Preview- All to play for in tough to call Kilkenny senior hurling county final

Familiar foes collide this weekend as O’Loughlin Gaels and Shamrocks Ballyhale battle it out for the Tom Walsh Cup for the third time in the last five years.

After Thomastown’s incredible win last year term which included seeing off both O’Loughlins and the Shamrocks, the two clubs will be desperate to get their hands back on the senior championship title.

The action on the pitch will be lively but just as fascinating is the battle of two Kilkenny legends on the sideline.

Brian Hogan and Henry Shefflin are former county teammates and while they are in opposition on Sunday, they will soon be joining up to work together on the Kilkenny under-20 management. That’s all in the future though, as both men look to guide their clubs back to the top of the Kilkenny ladder and from the outset, they have looked the two strongest clubs on show.

Not for the first time in recent seasons, O’Loughlins started out very strongly and collected league success but their form of late has tapered off a little.

This is in contrast to the Shamrocks, who produced two excellent displays against Erin’s Own and Thomastown before getting the better of Dicksboro despite being down a man for the majority of the 60 minutes.

It’s nothing new given the size of the parish but Shamrocks’ main issue is the depth available to them and when they get an injury or two it can be detrimental.

They have largely survived in that regard so far with Adrian Mullen and Ronan Corcoran nearing full fitness and both are crucial to the cause.

In Eoin Cody, TJ Reid, Richie Reid, Darragh Corcoran, Joey Holden, Dean Mason and a host of others, they still have players all over the field that have been there and done that but the addition of the likes of the Barron brothers, Eoin Kenneally and Niall Shortall has given them extra impetus.

The club has also received a big boost with Paddy Mullen getting his red card from the semi-final against Dicksboro rescinded and while the experienced player will be delighted to get the all-clear, keeping 15 players on the field will be of utmost importance to the Shamrocks so discipline will be key.

Shefflin is one of the main reasons that the club is back at this stage but the Kilkenny legend will know only too well that there is one more big job ahead of his team on Sunday.

O’Loughlins on the other hand are chasing a bit of form after receiving huge frights off Clara and Mullinavat in their two championship games to date.

The loss of David Fogarty and Cian Loy to injury is part of that as they were crucial to the cause but some of their bigger players are yet to catch fire fully.

The Gaels have a lot of the raw materials to hurt the Shamrocks though and while it’s far from simple, the O’Loughlins defence which includes Huw Lawlor, Mikey Butler and Paddy Deegan up against Cody, Mullen and TJ in attack for the Ballyhale outfit will be worth the entrance fee alone.

Further up the field, O’Loughlins have big assets with Jordan Molloy marauding around the midfield area and Luke Hogan, Fionan Mackessy and Owen Wall in attack while the experienced Mark Bergin is still a huge player for the five-time senior champions.

Neither side will have been overly pleased with their semi-final performances but they got over the line and training in the two camps will have been very lively over the last week.

It required a last gasp Paddy Deegan score to separate them two years ago so you can expect a similar close run thing this time around and while it’s a toss of the coin type stuff, the hurt of last year’s final and a little more depth may see O’Loughlins home.