Cuala hoping to go one better this time

Cuala forward Mark Schutte hopes the bitter disappointment of losing in last year's Leinster club final was part of a learning curve for the Dublin champions.

On Sunday week Mattie Kenny's team face Kilkenny's O'Loughlin Gaels in the provincial decider. A win then would see Cuala become the first Dublin club since Crumlin in 1979 to be crowned Leinster champions.

"We sat down at the start of 2015 and we were so desperate to get the donkey off our back and win a Dublin championship," says Mark.

"We did that and it was such a relief, and the Leinster championship was a new experience (with Cuala losing to Oulart-The Ballagh in the final)."

"We were probably a bit more experienced this year coming into it, we prepared better this year than we did last year. We know experience is invaluable at this time of year.

"O'Loughlin Gaels have won a Leinster championship in the last few years as well so they are very experienced at this time of year too.

"Kilkenny hurling is going to be the standard bearer in Leinster championships but we are not going to pay too much attention to who is favourites.

"We'll just focus on ourselves, review this game (last Sunday's victory over Carlow's St Mullin's) and then over the next few weeks prepare for O'Loughlin Gaels.

"O'Loughlin Gaels are a quality team, it's a Leinster final so you are not going to play an easy team there. We have looked at ourselves more than anyone else to this point and it was the same in the (Dublin) championship final.

"People were saying it was a big local rivalry against Kilmacud but we just focused on ourselves and getting the best from ourselves.

"O'Loughlin Gaels are a huge challenge and we'll have to prepare adequately for that," adds Mark.