Ballyhale Shamrocks Star Impressed By Clough/Ballacolla Performances

Thursday, 16 December 2021 at 14:01

Joey Holden shared his thoughts ahead of the game on Sunday.

Ballyhale Shamrocks’ defender Joey Holden expects a close game with Clough Ballacolla in Sunday’s AIB Leinster Senior Hurling Club Final in Croke Park.

The Laois champions overcame Rapparees of Wexford and Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin to reach this stage, while Shamrocks booked their spot in the final with wins over Mount Leinster Rangers of Carlow and St Rynagh’s of Offaly.

Holden has been keeping an eye on Declan Laffan's side throughout the competition and enjoyed watching them play:

My twitter feed is full of clubs and counties from across the country so you'd be keeping well up to date with scores and results. I'm teaching with a Laois-man as well so he fairly keeps me up to date with all the goings on up there.

They're well known in hurling circles for always being competitive in Laois. They've household names the like of Picky Maher and Willie Hyland who we've all seen playing for Laois throughout the years.

I was so impressed watching them against Kilmacud, not just their fight and their heart, but their skill levels in really tough conditions. They're wristy snapping the ball to hand and delivering it in quick.

We're under no illusions about the challenge that'll be posed against us. I've never played them in a competitive sense, I know they won their club championship last year but there was no Leinster competitions so it'll be a new challenge for us facing them but that's the challenge that is up against you when you go outside the county.

When you're playing in Kilkenny you almost know what a lad has had for breakfast, so it's refreshing to come up against a new team and watching the video back of them it's been great to see their attitude.

We've the upmost respect for Clough/Ballacolla and what they've done in Laois and I just hope we can give them a right game come Sunday.