Naas captain Brian Byrne leads his teammate to his bench for the team photograph before the 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final against Kilmoyley.
By John Harrington
Saturday’s AIB Leinster Club SHC quarter-final against Offaly champions Shinrone is a tantalising opportunity for the Naas hurlers to show just how far they have come.
Significant progress has been made in recent years with a gifted generation of young hurlers delivering four Kildare county titles in a row as well as last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship.
Competing in the Leinster senior club championship is a significant step up for the club, but a timely one too you feel.
Naas manager, Tom Mullally, knows that Shinrone will be the best team his players have ever faced, but he’s excited by the opportunity.
“It’s huge, absolutely,” he says. “I suppose we're well aware of the enormity of the challenge really.
“It'll have been six weeks and six days since we played the county final by the time we play. There have been a lot of challenges along the way to try to get us there.
“The fact that they're the Offaly champions, and next to Kilkenny as a county in terms of club hurling, they're more used to contesting Leinster finals at senior level than what Kildare clubs would be.
“We've worked hard to get to where we're at. I suppose we find out by the final whistle on Saturday evening where exactly we are at in real terms. We're definitely looking forward to it.
“We're very happy to be in a position to be in a Leinster senior hurling club championships, that's a huge honour and one we're doing everything to get ourselves right for.”
Naas players celebrate after their victory in the 2022 AIB GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final victory over Kilmoyley of Kerry.
The impressive nature of the Kildare club’s All-Ireland Intermediate championship win last year suggest they’re ready to make this step up to the highest grade of club hurling.
They defeated the champions of Dublin, Wexford, and Kilkenny in impressive fashion in Leinster and then came through tough battles against Tooreen of Mayo and Kilmoyley of Kerry in the All-Ireland series to claim the silverware.
That odyssey will surely have brought this group of Naas players on an awful lot both in terms of their hurling as well as self-belief.
“As part of our development it was important to us to be contesting, definitely in Leinster, the way it went and worked out for us,” says Mullally.
"I know the lads had previously played Tullaroan before Covid and had opportunities and felt they acquitted themselves well in that game.
“So it was important we tested ourselves and thankfully got the result to allow us progress. As a learning experience for young players coming into it, it definitely helped us a lot.”
Kildare captain Brian Byrne lifts the 2022 Christy Ring Cup alongside his fellow Kildare players.
Kildare hurling is on an upward trajectory and Naas hurlers are very much in the vanguard of that ascent.
The county senior team won the Christy Ring Cup in impressive fashion this year, the county’s underage teams are becoming more and more competitive, and Naas’s domination of the club scene is forcing their rivals to raise their level.
When you consider the high population density of the county and the fact that the game is getting stronger all the time in the major urban areas, it’s clear there’s huge potential for further growth in Kildare hurling.
“There's no doubt about that,” says Mullally. “Probably a small thing would push it on further and I can see that happening. I expect them to be very competitive in the Joe McDonagh Cup this year. David Herity is doing an excellent job there and really pushing it along. Even the clubs in Kildare, Celbridge, Maynooth, Clane, they're all pushing.
“You're seeing a lot of development at underage. Even though it's a dual county, hurling is acquitting itself quite well and it's definitely putting its best foot forward.
“We have had quite a number in with Kildare over the last number of years and between club and county they've been contesting at the highest level that was possible for whatever grade they were playing at. You can see the hunger there, yeah, absolutely.
“For Kildare winning the Christy Ring Cup, that was huge in terms of allowing the players to progress. The fact that they're back in the Joe McDonagh this year, you can see the satisfaction in them in relation to that.
“From a club perspective thankfully we got through two really big tests in county finals over the course of the last couple of years and that's shown a bit of character. It's something we've had to earn.
“The fact players have had to show that appetite in the championship with Kildare has been pleasing to say the least.
“Playing in the Leinster Senior Championship now is a big challenge, but we won’t be shying away from it.”
