Kiladangan looking to go the extra mile

 

By Shane Brophy

Kiladangan have been itching to get back to the county senior hurling final to right the wrongs of last year’s final defeat.

While finishing second best to Borris-Ileigh on the day, it was tough for Kiladangan to watch on as their North rivals went onto claim Munster glory and play in an All-Ireland final.

Kiladangan feel it could have been them, but they didn’t produce their best on county final day and until they do, they won’t become county senior champions for the first time.

“We’re a full year living with last year,” admitted Kiladangan manager Brian Lawlor. 

“It was a great victory for Borris-Ileigh but we just weren’t happy with our performance on the day and maybe our performance in the whole knock-out stages so that was a big motivating factor for us all year and we wanted to get back there. 

“Our focus for the next two weeks is not just to get there but to go and do our best and try and win. All we want them to do is play to their best in the final and whatever happens happens. 

“But we’re up against an extremely, extremely good team and the one thing I said to the lads before we finished up was there is no complacency here, all anyone has to do is watch the stream of their (Loughmore’s) semi-final win and you couldn’t be complacent playing such a good, well-organised team that have so much camaraderie and togetherness from the football as well.

“It’s going to be a cracker of a match. Loughmore are an unbelievable team and have done what we haven’t done in the last decade and get to a final and win one so we know we are up against a very experienced team and a one who have done it before.

You could see it in Kiladangan’s semi-final victory over Drom & Inch that they weren’t easing up, despite having the game well in hand, as they know it will need a sixty minute performance to get the better of Loughmore.

“We just didn’t want to let those energy levels dip because that’s come against us in the past, we just wanted to keep driving on,” Lawlor added. 
It’s no coincidence that the two sides still standing have come through a demanding schedule unscathed with no injuries or suspensions which has allowed them to bed down settled sides.

It also goes for playing in Semple Stadium with it being Kiladangan’s fifth and Loughmore/Castleiney’s sixth in the venue so far in the championship, primarily because of the Covid 19 restrictions and that experience will help what is still a young panel.

“If you take out Joe Gallagher and Fergal Hayes, it is one of the youngest squads out there,” Brian Lawlor said. 

“There are a few lads just out of minor and a few lads hovering around the under 21 grade so they are inexperienced but what has been fantastic this year has been getting all the games in the stadium because we have played here four times now and are into a routine of the warm up in Dr Morris Park and coming down to the stadium so that is brilliant preparation for the final.

“It is now a case of going out and doing the same again in the final, whereas maybe in previous years the quarter finals weren’t in the stadium and the first time you saw it was in the semi-finals so it’s great for the younger players to get into that atmosphere early on.”

In what is Kiladangan’s third final in five years, they have yet to add the club name to the roll of honour as senior club championship winners. Brian Lawlor doesn’t feel the team is coming in under any extra pressure following their final losses in 2016 and 2019.

“People don’t realise how hard it is to win a county title,” he said. 

“It has gone to sixteen teams in the Dan Breen, and they are all good sides. You are up against seasoned teams who have been there before.
“People have referenced we have lost county finals but we lost in 2016 to Thurles when we were novices while last year’s county final (Borris-Ileigh) did hurt us a lot but we are acutely aware it’s not easy to win them.

“It’s fantastic for the club to be getting to finals and we are going to do everything we can to try and win it for our fans, for our players and for the parish. 

“Hopefully, we will play well on the day which we didn’t do last year and who knows what can happen.”