Loughrea (Galway) v Slaughtneil (Derry), Parnell Park, 1.30pm – TG4.
Ballygunner (Waterford) v St Martin’s (Wexford), FBD Semple Stadium, 3.30pm – TG4.
*****
Loughrea (Galway)
Key players
Tiernan Killeen and Anthony Burns have both been exposed to the inter-county environment with Galway this summer, they have returned to club action and prospered as leaders. Killeen, joined by brothers Cullen and Caimin in the middle third, is a prominent figure, while Burns provides firepower close to goal, as evidenced by his five points from play in the county final.
Sideline leaders
Tommy Kelly remains the manager guiding the fortunes of Loughrea, while Gavin Keary is their highly-regarded coach. The pair combined to steer the club last year to a first Galway title since 2006. An interesting presence as part of their management setup is Clare’s totemic defender John Conlon. Kelly and Keary were part of the Clare setup around 2018, forging a relationship then with Conlon that lasted.
All-Ireland semi-final history
Loughrea teams have had two prior engagements at this stage. The class of 2006 got the job done against Antrim’s Cushendall before they were felled by Ballyhale in the final by seven points. The greater reference point for the current Loughrea crew is to rewind twelve months to Thurles.
The memories of that game against Na Fianna won’t make for pleasant recollections. They hurled with purpose and a terrific start saw them ahead by five early in the second half. It took until the 57th minute for Na Fianna to creep into the lead, and even though Loughrea levelled, AJ Murphy’s injury-time score broke the hearts of the Galway champions. Watching Na Fianna subsequently canter to the All-Ireland title made the pain sting more.
Loughrea players celebrate their 2024 Galway final win. Evan Logan / INPHO
Evan Logan / INPHO / INPHO
Form this season
Loughrea lost their last group game in Galway against Craughwell but their excellent knockout stage form saw them recover from a seven-point deficit to defeat Clarinbridge in the quarter-final, overcome Turloughmore by five points in the semi-final, and then retain their title by claiming the significant scalp of St Thomas at the final stage.
Darren Shaughnessy struck 1-2 as Loughrea completed back-to-back counties for the first time. After a seven-week break since that success, Loughrea are now back in action.
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*****
Slaughtneil (Derry)
Key players
With Gerard Bradley struggling with injury this season, Cormac O’Doherty – previously a ball-winning full-forward – has adapted the deep-lying role.
There, sitting just behind midfield, he has shown a wide range of spraying passes to Chrissy McKaigue and Brendan Rogers in the half-forward line.
Portaferry let him go free in the Ulster semi-final which ended up a disastrous plan.
He is also lethal from the dead ball, as his 0-10 (8 frees) in the Ulster final demonstrated.
Sideline leaders
Paul McCormack is now in his second year in charge, after the Michael McShane era which began in 2015.
Living in north Monaghanm, there’s a little bit of travel involved, but importantly, he understands the DNA of a dual club, having played football and hurling for Armagh and Keady.
He was on the panel that delivered Sam Maguire in 2002 and ten years later, was captaining the Orchard county to a Nickey Rackard success.
McShane’s attention to detail and strong background made him a tough act to follow, but McCormack has drafted in popular club figures Padraig Dougan who was club captain in 1993 and part of Mickey Glover’s management, while Barney and Ricky McEldowney look after analysis and general organisation.
All-Ireland semi-final history
Slaughtneil have been in five All-Ireland semi-finals since they cracked the Ulster code in 2016. The first time they sampled life outside the province it was a crushing 3-21 to 2-11 defeat to Cuala.
A year later and they were presented with a glorious chance after Na Piarsaigh of Limerick were reduced to 13 men shortly after half time, a period that Slaughtneil entered three points up.
However from that point they were overwhelmed, with Shane Dowling providing an outrageous goal along the way.
The greatest game they were ever involved in was the first weekend of January, 2020 when they came within five points of Ballyhale, but gave them some scare all the same.
