A REMARKABLE season for Derry club hurling continues this weekend with two clubs form the county competing in All-Ireland semi-finals.

A novel line up in the intermediate grade pairs Banagher against Kerry champions Kilmoyley, with Naas of Kildare taking on Toreen of Mayo in the other semi-final. Kerry, Derry, Kildare and Mayo would not be considered as tier one hurling counties.

The absence of any clubs from any of the top hurling counties is a fair indication of improving hurling standards across many counties where people are working hard to develop and grow the game.

Kilmoyley and Naas will go in as favourites to reach the final. Banagher will relish the fact that they will go into the game as underdogs and can approach the game with a nothing to lose mentality.

Banagher are a very experienced team, a majority of their players would have played county hurling for Derry at some stage or are currently playing. The return of Oisin McCloskey from suspension will be a welcome boost.

In the Ulster final against Lisbellaw, Banagher got off to a slow start. It will be key to their efforts that they avoid a similar start against the Munster champions.

The Banagher men have to start well and ensure they are still in the game as it goes into the final quarter, if they are to have a shot at causing the upset.

Sleacht Néill face a huge challenge, facing off against Waterford and Munster kingpins Ballygunner. Ballygunner looked awesome in their Munster final win over Killmallock of Limerick. The game was effectively over at half time.

Killmallock will be very disappointed with their performance. They never got to the pace of the game, their discipline was poor and they conceded too many needless frees. That’s criminal when Pauric Mahony is the free-taker on the opposing team. Sleacht Néill will hopefully learn from Killmallock’s mistakes in this regard.

Like Banagher, Sleacht Néill will have to start well, with the likelihood being Ballygunner aiming for a quick start and having a game-plan to try to kill the game early. Sleacht Néill should have every confidence going into this game. Strong performances against Na Pairsaigh of Limerick and Ballyhale of Kilkenny in their previous visits to All-Ireland semi-finals have demonstrated that they are capable of being very competitive at this level.

They key question now is, can they be more than competitive and go and win the game?

Dessie Hutchinson is the key man in the Ballygunner attack. He scored 1-6 from play in the Munster final. Curtailing his influence will be a key aim for Sleacht Néill. Karl McKaigue is likely to be tasked with a man-marking job. He is an excellent man-marker and should have the athleticism to match Hutchinson. Parnell Park is a tight pitch, Hutchinson may not be able to find the same room that was readily available in Pairc ui Chaoimh against Killmallock.

Another key match-up is likely to be Shane McGuigan against Pauric Mahony. McGuigan did an unbelievable job against TJ Reid in Newry in their last All-Ireland semi-final, holding the Kilkenny talisman to one point from play.

Sleacht Néill will also have to decide whether to employ Gerald Bradley in a sweeper position. Bradley can perform this role very well, he is a smart player and can read the game expertly.

If McGuigan and McKaigue can curtail the influence of Ballygunner’s two key attackers, with Gerald Bradley providing extra cover, and they can minimise the amount of frees they concede, Sleacht Néill will have a real chance at blunting the Ballygunner attack. Sleacht Néill will feel they have the pace and firepower to cause Ballygunner problems at the opposite end of the field. Cormac O’Doherty is a serious player, he is often pivotal to things when Sleacht Néill are going well.

Brendan Rogers is another huge player for them, his pace and power make him a real handful for opposing teams. He has an eye for goal and generally can get big scores when Sleacht Néill need them most.

Sleacht Néill will need big games from these two players on Sunday. In truth they will need big games from all 15 players and from any players who come off the bench if they are to advance to the All-Ireland final.

An exciting weekend lies ahead for hurling in Derry. Both teams face huge challenges but both teams have the players to go and win their respective games.

Local rivalries will be parked for the weekend as all Derry Gaels hope to see the Oakleaf clubs take further steps forward in what has already been a historic season for club hurling in the county.

Good luck to both teams!