THIS is a campaign that Kilbrittain hurlers don’t want to end.

As they gear up for the Munster junior hurling final against Waterford champions Kilrossanty this Saturday (1pm) in Mallow, Kilbrittain head into their biggest test still unbeaten in championship hurling this year.

It has been an ideal season for players like Aaron Holland, who are living the good life after their 1-23 to 1-16 semi-final win over Limerick side Knockaderry.

‘It’s been an unbelievable year. It’s been non-stop action, all go. From the minute we stepped into training at the start of the year to now, the buzz around the place has been class,’ Holland said.

‘The Knockaderry game was one of the greatest fixtures to play. It was the biggest in Kilbrittain’s history. To be part of that alone, you don’t know what to think. It was unbelievable stuff.

‘Even going up on the bus, it wasn’t nerves, everyone was just so happy. It was a great experience to go outside the county.

‘Getting to a Munster final is the stuff of dreams. It would make you want to achieve more.’

From their county premier junior championship success to their provincial run, the Black and Amber have won every game. That winning habit adds inches to a team, and Kilbrittain carry real confidence now.

But they know well that there is still another hurdle to clear.

‘When you’re looking back at it, you’re taking one game at a time. You’re not trying to keep the unbeaten run going, it has just worked out that way,’ the half-back explained. ‘When everyone is clicking and going well, things are a lot easier. It’s hard to break that confidence then.

‘Between football and hurling, we were undefeated for a good few months. It was all systems go between the two of them. They fed into each other and created an unbreakable buzz around the place. Lads are rowing in together.’

It’s not just the players who feel it, the whole community is riding the wave.

‘You talk to everyone around the village and everyone is backing you. The excitement around this final has been brilliant. People asking you about it, chatting about it – it’s class,’ Holland said.

‘It’s going to be a tough game, we know that. But seeing how happy everyone is makes it that bit easier for us. It gives us that bit of a boost.’

For the Carbery club, it’s a privilege to still be going deep into winter. Win this weekend and an All-Ireland semi-final looms just before Christmas. Wouldn’t that be something?

‘We were doing pre-season at the start of the year down in the gym and we were all saying, “hopefully we’ll be training in these conditions at the end of the year”. That’s the aim,’ he said.

‘You want to be training when it gets darker at four or five in the evening. You know you’re into the real hurling competition then. It’s fantastic to keep going, and the longer we can keep it going, the better. Tuesday and Thursday nights training is where you want to be, no matter what,’ he concluded.