Even by Kilkenny’s own lofty standards there would appear to be plenty more than just another county hurling title at stake at Nowlan Park this Sunday. Old rivalries have surprisingly realigned and particularly on the sideline.
In naked facts it’s Ballyhale Shamrocks versus James Stephens, with a 2.30 throw-in, live on TG4.
Flesh that out and it’s Ballyhale looking to win a fifth Kilkenny title in a row, unbeaten in knock-out hurling in the county now since October 2017; another win here would also extend their outright number of hurling titles to 20, level with the county record held by Tullaroan, who they beat in the semi-final last weekend by four points, 1-24 to 1-20.
Tullaroan, who had last won the title in 1994, had thought perhaps their time had come again.
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It’s Ballyhale also looking to make some amends for how things finished up last season, when after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the All-Ireland club semi-final against St Thomas’s, they were hit with a late, late winner from first-time All-Ireland finalists Ballygunner, who also became the first Waterford club to land the coveted title.
That defeat aside, Ballyhale are still unbeaten in their last three Leinster campaigns, and before earlier this year, the previous two All-Ireland campaigns.
Standing in their way of again extending that winning title streak are James Stephens, the Village club who last won the Kilkenny title in 2011 and lost their last final appearance in 2019 to Ballyhale. They also lost the 2017 final.
And standing on the sideline for them on Sunday will be Brian Cody, who joined up with his club at the start of September, just weeks after stepping down after 24 seasons as Kilkenny senior hurling manager following the narrow All-Ireland final loss to Limerick, ending a tenure that included 11 All-Ireland titles.
Few anticipated Cody’s return to the Kilkenny sidelines so swiftly, though James Stephens had been struggling to find form under manager Séamus Dwyer, the Laois native.
“Brian is very much involved in our club anyway”, club secretary Niall Connolly said at the time. “He’s a James Stephens man and knowing Brian, it was never going to be too long before he got back involved in the club.”
Cody’s youngest son Diarmuid is also captain of James Stephens this season, former Laois football boss John Sugrue involved as a coach, and Cody’s presence has clearly played some part in getting them back into the final.
Ballyhale are now managed by Pat Hoban, previous manager James O’Connor stepped down after the All-Ireland defeat back in February. A former Waterford defender and former manager of his own club in Waterford, Lismore, he’d been given the unenviable task of taking over that role from Henry Shefflin.
Hoban, a Mullinavat native, has previously managed Kilkenny at both minor and intermediate level.
Ballyhale did have to battle hard to get past Tullaroan, Colin Fennelly’s 38th-minute goal proving the decisive score after they chased for much for the first half, TJ Reid, Evan Shefflin and Eoin Cody helping to draw them back.
“The Tullaroan game was a real test of our character,” Hoban told the Kilkenny People afterwards. “I’m absolutely thrilled and I’m delighted for the players as it was exactly how we thought it was going to be.
“We played Tullaroan earlier in the year and it was a very similar game, while they were with us all the way and we just got a few points near the end to go clear.
“We won the last two games easy and we looked good but that was a real test of character as much as our hurling so it was great to come through it. The goal was a massive score for us as it helped us open the gap between the sides.”
For James Stephens, who beat Dicksboro in their semi-final, a win on Sunday would be title number 10. Unlike Tullaroan, however, who won their 20 Kilkenny titles from 1887 to 1994, Ballyhale are a far more modern phenomenon, only winning their first title in 1978, also winning a four-in-a-row from 2006-2009. Sunday offers the chance to win a first five-in-a-row.
“To do five-in-a-row would be magnificent and there’s no point in saying it’s not,” added Hoban. “We have a few players new to the panel who would be delighted to get one medal and then there’s other guys with a lot of medals.
“It’s a special year for the club as it’s our 50th anniversary so there’s a lot of motivation for us but we still have to go out and hurl. James Stephens are one of the Shamrocks’ biggest rivals so they’ll be all guns blazing on Sunday. You don’t win a county final in Kilkenny easy but the boys will be bursting to have a go.”