In 2022, it was Ballygunner at Parnell Park and the Derry side were in it for a good while.
Last year, it was a single point defeat to Sarsfields. By God, they have paid their dues.
The Slaughtneil players celebrating after this year's Ulster final. Andrew Paton / INPHO
Andrew Paton / INPHO / INPHO
Form this season
This year, there was something of a novel event when Slaughtneil got it tight in a group game against Kevin Lynch’s. Novel in that they have turned their own backyard into a procession, winning every single championship since 2013.
Other group games against Lavey and Swatragh are not worth mentioning, and when it came to the final, the result was in no doubt after the first ten minutes, Slaughtneil eventually beating Lynch’s 3-24 to 1-10.
The hardest game they had all year was the Ulster semi-final against Portaferry, relying on Shea Cassidy to hit 0-11 as they prevailed by five points.
St John’s mixed it with them physically in the final, but eventually Slaughtneil’s conditioning began to tell as they triumphed 0-23 to 0-10. As ever, geographic location and lack of access to competitive games is their Kryptonite.
*****
Ballygunner (Waterford)
Key players
There are several key components to the Ballygunner setup. Stephen O’Keeffe directs operations in goal, Paddy Leavey has become so prominent at midfield, while take your pick of their glittering attackers like Pauric Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald. But the influence of Philip Mahony at the heart of their defence remains as important as ever. 16 years since he first played in a Munster final, the former Waterford senior has been in excellent form of late.
Sideline leaders
A change for Ballygunner this year after the huge success enjoyed under Darragh O’Sullivan’s stewardship. Jason Ryan has taken charge, an interesting appointment given his extensive football background with previous inter-county roles in charge of Wexford and Kildare. Fergal Hartley, who steered Ballygunner to the Munster crown in 2018, is back involved as part of the management team.
All-Ireland semi-final history
For the sixth time a Ballygunner team enters the All-Ireland semi-final arena. With only one win from five previous outings, it’s a trend they want to alter. Clarinbridge defeated the class of 2002, while of more relevance to this squad is the semi-final losses at the hands of Ballyhale Shamrocks (twice) and St Thomas in recent years. The January 2022 victory over Slaughtneil represents Ballygunner’s solitary semi-final success.
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The Ballygunner players after their Munster final win. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Form this season
Ballygunner’s awesome form in Waterford continued when they cruised to a 12th title in a row, a 22-point mauling of Mount Sion in the decider. They maintained those high standards in Munster, grinding out a three-point win in a proper battle with Na Piarsaigh, posting 4-18 in the semi-final against Sarsfields, and then demonstrating their class in the nine-point final win over Éire Óg Ennis.
*****
St Martin’s (Wexford)
Key players
The O’Connor influence is inescapable when assessing the form of St Martin’s. Barry’s return from Sydney has transformed their attacking outlook, while Jack’s terrific Leinster final form in firing over six points saw him deservedly win the man-of-the-match award. But it is Rory who has consistently stood out across the Leinster campaign, the Wexford county star amassing 0-34 over three games, illustrating his reliability from placed balls while he chipped in with 0-3 from play in each of those provincial outings.
Sideline leaders
Daithí Hayes is the St Martin’s boss again this year, having guided them to Wexford county senior glory last year as well. Willie Cleary, the highly-regarded coach who previously had success at club level with Naomh Éanna, and club stalwart John O’Connor are also involved.
All-Ireland semi-final history
This is uncharted territory for St Martin’s after making the Leinster breakthrough. It’s a decade since a Wexford club featured on this stage, Oulart-the-Ballagh triumphing then, and you have to go back to Rathnure in 1998 for the last team from the county who contested the All-Ireland final.
