Oisin O'Reilly: Kilmallock aware of 'huge task' in Limerick hurling final with Na Piarsaigh

TWELVE Limerick senior hurling championship titles and 12 different winning captains so it’s probably no surprise that Kilmallock have a new captain in Oisin O’Reilly this season.

Indeed all it very much new for The Baalbec in 2022.

Perhaps strange for defending champions but Kilmallock are also under new management as they attempt to defend a Daly Cup title for the first time since their hat-trick of Limerick SHC victories from 1973-75.

“We are delighted to be back in a county final. At the start of the year we wanted to get to the business end be it quarter final or semi final and then we were lucky enough to be in the final after a hard fought win (over Doon),” said Oisin O’Reilly of Kilmallock’s appearance in back-to-back finals for the first time since 1991-92.

The Kilmallock captain was speaking outside Bon Secours Hospital at Barringtons at the sponsors launch of the Limerick SHC final.

Almost four months ago, O’Reilly was present at the pre-championship launch.

“There might be a perspective out there that there is a top four but the rest of the teams are catching up with the pack at this stage. I don’t think there is such a thing as a top four but maybe in other people’s perception that is the case,” warned O’Reilly at that initial launch.

And, how right he was with South Liberties and Kildimo-Pallaskenry breaking new ground across the last few weeks.

But it’s the Big Two of Kilmallock and Na Piarsaigh on county final day.

“We know a lot about them and they know a lot about us - we’ve playing them a good couple of times over the last few years,” said the pacy attacker of Sunday’s opposition.

What of the champions title defence to-date?

“Last year was the same in that we wanted to get to a quarter final or semi final and then I just think momentum kicked in from there and it took us to a county final and got us over the line. It’s huge to get a couple of wins under your belt from the off and momentum is huge in a championship like Limerick because every day that you go out you are playing a good opponent. The more you get used to winning and that momentum keeps rolling and has got us where we are,” he outlined.

O’Reilly is one of six Kilmallock players that were part of Limerick’s All-Ireland SHC success in Croke Park this Summer.

“The six of us came back but look the lads that were there were training away hard. They had the foundation done when we came back and we just seamlessly fitted in. We have a good few weeks training now and a couple of hard games, so we are in a good place and just looking forward to this.”

O’Reilly, Micheal Houlihan and Paudie O’Brien have all missed games through injury, while Kilmallock set out on their title defence without two of last year’s starting defence – Ciaran O’Connor and Liam English.

No excuses through from the team captain.

“It’s a 30-odd man panel and everyone is buying in it so it’s great. If we have one man missing it’s up to the next man to step in and thankfully there are a couple of lads after coming through again like Shane O’Brien, Conor Hanley Clarke and Killian Hayes making some starts more regularly. If someone falls out, someone else steps in and that’s the way it has to be,” he stressed.

Victory on Sunday puts Kilmallock back into the Munster club championship – they lost last year’s final by 14-points to eventual All-Ireland winners Ballygunner.

“We probably let ourselves down a small bit against Ballygunner that day but look we were there and we gave ourselves a chance and now look we are back in a county final again and looking forward to it,” he said.

And, victory would also bring an end to almost a 50 year wait for back-to-back titles.

“It would be great - we haven’t done it since 1973-74-75. It would be great for the club but look there is a huge task in front of us but we are looking forward to it,” said O'Reilly as Kilmallock go in search of another Limerick title.