Sunday's Club Hurling Finals: Previews

Previews of this weekend's matches

Leinster Club HC final

Birr (Offaly) v Ballyboden St Enda's (Dublin), Tullamore, 2.0. Deferred TG4

Oulart's Liam Dunne makes the point that after many years of disappointments in the Leinster club championship, the club's first tilt at the title, all of 13 seasons ago when they took the eventual All-Ireland champions Birr to a tightly contested replay, remains as close as they've got to winning. The lesson he suggests is Ballyboden should use the momentum of their first county title to make a major impact in the province, as things might not get easier.

The Dublin club's calling card remains the exuberant comeback against Dunne's team in the Leinster quarter-final but the last day's win over the Laois champions, Camross, though on paper not as significant, also had its merits. For all their overwhelming favouritism Ballyboden must have been aware that for a Dublin hurling side to be shoo-ins against Laois opposition isn't the most comfortable of positions and it took a lot of nerve to repel Camross's frantic assault on a narrowing lead.

That Birr provide the opposition is a surprise in some ways but mainly because too much was staked on Ballyhale's ability to keep going in the continued absence of Henry Shefflin and James Fitzpatrick and maybe too little on the Offaly champions' ability to step up on last year's poor display in the Leinster final. Still, the Dubliners are likely to feel more encouraged by the fall of even weakened All-Ireland champions.

Ballyboden were always considered potential contenders, if they could get out of Dublin, and they have fulfilled those hopes so far. Their record against top clubs in challenges is respectable and it will be a disappointment if they are not competitive tomorrow.

Conal Keaney's most effective spells against Oulart and Camross came farther out the field and he could exploit Paul Cleary's hesitancy in the air. On the other 40 Brian Whelahan has been bringing his experience to bear and there's a potentially fascinating tussle with Tim Sweeney, who helped steady Ballyboden at centre back in the semi-final when the flow was against them.

Both sides have a core of seasoned county players but Birr are so practised at winning and still have about half the team that won their most recent All-Ireland five seasons ago. At full tilt Ballyboden will exert serious pressure and maybe even have more scoring potential but there is an energy and commitment about Pad Joe Whelahan's team that suggests they can make their greater experience tell.

Munster Club HC final Loughmore-Castleiney (Tipperary) v Tulla (Clare), Gaelic Grounds, 2.0. Live TG4

A novel final between two clubs with virtually no experience of the provincial championships. Tulla's progress has probably been a little less expected than that of the Tipp champions but the Claremen's tough, pressure game has made them hard to beat. In the past five matches they have conceded just one goal - in injury-time at the end of a county quarter-final they were winning well. Even the last day they didn't cough up a decent goal chance until injury-time, when Philip Brennan saved well.

The slightly unexpected defeat of Ballyduff did come in difficult circumstances for the Waterford champions, who had to field without forwards Pádraig Kearney and Michael Molumphy, but Tulla were tight and managed to time their goals perfectly. They also had their injury woes, forwards Andrew Quinn and Éanna Torpey missing the semi-final, but the latter is expected back tomorrow having had the plaster removed from a broken hand.

Loughmore have had a more demanding schedule and better chances to go through their gears. Another reason for tending toward the Tipp side is the feeling, on a weekend of typically provincial-club-final weather, they have the same physical attributes as their opponents but with a better balance of technical accomplishment. These complementary approaches made their contribution against Adare, with Micheál Webster, whose bustling, high-catching style is well suited to tomorrow's expected fray, bulldozing his goal off an unadorned high ball and the prodigious Noel McGrath combining with the pace of Evan Sweeney to open up the Limerick club more elegantly for further scores.

Breaking through Tulla's rearguard will be a challenge but one Loughmore look capable of meeting. At the back they are bulwarked by two All-Ireland winners, Paul Ormond and David Kennedy, and like their opponents have shown cool heads during crisis points in matches.

It's hard to go against Tulla with their driven and dauntless performances to date but the belief here is Loughmore can meet them on that ground and exploit the greater variety to their game.