Ballybrown continue to shine under Kevin Lally in Limerick Senior Hurling Championship

BALLYBROWN senior hurling manager Kevin Lally said their aim since the start of the year was to make the knockout stages of the Whitebox Limerick Senior Hurling Championship.In the last two seasons, Ballybrown have been defeated in the quarter-final stages of the SHC.

Ballybrown are bidding to reach a county semi-final for the first time since 2016 this weekend.Kevin Lally's side have been in impressive form winning three of their five group games in group one of the SHC. The city-based club finished in third place on six points. This Sunday Ballybrown face Adare in the Limerick SHc quarter-final in Askeaton on Sunday at 2pm.

“It's great. When we sat down at the start of the year our aim straight up was to see could we get into knock-out hurling and could we punch that ticket?

“It was about punching a ticket and getting to a county quarter-final and thankfully we have done that,” said Kevin Lally.

Lally previously served as Galway senior hurling selector under Henry Shefflin and Lally has previously managed Galway club St Thomas’ to county senior hurling championship success.

Ballybrown have chased goals in this year's championship and they have scored thirteen of them across their five group games. Lally's charges issued a real statement defeating Kilmallock 4-20 to 1-19 last weekend in round five of the Limerick SHC. 

“To come out and get a goal and get a goal in these conditions, I suppose up to now we have probably been playing summer hurling but all of sudden we are now playing winter hurling. And to come out and get four goals is very pleasing,” added Lally.

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Ballybrown were narrowly defeated by Doon in round four but the Galway native feels his side were able to take huge confidence in that performance.

“Any day you pitch up against the market leaders, you put in a performance and probably disappointed we didn't win the game, we did take confidence from the way we played and some of the stuff we have been working on in the training field came off.”

Aidan O'Connor, Ross Kenny, Colin Coughlan, Keith Punch, James Coughlan and Leigh Doolan have all impressed for the 2024 Group 2 winners this year.

Lally feels the eight-day turnaround from his team's victory over Kilmallock will be a challenge this weekend.

“We had two weeks between the Doon game and (the Kilmallock game) and the amount of work we got through was brilliant. Of course, it is going to be challenging I'm sure we picked up a few niggles and stuff there. That's going to be challenging and try prepare for a county quarter-final.”

Lally has been impressed by his side's consistency levels during this year's championship.

“It's been a good campaign for us up to now, bar the Na Piarsaigh game we have been decent in a lot of games and (against Kilmallock) we probably played our best hurling at times.

“I thought our use of the ball was really good and from a coaching point of view it is very pleasing,” Kevin Lally added.