PREVIEW: Goal-laden perfection needed for Maynooth to stop Naas’ hurling reign
Daragh Nolan looks ahead to the UPMC Kildare Senior Hurling Championship final between Naas and Maynooth
King Louis XIV continually tightened his grip on France throughout his 72-year reign and, while the Naas hurlers are aiming at completing just their eighth, their domineering presence in Kildare’s small ball game is evident.
They return to the championship decider to face a familiar foe, Maynooth, whom they have beaten in three of the last four Kildare Senior Hurling Championship finals. Credit must go to the champions’ nearest contenders for continuing to be their challengers in chief, they face off on Sunday, October 25 at 3pm in Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
Much like many French monarchs of the previously discussed period, Naas have ambitions beyond their own boundaries. Since control of Kildare has been fully asserted, they are hoping success in Leinster will be the crowning jewel of their empire.
Talk of such grandeur does little to credit to either team headed into this final but, if you find yourself rolling your eyes at such talk, try these numbers on for size.
Naas have scored 23 goals and 120 points in just four UPMC SHC games and are averaging a winning margin of 39 points, having conceded an average points per game of just 8.25. King Louis doesn’t seem so incomparable now.
Maynooth have built on a hard-fought three-point win over Éire Óg Corra Choill on the opening day to dish out some damage of their own. 15-83 across their four games is brilliant scoring and conceding an average of 18 points per game would be reasonably impressive too were it not compared to those Naas figures listed above.
The reality is that Maynooth are playing great stuff and have earned their place in this and previous county finals but face a generation-defining Naas team.
Previous meetings
It has been five years since Naas have been truly pushed in a county final, when they beat Celbridge 1-16 to 1-13 in their All-Ireland Intermediate Championship-winning year. The following year saw them beat Maynooth 0-20 to 0-12 to win a game that they gradually took away from their opponents before a final with Coill Dubh and two more Maynooth encounters followed from ‘23 to ‘25.
An obvious pattern has been a Naas defence who have not conceded a county final goal since that 2021 meeting with Celbridge. Maynooth have shown an ability to raise green flags this year, doing so in each of their games with one against EOCC, six past Confey, five past Coill Dubh and three past Celbridge in this year's semi-final. That pattern must continue if they are to unnerve Naas and find a way to win. The keys for Maynooth lie in how many chances they can create for their danger men and to what extent they can be clinical because success in this fixture is going to take near perfection.
Key men
It’s an embarrassment of riches for Naas and what a team they have built over recent years, many of whom were competing at the highest level of hurling with Kildare in 2026. Talk of their dominance should not diminish the appreciation of this team’s outstanding quality. A full-back line of Liam O’Reilly, Rian Boran and Evan O’Briain is simply outstanding and presents a nightmare task for the Maynooth men hoping to get any joy in breaching the goal. Boran looked right at home in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship with Kildare and he is flanked by two stellar young defensive talents.
Moving up the field with Conan Boran, Simon Leacy, Cathal Dowling and Brian Byrne you begin to puff out your cheeks at the quality littered throughout this Naas team. Putting chances away this year, alongside many others, has been James Burke with 1-7 against Éire Óg, and Jack Sheridan who managed 1-4 form play in addition to his set-piece duties in their semi-final. Naas have enjoyed the return of the likes of Burke and Dowling to full fitness and they look firing and ready to carry Naas to glory once again.
One of the strongest areas of the field for Maynooth is their wing-back line of Cian Forde, Cathal McCabe and Cormac Nolan. The trio’s centre-piece is the versatile intercounty hurler McCabe who is not shy of confidence or fight and will be vital in leading his team through this difficult encounter. He has already shocked one Naas team when he scored a goal in Maynooth’s upset SFC semi-final victory.
Dan O’Meara and Conor O’Grady represent further strength in the centre of the pitch and they will have a gargantuan task on their hands to get meaningful possession for their side.
Scoring pressure rests heavy on the young shoulders of Tom Power in the absence of David Qualter but, after an uneven showing against Éire Óg, he has taken on that burden impressively.
However, all signs point to the reign of the champions continuing in 2026 and Naas heading to the provincials in search of Kildare’s first Leinster SHC title.
PREDICTION: Naas
Route to the final
Naas – R1: 2-28 to 0-12 win over Ardclough; R2: 5-31 to 0-6 over Celbridge; R3: 12-29 to 0-9 win over Clane; SF: 4-32 to 0-6 win over Éire Óg Corra Choill.
Maynooth – R1: 1-18 to 2-12 win over Éire Óg Corra Choill; R2: 6-21 to 1-16 win over Confey; R3: 5-23 to 1-12 over Coill Dubh; SF: 3-21 to 1-17 over Celbridge.