Saturday, December 2

Leinster Club SHC Final

O`Loughlin Gaels (Kilkenny) v Na Fianna (Dublin), Croke Park, 4.05pm (RTE)

After waiting so long to win a first ever Dublin Senior Hurling Championship, it would be quite something if Na Fianna won a provincial title at the first time of asking.

They go into this match as underdogs, but their confidence in causing an upset will be high such is the belief they’re playing with at the moment.

Their streak of form is all the more impressive considering they’ve come this far without star forward and team captain, Donal Burke.

In his absence the Currie brothers, Colin and Sean, have really stepped up to the plate in attack, with Ciaran Stacey and AJ Murphy also having their moments.

They face a stiff test on Saturday though in the shape of a ferocious O’Louglin Gaels defence that includes Kilkenny county stars Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, and Paddy Deegan.

That steeliness at the back combined with a hard-working attack where Mark Bergin and Owen Wall are especially prominent make this a nicely balanced O’Loughlin Gaels team who showed proved their pedigree when dethroning Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Kilkenny final.

Na Fianna will make a good game of this, but that O’Loughlin Gaels defence will be hard to sufficiently breach.

Leinster Club SFC final
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) v Naas (Kildare), Croke Park, 2.15pm (RTE)

This is the third time in as many years that Kilmacud Crokes and Naas have locked horns in the AIB Leinster Senior Football Championship.

In 2021 Kilmacud triumphed by 0-14 to 0-7 in the Leinster Final and last year they came out on top by a scoreline of 3-14 to 0-14 in the quarter-final.

On both occasions the Dublin team just had that bit more quality in attack than their Kildare opposition, and, if anything, they now look slicker than ever going forward with both Paul Mannion and Shane Walsh in a rich vein of form.

Naas are no slouches themselves in front of the posts with the likes of Darragh Kirwan and Alex Beirne to call on, but if they’re to pull off a shock here they’ll need some of the supporting cast to also have the game of their lives.

Having won three Kildare titles in a row this Naas team is now a very seasoned outfit, but it’s still very hard to bet against the reigning All-Ireland champions.

They’ve won 45 of the last 49 championship matches they’ve played and the know-how they’ve developed in that period should be enough to get them over the line even if Naas bring their best performance.

Sunday, December 3

Munster Club SHC final
Ballygunner (Waterford) v Clonlara (Clare), FBD Semple Stadium, 3.30pm (TG4)

Ballygunner go in search of history when they bid to become the first ever club to win three Munster senior club hurling championships in a row.

They form they’ve shown on the way to this decider means they go into the match as the hottest of hot favourites.

They were utterly dominant in Waterford as they won a record 10th county championship in row, and then made short work of Cork champions Sarsfields in the Munster quarter-final which they won by 2-20 to 0-9.

They had their toughest match of the year against Na Piarsaigh of Limerick in the Munster semi-final, but the way they ground out their 0-16 to 1-9 win against opposition of the very highest quality was still hugely impressive.

Such is their defensive grit, midfield athleticism, and attacking flair it’s hard to see how they’ll be beaten in this game, but Clonlara deserve respect for the quality they’ve shown themselves en route to this final.

They improved with every match they played in a highly competitive Clare championship, and showed both skill and tenacity when seeing off Tipperary’s Kiladangan in the provincial semi-final.

Players like John Conlon, Ian Galvin, Colm Galvin, and Michael O’Loughlin give them plenty of punch in attack, but you would imagine their defence will have a hard time containing the likes of Dessie Hutchinson, Patrick Fitzgerald, and Pauric Mahony at the other end of the field.

Ulster Club SHC final
Slaughneil (Derry) v Cushendall (Antrim), Pairc Esler, 2pm

For the eight time in 10 years, Slaughtneil of Derry contest an Ulster Club SHC Final.

They’ve won four of the seven finals they’ve played and have a more impressive recent pedigree than a Cushendall team team that won their first Antrim title in five years, but there’s every reason to expect this will be a ferociously fought battle.

A worry for Slaughtneil will be that the may struggle to get up to the pace required considering it’s 77 days since they won the Derry title whereas Cushendall have had two tough matches in recent weeks against Loughiel Shamrocks and Portaferry.

If the Antrim side are to come away with the win the first item on their agenda will surely be to stifle the talismanic Brendan Rogers who scored 3-2 for Slaughneil in their Derry final win over Kevin Lynch’s.

Slaughtneil have other quality forwards in Cormack O’Doherty, Jack Cassidy, and Eamon Cassidy, but Rogers is very much the man who makes their attack tick.

Neil McManus performs a similar role for Cushendall and was their hero in that extra-time Ulster semi-final win over Portaferry, but the Slaughtneil defence will also need to keep a very close eye on Joe McLaughlin who hit 2-5 from play in that match.

In a game of very fine margins, Cushendall’s likely greater match-sharpness could give them an edge.

Connacht Club SFC final
St Brigids (Roscommon) v Corofin (Galway), Dr Hyde Park, 1.30pm (TG4)

This is the fourth time these two clubs have met in a Connacht final and over the years they’ve developed a hot rivalry.

Of the two teams, Corofin’s form-line has been that bit more impressive. They won a League and Championship double in Galway without losing a match, and overcome a stiff test from Mayo champions Ballina Stephenites in the semi-final.

Veteran Gary Sice pulls the strings in a very dangerous looking attack where Jack McCabe is also in a very rich vein for form.

The Galway champions are capable of attacking you from all areas of the pitch thanks to the ability of defenders like Liam Silke, Dylan McHugh, and Kieran Molloy to carry the ball forward.

St. Brigid’s probably don’t have as keen an attacking edge, but they’re a very defensively resolute team and in Ben O’Carroll, Ciarán Sugrue, and Bobby Nugent have an inside forward line that will do damage if they get a good supply of ball.

It’s usually a tough battle when these two teams meet and this is likely to be another one, but Corofin’s class makes them favourites.