Kilcormac-Killoughey favourites but golden opportunity awaits Shinrone in novel Offaly SHC final pairing

SHINRONE'S historic appearance will enhance neutral interest, whet appetites far beyond club boundaries for Sunday's Senior Hurling Championship final shootout with Kilcormac-Killoughey in Tullamore.

It has been a sensational year for Shinrone who have blown very hot and cold at times, very much mixing the good with the bad. They were almost gone a couple of times but they have shown terrific character to advance to the final and will now take on Kilcormac-Killoughey with their hopes high, confidence soaring.

Shinrone will be underdogs in the final and that is unavoidable considering the rarity of their appearance here. They have reached only one final before and that was in 1960 when a then powerful Drumcullen pipped them by 4-11 to 4-10. The defeat is still looked on with huge regret by Shinrone and they were very close on the day. They didn't know it at the time but that was also a historic final.

Drumcullen's win was the last of their 17 titles. They were a dominant, all consuming force until then and their rivalry with Coolderry in particular, the toughness of their battles, is part and parcel of Offaly hurling folklore. It was ferocious stuff at times but Drumcullen never won again as the emergence of St Rynagh's and then Kinnitty changed the face of Offaly hurling. This great proud club now find themselves back in intermediate ranks while Shinrone are one of only two parishes in Offaly that have never won a senior championship title – Rahan is the other one.

Now they find themselves just one game away from shedding that unwanted distinction and they have a good outside chance of making the big breakthrough. They ooze quality in different sectors and Shinrone are in the final on merit.

Kilcormac-Killoughey were certainly not title favourites at the start of the year. They were definitely behind St Rynagh's in the list of contenders, close to a par with Coolderry and Birr and ahead of the other clubs with genuine aspirations, Shinrone, Belmont and Ballinamere in the pecking order.

Their early form was not convincing. They were winning games and that is all you can do but it raised legitimate questions about their ability to find the extra gear they needed. They have certainly found that gear in recent weeks and are now playing very well. They know what it takes to win championships, Tullamore is a favourite hunting ground of theirs and they have the favourite's tag on Sunday.

Kilcormac-Killoughey have only recently become a force. Killoughey won three championships in the 1890s and 1900s while Kilcormac never won one. After their 1907 triumph, Killoughey drifted down the ranks but their 1986 amalgamation with Kilcormac changed their stars. Kilcormac-Killoughey endured plenty of trauma and heartbreak in the 1990s and 2000s as they tried to make the big breakthrough.

Offaly hurling was on a high in the 1990s to 2000 and K-K couldn't beat the great Birr, Seir Kieran and St Rynagh's teams when it really counted. Their 2009 county final defeat against Tullamore was a devastating blow. They were warm favourites but a rejuvenated Tullamore took them and it looked like K-K's day might never come.

In 2012, it came right spectacularly. They won their first Offaly title, went on to win Leinster and were not far away from Galway's St Thomas in the All-Ireland club final that St Patrick's Day. It was the start of a golden era. They completed three in a row in 2013 and 2014 and returned to the summit in 2017.

They have had four barren years, however, as some of that golden generation either drifted away or declined. They couldn't beat St Rynagh's for life or money in recent years and it the early predictions were that this year would be too soon for them as they wait for the emergence of their latest golden generation.

They have dominated the underage scene in recent years and have some of the most gifted, exciting players that captured public imagination as Offaly went so close to the All-Ireland minor hurling title this year. It all suggests that they are about to embark on a period of dominance but time will tell on that one – as K-K people are quick to point out, they dominated the underage championships in the 1990s but that generation never made the breakthrough at senior level.

Winning this championship would be almost a “bonus one” for them and K-K now have a great opportunity. Recent past history suggests that they are well capable of losing this one and they can be erratic but K-K's form has been more consistent, a bit more solid than Shinrone. They won all four games in the group and their early season was not convincing but the wins were all that mattered. They beat Birr by a point, 0-17 to 0-16 in their first game, were on thin ice as they edged Clodiagh Gaels by 1-12 to 0-14 and took Kinnitty by 0-26 to 1-17 – 26 points was a huge return yet K-K's overall performance raised questions.