The St Martin's players after their Leinster final win. James Lawlor / INPHO
James Lawlor / INPHO / INPHO
Form this season
After retaining their Wexford crown, St Martin’s emerged in Leinster wearing the look of a team determined to make their mark. They issued an early statement of intent, toppling the reigning All-Ireland kingpins Na Fianna by a point. Their dominance in the semi-final was reflected in the ten points they had to spare over Naas. Then came that epic Leinster final when St Martin’s edged out the heavyweight force of Ballyhale thanks to Ben Stafford’s brilliant winner.
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Final Four - How are the clubs chasing All-Ireland senior hurling glory shaping up?
All-Ireland senior club hurling semi-finals
Sunday 21 December
*****
Loughrea (Galway)
Tiernan Killeen and Anthony Burns have both been exposed to the inter-county environment with Galway this summer, they have returned to club action and prospered as leaders. Killeen, joined by brothers Cullen and Caimin in the middle third, is a prominent figure, while Burns provides firepower close to goal, as evidenced by his five points from play in the county final.
Tommy Kelly remains the manager guiding the fortunes of Loughrea, while Gavin Keary is their highly-regarded coach. The pair combined to steer the club last year to a first Galway title since 2006. An interesting presence as part of their management setup is Clare’s totemic defender John Conlon. Kelly and Keary were part of the Clare setup around 2018, forging a relationship then with Conlon that lasted.
Loughrea teams have had two prior engagements at this stage. The class of 2006 got the job done against Antrim’s Cushendall before they were felled by Ballyhale in the final by seven points. The greater reference point for the current Loughrea crew is to rewind twelve months to Thurles.
The memories of that game against Na Fianna won’t make for pleasant recollections. They hurled with purpose and a terrific start saw them ahead by five early in the second half. It took until the 57th minute for Na Fianna to creep into the lead, and even though Loughrea levelled, AJ Murphy’s injury-time score broke the hearts of the Galway champions. Watching Na Fianna subsequently canter to the All-Ireland title made the pain sting more.
Loughrea lost their last group game in Galway against Craughwell but their excellent knockout stage form saw them recover from a seven-point deficit to defeat Clarinbridge in the quarter-final, overcome Turloughmore by five points in the semi-final, and then retain their title by claiming the significant scalp of St Thomas at the final stage.
Darren Shaughnessy struck 1-2 as Loughrea completed back-to-back counties for the first time. After a seven-week break since that success, Loughrea are now back in action.
*****
Slaughtneil (Derry)
With Gerard Bradley struggling with injury this season, Cormac O’Doherty – previously a ball-winning full-forward – has adapted the deep-lying role.
There, sitting just behind midfield, he has shown a wide range of spraying passes to Chrissy McKaigue and Brendan Rogers in the half-forward line.
Portaferry let him go free in the Ulster semi-final which ended up a disastrous plan.
He is also lethal from the dead ball, as his 0-10 (8 frees) in the Ulster final demonstrated.
Paul McCormack is now in his second year in charge, after the Michael McShane era which began in 2015.
Living in north Monaghanm, there’s a little bit of travel involved, but importantly, he understands the DNA of a dual club, having played football and hurling for Armagh and Keady.
He was on the panel that delivered Sam Maguire in 2002 and ten years later, was captaining the Orchard county to a Nickey Rackard success.
McShane’s attention to detail and strong background made him a tough act to follow, but McCormack has drafted in popular club figures Padraig Dougan who was club captain in 1993 and part of Mickey Glover’s management, while Barney and Ricky McEldowney look after analysis and general organisation.
Slaughtneil have been in five All-Ireland semi-finals since they cracked the Ulster code in 2016. The first time they sampled life outside the province it was a crushing 3-21 to 2-11 defeat to Cuala.
A year later and they were presented with a glorious chance after Na Piarsaigh of Limerick were reduced to 13 men shortly after half time, a period that Slaughtneil entered three points up.
However from that point they were overwhelmed, with Shane Dowling providing an outrageous goal along the way.
The greatest game they were ever involved in was the first weekend of January, 2020 when they came within five points of Ballyhale, but gave them some scare all the same.
