U16 Hurling ‘B’ Shield Champions
On Tuesday the 3rd of December, our U16 hurlers made the journey to Salesians College for the final of the Shield Championship. The conditions on the day were prefect for a fast game of hurling, cool with not a puff of wind. Having never played on a 3G surface before, we made sure to be there in plenty of time to allow the team to get used to the surface of the pitch. During the year we had some promising performances, however having failed to progress from the group stages of the championship, the team were keen to put a good performance together and take home the shield. This is the first final a Templeogue College hurling team has featured in for a number of years.
Captain Sean Mc Donald, having said his final few words to his team before throw in, started in impressive fashion. Gaining possession from the thrown in, he carried the ball forward and set up an excellent score taken by Michael Moore. This was to be the start of what was the best performance this team have put together all year. We dominated possession throughout the game, only allowing Salesians College to come into the game for brief periods. Our forwards moved freely and scored with ease while our backs remained solid and composed throughout the game. Special mention here must be given to Oisín Horan, who made his debut in goal for the U16 team for the final. He looked as though he belonged there; starting attacks with precise puck outs and being solid between the posts for the hour. Michael Moore and Sean McDonald in the middle of the field were dominant and aggressive, and were the driving force behind most of our attacks. Forwards Jack Kearney and Kevin Hogan were a thorn in the side of the Salesians defence, picking off a number of points and goals throughout the game. A goal from Kevin Hogan from an extremely acute angle being the pick of the scores. We were well ahead by halftime, and we knew that if we kept going that the game was within our reach. Salesians College came out in the second half with more intent than before. Defenders Thomas Ryan, James Maher and Henry Horne, Colin Ryan, Daragh O’Donovan and Conor Kenny worked tirelessly and didn’t give Salesians the chance to get back into the game. Our entire squad got minutes on the field during the game. We won the game on a score line of 5-15 to 1-5, a comprehensive win.
This team have huge potential, with players that are involved in Dublin development squads like Henry Horne, Kevin Hogan and Jack Kearney, playing alongside the other excellent players we have in the squad. We hope that this team will go one step further at Senior level and compete for the championship.
Squad:
Number Name Year
1 Daragh O'Donovan 4
2 Eoin Kenny 4
3 Conor Curran 4
4 Colin Byrne 4
5 Henry Horne 4
6 Jude Crotty 4
7 Michael Moore 4
8 Sean McDonald 4
9 Thomas Ryan 4
10 Michael Power 4
11 Oisin Horan 4
12 Conor O'Hara 4
13 Kevin Hogan 3
14 Conor Kenny 3
15 Darragh Sutcliffe 3
16 Sean Mostyn 3
17 James Maher 3
18 Finn Wadell 3
19 Daniel Ryan 3
20 Mark McSharry 3
21 Dara McCabe 3
22 Jack Kearney 3
23 Ben Mooney 3
24 Rhys Kennedy 3
25 Conor Horan 3
26 Ruairi Drummond 3
27 Aaron Dicker 4