Former Ballygunner and Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Andy Moloney says it would be a brilliant thing for the game of hurling in general - if Ballygunner could dethrone the reigning All-Ireland champions in Saturday's showpiece event at Croke Park.
With miniscule miles seperating the Waterford and Kilkenny clubs, 60 minutes of hurling will see one of them crowned champions in this year's All Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final.
Moloney is no stranger to either camp - and was a victor on the field himself when the Gunners landed their maiden crown in 2001.
He told WLR that he believes Darragh O'Sullivan's side have more than enough ability to stop Ballyhale's bid for three titles in a row, and that it would be amazing for Waterford hurling - and the sport as a whole.
"I think the lads have more than enough to stop Ballyhale's bid for three in a row. For hurling in general, it would be great for Ballygunner to win this game. Over the past twenty years, we have seen so much Kilkenny dominance at both inter-county level and club level. Not so much, inter-county level recently - but they're still winning Leinster titles and leagues. They have dominated club level - so, it would be great for hurling first of all. What it would mean for Waterford would be huge. I'll go back to our own time when we won Munster in 2001. There was a lot of Waterford people at it and it was huge elation. Mount Sion and De La Salle went on and won Munsters after that. High tides raise all boats. Waterford were on a high after it and it coincided with the Justin McCarthy era as well."
'Step-up'
It will be a maiden appearance at Croke Park for Ballygunner despite their wealth of success in the past eight seasons. For many of the Gunners stars, Croke Park will be a familiar venue for them - given their inter-county exploits with Waterford. Moloney says the experience of the Deise contingent will be vital on Saturday.
"A lot of the lads are on the go now with eight years or more. They've played in a lot of county finals and Munster finals. Definitely, the All-Ireland Final is a step-up on that, when you factor in Croke Park too. It is a whole new set-up, but a lot of the experienced lads on the team have played in Croke Park before, so that shouldn't phase them. The big thing is that the players themselves don't get too worked up for this game, that they're burning nervous energy. They need to keep cool, calm and collected - turn up on the day, and that's when you really need to see the lads using their experience and getting the best out of the players beside them."
'Best in class'
Andy is under no illusions that Saturday's contest is one where both sides are deserving of their place in the showpiece. He says that the pair have been the best two teams in the country in the past number of years and it is great to see them meet in the decider. He hopes the game will live up to the billing, as a number of recent finals have turned out to be 'damp squibs'.
"The club final itself is a huge occasion. Who better to have in it. We have had a lot of damp squibs over the past couple of years in terms of these club finals - whereas, I think this time, everyone feels that the two best teams in the country at the moment are actually in the final in Ballygunner and Ballyhale. Hopefully it all goes well, and it will be a great occasion."
Middle third
A huge number of tactical match-ups are where the margins will decide the champions and runners-up on the day. Moloney believes the middle-third may be where the game is won and lost on Saturday.
"For me, if Ballygunner are going to take this title - I think the lads are going to have to match-up at a minimum in the physical stakes. Also, they'll have to match-up on the work rate in the middle third. Kilkenny teams are notoriously good in that middle third for work rate. They win a lot of primary possession and then obviously - they convert a lot of that primary possession into scores."
Midfield potential
One area where Moloney believes that the reigning All-Ireland champions can be exploited is in the midfield. The Ballygunner duo of Conor Sheahan and Paddy Leavy have drawn huge praise for the dynamism of their partnership during the course of the club season - and the former Gunners boss believes if they bring their top form, that can go a long way in deciding the destination of the trophy.
"They are a great partnership. Paddy seems to be more of a defensive midfielder, whereas Conor seems to attack a lot more. That said, Paddy gets his chances in games to take a shot or two and when he takes them - they generally go over. They're a great combination in the middle of the field. I think its an area that our lads can exploit really on the Ballyhale side. I don't think that Ballyhale are particularly strong in midfield."
Start as you mean to go on
One facet of the Gunners game this campaign has been starting on the front foot and the ability to build up unassailable leads in games. Should they get on the front foot early on in Croke Park, Moloney thinks it will be hard to reel them back in.
"Get on top early, get an early score and settle the nerves. Even if that's only a point - it's still important that the lads get that early score. Once they settle their nerves and get into their rhythm of playing, the lads have a lovely style of hurling. They do a lot of running off the ball and running off the shoulder. Croke Park is a field that should suit the lads because it will grant them a lot of space to run into."
WLR will broadcast the game live this Saturday with throw-in at 3pm. Coverage is brought to you thanks to George Corbett Skoda, with Kieran O'Connor and Eoin Murphy on commentary.
For all the big-match build up, click here.
