Killian aiming to become second Sampson to lift Sean Robbins Cup for Shinrone

AT 24 years of age, Killian Sampson did not have to experience the same level of heartbreak that older brother Jason went through on Shinrone's march to the top of the Offaly hurling world.

Coming for a few years before they won their first Senior Hurling Championship title in 2022, Shinrone had often flattered to deceive but some of those hards defeats sowed the seeds for future joy.

Sampson was there for some of them, having made the senior hurling team at 18 years of age in 2018, straight out of minor. At that stage, the defeats didn't have quite the same impact on him as some of his older colleagues and he insisted this week that it wasn't heard to keep going.

“I think we knew we had a good team, we knew we had great hurlers, and it was just a matter of time if we kept knocking on that door we would break through and all we needed was that one win to get that monkey off our and get into a semi-final and that happened then. And in the Covid year we got through the group stage and there was no quarter-final and we still lost to Coolderry in the semi-final but we had that experience. In 2022 we pushed on and beat St Rynagh's in the quarter-final in Birr and then got to the final against Kilcormac-Killoughey. All we needed was that breakthrough. We knew we had the hurlers, we knew we had the team for it, we just needed to go and do it ourselves.”

Magic was in the air at that 2022 county final against Kilcormac-Killoughey and it tugged on heart strings far outside of Shinrone with people delighted to see a club win their first title.

“It was really special to create those memories, create our own bit of history. It was really nice to see all the people around the village and the wider community and how much it meant to them, and the older people who hadn't seen that before. That was back in 2022 and we're ready to move on from that and we're ready to create our own bit of history with this team, the young lads who have pushed this team on in the last two years or three. They probably never witnessed a county final so it'd be good for those to see what it's like. We want to push on now and do more and create more history.”

Older brother Jason Sampson was the Shinrone captain that day and now Killian is aiming to follow his footsteps up into the O'Connor Park stand around 2.30pm next Sunday afternoon. He knows, however, that finals can also go spectacularly wrong and saw that in 2023 when Kilcormac-Killoughey destroyed them.

“It was just one of those things where you go out... we had the work done, we prepared right and it just didn't go our way on the day. We saw in 2022 that there were things that went our way and didn't go Kilcormac-Killoughey's way on the day and it just worked out that everything was in our favour. I suppose we were lucky in some senses but we created our own luck and in 2023 it was just bitterly disappointing. To show up with the county final back in Birr and not to put in a performance was really, really disappointing.”

Like all Shinrone people, he knows the importance of winning a second title.

“We probably took it a bit too much for granted, after not being in a county final, and then two years in a row being in the final after not being there for 60 years. We noticed last year when we got to the quarter-final and were knocked out that county finals just don't happen every year, especially in a county like Offaly with so many competitive clubs every single year. We know we have to make the most of the opportunities we have. We have to really grab them with two hands and that's what we are prepared to do.”

Shinrone's hunger has been obvious all year.

“Yes we are hungry. We have a bit of freshness, we have the new management. They're all local lads, all Shinrone lads, only finished up hurling. Two of our selectors are still hurling with our second team, intermediate. They've brought in a great freshness, we've a great bond within the group. It's great craic going training every evening, you can see the camaraderie, you can see everyone in training and that's what it's all about, going out onto the field and having a bit of craic and that creates the hunger as well. You want to go out on the pitch and do it for the lads.”

Sampson was asked about the intensity of Shinrone's training.

“That's the way the game is gone. Everybody is doing it these days, the same S&C, the same coaching, the same drills. It's just about what you put into it and how fast you can do it, the pace of hurling that you can have. It's something that definitely Conor Cleary our coach has brought in this year. He won a county minor championship with SBK here I think only two years ago and that's something that was evident in his coaching from day one and he's really pushing us on this year, how fast we can hurl and how fast we can do things on the pitch.”

Shinrone are way more relaxed about the whole county final experience now than they were ahead of their first in 2022.

Sampson agreed: “That just comes with a bit of experience, not getting to a senior county final before, not knowing what to expect. It was new for everyone and we just needed to go through it and come out the other side. And we were just glad to win back in 2022. We're more comfortable with that now. It's the same for everyone, you have to do it. You have to go out and put in the performance and trust that you have the work done and you have it banked.”

Now one of the best hurlers in Offaly, many people see Sampson as a forward but he has been outstanding at centre back for Shinrone this year. It's a role he likes.

“Yeah I do. It's really enjoyable and I suppose it's completely different. The club game is completely different to inter county and coming back to the club you don't mind where you're going to play. You even notice that with some of the lads that are from Shinrone or are from different clubs that are in the county team as well, they go back and they're all probably nearly put in different positions, that's just what you do, we've seen that and I've seen it myself since underage, you might be playing in the forwards and you could go back and you'd be half back or something.

“It's just always the way it's been. I'd be between half back, half forward, corner forward with Shinrone seniors so it's second nature. If I was asked to go back up half forward in the morning I'd do it straight away. You have to go with the flow and see whatever happens. I'm enjoying the role this year and I think I've great lads around me. The lads are after taking it all in their stride. We've a couple of young lads that really stepped up to the mark. We have a couple of elder statesmen, Darren Crean who has come in for the last two games, he was there and has that experience from 2022 and 2023 so it's great to have that link and create those relationships on the pitch.

You're probably involved more at centre back than at wing forward?

“You would be, I suppose. You're in the centre and you're engaged in most puck outs and most plays. You can find yourself drifting around in the half forward line looking to get on the score sheet. At centre back you have no choice to go if the ball is going to be there and you have to make it your business to get in there and try win it and get off the shoulder and help the lads around you.”

A lot of clubs fear Kilcormac-Killoughey but Shinrone have the experience of knowing they can beat them.

“They have exceptional hurlers all over the field, everybody in Offaly and the wider country knows that. It's no secret how good some of their players are and how good they've been in recent years. We can show them respect but we're really looking forward to it. We know we have the work done, we know we have the experience from 2022 and 2023 so if we can just get it right on the day and put in that performance, do what we know we're capable of, we're confident enough in our own abilities that everything will work out for us on the day.”

Shinrone play a lot of games in Birr but O'Connor Park seems to suit this exciting team. Does the venue make any difference?

“No, every year is kind of the same. We hurl most of our group games because of where we are, in Birr, and we've done well in the last few matches there but it makes no real odds. I think we've see that we hurled well when we down to Tullamore, even in 2023 we played the quarter-final against Birr and then the semi-final against Ballinamere there.”

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The fact that they won their final in O'Connor Park and lost one in Birr has not been lost on Sampson or Shinrone either.

“Then we lost the final in Birr where we were most comfortable hurling for the last three or four years previous to that. So look, I think it's all on the day, regardless of pitch or conditions, or anything like that. You just need to show up and be ready to hurl, be ready to put in that performance on the day.”