Dunderry to take the title

Dunderry are poised to return to the SHC for 2009 as they prepare for their IHC showdown in the decider against last year"s beaten finalists Gaeil Colmcille at Pairc Tailteann on Saturday, 4.30. Twelve months ago, Gaeil Colmcille came up second best in a low-scoring encounter against Clann na nGael which the Athboy side won by 0-6 to 0-4.The weather conditions didn"t help either side, but the fact that Clann na nGael maintained their status in the senior grade will give Saturday"s protagonists an extra incentive to succeed. Based on the evidence of the semi-finals, which formed a double-header at Pairc Tailteann a fortnight ago, Dunderry appear to be better equipped for a return to the senior ranks. They appeared in a Jubilee Cup decider 10 years ago where they were beaten in a replay by Trim, but they have been in free-fall ever since and it didn"t look too promising in their semi-final against Longwood at half-time a couple of weeks ago. They trailed by a massive nine points (0-2 to 1-8) at the interval and Longwood had a definite confidence in their stride as they went in at the break. 'I was a bit surprised by how far behind we were at half-time, but I wasn"t unduly concerned about it as I knew that there was loads of hurling in the team,' stated Dunderry manager Eamonn 'Ned" Howley. 'Kells are supposed to be the form team in the intermediate championship, I felt at the start of the campaign that whoever beats them will win it out and that"s how it has panned out. 'We beat them in the group by a point, but they were missing about four or five regulars and I certainly wouldn"t read too much into that result,' he added. Howley can certainly look forward to Saturday"s decider with some confidence and if his players produce the type of form they displayed in the second-half against Longwood, then they could be celebrating after a number of years in the doldrums. 'We have a good chance against Kells and with Kevin Dowd hurling well at the moment and Ivan McCormack back in the team we will cause them problems, but Gaeil Colmcille will still be fancied beat us,' he concluded. Gaeil Comcille player / manager Tom Shine will leave most of the sideline decisions to his selectors on Saturday and he is looking forward to making amends for last year"s disappointment. 'We have a lot of work to do if we hope to win the title, but we got a bit of a wake up call from Blackhall Gaels in the semi-final,' he stated. 'There are promising young players in the team and we have some experience as well, but it will all come down to which team plays the best hurling on the day. 'We are all looking forward to meeting Dunderry again, they beat us narrowly the last day, but that won"t be a factor this time around. 'They have some very good players and, based on our semi-final performance, we won"t be suffering from over-confidence anyway,' he added. Midfield will be a crucial area and Shine will partner Liam Newman in that sector where they could be opposed by David Callaghan and Evan Stephens with Dowd likely to feature there at some stage also. Gaeil Colmcille also lost Martin Barrett to an early injury against Blackhall and if he returns it will be a big boost to their chances. The Dunderry half-back line could dictate the outcome and the performances of McCormack, John Kelliher and Lee Mulligan will be crucial while in attack, Damien Clarke will be a constant threat and could claim some vital scores. THE PANELS Dunderry - Michael Horan, David Stephens, Thomas Doherty, John Kelliher, Kevin Dowd, Michael Brogan, Liam Dempsey, Lee Mulligan, Kevin Bruton, Ollie Howley, Darren Callaghan, David Callaghan, Evan Stephens, David Gilkeson, Chris Fitzgerald, Kevin Clarke, Eddie Maguire, Ivan McCormack, Owen McCormack, Paddy Gorey, Bob Doherty, Paddy McGeough, David Geraghty, Damien Clarke. Gaeil Colmcille - Brian Hanlon, Cormac Ferguson, Barry Ferguson, Gary McGovern, Richie Bradley, Kevin O"Connell, Darren Tormay, Colin Tormay, Paul Tormay Barry Tormay, Philip Ward, Cormac Keegan, Michael Foley, Keith Reilly, Barry Smith, Tom Shine, Liam Newman, Conor Roche, Martin Barrett, Brendabn Murray, Niall Flanagan, Robbie Flanagan, Stephen Reddy, Joe Lee. SELECTORS Dunderry - Eamonn Howley (manager), John Brady, Paddy Leavy, Mick Minogue. Gaeil Colmcille - Tom Shine (manager), Stephen Foley, Ian Callaghan, Conor Ferguson. REFEREE Martin Bartley (Trim).