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Our hurling writer, Mike O’Halloran, is looking forward to a competitive few months of hurling action, as the Garveys Supervalu Kerry SHC gets underway this Saturday night with Crotta O’Neills taking on Abbeydorney…
Crotta’s Jordan Conway (seen here in action against Kilmoyley last year) will be a key man this Saturday.
An overview of the Championship would suggest that it is wide open this year and so it seems with very little between the teams.
I would suggest that it is between Kilmoyley, Lixnaw, St Brendan’s and Abbeydorney, but we will know more at around 8.30pm on Sunday evening.
The first round games are being played in North Kerry with the final in the redeveloped Austin Stack Park. The North Kerry clubs did a wonderful job last season and I’m sure they will be even more organised this year.
Continued below…
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I’m looking forward to the hurling fare and looking forward to the Mikados and sugary tae.
The Garveys SuperValu Kerry Senior Hurling Championship begins on Saturday at 7pm in Ballyduff, where near neighbours Crotta O’Neills and Abbeydorney will open the weekend action.
Abbeydorney will not have great memories of their last visit to Ballyduff in last year’s championship; on a windy evening when they were beaten by Kilmoyley after conceding handy enough goals.
Abbeydorney come into the championship this year with a determined air of confidence about them. They have defeated Ballyduff and drawn with Kilmoyley, only to lose after extra time. While these results are significant, even more significant is the large scores they are amassing in games.
Adding to the new determination are the twin towers of the O’Leary brothers, the silken ball distribution of PJ Keane and the hard work of James O’Connor.
Crotta O’Neills came within a whisker of progressing in last year’s competition when they had a chance to defeat Ballyduff…but didn’t.
Crotta need to build on their efforts from the last few years. There is huge work being done underage in the club and success at senior level needs to drive the ambition of the underage players.
Shane Nolan will again be the key man, but the other big star on the O’Neills team these days is the great youngster Jordan Conway who starred for the Kerry seniors each time he played this year.
Sean Weir, the other Kerry panellist who seemed to fall down the rankings with the Kerry hurling selectors, will have a point to prove.
I expect that Abbeydorney will not want to leave “the home of hurling” without a win this time and if their high scoring form continues on Saturday evening, they should have enough to just about pip Crotta O’Neills.
• More previews of the weekend’s hurling championship action tomorrow
