Senior Hurling Championship begins this weekend
At the launch of the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship were Ciarán Abbey (Naomh Eoin), Sean Wall (Bagenalstown Gaels), David English (Ballinkillen), Jim Bolger (Chairman Carlow GAA), JJ Kavanagh (JJ Kavanagh and Sons, Sponsor), Richard Coady (Mount Leinster Rangers) and Paul Doyle (St Mullins) Photo: Pat Ahern
Although champions St Mullins aren't in action on the opening weekend of the JJ Kavanagh Senior Hurling Championship, there are two intriguing ties to get the pulses racing.
At this time of the year without a hurl being struck in too much anger on the club scene, it is difficult to say where teams are. The Bolger Cup competition tells little. It should be, or you would hope it would be, an entirely different state of affairs when these sides trot out on the Netwatch Cullen Park pitch on Saturday. After all this will be championship hurling.
Rangers will feel they left a title behind them last season. Events certainly conspired against them. Fiachra Fitzpatrick’s incursion, as a water-boy, had severe consequences for club and player when a fleeting involvement with an opposition player saw him pick up a lengthy ban early in the group stages.
Rangers were cursing their luck when they were caught late in the county final and in the replay Dean Tobin was harshly sent off for a helmet violation. To be fair, manager, Paul O’Brien made little of the dismissal and admitted they would probably not have beaten St Mullins even with fifteen. Yet there has to have been simmering hurt over the last year for Rangers.
Ballinkillen are a side who have traditionally put it up to Rangers. Mind you, St Mullins don’t always get their own way either against a club who have won only two senior hurling titles in their history. Why it is hard to know. Ballinkillen have a thriving underage structure.
Ballinkillen and Naomh Eoin, for the last number of years, have been vying for a semi-final spot against each other. It is hard to see it being any different this year. Rangers should win here but it is early in the season so it could be close.
For Bagenalstown Gaels over the last few seasons, it has been a case of so near and yet so far. They lost a semi-final replay to St Mullins last year and the Bahana based club went on to win the final against Mount Leinster Rangers. Again a replay was required.
If Bagenalstown Gaels are to make the breakthrough, such is the structure of the championship they have to beat the big two. If they take out Rangers in the semi-final, invariably St Mullins are waiting for them in the final.
One of the only few ways they can avoid that is to top the group themselves and hope the big two are second and third respectively.
Naomh Eoin have been suffering for long enough now. A solid underage structure is feeding in the players alright but somewhere in between that is not transferring to the next level. Naomh Eoin lost the 2017 final to Rangers but the 2014 reverse, 0-9 to 0-7, to St Mullins was the one which hurt the most. Who knows what might have happened if they had won on a wet and miserable day back then.
Past seasons suggest Naomh Eoin are the side who are going to lose out for a place in the semi-finals. Next Saturday will tell a tale or two.
Carlow Town - Bye
Kildavin/Clonegal v Naomh Moling, 7.30pm
Naomh Bríd v Mt. Leinster Rangers, 7.30pm
Burren Rangers v Naomh Eoin, 11.30am
Ballinkillen v Mt. Leinster Rangers, 10am
Bagenalstown Gaels v Naomh Bríd, 11am
Carlow Town v Burren Rangers, 7.30pm
