So committed Longford Slashers senior hurlers going all out for something special!

This Saturday, Longford Slashers take on Amsterdam of the Netherlands in the Special Leinster Club Junior Hurling Championship Final (Tier 4) at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, throw-in 1.30pm.

Slashers are just the second Longford team to reach the Special Leinster Club Junior Hurling Final. Wolfe Tones Mostrim also reached the final back in 2014 with a twelve-point victory over Tullow of Carlow in the quarter-final and another comprehensive win over St Patrick’s Stamullen of Meath in the semi-final with an eleven-point victory margin. However, the Edgeworthstown side were missing several key players for their comprehensive defeat against Clara of Offaly in the Leinster Final that year.

This is the fifth time that Longford Clubs are competing in the Tier Four grade of Leinster Hurling having taken part between 2012 to 2015 inclusive.

From 2016 to 2024, there was no Tier 4 competition and Longford Clubs competed in the Leinster Junior Hurling Championship (Tier 3) with Clonguish Gaels having the most successful run in that championship back in 2019. 

Clonguish defeated Barndarrig of Offaly by fourteen points in Round 1, they then beat Mountmellick of Laois in the quarter-final by three points, before losing to Kilkenny’s Conahy Shamrocks in the semi-final.

The last time Longford Slashers competed in Leinster back in 2021, they lost to Trumera of Laois by 1-16 to 0-11 in their Junior Championship encounter.

The Longford Champions reached this year’s Special Leinster Club  Junior final with a brilliant two-point win over Aughrim of Wicklow in their semi-final clash at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park with Slashers winning by 1-15 to 1-13. Reuben Murray top-scored with eleven points (10 frees) while Darragh Caslin scored the goal for the sky blues.

With ten minutes remaining, Slashers held a five-point advantage, but the men from the Garden County rallied to reel off the next four points to leave just a point between the sides as the game ticked over into stoppage time in what was a tense and gripping finale to an absorbing contest, but a Reuben Murray free after Sean Tiernan was hauled down when zooming in on goal sealed a place in the decider for Robbie Stakelum’s so committed side.

Their opponents Amsterdam are making history as the first mainland European side to contest a Leinster Hurling final. The Dutch side reached the last four by being crowned European Premier Champions for the fourth year-in-a-row with victories over Luxembourg GAA in the semi-final and a comprehensive 1-24 to 1-10 triumph over Viking Gaels of Denmark in the final. 

Amsterdam then went on to impressively defeat the Meath Intermediate beaten finalists Rathmoylan  by two points in their Leinster semi-final, 1-13 to 1-11 in Ashbourne. Amsterdam trailed by two points with two minutes of additional time left but a penalty goal converted by their chief sharpshooter Graham McDermott and a brilliantly executed point from player manager Dara O’Farrell snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for the history making Dutch team.

Eight counties were represented on the Amsterdam starting fifteen against Rathmoylan with McDermott their chief marksman, and the Longford champions will need to avoid conceding too many frees as McDermott regularly slots over frees from well inside his own half.

 Adrian O’Mahony, Shane Corridan and Joe Mulligan are other key players that Slashers will have to watch out for if their captain, Daire Regan from Killashee, is to lift the Leinster trophy on Saturday.