For the fourth successive year Dublin hurling is represented in the Leinster club final this weekend even if Ballyboden St Enda's are outsiders against traditional Kilkenny powerhouse Ballyhale Shamrocks.
In what has been a breakthrough era for the club game in the capital, the All-Ireland title has been brought back to the capital for the first time and then retained. Ballyboden are heirs to that recent tradition having succeeded back-to-back All-Ireland winners and three-in-row county champions Cuala, who they beat in the early stages of this season’s championship.
It’s fair, however, to say that it wasn’t entirely expected that the club, serial winners in the county within the last decade or so, would add yet another title at this stage, but with new players on board they deservedly defeated Cuala in this year’s group stages.
Then in the Dublin final they eventually disposed of Cuala’s closest challengers in recent seasons and this year, their conquerors, Kilmacud, after a replay.
Since that victory was eked out, the Dublin champions have made exhaustive work of Clonkill – on an emotional night, postponed because of a bereavement in the Westmeath club’s community – and Offaly’s Coolderry both of whom resisted all the way until the end of extra-time, in the latter case, two periods.
"It's definitely been mentioned," said Conor Dooley, one of the newcomers to this level and one of the spearhead forwards on the team. He is talking about the expectation levels around the club and the lingering sense that they didn't impact in the province when so many players were at their apparent peak.
“There are a lot of fellas with a lot of experience in Leinster, and they want to accomplish what they haven’t – what they fell short of. I don’t know if that was lads putting their priorities elsewhere. But this year we just want to give it everything and it’s worked out so far. I think our hurling has improved a lot over the last couple of years.”
Top hurler
It will need to have. Facing them in Sunday's final is one of hurling's legacy clubs – using that to mean one that has won All-Irelands in different generations – Ballyhale Shamrocks, recent winners four seasons ago and now managed by the top hurler of his time Henry Shefflin.
Dooley is asked about the Dublin-Kilkenny dynamic, but is quick to reference their Cuala having beaten Kilkenny champions Dicksboro and O’Loughlin Gaels on the way to winning the last two Leinsters, and also that he and his younger team-mates carry no baggage in that regard,
“Cuala have definitely given Dublin hurling a lift so hopefully we’ll get more respect because of that. But I can’t really say too much. I wasn’t part of the [Ballyboden] team years ago that were winning county titles for fun. So it’s new enough for me.”
Playing in the forwards is also new for Dooley, who was first choice Dublin goalkeeper two seasons ago but was dropped by Pat Gilroy. With former All Star goalkeeper Gary Maguire also in the club, manager Joe Fortune asked did Dooley want a run outfield and the player now says that his net-minding days are over,
“Outfield a lot of it is based on fitness. I’m not saying you can be unfit playing in goals but if you’re looking to play 60, 70, 80 minutes of hurling, you have to make sure you have a good base in you.
“It’s a lot more game plan-based outfield, I feel. You have to make runs where you might not get the ball, but it’s all for the sake of the team, whereas when you’re in goal you’re just concentrating on yourself, your puck-outs, dealing with the ball that comes into you.”
Emphatic winners
One topical encouragement is the success of Ballygunner. Going into a third Munster final in four years and still waiting 17 years since their only previous title, the Waterford champions were emphatic winners against hot favourites Na Piarsaigh.
They had had a similarly unrelenting campaign, right down to a semi-final that went to a second period of extra time. Na Piarsaigh’s road to the final had lacked any dramatic challenge.
The vagaries of the draw mean that whoever wins on Sunday will be facing Ballygunner in the All-Ireland semi-final next February,
It’s a tough task. All Dooley can say is what he says: “We’ll go out and give it a good bash. We’ll throw everything we can at them.”
