Willie has been at the heart of nearly two decades of success, 10 finals and eight medals

WHEN it comes to Laois Senior Hurling Championship history, few names carry as much weight as Clough/Ballacolla’s Willie Dunphy. A key figure since their maiden title in 2009, he’s been at the heart of nearly two decades of success.

Now, 16 years later, Dunphy is aiming to collect an incredible eighth county medal in what will be his 11th final appearance, including replays.

Reflecting on their dramatic semi-final win over Ballinakill, which needed extra-time to decide the outcome, Dunphy admitted that while his side were prepared for a battle, they made things harder for themselves than they needed to.

“We certainly didn't think it was going to be easy. Having looked at Ballinakill all year, they were very impressive in most of their games, so it wasn't a team that we were going to take for granted. There were probably a few circumstances; the five-week lead-in didn't help us, and Ballinakill were coming in off a big win in the quarter-finals. Semi-finals are for winning, and we eventually got over the line, thank God,” he said.

The encounter itself swung back and forth throughout normal time, with both teams spurning chances that could have settled the contest before extra-time was called upon to separate them.

“The last 15 minutes are nearly blank. It was crazy at times; we just couldn't seem to get the ball over the bar for whatever reason. Whether it was down to the wind, or we probably lacked a bit of confidence, as well as in our shooting, but we left a lot behind us.

“We left a few goals behind us in the first-half, and one or two in the second-half as well. We left ourselves with too much work to do, and it could have gone either way in the last three or four minutes. Ballinakill had some great chances, and we were running in on goal as well at one stage. It could have went either way,” Dunphy said.

Among the standout performers in that game was Cillian Dunne, whose explosive extra-time display proved decisive. Dunphy was full of praise for his teammate’s determination and the hard work that earned him his place.

“Absolutely delighted with Cillian. He's had to work hard to get where he is, and we were delighted to see him come to the fore for us at the weekend. He was dropped earlier on in the year, I think it was the first round of the championship, and he's had to earn his place on the team. I think we're finally starting to see the Cillian that we know, and the Cillian that we see every night in training, so no better man to pull us out of the fire,” he commented.

Now in the latter stages of his career, Dunphy reflected on the journey from that breakthrough win in 2009 to today, saying that each title carries its own memories, meaning, and motivation.

“They all tell their own stories to be honest. It's been a long time since 2009, and that was a special day for the parish. This year, we probably have our own motivation within the camp as well, and it'll write its own story.

“There's none of them sweeter than the next one, you're always chasing to get up those steps of O’Moore Park, and it's no different than any of the Camross lads; they'll feel the same way. You're always chasing that one more medal,” Dunphy added.

With the Laois Senior Hurling Championship adopting a new 10-team format this year, Clough/Ballacolla have had to adapt to a longer, more demanding campaign. Dunphy says the players planned carefully from the outset and were clear about what was needed to stay in contention.

“We looked at it at the start of the year, and obviously, there’s a big difference. In other years, you could win a county final in five games. This year, it was going to take a minimum of seven, maybe eight games if you played a quarter-final.

“We had a chat about it, and we kind of set out our stall for the group stages. We put a target on what we needed, and we just about got through in the last game against The Harps. We wanted the break between the last round and the semi-final. We normally look at getting a good bank of work done within those few weeks, and it put us in good stead for a tough semi-final. It worked out for us, and thankfully, we got to the final,” Dunphy ended.