Kiely; Alex Kavanagh, Ger Healion, Lochlann Kavanagh. Subs – Jack Screeney for James Kilmartin (HT), Charlie Mitchell for Alex Kavanagh (36m), James Gorman for Lochlann Kavanagh (37m), Thomas Geraghty for Alan Spain (38m).

Referee – Shane Guinan (Drumcullen).