WITHIN minutes of Ballyhale Shamrocks wrapping up their seventh Leinster club hurling title last Sunday, James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick, still surrounded by autograph hunters, revealed where their true ambitions lie.

Ballyhale's celebrations were noticeably muted and the Kilkenny ace didn't pretend that their eye isn't on the main prize.

"Our celebrations are a bit subdued today," he admitted. "We were a bit disappointed after being beaten last year and we know where we want to be. We want to be in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day but Newtownshandrum stand in our way now."

In those few short sentences Fitzpatrick signalled that there will be a mouthwatering climax to this year's All-Ireland club competition.

In one corner we have Ballyhale against Newtown', while in the other, the defending champions Portumna face Dunloy, the side who ousted them in the 2003 semi-finals.

It is no secret that Ballyhale are still smarting over the 5-11 to 1-16 trouncing that Portumna handed them in last year's semi-final.

And even if that hadn't left them short of motivation, they have also just equalled Birr's seven titles in Leinster and now have a chance to go one better than the legendary four-time All-Ireland-winning Offaly side by winning a record fifth national title.

While the early months of the New Year tend to be a bit of a snooze-fest on the hurling front, this year's All-Ireland club semi-finals should prove an exception in the 40th year of the prestigious club competition.

The storied Kilkenny club now face a Cork side whose meteoric rise and recent history makes them serious contenders.

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As Ballyhale trainer James McGarry said: "We all know what Newtown' are like; the O'Connors, Pat Mulcahy, Cathal Naughton and all those. It'll be a serious test for our lads."

And as if to remind his players of the pain they suffered 12 months ago, he said of his own charges: "They're a good group of players but they're in the same position as they were this time last year so, if they want to make progress they're going to have to push on again."

Just four clubs are still standing, but what a quartet it is. Portumna, of course, are the team of the moment, and the decade. The defending champions have won five Connacht titles since 2003 and have already won three All-Irelands in that time, beating Newtownshandrum in 2006, Birr in 2008 and Waterford's De La Salle last year after effortlessly brushing aside Ballyhale.

They're chasing an unprecedented three-in-a-row and the only blemish on their record nationally came in 2003, when they made their Connacht breakthrough only to lose to Dunloy by three points.

Dunloy's experience in their third consecutive All-Ireland semi-final proved vital. While they have not been as dominant since, Dunloy noticeably scored 2-8 from play in their five-point defeat of Ballycran in this year's Ulster final.

That was their 10th provincial title since 1990 and players like Paddy and Liam Richmond, Gregory O'Kane and Ally Elliot are some of the most experienced hurlers in Ulster.

But only one Ulster team -- Loughiel Shamrocks, who beat St Rynaghs in 1983 -- have ever won the club title and it is the other semi-final that already has hurling fans salivating.

Newtown' may have fallen asleep on a 10-point lead and had to fight like tigers to shake off Ballygunner by two points last Sunday to win their third Munster title, but they have a remarkable recent history.

In 2000, just four years after winning the Cork intermediate title and after winning three county U-21s in a row, the tiny east Cork parish contested their first county senior final and won it.

In the decade since they've contested six Cork finals, winning four of them. And ominously, each time they've won Munster (2003 and 2005) they've gone the whole way to Croker on St Patrick's Day, beating Dunloy in 2004 and losing to Portumna in 2006.

Yet in Ballyhale they face a side not just littered with talent, but with a lengthy history and pedigree. The four-in-a-row Kilkenny champions have won seven of their nine Leinster final appearances; three in the last four years.

The club first reached the All-Ireland final back in 1979, which they lost to Blackrock, but two years later they beat St Finbarr's and they've added three more All-Irelands since.

Their 1981 All-Ireland winners featured the seven Fennelly brothers, Johnny Walsh, Patrick Holden and was captained by Richard Reid.

Michael Fennelly is now joint-manager and his sons Michael (24) and Colin (20) are starters, while the three Reid brothers who star in their current attack -- Patrick (27), Eoin (24) and TJ (21) -- are nephews of Richard.

Ballyhale's current captain Eamonn Walsh is a nephew of Johnny and their substitutes include Padraig and Joseph Holden, sons of Patrick.

A new generation of Ballyhale 'names' are now fighting for glory and their tussle with Cork's best should be a cracker.

If Portumna, as expected, meet the winners, whoever takes home the Tommy Moore Cup next March will certainly have earned it.

Irish Independent