Borris-Ileigh face the ultimate test in quest for second All Ireland title
GAA: AIB All Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final Preview
By Shane Brophy
BORRIS-ILEIGH v BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS
Croke Park
Sunday 19th January
Throw-in @ 2.00pm (E.T.)
Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)
Borris-Ileigh will have to produce their most complete performance yet if they are to overcome Ballyhale Shamrocks and win the All Ireland Senior Club Hurling title for the second time on Sunday.
The maroons have been on a hell of a ride, one unforeseen by even themselves when the championship resumed last August. A county title would have been the ambition but as they showed back in 1986-1987, when they get that taste for winning in their nostrils, it's a craving that doesn't go away.
It's the same for Ballyhale Shamrocks who are aiming to join Birr, St Mary's Athenry, Portumna and Cuala in successfully defending their title and in doing so claim the Tommy Moore Cup for an eighth time.
With a team that contains half the starting forward line for the Kilkenny senior hurlers in Adrian Mullen, Colin Fennelly and the outstanding TJ Reid, it is the ultimate challenge for Borris-Ileigh to try and conquer but it is one they will relish.
So far this season, they have shown the occasion doesn't phase them in the slightest and the fact that they got a walkabout in Croke Park last Saturday will ease the tension among the players who have not experienced playing in GAA headquarters before.
A steady start is essential for their chances and avoiding a situation that befell St Thomas' of Galway last year who were 1-4 to 0-1 behind against Ballyhale before they knew where they were.
Ballyhale Shamrocks have shown themselves to be far from fallable in the championship so far, having lost three games in the league stage of the Kilkenny championship which saw them end up in the first round of the knockout stage which also acted as the relegation semi-finals. However, they have shown their power since where apart from a sloppy first half in the quarter final against Clara, they have rolled past all opponents in Kilkenny and Leinster.
That was until the All Ireland semi-final where they passed the severest of tests from Derry's Slaughtneil who were superb on the day and arguably could have beaten Borris-Ileigh or St Thomas' if paired with another semi-final opponent.
That semi-final will stand to Ballyhale in a major way while it also gives manager Henry Shefflin the ideal stick to beat them to find more for another stiff test which should come from Borris-Ileigh.
To have a fine where two of the current greats of the game in Borris-Ileigh's Brendan Maher and Ballyhale's TJ Reid coming up against eachother is a dream of a final and their likely battle will go along way to deciding the outcome.
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