third-ever Leinster Club Hurling Championship campaign once again foundered at the Leinster Semi-final stage. Following a spell-binding 1-24 to 0-4 win over Trim in the opening round at Athboy, the Clareen panel went to Portlaoise on 10 November to face O'Toole's. The Dublin champions (including former Kilkenny forwards Eamonn Morrissey and Jamesie "Shiner" Brennan) powered into a 1-10 to 0-2 lead after the first quarter. Out-maneuvered nearly everywhere, Seir Kieran drew on vast reserves of character and resolve, and lived to fight another day (Seir Kieran 3-10, O'Toole's 1-16). Back in Portlaoise the following Saturday, the Offaly champions were again stretched thin, and again held their shape and composure to make inroads in the second half. O'Toole's kept topping up their points total, however, and (despite Joe Dooley nipping in for a late goal) advanced by 0-18 to 2-9. Undeterred by their failure to navigate further in Leinster, Seir Kieran advanced to the 1997 Senior Hurling Final undefeated, with wins over Lusmagh (1-11 to 0-5), Kilcormac/ Killoughey (0-15 to 1-9), Belmont (5-17 to 0-4), and Tullamore in the Semi-final (2-15 to 2-10). In the Final itself, played out against Birr on 5 October 1997, Joe Dooley was hampered by a leg injury as he alternated between midfield and full forward. This made it easier for Birr to keep tabs on the other Clareen playmakers, and to win out by four points (0-14 to 2-4). In the midst of bitter disappointment in the black and amber camp, what did not change was the determination to challenge, the following year, as ferociously as ever. In the meantime, a great victory in the Junior Hurling 'B' Championship ensured that the year ended on a high. At Rath on 2 November 1997, the following team beat Coolderry in the Final by 2-9 to 2-4: Damien Coffey (goalie), Tom Connor, Paddy Mulrooney, John Coakley, Kevin Dooley, Joe Guinan, Finbarr Murphy, Pat Mulrooney, Aidan O'Neill, Kieran Troy, Noel Bergin, Kevin Abbott, Joe Mooney, Sean Coughlan, and TJ Dooley. Triumph, then disappointment – Offaly Hurling 1995 to 1997 Having turned the tide in the 1994 All Ireland Final, Offaly looked set to blossom into the dominant team of the mid-1990s. At the same moment, however, Limerick, Clare and Wexford were surging to the top ranks of hurling counties, while Kilkenny and other "traditional" powers remained a threat. In response, Offaly upped their own performance levels even further;