Preview- Leinster final spots in sight for Kilkenny’s champion trio

Kilkenny’s three hurling champions are all still standing ahead of Leinster semi-final action this weekend.

Shamrocks Ballyhale, Danesfort and Barrow Rangers are all at home as a place in the Leinster deciders very much comes into view.

Given all that happened after the Shamrocks’ recent win over Kilcormac-Killoughey, the second half display from the 12-time Leinster champions was a little overlooked as Henry Shefflin’s side battled to a hard-fought success over the Offaly team winning out on a 0-25 to 1-18 scoreline.

Another Midlands team awaits the Ballyhale outfit this Sunday at 1.30pm in UPMC Nowlan Park as Clough-Ballacolla of Laois come to town.

A pair of goals from Laois senior star Willie Dunphy gave Clough-Ballacolla a two-point success over Westmeath’s Castletown-Geoghegan in the Leinster quarter-final in Portlaoise and they will travel to Noreside as huge underdogs.

The two clubs met in the Leinster final as recently as 2021 when a star-studded Shamrocks team hit their opponents for six goals with Colin Fennelly (2), Adrian Mullen, Eoin Cody, Eoin Reid and Brian Cody all finding the net for the Kilkenny side in Croke Park.

There will be no Adrian Mullen this time around as he’s ruled out with a broken thumb and while Clough-Ballacolla come to Nowlan Park with a win behind them and key players in the likes of Stephen Bergin, Aidan Corby and the aforementioned Dunphy, anything less than a comfortable win for the Ballyhale side would rank as a big surprise.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Danesfort will be in Nowlan Park as they host Commercials of Dublin in the Leinster intermediate semi-final. Like Clough-Ballacolla, they are a club who have previous with Kilkenny sides.

The Rathcoole-based outfit beat Blacks and Whites on their way to a Leinster junior final appearance three years ago. Stepping up in the grades, they will serve as a big banana skin for Danesfort.

The standout performer during that three point success was Dublin underage star Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing and after the same player nabbed 1-14 in the Dublin final win over St Sylvester’s a few weeks ago, Adrian Burke’s Danesfort team know where the biggest threat lies.

The Dublin side beat Naomh Brid of Carlow on a 3-19 to 0-12 scoreline last time out but this will certainly be a big step up as they meet a Danesfort team who are riding a bit of a crest of a wave at the moment.

The Kilkenny champions backed up their county success with a seven-point victory over Wexford’s St Mogue’s of Fethard in what would have been a real banana skin on paper.

After surviving that tricky start to the Leinster campaign and having key young attacking threats in the shape of Anthony Ireland Wall, Fionn Mahony and Sam Hayes, the ’Fort will be confident of having enough in their armoury to make a final once they can curtail Ó Dulaing’s sizeable influence.

On the same afternoon, Kilkenny junior hurling winners Barrow Rangers continue their trip around the county as they face Wexford side Davidstown Courtnacuddy in the Leinster semi-final at Canon Kearns Park in Castlecomer at 1.30pm.

After playing against Drumcullen in Gowran and this game being initially fixed for Callan, the Paulstown-Goresbridge outfit are getting used to numerous venues and they will need to be familiar with their surroundings as they face difficult opposition.

The Wexford side won the Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship in the Model County last month with goals from Páuric Doyle, Brian Smith and Lucas Fitzpatrick seeing them past Duffry Rovers and after having 15 points to spare over Naomh Bríd/St Brigid’s in the Leinster quarter-final, they will come to Noreside in confident mood.

The Rangers will look to the likes of Joe Healy, Shane McDonald and Keith Flavin for inspiration in the hope of advancing.