They have been very good since then. Their 1-19 to 1-15 win over St Rynagh's was hugely important for two reasons. It came against a side who have been their nemenis for some time while it also secured them top spot and a direct place in the semi-finals.

That gave them time to get in quality work and it showed as they had a comfortable 1-19 to 0-17 win over Birr in the semi-final – Birr rallied late and K-K didn't put them away but there was no doubting their superiority.

They also got stronger as the year went on. Twins Thomas and Peter Geraghty returned home from Dubai, though Peter has gone back there and won't be featuring in the final. The veteran Ger Healion returned from an extended five and a half week holiday in the USA and has contributed powerfully from the St Rynagh's game, showing his importance to them.

Shinrone have had some luck along the way but sometimes, these breaks can result in silverware. They qualified in third place in group 2, drawing 2-15 to 0-21 with Ballinamere in their first game, beating Seir Kieran by 2-19 to 1-14 in their second. They then had a huge win over Coolderry, 1-16 to 1-15 on a day when they battled back and showed terrific character. It secured their knockout place but they were dire in their last group game against Belmont, trailing heavily early on and suffering a 3-18 to 2-14 defeat.

With the winners qualifying for the semi-finals, that should have been a big incentive for Shinrone but they didn't perform. Going the quarter-final route, however, has served them well – they produced their performance of the year to eliminate St Rynagh's by 1-15 to 1-13. It was their best display in a long number of years and they fully deserved the win.

They almost came a cropper in their renewal against Belmont in the semi-final. They were 0-19 to 0-11 behind after 38 minutes but staged a sensational late snatch and grab raid and a couple of fortuitious goals got them over the line, 2-18 to 0-23.

Shinrone are in the final on merit. They have gradually emerged as genuine contenders during the past five years and performed gallantly when losing to Coolderry in the semi-final last year. There were times when they seemed to have a missing ingredient, days when they didn't perform and there is the potential for that to happen again in the final.

Both sides have plenty of potential match winner. Damian Kilmartin is running a lot of games from centre half back while Cillian and Cathal Kiely are absolutely pivotal to K-K. Both have been performing very well, especially Cillian and Shinrone will be aware of the need to curb them.

Young players, Colin Spain, Alex Kavanagh and Lochlann Kavanagh have progressed nicely this year while Tom Spain, Jordan Quinn and Jack Screeney have all played county hurling – Spain is now 30 and his county days may be over but Quinn and Screeney have plenty of years ahead of them. Screeney was injured for the semi-final and it will be interestimg to see if K-K change a winning formula for the decider.

Shinrone are backboned by the Cleary and Sampson families. A lot of their players are related and those family bonds are serving them well. They have a lot of players who have featured for Offaly at various levels – Dara Maher and Luke Watkins are exciting emerging talents while the Sampson's, Killian and Jason are so important to them. Their form will dictate a lot on Sunday.

Adrian Cleary has been scoring with great regularity while Sean Cleary has the potential to emerge as a match winner. Shinrone have a very tall, ball winning full forward in Ciaran Cleary and a lot of their game has been based on getting high ball into him and he either scoring himself or laying off to a colleague.

It has worked a dream so far, most spectacularly against St Rynagh's but Shinrone need a plan B as K-K know all about Cleary's threat. The match ups will be interesting and K-K will need a big man to go toe to toe with Adrian Cleary.

It is a fascinating final. O'Connor Park is like a home venue for K-K and it is an advantage to them but it remains the best pitch in Offaly with the best facilities under every heading and no team should fear it. The venue should not be a problem for Shinrone and if it is, then they need to look at themselves.

Shinrone could win but they need everything to go right to do so. They could click but their form has been up and down. K-K struggle to put teams away and they can start slowly. Those are major challenges for them and it is not far from a 50-50 game. There is a golden opportunity here for Shinrone and they will empty the tank. We also don't know how good K-K really are and the doubts that surfaced about them earlier in the campaign are still valid.

The odds favour K-K but they are in for one mighty battle from Shinrone who have the enthusiasm of newcomers and all the excitement that generates in their own club and wider locality.

Verdict – Kilcormac-Killoughey.