Dunloy out to stop Slaughtneil three-in-a-row

Slaughtneil have won all three of their Ulster Club contests with Dunloy since 2017

If Dunloy simply have to beat Slaughtneil in Sunday's Ulster Club Hurling Final, well their manager Gregory O'Kane isn't saying.

The history between the two sides is very recent and it's all been in Slaughtneil's favour on the way to winning four of the last five Ulster titles.

2017 Ulster semi-final: Slaughtneil 1-18 Dunloy 2-8.

2019 Ulster final: Slaughtneil 1-15 Dunloy 0-10.

2021 Ulster semi-final: Slaughtneil 1-18 Dunloy 0-14.

On the face of it they've been relatively conclusive victories for the Robert Emmets club although Dunloy did have their moments in all three games - including leading the 2017 semi-final by 1-4 to 0-1 before the Derry side turned the contest by hitting an unanswered 1-8.

Dunloy seeking first Ulster title since 2009

The three Dunloy defeats left them still looking back to 2009 for their last Ulster triumph - almost a hurling eternity for a club that won 10 provincial titles in the 1990s and the noughties.

A few survivors from the 2009 provincial success remain on the panel include likely starters Paul Shiels and Kevin Molloy.

Despite the barren period at Ulster level, this largely youthful Cuchullains team come into Sunday's provincial decider having won a fourth successive Antrim title - a feat only previously achieved by Rossa between 1957 and 1960 and the Dunloy side of 2000-3 which included O'Kane, who insists that winning the county crown is always the team's "number one aim".

"You have the likes of St John's, Cushendall, Loughgiel [to contend with] and the players are playing Division One hurling for the county so it has raised the bar in Antrim again," says the Dunloy boss.

With his young crew having soaked up another year of experience, O'Kane is hoping the outcome will be different this time round against a Slaughtneil side who will go in as favourites having belatedly earned the respect which their four Ulster titles in five seasons warrant.

"No two games are the same. Whatever comes on Sunday, we're looking forward to it from our perspective. But there's a huge talent in front of us in terms of Slaughtneil and we know that," acknowledges the Dunloy boss.

"If anything they are stronger panel wise this year. To be able to bring on Jerome McGuigan, Gerald Bradley and people like that as impact subs, it shows you the strength in depth they have."

Slaughtneil manager Michael McShane says the talk about his side's physique "muddies the water about how good they are as hurlers"

Much more to Slaughtneil than brawn

Both camps are dismissive of the perception that Slaughtneil's brawn has made all the difference in their three previous meetings against a more skilled Dunloy side - as the story goes.

Slaughtneil boss Michael McShane has positively bristled at the suggestion on previous occasions but he's more measured at this Monday evening press briefing organised by Ulster GAA.

"Yes we're a big physical team with the make up of the team and a lot of those guys have been conditioned in their bodies for a number of years now and are in superb condition," adds McShane

"But that sort of muddies that water and the message should be coming out about how good Slaughtneil are as a team.

"We're not just in about it on a physical level. We've also got players in there who are fabulous hurlers. A team full of lads who are fabulous hurlers.

"If they were playing in any county down south, they would be lauded as superstars. We've got a nice mix of everything - strength, athleticism and fabulous hurlers."

Motivating players has 'never been difficult'

With Slaughtneil still looking to make the breakthrough at All-Ireland level having lost close semi-finals against the likes of Na Piarsaigh, Ballyhale Shamrocks and Ballygunner, McShane insists that motivating his players has "never been difficult".

"It's driven by the players and their desire and hunger to win as much as they can.

"The lads that are playing both inter-county hurling and football, they give everything they can for their county and when that's over they come back and give everything in both codes for their club.

"That's why I would tip my hat to these lads…..the fact that they have given up a lot of their lives for their sport.

"We've won 10 in a row in Derry, we're going for five out of six in Ulster. We've competed at All-Ireland level but disappointingly never won a semi-final.

"It's one thing coming out of a game and people patting you on the back and saying 'you've done well'.

"You've either won it or you've lost and as far as we're concerned second best is not good enough.

"We want to beat Dunloy in the Ulster Final on Sunday and get back to that level and try to go beyond where we've been before."

Gregory O'Kane says the involvement of many of his players in Dunloy's intermediate football campaign this year has helped the squad

An interesting aspect to Sunday's final is that while Slaughtneil's dual-code credentials are well established, the same effectively applies to the Dunloy squad with at least 10 of their likely starters in Armagh having featured for the Cuchullains' football side which won the Antrim Intermediate title before going on to lose to Dungloe in the Ulster Intermediate quarter-final three weeks ago.

O'Kane says the players' football adventures - if anything - helped the hurling squad.

"We were going football one week, hurling the next. It worked well. It's wasn't a hindrance because obviously we've been successful in both.

"It's one way of occupying the players. Everybody wants to play games."

Well.....there's another one this weekend in Armagh and Dunloy appeared quietly determined.