Kilcormac-Killoughey and Shinrone aim to lay down championship markers in league final
Both clubs will be keen to capture league honours
THERE will be plenty of interest in the Division 1 Hurling League final next Sunday. With the championship looming, Kilcormac-Killoughey and Shinrone will be aiming to lay down big markers when they clash in Birr with a 3pm throw in.
Championship holders and favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey have set the standard, winning all their games in the league and showing encouraging early season form – even though they were without their county contingent for most of the campaign.
The Division 1 Hurling League saw the ten teams placed in two groups but getting five games as they criss-crossed, facing the teams in the opposite group.
Kilcormac-Killoughey topped group 1 with wins over Birr, Coolderry, Seir Kieran, Tullamore and Ballinamere while Shinrone were second in that group with six points, losing to Seir Kieran and Birr and beating Coolderry, Tullamore and Ballinamere.
Shinrone accounted for Birr in the semi-finals, 3-23 to 0-24 while Kilcormac-Killoughey were pushed hard by Coolderry before winning, 2-19 to 2-16.
While Shinrone lost two games in their campaign, there is no need to read anything into that. Their loss to Seir Kieran was a surprise but the absence of their county players would have had a much more severe impact on Shinrone than Kilcormac-Killoughey who have a far greater depth in strength. Seir Kieran would have had their strongest available team out that day as well as they had no player on the Offaly senior hurling panel.
The championship starts on July 11 and already, it is exciting the senses, awaited with tremendous anticipation. The rivalry between Kilcormac-Killoughey and Ballinamere is capturing the imagination of supporters: K-K beat them in the final last year and look set for a period of dominance but some of their outstanding young players are still in the development stage while Ballinamere look to be at the perfect age.
And then you have Shinrone coming into the mix. They won their first and only title in 2023, never really got going last year but there has been very positive word of mouth coming from their camp and as things stand, they are high up on the list of contenders.
This game will tell a bit more about their health but it will be important for them to compete very well. K-K may not be at full strength as Adam Screeney and Cillian Kiely have had injury problems but they will still have a very strong team out.
There will be a bit of pressure on K-K this year after they got rid of last year's title winning manager Shane Hand at the end of 2024. The appointment of a very well respected and successful manager, Tipperary's Declan Laffan has taken the heat out of that and you can be sure that K-K will be meticulously well prepared but it is still hovering in the background.
All of that will have absolutely no influence on Sunday and we should see a very good game of hurling. It won't be quite championship intensity but it will be very close to it. K-K will be anxious to win everything they can, to send out a powerful message to their contenders while Shinrone's motivation levels will be sky high – they have won very little in senior hurling and they will be going all out to capture a title that does mean something.
K-K are favourites and you would expect them to have the fire-power to edge it but it is a game to look forward to and it will give an indication of where both sides are.