Dunne already looking ahead to Leinster Championship run with Abbeyleix hurlers

Derek Dunne helped guide Abbeyleix hurlers straight back up to the top-flight of Laois hurling, After the victory in O'Moore park today, Dunne spoke to the Leinster Express about the year that was and his hopes for the Leinster championship. 

“The lads worked fierce hard. The Division 2 league, Junior ‘A’ and now to cap it off with the Premier Intermediate title. I said it during the year, I think we had fifty-six Senior men hurling one night. It just says it all. It’s a great day for the town and I’m delighted for everybody involved.”

Abbeyleix were warm favourites at the start of the season, and Dunne’s outfit very much lived up to the billing.

“I actually hate the tag as favourites. You know, we just had to have a professional attitude going into every game. I suppose for me, it was new taking on a team down in Laois. The tag of favourites was only coming from the public and the media to me.

“You look at every game professionally and worked in every game as if it was a fifty-fifty game.”

Dunne and his backroom team highlighted Clonaslee St Manman’s Liam Senior’ impact in their semi-final win over Camross. Abbeyleix’ game plan was to avoid Senior at centre-back from their puck-outs and it helped curb his influence on proceedings here.

“We re-jigged ourselves a fair bit now, to be honest with you. You’ve Enda Rowland, who has probably one of the best puck-outs in the country.

“That was something we worked on. We seen him (Liam Senior) play here after the semi-final. They do bulk up the middle. It was for us to make our breaks from the half and carry the ball through the lines.”

Abbeyleix’ age profile would indicate they should only get stronger from here, with their youth going to be central to their performance at Senior level over the coming years.

“There’s probably ten or twelve lads twenty and younger. From the team that won the Junior ‘A’ a couple of weeks ago, there is another seven or eight lads at twenty-odd.

“What a great feeding ground for next year. You have the Intermediate championship and you have the Senior championship. You have Division 1 and Division 2 league for them.

It’s in a great place, we just need to mind it and nurse it. We should look to push on and get up to the top four and win a county final in the next three of four years. That has to be the goal.”

Dunne is confident that his team can have a real rattle in the Leinster Intermediate championship after they enjoy the celebrations.

“The lads were so gutted last year when they went down. First priority was getting up. Is it a huge award? Yes, it is a massive award, but we talk about during the year getting these five games over and enjoying it.”

“There’s a serious team there to go and take a good run in the club championships. That’s very much in our minds. We’ve Eamonn Kelly with us. He has won a club All-Ireland. It is where we’re thinking, to be honest with you.”

“Look, we’ll enjoy the next week or two, whatever it is. We’ll have three weeks to reset and then go on from there.”