'The big thing I wanted to do when I came in was to create a team spirit,' - Liam O'Kelly

Kilruane MacDonaghs and Kiladangan camps are both expecting a derby final as the neighbours finish their preparations ahead of Sunday’s final.

Kilruane MacDonaghs manager Liam O’Kelly is in his second year in charge and he recalls the approach made by the current panel a few years back with a view to taking charge.

“It was the players who came to me two years ago. I was working away and I wasn’t sure how the committee felt about it at the time. I got the job and I said to the guys, give me two years and we’ll try and get ye to a county final and we are here now at the county final door. Finals will take care of themselves.

“The big thing I wanted to do when I came in was to create a team spirit. I don’t want to comment on previous Kilruane teams, it would be wrong to do that, but I can comment on what I have tried to deliver.

“We built a new gym (using half the sports hall in the complex), that was the first thing we did. I approached the committee and put a financial plan in place in relation to how we were going to fund it. I got approval, it was a tight approval, I think there was one vote in it and one man keeps telling me that he gave me the vote (that got it passed).

“We got the gym built in around six to eight weeks, with huge help from my own son Jake. That started to create a spirit as prior to that we have five lads going to the Abbey Court, four lads going to Portumna, a few lads going to Birr, so I tried to pull them all together and even the other night when I came here it was funny, the players were inside sweeping the place out, washing the sauna, washing the showers, and think how far have we come in a couple of years.”

The clubs last run deep into the championship came back in 2019, and O’Kelly believes they are hurling as well as they have in recent years and have improved game by game.

“Let’s be very honest about it, we have come along way this year. We are starting to hurl that little bit better but make no mistake about it Kiladangan are favourites, they have been there three of the last four years but we’ll be ready.

“We have trained 185 times up to last week. There are guys out there (in the gym) nearly every night. The spirit is unreal,” he finished.