Kilbrittain's band of brothers want to keep journey going

Kilbrittain’s hurlers aren’t necessarily looking at today’s clash with Kilrossanty as a chance to win a provincial final - it’s more that they want to be training next Tuesday night.

The west Cork side take on the Waterford representatives in the AIB Munster Club JHC decider in Mallow (1pm).

They have known since beating Ballygarvan in the Co-op SuperStores Premier JHC semi-final on October 4 that they would have Munster action to look forward to as they faced Glen Rovers’ second team in the county final, but victory there was followed by a good win over Limerick’s Knockaderry a fortnight ago.

The unity in the camp was strengthened as they rallied together followed the untimely death of Oisín Gillain in the spring and Kilbrittain have improved with each test they have faced this year. Manager Joe Ryan is keen for it to keep going.

“It would probably be different if we had lost the county final, really,” he says.

“The big thing has been achieved, ultimately, so I think the there is a bit of a freedom to it.

“Now, it's still a Munster final, obviously, and we're obviously playing to win, but we want to win so that we can as a group and I know this sounds like a cliché, but as a group, we can just meet up again on Tuesday night. There's a really good bond there.”

Kilrossanty are in the final for the second year in a row - last year, they lost to Russell Rovers in Páirc Uí Rinn though on that occasion they had lost the Waterford final to Roanmore’s second team.

“It’s obviously going to be a step up,” Ryan says.

“They're probably strong in areas that we would find challenging. They’ve great pace and obviously they have Pádraig Fitzgerald and then they have Martin Dunne and Caoimhín Walsh, who are very solid at the back for them.

“It's a very different challenge for us but it’s great. You wouldn't expect anything else in a Munster final, anyway and it’ll be a great occasion for both teams.

“They were there last year, so they probably have a bit more experience than us. Being in Páirc Uí Rinn was probably a bit more of an advantage to Russell Rovers than Mallow is, but it's all part of it.

“We've done the away fixture against Knockaderry, that was a kind of unique challenge in itself that doesn't come around too often and this is just another one. We’ll look to make the most of it.”