PREVIEW: Coolderry fancied as traditional foes cross hurls in intriguing Offaly Intermediate Hurling Championship Final

TWO of Offaly hurling's most traditional and fiercest rivals will go head to head next Saturday in Birr in a hugely enticing Molloy Environmental Systems Intermediate Hurling Championship final.

For several decades, the rivalry between Coolderry and Drumcullen dominated Offaly hurling. It was a ferocious rivalry with little love loss between the clubs and some notoriously violent and ill tempered clashes.

That rivalry began to cool after 1960 when Drumcullen won the last of their seventeen Senior Hurling Championship titles. The emergence of St Rynagh's as a powerful, almost unstoppable force later that decade changed the face of Offaly hurling and Drumcullen have not reached a senior hurling final since 1973 when St Rynagh's held them off – they gave a walkover to Coolderry in a 1961 fiasco that increased the bitterness between the two clubs, lost to their great rivals in the 1962 and '63 finals and were beaten by an emerging St Rynagh's in 1966.

The rivalry between Drumcullen and Coolderry is all in the past. The old bitterness is well and truly gone, though older generations will often talk with great nostalgia of the various battles they witnessed, the events that took place. It is a story for another forum but for a certain generation, the meeting of Coolderry and Drumcullen in this final will bring up very fond memories.

Since then, life has changed dramatically for two clubs who dominated Offaly hurling up to the 1960s. Coolderry have endured extended periods in the doldrums but have picked off senior titles at regular intervals and remain out in front on the Offaly hurling roll of honour.

Drumcullen, however, have endured a torrid time. A fiercely proud club right in the middle of the Offaly hurling heartland, they are ambitious and working very hard to turn the corner. Life has not been simple for them. Firstly, they declined as a hurling force as St Rynagh's took over followed by Birr many years later and even in the years when they remained in the top flight, they were not contenders.

However, they have also slipped back over the past decade plus, when they have been generally out of senior hurling and they now find themselves in the third tier, desperate to at least get back up one rung of the ladder.

It is a tough era for Drumcullen and the challenges facing them is reflected by the fact that they have had few players on Offaly hurling teams and were not represented on this year's All-Ireland U-20 hurling winning panel. They have also shown great grit and perseverance. They are one of those clubs in south Offaly where declining population is a factor and numbers an issue, forcing them into an underage alliance with Seir Kieran, but they keep plugging away, trying to do the right thing and you have to admire them.

Saturday's final is a huge game for them. It is their first team and they have a great chance but Coolderry's form has been impressive and they are very slight favourites.

The two best sides in the championship are also clashing, the two group winners. Drumcullen are unbeaten and topped their group with five points from three games. They drew with Seir Kieran and beat Edenderry and Shamrocks. Coolderry beat St Rynagh's and Shinrone and lost to Ballinamere but it still got them in on top spot.

Coolderry performed very well in a 2-25 to 2-19 semi-final win over Shinrone while Drumcullen were pushed to the pin of their collar before taking out St Rynagh's, 0-17 to 0-16.

Part of the reason Coolderry are favourites is the vast experience they have at their disposal. They have a handful of players with a lot of club and county senior experience.

Brian Carroll, Kevin Brady and Cathal Parlon etc are no strangers to big days and winning medals, and they will relish the opportunity of another appearance in a final.

The presence of Carroll and Brady at the fulcrum of the Coolderry attack represents the biggest obstacle to Drumcullen's ambitions. This duo are two of Coolderry's greatest ever hurlers, leaders in every sense who almost always perform on the big day.

Their legs may not carry them as fast as they once did, their bones may rattle and they may feel the big hits a bit more but they are well capable of inspiring Coolderry to another title.

Drumcullen have every chance. They have plenty of experienced hurlers. Padraic Guinan is back in their defence while the Gath's, Eoin, Colm, Dermot and Conor could all make hay up front. They have a very good emerging forward in Dylan Hollywood and Drumcullen will be so hungry.

It should be very tight and it is possible that Drumcullen have a better balanced outfit but Coolderry are also strong all over the field. It will be an exciting, cleanly fought game and the presence of Brian Carroll and Kevin Brady up front, the damage they are capable of inflicting, does tip the scales slightly in Coolderry's favour.

Verdict – Coolderry.