“If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best” – McMullen

For St Laurence’s manager, Tony McMullen, the perfect blend of youth and experience, coupled with the tremendous work ethic of his players, have been the key factors in seeing them secure their place in this season’s UPMC Intermediate Hurling Championship Final for the very first time.

A 3-11 to 1-11 victory at home to Celbridge in the penultimate rounds last week has set them up for a mouth-watering clash with Naas in next Sunday’s decider at Manguard Park.

And McMullen insists those very same qualities that have seen his side make it this far in the competition will need be drawn upon again if they are to have any chance of taking down a Naas team that boasts a great record in club hurling over recent years.

“Naas are a very experienced side and they have threats all over the field” warned McMullen.

“Their half-back line is strong, their midfield and forwards, they can score and hurt you from anywhere, and they can hurt you even when they’re not playing well.

“But I think the problem for a lot of teams when they play Naas is that they have this thing that they’re going to be beaten before they even go out there.

“Our lads will be happy enough to play Naas. The way they look at it is, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

“We’re blessed in that we have a couple of good lads in key areas of the field, but we have 20-25 lads who just work really hard for each other and that’s the key to it all.

“We’ve a really good mix of young lads and older lads. We’ve a corner back at 18 years of age in Tom Brophy and a corner forward, Ciaran Roche, our captain, who turned 50 this year.

“The young lads there, Cormac Doolan, TJ Nolan, James Donnelly, Liam Byrne, Tom Brophy and Fionn Linehan, all of them are playing minor football and hurling and senior hurling.

“We’ve also got real experience with the likes of Conor Lawler at full back and Chris Dunne at wing half forward or corner forward.

“We’ve a lot more players on board and we’ve been building as the year has gone on” he told The Kildare Nationalist.

There is no doubt this St Laurence’s team has been gathering momentum throughout 2024.

They came into championship competition off the back of a difficult run in Division Three that saw them win just one of their five games in that group.

And it was an inauspicious start for McMullen’s men in the championship too, as they suffered a ten-point reversal at the hands of Wolfe Tones back in July.

But since then, the team has not looked back, a 5-13 to 0-9 demolition of Éire Óg Corra Choill igniting a great championship group campaign that included victories over Celbridge, Coill Dubh and, most significantly, Naas.

While some might suggest that latter result will only stoke the flames of Naas in their preparation for this weekend’s decider, McMullen insists his players will have to harness the benefits of such a win.

“Naas don’t like being beaten by anyone” he said. “So, is it a case of poking the bear or is it a case of our lads getting that bit more confidence out of beating them once, and can we do it again?

“We have to believe we can. We have to believe we can go out and give Naas a right game on Sunday, but everything has to go right for us” he admitted.

McMullen’s men are now in uncharted waters having since beaten Celbridge last week to secure the club’s first ever berth in the Intermediate Championship decider.

That in itself is a hugely satisfying feat for the St. Laurence’s boss, but he and his players want more.

They have already secured Senior B Championships status for next season regardless of Sunday’s result due to the fact that Naas cannot be doubly represented at that level, but McMullen wants his players to earn that right by lifting the Intermediate crown.

“To win a championship would be huge for the club. It would be a major stepping stone” said McMullen.

“We are up to Senior B, which is another step up, but we’d like to go up as winners of the championship, not just because Naas can’t.

“We’re a relatively young club when it comes to hurling. Our first game at adult level was in 2005 and last year was the first year we fielded a team at every level.

“For our team, the big thing was winning the semi-final against Celbridge because we’ve lost semi-finals the last two or three years, so to get over that hurdle this year is huge.

“This Sunday will be another big challenge for our lads. To beat Naas twice would just really crown a good year.

“But I always say, you make your own luck, and if we make enough of it next Sunday and work hard enough, we’ll give ourselves a chance. That’s all we can do” he insisted.