Kilcormac/Killoughey relish chance to defy expectations

Offaly may not be the giant killers of hurling they once were, but as long as there as clubs such as Kilcormac/Killoughey there is always hope. Not for the first time they find themselves carrying the pride of the county against teams of weightier reputations.

Founded as recently as 1986, Kilcormac/Killoughey only won their first Offaly title in 2012 – and promptly followed that with a first Leinster title, where they took out several more established clubs, including Oulart-the-Ballagh, from Wexford, in the final.

Now, having won a third successive Offaly title, comes Sunday’s Leinster club final against Kilkenny giants Ballyhale Shamrocks (Portlaoise, 2pm). Not many people are expecting them to win that, although Kilcormac/Killoughey are well used to being underdogs, as forward Daniel Currams explains.

“Even this year, in our first game in Leinster, we went to extra-time against Shelmaliers in Wexford Park,” says Currams. “We looked dead and buried, but just got through it. Shelmaliers were a seriously tough, physical team. They put us to the pin of our collar, but we never gave up.

“Then against Raharney, the last day, we didn’t hurl to our potential but we never panicked and stayed going and pulled through in the end. We probably haven’t been playing our best so far but we’re still there, we’ve still been winning, and hopefully there’s a big performance in us for Sunday.”

Currams has his own motivations in that he missed out on the biggest day in the club’s history, back on St Patrick’s Day 2013, when they lost out in the All-Ireland club final to Galway champions St Thomas.

Currams broke his arm the week before, playing a challenge game against the Kilkenny under-21s, and clearly the memory of all that still lingers.

“It was a killer, really heartbreaking,” he says. “We’d only been a senior club since the 1980s, and Danny Owens, the manager, came in and gave us the belief. That’s all we needed.

“Going all the way to the All-Ireland final in the first year was unbelievable, although there was a lot of heartbreak in missing it, personally. That was tough to take, yeah.”

Making amends

Victory over Ballyhale on Sunday would go some way towards making amends for that, although with the likes of TJ Reid, Colin and Michael Fennelly, and of course Henry Shefflin still on board, Currams admits that they make for formidable opponents.

“They’re deserving favourites. I don’t know how many senior All-Ireland medals they have between them, but it’s certainly a little frightening. But this is why you train, this is why you make the sacrifices. The chance to play the Kilkenny champions in a Leinster final is something we’re really looking forward to.”

Currams has already played under three different Offaly managers (Joe Dooley, Ollie Baker and now Brian Whelahan), and admits that victory on Sunday would unquestionably help in bringing Offaly back up to the top table of Leinster championship hurling.

“We are going through a difficult period. I don’t really know why. I think the structures aren’t there at the underage, and do have to be put there. It’s something has to be looked at. But then it’s not up to me.

“But we would have seven or eight intercounty players now, and it is definitely a strength to have them.”