In 2022, it was Ballygunner at Parnell Park and the Derry side were in it for a good while.
Last year, it was a single point defeat to Sarsfields. By God, they have paid their dues.
This year, there was something of a novel event when Slaughtneil got it tight in a group game against Kevin Lynch’s. Novel in that they have turned their own backyard into a procession, winning every single championship since 2013.
Other group games against Lavey and Swatragh are not worth mentioning, and when it came to the final, the result was in no doubt after the first ten minutes, Slaughtneil eventually beating Lynch’s 3-24 to 1-10.
The hardest game they had all year was the Ulster semi-final against Portaferry, relying on Shea Cassidy to hit 0-11 as they prevailed by five points.
St John’s mixed it with them physically in the final, but eventually Slaughtneil’s conditioning began to tell as they triumphed 0-23 to 0-10. As ever, geographic location and lack of access to competitive games is their Kryptonite.
*****
Ballygunner (Waterford)
There are several key components to the Ballygunner setup. Stephen O’Keeffe directs operations in goal, Paddy Leavey has become so prominent at midfield, while take your pick of their glittering attackers like Pauric Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald. But the influence of Philip Mahony at the heart of their defence remains as important as ever. 16 years since he first played in a Munster final, the former Waterford senior has been in excellent form of late.
A change for Ballygunner this year after the huge success enjoyed under Darragh O’Sullivan’s stewardship. Jason Ryan has taken charge, an interesting appointment given his extensive football background with previous inter-county roles in charge of Wexford and Kildare. Fergal Hartley, who steered Ballygunner to the Munster crown in 2018, is back involved as part of the management team.
For the sixth time a Ballygunner team enters the All-Ireland semi-final arena. With only one win from five previous outings, it’s a trend they want to alter. Clarinbridge defeated the class of 2002, while of more relevance to this squad is the semi-final losses at the hands of Ballyhale Shamrocks (twice) and St Thomas in recent years. The January 2022 victory over Slaughtneil represents Ballygunner’s solitary semi-final success.
Ballygunner’s awesome form in Waterford continued when they cruised to a 12th title in a row, a 22-point mauling of Mount Sion in the decider. They maintained those high standards in Munster, grinding out a three-point win in a proper battle with Na Piarsaigh, posting 4-18 in the semi-final against Sarsfields, and then demonstrating their class in the nine-point final win over Éire Óg Ennis.
*****
St Martin’s (Wexford)
The O’Connor influence is inescapable when assessing the form of St Martin’s. Barry’s return from Sydney has transformed their attacking outlook, while Jack’s terrific Leinster final form in firing over six points saw him deservedly win the man-of-the-match award. But it is Rory who has consistently stood out across the Leinster campaign, the Wexford county star amassing 0-34 over three games, illustrating his reliability from placed balls while he chipped in with 0-3 from play in each of those provincial outings.
Daithí Hayes is the St Martin’s boss again this year, having guided them to Wexford county senior glory last year as well. Willie Cleary, the highly-regarded coach who previously had success at club level with Naomh Éanna, and club stalwart John O’Connor are also involved.
This is uncharted territory for St Martin’s after making the Leinster breakthrough. It’s a decade since a Wexford club featured on this stage, Oulart-the-Ballagh triumphing then, and you have to go back to Rathnure in 1998 for the last team from the county who contested the All-Ireland final.
After retaining their Wexford crown, St Martin’s emerged in Leinster wearing the look of a team determined to make their mark. They issued an early statement of intent, toppling the reigning All-Ireland kingpins Na Fianna by a point. Their dominance in the semi-final was reflected in the ten points they had to spare over Naas. Then came that epic Leinster final when St Martin’s edged out the heavyweight force of Ballyhale thanks to Ben Stafford’s brilliant winner.
*****
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Ballygunner club GAA Hurling Loughrea St. Martin's State of Play