Ballyhale determined to honour club's tradition

Leinster Club SHC final: Birr against Ballyhale Shamrocks. Offaly against Kilkenny. The most successful hurling club in Leinster against the second most successful. There are several ways of billing Sunday's AIB Leinster hurling final - and the battle for supremacy is the obvious one.

It used to be only two clubs could take success for granted in the province, and they were Birr and Ballyhale. Things have changed, and Birr are back in the final for the first time in four years, and Ballyhale the first time in 15 years. But their role of honour is comparable: Birr have won six Leinster titles, four All-Irelands; Ballyhale have won four Leinster titles, three All-Irelands.

That's where the comparisons end. Birr's team for Sunday is still built around the team which won back-to-back All-Irelands in 2002 and 2003: the Whelahan brothers Brian, Barry and Simon; Rory and Gary Hanniffy; Niall Claffey and Joe Errity. Ballyhale will come to Portlaoise with their county stars Henry Shefflin and James "Cha" Fitzpatrick, and several lesser-known players who have shared their resurgence in recent years.

One of them is team captain Tom Coogan. Although a recurring hamstring injury means Coogan is unlikely to start Sunday's final (he missed the Kilkenny county final and the Leinster semi-final win over Wexford's Rathnure), it's obvious he'll play an influential role on Sunday.

"Well of course I'd love to play some part," he says. "I'm back training alright, but I'll just have to see how it goes for the rest of the week. But I know as well that it's always hard to change a winning team. The lads are going well, and I'd happily sacrifice any playing role on Sunday for the success of the team. That's all that matters."

Coogan's selfless manner isn't staged, however. He was captain of the Ballyhale minor team that collected the county title in 1997, the team that started the club's return to the highest level. That same team included Shefflin and the likes of Eoin Reid and Aidan Cummins, and they also won the All-Ireland Féile in 1998, and worked steadily towards winning a 10th county senior title earlier this month.

"It's true we've been a very close-knit team," adds Coogan, "working our way up over the years. And a large part of that comes down to the people we've had working with us over the years as well, and the coaches and mentors, parents driving us to matches, things like that. We've had a lot of fellas driving us on over the years, and that's really what's got us to where we are.

"So we're delighted to be in the final. And we've worked on it. Still, I know some players on the team didn't expect to get here too soon. The likes of Cha Fitzpatrick and Michael Fennelly, who are only 20 or 21. But we certainly hope to make the most of it now."

Team manager Maurice Aylward also featured prominently in the origins of the current team, taking them to intermediate level back in 1997, and is now in his second stint as club manager. Coogan also doesn't play down the role of Shefflin, who is acting as captain in Coogan's absence.

"He's a huge, huge influence on the team. Just his approach to training and the games. And he's always had a lot of time for the younger players, which is great to see. He's such a level-headed guy that he's a very popular with everyone in the club."

Despite the lean years, Ballyhale won't require any introduction to Birr, who in fact beat them in 1991 to win the Leinster title.

"Well we know they're in good shape," says Coogan. "Birr always are. And they definitely have more experience than us at this level. I mean, they still have to be the most outstanding club hurling team in Ireland.

"It's our first time at this stage of the championship in a good while, and I suppose we are just feeling our way along a little bit. But of course winning the Kilkenny county title is as good a preparation as you could probably get going into the Leinster championship.

"The one thing we were worried about was playing the semi-final (against Rathnure) just a week after the county.

"That wasn't easy, but we just went hell for leather and thankfully we came out on top.

"But the other thing is we didn't go overboard with the celebrations when we won the county title, no way. We just had to think about the Ballyhale teams that won the title before us, and how they went on to achieve bigger and better things, winning All-Irelands.

"That made sure we were all level-headed about it, and kept our feet firmly on the ground.

"I suppose the club has had a great tradition of its own, and we realised that."