No time like the present as Kilcormac-Killoughey aim to take big prize

KILCORMAC-Killoughey's obvious potential to experience future riches will not come into their thinking at all as they head to Croke Park for the Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship final on Saturday.

A seasoned, very good Dublin outfit, Na Fianna will provide the opportunity and Kilcormac-Killoughey won't need anyone to tell them that these type of opportunities are hard earned and far from guaranteed in the future.

The Offaly champions have some of the best young hurlers in the country at their disposal and their potential to win All-Ireland and Leinster club titles is obvious. The impression that it is early for some of them is also real but an opportunity has opened up for them this year and anything is possible.

Na Fianna will be marginal favourites for Saturday's final but Kilcormac-Killoughey won't be one bit daunted. They will travel to Croke Park full of confidence and optimism and it is close to a 50-50 game.

We wondered how their young players would fare in Winter hurling at this time of year but they have provided very encouraging answers over the past two weekends. The fears that they could struggle, that the heavy conditions and influence of wind, would be difficult for some of their young players to cope with were legitimate ones.

K-K do have young, light players and some of them have plenty of physical developing to do as they bid to make the jump from underage players with outstanding potential into proven senior stars.

Yet they have shown in their Leinster wins over Carlow's St Mullin's and Castletown Geoghegan of Westmeath that they can flourish at this time of year. James Mahon, Brecon Kavanagh, Colin Spain, Adam Screeney et-al are clearly made of the right stuff and they are well able to hurl in the Winter. Their class is still shining through but even more importantly, they are showing that they have the toughness and character to do the business.

It is all very encouraging and Kilcormac-Killoughey are becoming a very potent force. In Offaly, they sauntered through most of their games this year, playing some champagne hurling, but they are also able to win real tight dogfights.

They did it against Ballinamere in the Offaly final, St Mullin's in the Leinster quarter-final and against Castletown Geoghegan in Mullingar last Sunday. Against Ballinamere and Castletown Geoghegan in particular, Kilcormac-Killoughey stared down defeat late on and were able to get the decisive scores to win.

Ballinamere had them on the ropes in the county final but just couldn't get the couple of extra scores they needed. Castletown Geoghegan were two points ahead with three minutes left last Sunday but goals from James Gorman and Adam Screeney got K-K across the line. This ability to finish strong, to get decisive scores when bodies are tired, the pressure is at its most intense is a huge asset and is a big part of the reason, there is growing optimism about their prospects.

The strength of K-K's panel is a real asset. They have been able to cope with losses that could break other teams. Defensive lynchpin, Cillian Kiely missed the Offaly final and St Mullin's games with a broken thumb and only made his comeback in the second half on Sunday. He has been arguably K-K's single most important player but they were able to sustain his loss and still win big games.

There is a fear, however, that Kiely will be out again. He headed for the dressing room almost immediately after the final whistle on Sunday, clutching his injured thumb and in clear discomfort. He did not look happy at all and if he received a stroke on that thumb, the fear is that he will be gone again. His availability will become apparent in the coming days but it did not look good on Sunday. That would be a great shame for the player, who has worked so hard to get fit, and his club and team mates who are crying out for his huge influence. If Kiely is okay, K-K will have to make a call on whether to start him. The wise money will be on him starting and Enda Grogan losing out but at the moment, his participation is in real doubt.

Ter Guinan is out with a hamstring injury. He hasn't played in Leinster and his loss is almost as big as that of Kiely as he had been flying throughout this year. Yet K-K have coped while the introduction of subs has been a big factor in their wins.

Last Sunday, Cillian Kiely, Peter Geraghty, James Gorman and Cathal Kiely all did crucial work off the bench while Alex Kavanagh didn't have time to impress when coming on in the 60th minute but the wide open space in Croke Park will be very much to his liking.

Jack Screeney slotted into the team in Carlow when Ter Guinan ruled out. He was brilliant that day and while he didn't have as good a game last Sunday, he still did well and it is great to be able to call up a replacement of that calibre. Similarly, Enda Grogan very much cushioned the absence of Kiely in defence and one of the big problems facing K-K is keeping their big panel of players happy.

They have players on the sideline who would make every club team in Offaly and many very good sides outside of it. They have an enviable array of talent, keeping everyone contented is not an easy task and it could become more difficult in the coming years.

At the moment, however, they are managing it and the awareness that hurling is now a 20 man game, that the players coming on are every bit as important as the ones starting, is a big help in this. The subs have certainly helped them get across the line in the most recent games and without their impact, K-K would probably be gone.

In many ways, the time is perfect for K-K to win these titles. They have a handful of hugely influential performers in the second half of the thirties and they have provided a great mix with the younger talent.

Players such as Conor Slevin, Damian Kilmartin, Conor Mahon and James Gorman were all there when K-K made the big breakthrough in 2012, they have won a Leinster medal and competed in an All-Ireland final. Their leadership has been immense but their performances have also been top quality.

They are leading by example but they won't remain as potent forever. As the 40 mark looms closer, they will tip over the hill and their influence will diminish. It hasn't happened yet but it can happen very quickly and that day is coming like a train.

Now is the time to make hay and at the moment, K-K have almost a perfect mix of youth and experience. They have their young guns and old stagers and they also have a couple of players around the 30 mark. They will of course be hoping that the young players will compensate for their loss when they go and that some of their outstanding underage talent will have come onto the scene by then.

All of that, however, is for another day and at the moment, they are playing some exceptional hurling. They know the task facing them on Saturday. Na Fianna were just pipped by Kilkenny's O'Loughlin Gaels in last year's Leinster final and K-K are familiar with their quality and strength.

The Dublin side did well to beat St Martin's of Wexford last Sunday and they are a serious, relentless side. It will be another fiercely fought battle and it is likely to go down to the wire. Croke Park should suit K-K but it will take a mammoth effort to win.

They have come out on the right side of their recent dogfights but they could also run out of road at any stage. K-K are beatable but one of their great strengths is the ability of different players to perform on different days. By his own high standards, Charlie Mitchell has been off the pace in the past two games but he loves Croke Park and he could cut loose the next day. They have so many players who can contend for man of the match, no obvious weak-link and K-K have a great chance of a second Leinster title.