Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship
Sunday 20 October
Ruairi Ogs, Cushendall v Dunloy Cuchullains
Venue: Páirc MacUílín, Ballycastle
Throw in: 2pm
Referee: Ciarán McCloskey (Loughgiel)
Brendan McTaggart casts the final word on Sunday’s senior hurling championship final.
The old saying of ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ can be head when reviewing the race for the Volunteer Cup with many predicting a Cushendall and Dunloy final. It is the fourth time the sides have met since 2017 but incredibly despite the records of both clubs since the 90’s, Sunday will be just the seventh time they’ve met in the final. What’s the current standings I hear you ask? The Cuchullains have won six with Cushendall’s solitary victory coming in 1999.
To continue the numbers theme, because everyone loves a good stat, Sunday will be the 11th final since 2014. Dunloy have won five, Cushendall four and Loughgiel with the remaining win in 2016. Since the turn of the millennium, Dunloy have competed in 12 finals, losing just once. That game coming under the floodlights of Casement Park in what was the last senior hurling game at the grand old stadium while Cushendall have reached the decider on 16 occasions. Their record just not as impressive as the Cuchullains as they lifted the Volunteer Cup in seven of those finals.
Stats and facts all make for great reading and bar stool banter, but it’ll have absolutely no baring on the outcome of Sunday’s final. It’s about who makes the starting lineups, those who make the most of the opportunity that comes their way and those who win the big moments throughout the 60 minutes.
Their fortunes in both semi finals couldn’t have been more different. Dunloy Dazzled in the Rain (sorry for the bad pun) while Cushendall were put through a titanic tussle, took to the brink of championship oblivion before finding a way to get past St John’s.
Dunloy looked somewhere close to being back to the side that reached the club All-Ireland final in 2022. They outfought, outmaneuvered and effectively out hurled Loughgiel. They looked like a side who were relishing the championship knockout and a belief back in their armory. Keelan Molloy called it their ‘mojo’ when I chatted with him earlier this week, they certainly played with the same kind of style that has those of a certain age scratching their head. If you hear it once, you’ll hear it a hundred times: ‘drive the buckin thing long, would ye.’ It doesn’t happen. You’ll hear it in manager interviews, those three key words: ‘Trust the process.’ It’s the Dunloy process, the Dunloy way. They’ll bring that again on Sunday and it’ll be effective with and against the elements.
Cushendall were in a major dogfight against St John’s. I called the middle third of the pitch like a scene from a war film where no quarter was asked for nor given. Bodies on the line, big hits taken, dished out and it was 80 plus minutes of high octane, intensity and drama. Neil McManus said it’s very difficult to replicate it, I’d say it’s impossible. You can set up all the scenarios you want in training and the off league match would get the blood pumping but nothing beats the championship and the pace, the passion, the intensity of it all. St John’s matched the Ruairi’s but the champions found a way. Looking back, they won enough of the big moments to earn that win. The defining period coming just before half time when Cushendall turned a 4 point deficit to 2 and with the knowledge of the wind at their backs in the second half, it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion but it was advantage Cushendall and they took it.
Both sides have injury concerns coming into the decider with Cushendall missing the services of Martin Burke and Scott Walsh for their semi final win over St John’s. Neil McManus started that game, his first start in this years championship but word on the street is he’s struggling to shake off the effects of a thigh injury that has plagued the Ruairi’s captain this season. The midfield pairing of Alex Delargy and the impressive Fred McCurry had to come off in the same game with knocks and have added to the Ruairi’s physio table. With the nature of the injuries, I’m fully expecting all of the above to be available and make take their place in the starting 15, leaving a question for Brian Delargy to ponder. Did Charlie McAuley do enough in the semi final to keep a place in the starting lineup? McAuley is still minor and had an excellent game, it would be harsh to drop him but the experience of Martin Burke and given the expected weather, it may be enough to give Burke the nod.
The other question for the Cushendall management team is in attack. McManus played at 11 with Ryan McCambridge at 14. Off course that rotated plenty throughout the 80 minutes but it’s the options thereafter. Joseph McLaughlin will start, that’s a given. Ronan McCollam has progressed nicely and I’d expect him to line out also while Fergus McCambridge always has a big game against Dunloy. That leaves one spot with Ciaran Neeson, Ed McQuillan, Ronan McAteer and Paddy McGill all eyeing a starting place. Answers on a post card.
Dunloy’s injury concerns are a little more transparent. Conal Cunning will be missing picking up a serious knee injury in the semi final win over Loughgiel while Ronan Molloy and Eamon Smyth were both missing. It remains to be seen if either of the defenders will be fit for Sunday but when it comes to this stage of the championship, you do whatever it takes to get fit if possible.
Gregory O’Kane has options with Tom and Luke McFerran coming into the 15 and having a great game while Eoin McFerran lined out at wing half back. It was a return to the starting lineup for ‘Wango’ and he had an impeccable game. It was a big call but one that was vindicated given their performances. Up top, who replaces Coby? Some would argue that you just don’t, or maybe, you can’t. It could call for a change of position for the likes of Nigel or Seaan Elliott to play a bit closer to goal but both have been so impressive in the middle third, it would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Other options lay in Gabriel McTaggart, Nicky McKeague or Chrissy McMahon who all came off the bench in the semi final. I’ve found that trying to second guess Gregory and his thinking for the starting 15 is borderline impossible and I’ve came close to embarrassing myself on a couple of occasions with my predictions, but I see McKeague starting with the expected weather conditions the factor again.
Prediction time. Ah are you expecting me to back anyone else but Dunloy? I do think it will be close, to the point where you don’t rule out the prospect of extra time, close. The difference could be the substitutions or the finishers as they’re called these days. I think Dunloy have enough on the bench to make that impact. The weather will have a massive impact on the game and if the forecast is correct, expect the proverbial game of two halves and maybe Conor McAllister raising a white flag from a puck out! But, it’s Dunloy to make it 17 by the final whistle.