Screeney living his dream with Kilcormac-Killoughey

ADAM Screeney's name is known far outside Offaly county boundaries but he is very much living the dream with his home club of Kilcormac-Killoughey.

Screeney's late goal saw Kilcormac-Killoughey scrape to a 2-13 to 1-13 win over Castletown Geoghegan in Sunday's Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship semi-final and the star forward spoke with palpable passion about his club after it.

“This is what kids dreams are made of growing up. We won our first county title in 2012, the lads went on a journey really and brought us to an All-Ireland final. We were very unlucky to lose out. I was that child running around the field after games and just loving it and to be playing with those lads now, Conor Mahon, Conor Slevin, Damien Kilmartin, the hunger is still there for them. Then you have Ciaran Slevin as well on the line driving us on. It’s really what you dream of as a young lad, playing with your club in Croke Park.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the club – they’re so generous in every way. There’s a great committee and just a great population there in Kilcormac-Killoughey; they’re all hurling mad and they’re all there to help out. A special thanks to Jim Gorman, he’s our kitman and Mary (Kiely) and they’re there after training with sandwiches and apple tart, everything. It doesn’t happen by accident, all the backroom team, they’re there three or four nights a week putting in all that work. Tony Gleeson who came in with us last year, you could ring Tony at 11 o’clock at night and he’s staying up doing stats and analysis on other teams. We’re just so lucky to have all them around us.”

Screeney's free taking was flawless as K-K edged a titanic struggle with the Westmeath champions on Sunday and he smiled:

“It was a very windy day. There was an 10 or 12 kilometres an hour wind (and then some!). We were under no illusions that it was going to be a dogfight against Castletown and seeing what they did against Thomastown last week and putting them out. We knew dead-balls were going to be very important so I had real concentration on them. I didn’t have a great day on them last week but thank God they all went over the bar.”

Outstanding as Offaly won the All-Ireland U20 Hurling Championship, it has been a long year for Screeney but it is no hardship for him.
“It is a long year but it doesn’t feel that long when you enjoy what you’re doing. I love going to training week-in, week-out, meeting all the lads, the same as everyone else. There’s such hunger there in KK to reach the potential that we want to reach. We got this far last year, we got turned over by a great O’Loughlin's side and we came down here today and we just wanted to get to the next step. In fairness to the lads, they dug deep. They were under pressure there at times but they dug deep and dug a win out somehow.”

Quick puckouts from Conor Slevin were instrumental in K-K's two decisive late goals on Sunday and Screeney reflected:

“Yeah, you get away with what you get away with. I think both sides, whatever the referee is going to let go, we were going to do. In fairness to Conor Slevin, we had been working on that. I broke out in front of James Gorman and just the communication and experience of James. He came out from behind me and told me to get in behind and he missed the ball on purpose and let it in behind. That doesn’t happen when you’re 19, 20 years of age. James Gorman has been there a long time and you just can’t teach what James has to understand that.”

K-K travel to Croke Park to play Na Fianna of Dublin in the Leinster final on Saturday evening.
“ It should be flowing hurling although you never know; when you get to this time of year, it’s really dog-eat-dog stuff. We’re playing a good side that have reached a Leinster final and are county champions. We’ll be ready for Saturday night.”