Longford Slashers and Wolfe Tones battle it out again for the county title

Wolfe Tones manager Bernie Connell pictured with player Luke Kelly (left) while the Longford Slashers senior hurling supremo is Robbie Stakelum, pictured with coach Brian Healy (right) Pics: Syl Healy | Syl Healy

placeholder image — Wolfe Tones manager Bernie Connell pictured with player Luke Kelly (left) while the Longford Slashers senior hurling supremo is Robbie Stakelum, pictured with coach Brian Healy (right) Pics: Syl Healy | Syl Healy

Cablecomm Senior Hurling Championship Final on Sunday, throw-in 4pm

The battle for the 2026 Jimmy Duignan Cup reaches its conclusion on Sunday at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park when reigning champions Longford Slashers take on Wolfe Tones Mostrim in the senior hurling final, throw-in 4pm.

Longford Slashers will be favourites to retain the county title, having won both their group stage games with considerable ease.

Robbie Stakelum’s charges easily dispatched the Clonguish Gaels challenge in the opening round with a comprehensive 3-25 to 0-4 victory at C & D Devine Park.

Reuben Murray top-scored that day with 1-6, Micheal Mulcahy hit 1-3, Matthew Hawes fired over 0-6 and Niall Hawes scored 1-2 as nine Slashers players found the range to get the champions off to a perfect start.

Slashers followed that victory up with another comfortable win over Wolfe Tones, running out winners by fourteen points on a final score of 5-17 to 1-15.

Ten Slashers players raised flags in that win. Reuben Murray was joint chief marksman, this time scoring 0-7 while David Buckley registered 1-4. Substitute Sean Tiernan scored 2 goals with another substitute, Gary Hand, also raising the green flag, and Niall Hawes got the other goal for the Sky Blues at Bertie Allen Park.

With almost forty-five minutes gone in the game Wolfe Tones only trailed by five points, but Slashers then scored a crucial but highly controversial goal to go eight points clear and they never looked back after that as the Wolfe Tones challenge faded.

Top scorer for the Edgeworthstown side that day was the talismanic Cathal Mullane with 0-9. substitute Luke Kelly with 1-1 and 0-3 from Killian Courtney completed the top three scorers for Wolfe Tones.

Bernie Connell’s men bounced back from that defeat to book their spot in the final with a comprehensive victory against Clonguish Gaels, defeating them by 4-20 to 1-10.

Again Cathal Mullane top-scored for the Edgeworthstown side hitting 1-8 while Killian Courtney scored 1-5. Liam Browne was their third highest scorer with 1-2 while Martin Coyle got the other goal as seven players got on the scoreboard for Wolfe

Despite their comfortable triumph over Wolfe Tones in the round-robin phase of the championship, Slashers have to be wary that their opponents always perform much better at Pearse Park when the county title is on the line.

This was the case last year as although Longford Slashers convincingly defeated Wolfe Tones by seventeen points in their group clash, they were only crowned champions after a replay winning by four points.

It promises to be another tight contest on Sunday as Wolfe Tones, the 2024 county champions, chase their 22nd crown while Longford Slashers are seeking their 14th senior success and their first back-to-back titles since their 2000 & 2001 triumphs.

Prediction: Longford Slashers