Incredible story of Naas underage hurling continues this weekend as they bid to retain Kilkenny title

Winning county titles at any level, in any age group, is always an achievement to be celebrated. Back to back titles usually call for double celebrations; they are said to be the most difficult ones to win. So where about on the scale would the achievement of the Naas U16 hurlers rank if they were to beat Lisdowney in the Kilkenny League Shield final next weekend? The Naas underage side aren’t just competing in the Kilkenny competition, they are dominating it. Having won the same title last year when they outclassed perennial Kilkenny giants Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Shield final by outscoring them 6-12 to 0-6, Sean Tobin and his management team find themselves back in the same position again, albeit with different opposition facing them. If you haven’t already heard the story behind Naas’ inception into the Kilkenny league at the U16 grade this might all sound rather strange, but there’s a perfectly simple reason for it. Naas were too strong at this age level throughout the years, and processions to county titles by blowing away each Kildare club side they faced was of no use to the rest of the clubs in the county, or Naas themselves. Austin Bergin, who is part of the U16 management team, and a number of other hurling men involved with the club brought the idea of transferring to the Kilkenny league to Naas Juvenile Football Chairman Cormac Kirwan, who has since been appointed Operations Manager for Kildare GAA. “The Kilkenny story wouldn’t be possible without the support of the footballers. Cormac saw the merits in us going to Kilkenny. Hurling at that level is only going to benefit the guys playing dual football as well. And it did, the guys went off and won the U16 'A' Football Championship,” says Bergin. It has gone well to say the least. A loss to O’Loughlin Gaels was the only blot on their sheet in last year’s league campaign, while they lost out to James Stephens in their solitary defeat in 2016. There are slight complications with playing in a league in a different county however, with the Naas hurlers not playing a competitive game since April. “We played five games, five weeks in a row in April. They run the league off fairly promptly down there,” continued Bergin. “That was the price we paid for it, but we have no issue with that. A lot of them would have been playing football and a lot of them would have won the U16 A Football Championship. County development hurling would have been going on for a lot of them, and then a few of them would be hurling minor as well.” The Naas U16 team before last year's Kilkenny Shield final against Ballyhale Shamrocks. Preparations have not been ideal, but the management have been able to gather the players together in the last few weeks to refocus them for next Saturday’s game. A few players will get some hurling in between now and then by playing with their school and the club’s minor team. “Literally only in the last two weeks we’ve gotten them back training together. There’s a minor semi-final on Sunday, so a lot of them will be hurling in that. A lot of them have been hurling with Naas CBS the last few weeks too. “It’s not perfect, but we are where we are and we’re working as best as we can over the last two weeks to get them back to the level we need them at, and we have another week to try and get them up there.” Lisdowney will present a sizeable challenge when they visit Naas next Saturday. Traditionally a junior club at adult level, they earned promotion to the intermediate grade in 2013 and have been strong contenders at that level since. There is plenty of talent coming through at underage level too, as Bergin alludes to. “They run a very big U13 seven-a-side tournament every year that all the Kilkenny teams compete in, and they won it two years ago, so that would have been a huge step forward for them. A lot of those guys will be on this U16 team.” Next weekend will be a ‘festival of hurling’ in the club according to Bergin, and he is not exaggerating. Naas will contest the Intermediate Hurling Championship final against Maynooth, while the minor ‘A’ hurlers have also qualified for the county final. The big event of the weekend is the Senior Hurling Championship final though, with Naas due to compete in the showpiece event of Kildare hurling for the first time since 2002. When speaking to Bergin, it is easy to see why there is so much success trickling through the club at all levels. The passion is there not just to seek victory, but to ensure young players want to continue their development in an enjoyable environment. The end game is hurling at senior level, and the goal of representing Kildare is something that young players can strive towards, especially when you look at the large contingent of Naas hurlers representing the county at U21 and senior level. “We only have one job in juvenile hurling, and that’s to make the lads enjoy it as much as they can and to want to hurl senior down the line. All the guys in the senior and intermediate panel- roughly 30- 28 of them have come through juvenile hurling in the last 10 years,” explains Bergin. “Young fellas should aspire to be senior hurlers. There’s a great crossover between the juvenile and the senior hurlers at the moment with this interaction. There’s an U7 street league on Saturday morning, and there will be around 140 six and seven year olds at that. Some of the senior panel, around seven or eight of them, will be coming down to help out with the coaching. About 40 chaps last week that had never held a hurl in their life. “It has been 14 years since Naas were in a senior final. There are other finals next weekend, but you know, that’s the main one. That’s what we aspire to, that’s what we’re a club for and that’s the one they all want to win. We’re looking forward to a hurling festival next weekend.” Before he signs off, Bergin pays homage to one man involved with the club who he credits massively for the development of hurling. Sean Tobin, a Cork native, will be wearing the Bainisteoir’s bib next Saturday, and the work he has put in has been nothing short of phenomenal. “Sean leaves nothing to chance. He’s a Cork man with hurling in his veins, and the work and commitment he has put in with these lads over the last 10 years is unreal. Any hurling county would be glad to have him,” concluded Bergin. While hurling may always lie in the shadow of football in Kildare, it’s not through the lack of effort from those who are passionate about the sport in clubs all over the county. Stories like the one in Naas only heightens the level of interest in the game, and it undoubtedly enhances the development of hurling in the club. There were eyebrows raised when Naas initially entered the Kilkenny competition, but to borrow a line from a well-known fighter who lives down the road in Straffan; they’re not there to take part- they’re there to take over.