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Hurling

hurling

Cuala keeping eyes firmly on the prize

Cian O Callaghan

Cian O Callaghan

By John Harrington

Every Cuala supporter, Na Piarsaigh supporter, and hurling neutral is highly excited by what tomorrow’s AIB All-Ireland Club Senior Hurling Final will bring.

It’s a true heavyweight clash. The 2017 champions Cuala in one corner, the 2016 champions Na Piarsaigh in the other.

Both teams have played some sparkling hurling to get to this year’s Final, and both hurl with a combination of silken skill and uncompromising physicality.

It’s been built up as a potentially epic battle but, according to Cuala full-back Cian O’Callaghan, the players themselves are steering well clear of the hype.

“That wouldn't be something that would come into my mind at all,” he said. “I'd say that's best left to your families and your supporters, and people down in the pub having a chat.

“Building up to that kind of atmosphere, that kind of excitement. That's the kind of talk you'd be talking about. But as a player, you're in a bubble. You have to perform at the level you want to perform at.

“Every day you go out, you just have to make it count. Every time you put on that jersey, you don't know how many days you'll get like that.

“You don't know who's going to get injured. You don't know who's going to get married and move away. So there is a bit of that going on behind the scenes.”

Cuala v St Martin's GAA Club - AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

Cuala v St Martin's GAA Club - AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

It’s an incredible achievement for Cuala to make it to a second All-Ireland Final in a row and wouldn’t have been possible if they did not have a canny manager in the shape of Mattie Kenny as well as a group of very talented players.

The Galway native has managed to keep his team mentally as well as physically fresh by giving them plenty of rest whenever possible, even though they’ve effectively been playing hurling non-stop for the past two years.

“Absolutely, you can't be going 100mph for two years in a row," said O'Callaghan. "So we had that bit of a break, and that's massive. That's a massive side of things.

“He understands the importance of rest, and places emphasis on that, which I think most good managers do. I think that's becoming increasingly important in whatever sport, the sports scientists realise that.

“You have to get a certain amount of rest, on top of building up that fitness level. Lads need time to rest, recuperate and get the bodies right.

“A bit of rest is always good for the mental side of things.”

Cuala v St Martin's GAA Club - AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

Cuala v St Martin's GAA Club - AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Semi-Final

Cuala can surely expect a stiffer test this time around than in last year’s Final when they defeated Ballyea of Clare by 2-19 to 1-10.

O’Callaghan admits Na Piarsaigh will bring ‘something new’ to the table that they haven’t encountered before, but is hopeful the experience he and his team-mates have built up by now will stand to them.

“You go into these matches and you fully expect them to go down to the wire," he said. "And that's natural because once you get to this level, the teams you are playing are top quality.

“Pretty much every team you play, once you get to All-Ireland semi-final stage, you're pretty much playing at intercounty standard. So you're preparing yourself for a battle.

“I suppose last year we got a bit of the rub of the green in that final. Things went well at certain points in the match.

“That was by no means a cake-walk against Ballyea, they were a serious team. At pivotal points in the match we got a few lucky breaks, so you have to run with those breaks.

“I think having that bit of experience is definitely a help, just in terms of knowing what went well in training last year, what didn't go well.

“What kind of preparation worked the best. But at the same time Na Piarsaigh are in a similar boat.

“I think they've won five Munsters in the last seven or eight years, which is obviously massive so they're bringing something completely new to the table. We're looking forward to it.”