Carrig-Riverstown aim to wind down sensational year on big high

CARRIG-Riverstown will face their toughest battle of the year when they meet Kilkenny's Tollogher Rosbercon in the Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship final in O'Connor Park, Tullamore next Saturday at 1pm.

It has been a sensational year for the border side and they would love to add a provincial title to their collection.

Carrig-Riverstown were clearly the best side in the Offaly Intermediate Hurling Championship this year, emerging as very worthy winners and beating Coolderry in the final.

The Offaly intermediate champions compete in junior in Leinster and Carrig-Riverstown have shown a great appetite for this competition.

The draw was kind for them. They had a few weeks to enjoy winning the Offaly title before entering Leinster fray but they soon got back to basics, returning to hard training.

They also had three home games to reach the final, playing two of their games in St Brendan's Park, Birr (the other one was moved to Faithful Fields in Kilcormac) and that was a major help to them. Carrig-Riverstown would have preferred this final to be in Birr but they must be played in county grounds and as a result, O'Connor Park is the venue – while it will mean a longer journey for their supporters, it won't bother their players much and they beat Coolderry in the intermediate final in Tullamore.

Since winning in Offaly, Carrig-Riverstown have brought their performances to a higher level. They easily beat St Brigid's of Westmeath in the first round, 2-20 to 0-8. They got a good test from Dublin's Good Counsel Liffey Gaels in the quarter-final before winning by 1-20 to 3-11 and turned in a very competent second half to beat Leixlip by 4-14 to 3-8 in the semi-final.

Tollogher-Rosbercon's form has been very impressive. They destroyed St Patrick's of Wicklow in the first round, 6-19 to 1-7; ran riot against Colt Shanahoe of Laois in the quarter-final, 5-26 to 1-1 and got their first text from Wexford's Fr O'Regan's Craanford in the semi-final before winning by 2-17 to 0-18.

Their best known player is Walter Walsh but the Kilkenny side have a lot more excellent hurlers, fast, accurate forwards and they have been flying this year.

It means that Tollogher-Rosbercon will be warm favourites but Carrig-Riverstown will approach the final in a very confident frame of mind.

Managed by former Birr hurler, Paul Murphy, they have been playing very well and are clearly keen to make the best of the opportunity that has emerged for them.

The Offaly side have a lot going for them. A generally young team, they have a lot of pace and quality all over the field. Cathal King and Joe Hoctor were key members of the Offaly U-20 hurling side this year and they are pivotal to their prospects but Carrig-Riverstown have a lot more going for them.

King was carrying an injury in the semi-final win over Leixlip but still inflicted a lot of damage when moved into full forward, scoring 2-1. C-R will be hoping he can play midfield.

They have several other players who can step up to the mark. Leaders who are playing well. Ross Connaughton and Patrick Bergin have been in great form in their defence while Lee Hogan and Brendan Hoctor have had some super games in their attack.

It is a big ask for them and over the years and the Kilkenny champions have generally been able to beat Offaly opposition at this grade of competition. Junior hurling is a very high standard in Kilkenny and it will be very interesting to see how Carrig-Riverstown get on.

They will hit the ground with a fierce intensity and the key for Carrig-Riverstown is to be competitive into the second half, to still have a chance going into the closing quarter. If they are in the hunt at this stage, anything is possible and they could qualify for the All-Ireland series.

We won't really know until Saturday but Carrig-Riverstown's form suggests that they will give a good account of themselves and compete. There is always a possibility that it could unravel badly against Kilkenny opposition but Carrig-Riverstown have been so impressive this year and have been playing with such heart and determination.

A defeat, even a bad one, won't take a whole lot from their year but they will be very keen to give it their very best shot. It will be a surprise if they win but they have an outside chance.