Shamrocks stopper Dean Mason eager to maintain winning feeling

Shamrocks of Ballyhale goalkeeper Dean Mason may only be in his early 20's but he has already done it all in the club jersey.

The University of Limerick student was thrown into the Shamrocks senior side at the ripe young age of 17 and then in 2018 he won his first Kilkenny SHC title when the club defeated Bennettsbridge in the final but that was just the icing on the cake for Mason as he had already won an All-Ireland Colleges medal with St.Kierans College earlier that season.

Mason has since gone on to win four county titles as well as a pair of All-Ireland crowns in 2019 and 2020 and he has the unique distinction of never losing a senior championship game with the Shamrocks.

It's a record he is immensely proud of and with another All-Ireland final spot only 60 minutes away, he is keen to keep the unbeaten run going against St.Thomas.

"We've been very successful in recent years but we don't concentrate on what has gone, it's just about this year's All-Ireland and we just want to keep pushing on as it's been a great time for the parish aswell"

"It was great coming into the team and the success is something you'd only dream of and there will come a day where we will lose but it's about how we react to that and it's that drive to succeed that keeps us motivated", he said when speaking at the launch of the AIB All-Ireland Club Hurling Championship this week.

The young goalkeeper admits linking up with such an experienced squad of players was daunting at first but he's learnt a lot in the last few years including under the tutelage of Henry Shefflin who coached him in his first two years.

"Henry was brilliant for me and the stuff he brought to training was amazing and his knowledge and tactics were second to none in the period that he was here".

"When I was playing in goals during my first year, Richie Reid used to always give me advice aswell as he used to play there so having them experienced players handing on feedback is great and their presence alone is massive as you don't want to let them down", Mason admitted.

Along with teammates Darragh Corcoran and Eoin Cody, the goalkeeeper has been kept busy with the Under 21 Shamrocks side reaching the County Final against Dicksboro and while it is a busy period for Mason as he is also involved in the UL Fitzgibbon squad, it's something he is relishing.

"It can be challenging at times juggling all the teams but I always concentrate on the most important thing and right now that is the club so obviously we have our Under 21's training with the seniors and that's two in the one so it's beneficial too".

"The Under 21 final is very much on our mind too and it's good having everyone training together as the younger lads are getting the experience of training with the like sof TJ Reid, Richie Reid, Colin Fennelly, Joey Holden and Adrian Mullen so hopefully when the time comes we can get over the line in that too".

"As regards the Fitzgibbon it's hard enough as you want to be playing but you also have to mind yourself for the club as that's the priority at the moment".

Mason knows that they have ridden their luck on a couple of occasions this year but the core belief amongst the group is what sets them apart and he's hoping that will again come to the fore in Thurles tomorrow afternoon.

"It all comes back to the workrate and discipline among the team and if you keep fighting, sometimes things will go your way and that's what's happened with us a few times".

"We take it one game at a time and that will help in getting us where we want to be".

After playing with the county at underage, Mason has big ambitions to play with Kilkenny in the future but for now all attention is on Shamrocks as they aim to move one step closer to a historic All-Ireland three in a row.