THIS TIME OF YEAR THE ONLY TALK IN HURLING IS ABOUT CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS AROUND THE COUNTRY.AFTER STARTING UNDERAGE HURLING IN A FOOTBALL AREA IN KERRY CALLED DUAGH SEVEN YEARS AGO WE SET UP A JUNIOR HURLING TEAM TWO YEARS AGO WHEN THE LADS WERE U-17.LIKE ANY NEW START UP CLUBS WE GOT HAMMERED IN MOST OF THE GAMES AS IT WAS BOYS AGAINST MEN .ALONG WITH THE FOOTBALL PEOPLE TELLING US NOT TO PLAY ,WE WERE NO GOOD ,COSTING THE CLUB MONEY AND SO ON.THE LOVE OF HURLING BE IT IN KILKENNY OR KERRY OR SENIOR OR JUNIOR WILL NEVER GO AWAY.THIS YEAR AS LADS ARE NOW AWAY FROM EXAMS,GETTING STRONGER AND THERE HURLING COMING ON WE WON OUR FIRST MATCH IN THE NORTH KERRY VS CROTTA ,WE GOT A FEW BEATING BUT LEARNED FROM IT.LIKE ANY COUNTY IT IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP THAT COUNTS. AS WE TRAINED HARD IT CAME TO THE FIRST MATCH AND IN STEPPED THE FOOTBALL BOARD TO STOP THE FOOTBALLERS PLAYING BECAUSE OF A JUNIOR FOOTBALL FINAL .WE PLAYED AND BEAT DR.CROKES WITH A LAST MINUTE GOAL TO WIN.THE SEMI FINAL AGAINST AUSTIN STACKS MY FORMER CLUB AND WON BEAT US ON EVERY OCCASION WE EVER MET.ALONG WITH THAT WE PLAYED AWAY.DUAGH WON THE MATCH 0-12 TO 0-9 WITH HANDCRAFTHURLEYS.COM SPONSORING BOTH TEAMS AND GOING INTO A DRESSING ROOM THAT I PLAYED WITH AND TRAINED MOST OF THEM WAS LIKE EAMON CREGAN WITH OFFALY VS LIMERICK. TO GET INTO A HURLING FINAL IN ANY COUNTY BE IT JUNIOR TO SENIOR KEEPS THE GAME GOING AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK MUNSTER COULD BE NEXT?WHAT SEAN KELLY BROUGHT IN WITH THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP AT JUNIOR LEVEL FOR THE GAA IS KEEPING THE GAA GOING .CLUBS LIKE DUAGH IN ANY COUNTY SHOULD BE HELPED OUT AS IT MIGHT TAKE TIME BUT A COUNTY PLAYER MIIGHT COME FROM THE AREA. HENRY SHEFFLIN FAMILY CAME FROM THE PARISH CALLED MOLONEY WHO WENT TO AUSTRALIA AND MARRIED A MAN CALLED SHEFFLIN WHO LATER CAME HOME ,SO KILKENNY AND BALLYHALE HAVE DUAGH TO THANK. FINAL IS ON NEXT SUNDAY VS KENMARE ,HOPE EVERY START UP HURLING CLUB GETS THE SAME TRILL ,IF NOT JUST KEEP IT GOING AND YOUR DAY WILL COME.