Senior status may be secured but Dwyer says Ballinakill’s sights are set on county title

BALLINAKILL and Borris/Kilcotton are set to clash this weekend in the Premier Intermediate Hurling final, with both teams having already secured their spots in the Senior Hurling Championship for 2025. Despite this achievement, there’s still much at stake: the prestigious county title and a chance to represent Laois in the Leinster Club Championship.

Eddie Dwyer from Ballinakill shared his thoughts on the upcoming match, discussing its significance for both the team and the local community.

Reflecting on their season, Dwyer acknowledged the importance of reaching a county final, especially after their disappointment last year. While their main objective—returning to senior—has been accomplished, the team remains focused on the final, eager to lift the trophy.

“It’s not too often that county finals come around, so we won't be taking it for granted anyway. Although we are going up to senior, which was objective number one for this year after not being successful last year against a very good Ballyfin team, getting back to senior was one of the main goals this year. But like I said, county finals are hard to come by, so we'll be fully focused on trying to get over the line against what looks like a very strong Borris team. We’ll be giving it everything anyway.” When asked about their readiness for the senior level, Dwyer expressed confidence in the team’s ability to compete, despite the challenges that come with being a smaller club. With a mix of promising young players and seasoned veterans like himself and Podge Lawlor, Dwyer believes Ballinakill has the talent to succeed.

“I certainly think so, we definitely have the players. One area we do lack is just numbers in the field as we're a small club. I think we had three or four with the under-20s last year and then another three with the senior county team, which shows you the strength and depth. But that also contributes to low numbers in the field, which is something we've struggled with. The players and the calibre of players and the youth as well are very important. We have a very young team apart from a couple of lads like myself or Podge Lawlor, who has a lot of experience. Outside of that, we're looking at a lot of under-20s and 21-year-olds who are well capable of hurling and competing at senior level. I definitely think we can make the step up and are ready to make that step up. Number one, I suppose, is to stay up there, and number two is to compete up there.” Dwyer also emphasized the importance of having a balanced mix of youth and experience within the squad. While the team is primarily young, he stressed the value of having experienced players who can help guide and inspire the younger members. This balance, he believes, will be key to their success as they step up to the senior championship.

“It's important to have a nice mix. We probably don't have as much of a mix as we'd like. It's a lot of very young versus, not to say very old, but plenty of experience there. But to have that mix is good as we have experience in the likes of Podge Lawlor, Dan Bergin, Math Hamm in goals, and Paul Simms, who is still young but has plenty of experience. So that mix is important, and it brings the young players on and gives them someone to look up to. They've seen we’ve competed at Senior level, so they need to make the step up now.” Looking ahead to the final, Dwyer is well aware of the tough challenge posed by Borris/Kilcotton. He acknowledged the strength of their opponents and pointed to their powerful attack as a key area Ballinakill will need to manage in order to secure victory.

“Borris are very, very strong. They shouldn't be in this grade and never should have gone down, they know that themselves. They probably just had a bad run of luck last year and ended up going down, playing against The Harps in a relegation final, who we know from experience are very difficult to beat in that as they sent us down in 2022. Borris are very strong, we make no qualms about how up against it we are, so we just have to give it our best shot. Where it’ll be won or lost — they’re very strong in attack, there’s no denying their level of quality there, PJ Scully, Aaron Dunphy, and Neil Foyle even. They're strong all over the pitch but particularly up front. We need to try and maybe man-mark some of those guys or something like that, but we're definitely up against it.” Dwyer also spoke passionately about what winning the county final would mean for the Ballinakill community. For a small village like theirs, the support from the locals is the lifeblood of the club, and the excitement of potentially bringing home a county title has generated a buzz throughout the village.

“It’d be massive for the playschool and primary school. They'll all have their flags up and they'll be cheering us on the day. Like I said, county finals don't come around too often, so when they do, it's important to enjoy the build-up and embrace the occasion. GAA is all about the community and the youth.”