Preview: Is there no stopping Naas as they seek six senior titles in a row

This weekend sees the UPMC Senior Hurling Championship reach the semi-final stages with hot favourites Naas, attempting to make it six senior titles in a row.

And what an achievement that would be if they were to succeed as they attempt to make it twelve titles in total.
Their opponents, Confey, have three senior titles to their name, back-to-backs 2007, 2008 and their last title was in 2012. They were last in the final in 2020, when they lost out to Naas. The second semi-final sees the clash of Éire Óg Corra Choill and Maynooth.

The former have ten title to their credid but that was under the banner of Éire Óg, while Maynooth have six senior titles, the last way back in 1935 and they were last in the decider in 2020.

Éire Óg Corra Choill v Maynooth

Two years on from getting promoted back to the Senior Hurling Championship, Éire Óg Corra Choill have earned themselves a semi-final showdown with Maynooth. Naas aside, Éire Óg were the outstanding performers in the UPMC Senior Hurling Championship Group A.

After a heavy opening round defeat to Naas, Éire Óg impressed against Confey with a 3-14 to 0-13 win. Two first-half goals from Cian O’Reilly were crucial in stopping Confey from making it two wins from two after they toppled Celbridge.

The Caragh/ Prosperous side booked their place in the last four with a thrilling win over Celbridge in their final round clash, leaving their typically strong opponents winless in the group.

Éire Óg finished as 5-12 to 1-20 winners in a score-laden affair.

A noticeable pattern in the Éire Óg scoring charts is their spread of scorers and further standout contributions from the likes of Jack Higgins and Paul Dolan will be crucial to their success. Higgins has notched 2-5 in his side’s last two group games.

They face a Maynooth side who emerged from Group B with three wins from three and will be full of confidence. Maynooth topped their group following wins over Coill Dubh, Ardclough and Leixlip.

In contrast to what could be said about Éire Óg’s scoring, Maynooth have a clear and present danger man in the form of Cathal McCabe who has registered 3-28 across his side’s three league games and his scoring represents just under half (49.3%) of Maynooth’s total scores.

McCabe is not on his own in terms of high output with Cormac Nolan also impressing in this year’s Championship.

After 1-4 in his side’s opening day win against Leixlip, Nolan added a further 2-1 to his Championship tally in the next two group games. His eye for goal could be crucial for Maynooth’s success in this semi-final and even more so for a potential final should they reach it.

While Éire Óg and their spread of scoring have been impressive, at the sharp end of the season in semi-finals and finals, games can often come down to moments and individuals. That factor gives Maynooth the edge in this one.

The scoring of McCabe and Nolan should be enough to carry them over the line and earn them another crack at the Senior Hurling Championship.

Naas v Confey
County Champions Naas are searching for a sixth title in a row in 2024. They have shown no signs of letting up either with huge wins in each of their group games.

Naas conceded just 34 points across their three games, a tally they almost reached in each one of their games as they hit 4-18, 1-29 and 7-23 respectively. The last score put up in that sequence came against their semi-final opponents Confey, who reached this stage with an excellent quarter-final win over Ardclough.

After group stages losses to Naas and Éire Óg, Confey produced a mammoth display to come out on top 3-16 to 3-12.

Outstanding contributions from the likes of Frank Bass, who hit 0-7 on the day, and Kevin Chan, who grabbed a brace for his side, fired them clear in this tie. The lead they accumulated in that game and catching Naas cold will be their only route to victory here.

Confey have an enormous amount to be proud of after reaching this year’s semi-final, a smaller club in North Kildare that undeniably punches above its weight in both codes. Despite their slim to non-existent hopes in this fixture, Confey have beaten Celbridge, Leixlip and Ardclough in this year’s Senior Hurling Championship, a fact which further demonstrates what has been built in their area of the county. However, regardless of spirit and desire, it would take a feat just shy of a miracle to win this game.

The team going for six-in-a-row likely won’t be stopped on their quest to do so, but it is how they navigate the coming weeks that could prove crucial.

Naas have undeniably been the outstanding hurling team in Kildare in recent years and next on their list is to become one of the outstanding teams in the province.