Hurling final is family affair as Limerick father and son face off on opposite sides

IT WILL be a family affair this weekend as Kilmallock's O'Brien men are heading into a novel head-to-head position.

Young Shane is fresh from the minor team and facing his first Munster Senior Hurling Championship final, while his father Adrian is strength and conditioning coach for neighbouring, but rival county Clare.

Currently aged 18 and studying Arts at Mary Immaculate College, Shane's sporting talents did not go unnoticed at a young age.

Having studied at Ardscoil Rís, the Kilmallock native was once a Munster under-15, under-17 and under-20 champ. Now, usually at the forward line, Shane is one of the youngest on the county senior panel.

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Meanwhile, behind enemy lines, father Adrian has a major part to play in the Clare campus as he evaluates the Clare men as they hope to beat the Treaty County, ending their dreams of 5 in-a-row.

A rugby man in his youth, the head of the O'Brien family now continues his sporting career on the sidelines.

He went on to be a selector in Kilmallock, and for a period carried out the role of strength and conditioning coach with the Limerick senior football team before heading to the Rebel and Banner counties.

While there will be great excitement this Sunday, family comes first, and whatever the outcome, both O'Briens will be winners on the home front.