This will be his seventh county final, having first appeared in 2012, as a 17-year-old

They call it the Clash of the Cash. It is a catchy enough line, even if it tells only a fraction of the story.

When Cuala and Kilmacud Crokes meet in Saturday’s Dublin senior hurling final, the southside neighbours will bring plenty more than their postcode and supposed riches to the table. These are clubs with deep roots, generations of families involved and membership numbers that leave both scrambling for pitches to accommodate the next wave.

There is, of course, a healthy appetite for a bit of needle between neighbours. Throw in the Coláiste Eoin connection, former schoolmates lining out on opposite sides and the prospect of Monday morning bragging rights, and there is enough local spice to season any county final.

But for Sean Brennan, Cuala’s goalkeeper, the biggest motivation has little to do with the opposition. It is about getting his own hands on silverware again.

Brennan has collected five Dublin county titles, two Leinster club crowns and two All-Ireland club medals during his time with Cuala. The last of those Dublin titles came in 2020, however, and six years is a long time for a club accustomed to making a habit of winning.

This will be his seventh county final, having first appeared in 2012, as a 17-year-old. The gap to his last title has been a reminder that success, even for clubs of Cuala’s stature, is never something to be taken for granted.

“Absolutely buzzing, to be honest,” he says. “It's been six years now since we've been in one.

“It's really exciting, especially all the buzz around the club and stuff like that at the moment as well. It's a really exciting time to be involved.”

The footballers have certainly done their bit to keep the Cuala flag flying. Their All-Ireland triumph two years ago was a landmark achievement, and last weekend's Dublin senior football success has only heightened the appetite for another big day.

There is talk of a club double, naturally, but Brennan is not particularly interested in dressing up the hurlers' motivation as pressure. He has a better word for it.

Envy.

“I wouldn't say we are under extra pressure because of what the hurlers achieved; I actually think envy is the better word, to be honest,” he says.

“It's actually making you want to do it a bit more. Watching the footballers win the All-Ireland two years ago, I was going, ‘Ah fuck, imagine we got another chance to do that’. I was jealous watching them, to be honest.”

There is no begrudgery in it, just hunger from a player who has tasted the highest level of club success and wants another go. Watching your clubmates climb the steps and collect the big prizes is one thing. Standing on the sideline while they do it is quite another.

“I want to replicate that feeling.

“We want to get over the line. There's no point living off the back of their success if we can't do it ourselves, so there's a huge incentive for us to do it also.”

That is where Kilmacud Crokes come in.

Crokes are chasing another piece of history of their own. Both clubs have three All-Ireland titles, although Cuala's haul is split between hurling and football, while Crokes have yet to carry their Dublin hurling dominance through to a Leinster or All-Ireland crown.

They will hope Saturday marks the beginning of a different story. Brennan, unsurprisingly, would prefer that particular chapter to remain unwritten.

Does the presence of Crokes across the parish add a little extra to the occasion?

“I think it adds a little bit of spiciness to it, to be honest,” he says. “The noisy neighbours there, and I'm sure there's a huge Coláiste Eoin contingent on both teams, so a good overlap and lads going to school together and stuff.

“And I heard the Clash of the Cash coming up again there. I think that was a 2016 line from when we last played in the final, I think, so you get all those little things popping up.”

The joke has been around long enough to have become part of the fixture's folklore. Does it grate?

“It's whatever others want to say about us. It's kind of funny, to be fair. It doesn't bother us anyway. It is a good little punchline just outside clubs or whatever.”

Brennan is not about to lose sleep over a bit of slagging. Nor does he pretend that the rivalry is anything other than genuine.

“They're our neighbours. You went to school with half of them, so of course, look, Cuala want to beat Crokes, Crokes want to beat Cuala. It's always been the way growing up.

“So it does add a little bit of edge to it, makes it a little bit more of an incentive to make sure you get the bragging rights, I suppose, come Monday.”

There are familiar faces on the opposing side, including Cian McGowan and Oisín O'Rorke, while other connections run through the school years and classes. It is the sort of rivalry that does not need much manufacturing. The players know one another, the clubs know one another and nobody needs reminding what a defeat will mean when they bump into each other around south Dublin.

Still, for all the talk of neighbours, nicknames and financial jibes, the six-year wait is what gives this final its real significance for Brennan.

And if the Clash of the Cash crowd have to listen to a few Cuala supporters on Monday morning, well, that is just the way these things go.

• Pictured ahead of the PTSB Dublin Hurling Championship Senior Final between Cuala and Kilmacud Crokes are Seán Brennan and Dara Purcell. PTSB is proud to sponsor the PTSB Dublin Leagues and Championships across all four codes within Dublin GAA, Dublin LGFA and Dublin Camogie, from minor level upwards.