By Alanna Cunnane

24-year-old Finnian Cawley feels he is “extremely fortunate” to be in an Easkey/St Farnan’s squad with “so many exceptional young players coming through at the same time.”

Downplaying his own contribution in that very skillset, what the teacher by trade does acknowledge is that “to have all that talent in a small area is so rare.”

“It would all be nothing though without the hard work and dedication of so many great people in our club that give up their spare time to train underage teams” he says.

“So many of them have helped us out and, in a way, we are the players and men we are today because of them.

“That’s something we can never thank them enough for.”

Commending those “people that nobody sees or hears anything about”, he credits much of their success to their “second to none” dedication and commitment.

The “real hurling culture being developed around the area” though is also due to the example being provided by influential role models from the current senior team to the up and comers out West.

The neighbouring parishes haven’t just seen success in hurling however. The recent intermediate football semi-final clash between Easkey and St Farnan’s was one for the ages that came down to the wire, seeing the men from Dromore West and Templeboy progress to the final, and eventual championship victory, by the narrowest of margins and after extra time.

“Winning the football championship this year was brilliant for our club as we’ve had a lot of close calls these past few years, so it was great to get over the line finally” he says.

“The joy it brought to our community was amazing and I’m just so grateful to be part of the team that had such a positive influence on the people in our area this year.”

Given a choice between the two, no outright priority emerges for Cawley, who believes both codes “really do complement each other in many ways.”

“I love the fact that I’m a dual player truth be told” he says.

“I’m really enjoying playing both at the moment and I hope the man above can help me stay injury free over the next few years so I can continue to play and enjoy both at a high level!”

This weekend’s battle is a more pressing one at the minute however and the Easkey/St Farnan’s man isn’t making any predictions for the big day, just “focusing on putting in a big performance”.

“Getting the victory over the line would mean the world to our team and our club, especially to the people that have given so much over the last few years.”

“We are where we are because of them, and it would be brilliant to come out with a positive result on Sunday for both our communities. Hopefully we can do that!”

The Senior Hurling Championship Final between Easkey and Naomh Eoin takes place on Sunday at 3pm in Markievicz Park.