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*Adam Hogan and Cathal McInerney in action. Photograph: Ruth Griffin.
CLOSE CONTESTS are on the cards with four teams left vying to lift the Canon Hamilton but by the end of the weekend the county finalists will be known.
Scariff senior hurling manager Mark McKenna is, understandably disappointed that he is not busy finalising plans ahead of a county senior hurling semi-final date this weekend.
A one point loss to Cratloe two weeks ago ended his side’s involvement in this season’s title race, a result which means that his role this weekend is reduced to that of a spectator.
While still coming to grips with his side’s exit from the race, the Scariff man expects two close contests in this week’s semi-finals. “Cratloe are an experienced side and momentum appears to be with them. They won again at the weekend when qualifying for the football semi-final and they are sure to get a good bounce from that. They are after two good results against Kilmaley and Scariff and they will be hard to beat”.
McKenna continued, “Feakle are a very settled side. They had a few injuries last year but they have been very consistent this year. They have two county players, two All-Star nominees, one of whom is likely to be the young hurler of the year. They are a very solid side with Shane McGrath who is hurling out of his skin and he will take some watching. It’s a hard one to call and I won’t be surprised if extra time is required. Cratloe are always hard to beat but Feakle may edge this one by a point or two”.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final between Inagh/Kilnamona and Sixmilebridge, he said, “heading into the quarter finals the prediction was for Éire Óg and Clonlara to progress but that didn’t materialise. The two that have come through are strong contenders. This is a Sixmilebridge team with a lot of experience and they have a bench that they can call upon and that is huge at this time of the season. We beat Inagh/Kilnamona in the opening round and that defeat seems to have got them going and they have been flawless since. They have two county players, both All Star nominees and that is a huge lift. They have had a lot of underage success which leads to the question when are they going to get the big break. They are where they want to be at this time and this is a huge chance for them”.
Turning to the relegation final between O’Callaghans Mills and Corofin, McKenna believes “the relegation final takes on a life of its own. It’s down to what you have on the field and the desire to grind out results. Corofin have lost key players to travel and injuries. The Mills would seem to have an edge and should edge what will be a tight contest”.
Looking at the intermediate semi-finals, the Scariff man isn’t surprised at the progress of Killanena to this stage of the competition. “They are a coming side and they have some excellent young players coming through while they also have some great experience in their side. Tubber have been around the block, getting to finals but not getting over the line. They know what is required. They will see this as a chance to get to another final but I think Killanena can win this one”.
Wolfe Tones are fancied to come through in the other semi-final, he said. “Wolfe Tones were installed as one of the favourites from the outset. They have had a few convincing results but they had to battle hard last day out for victory. That game will have shown them that the intermediate title race is a minefield. That said, they have huge inter county experience in their squad, much more than any of the other teams left in the race but Ruan have been knocking on the door for a while and they are in the semi-final on merit and they will put up a serious challenge to the Tones”, he concluded.
