'Senior is our main aim' says Newcastle West's Ethan Hurley ahead of Sunday's premier intermediate hurling final

THE goal is, of course, to go up senior and join the footballers, but we have to get over Sunday first and that will be no easy challenge against Garrysillane,” says Newcastle West and Limerick hurler Ethan Hurley.

A win on Sunday in the Lyons of Limerick Premier Intermediate Final at the TUS Gaelic Grounds would guarantee Newcastle West a return to the top flight of Limerick club hurling, co-inciding with the 100th anniversary of the club winning a senior title in 1925.

Speaking at Lyons of Limerick ahead of the county final, Hurley said: “I don't even know when the club were last playing in the senior hurling championship last, I'd say it was 30 or 40 years ago so it’s a shock to hear that we won a senior county title that long ago. It's a huge goal of our squad to get over the line and move back in the senior championship after such a successful championship campaign to date.”

Newcastle West have only lost one game throughout the eight rounds of the group stages of the Premier Intermediate championship this season with the defeat coming in the last round of the group games to Effin, when their place in the knock-out stages was already secured.

Hurley reflected on the championship to date for the West Limerick side. “It's been a long campaign, I missed a few games through injury, but sure you want to be playing games more than anything, the more games the better. Sunday's final will be our ninth game of the championship, but I think it's a better format than a few years back where you could be knocked out of the championship after two games.”

This will be Newcastle West's first final since winning the Intermediate championship back in 2020 and with their senior footballers knocked out in the semi-finals last weekend all hopes now rest with the hurlers to return with the sliverware.

Hurley said: “It's been a few years since we came up to Premier Intermediate and it's a great feeling to reach a final, but the job isn't finished yet. We all want to push on and get over the line against Garryspillane. We beat them in the group stages, but sure that means nothing, a final is a totally different experience for everyone involved.”

Sunday's Premier Intermediate final will throw-in at 2pm ahead of the senior decider at 4.15pm.