St. Kieran's College players celebrate after defeating Kilkenny CBS in the Leinster U19A Hurling Final.
By John Harrington
Another Croke Cup Final, another opportunity for St. Kieran’s College to further gild their reputation as the pre-eminent finishing school for hurlers in Ireland.
Their dominance of the blue riband competition of post primary schools hurling has been more pronounced than ever in recent times.
Saturday’s showdown with St. Raphael’s Loughrea will be the ninth Croke Cup Final in succession the Kilkenny school has contested, and they’ve won six of the previous eight.
There’s no such thing as a bad St. Kieran’s College Croke Cup team, but, even by their very lofty standards, this year’s bunch look particularly good.
25 of the panel are in sixth year so they’re an uncommonly mature group, and they’ve convincingly beaten every team they’ve played on the way to this year’s Final.
Team manager, Brian Dowling, usually does a good line in understatement, but even he admits that the St. Kieran’s class of 2024 is an especially fine vintage.
“There's something special about them,” he says. “They seem to be a really mature group, they're really mad into it. They're really coachable and they really take things on that we're trying to do with them.
“They're really proud to wear the Kieran's jersey. Every time they go out they give absolutely everything. They've been an absolute pleasure to work with this year.
“When you're over a team sometimes it can be hard to try to drag players out, but we don't have that in Kieran's and we're lucky that we have the numbers. We've lads who really want to play there. No matter what we ask them to do, they do it.
“Whether it's a gym session or a training session the lads are out there because they know that if they're not they won't be playing, it's as simple as that.
“They're a really good bunch and so many of them are lads that we've worked with for the last number of years and will be soon gone out of the school. They have one more day now so we want to try to make it as special as we can.
“They've had good memories so far in Kieran's, and we want them to finish on a high if possible. That's the dream way to go.”
In attendance at the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin are, from left, Paudie McCarry of St Raphaels Loughrea, Galway, Stephen Minogue and Geoff Neary of St Kierans College, Kilkenny. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.
Despite all they’ve won in the past, it’s a testament to the culture of high achievement in St. Kieran’s that they come back ravenous for more success ever year and never take anything for granted.
“No, you can't,” says Dowling. “What I keep saying to every single group is that every year is a different year and every group is trying to put their own stamp on it.
“We had brilliant lads last year but this is a new team again. Next year will be a new team again. Every year we try to start and our aim is to try to advance to an All-Ireland Final, that's what we're judged on in Kieran's.
“We can see the support that we have at matches and it just means so much to everybody and you just want to keep it going. It's just absolutely brilliant.
“Even the supporters that are there, you have lads from first to sixth year, lads who went for the panel but didn't make it, they're still supporting the lads.
“They got a great day out for the Leinster Final against Kilkenny CBS, it was a brilliant occasion. And we had a huge support even though the match was on a Saturday against Ard Scoil Rís in the All-Ireland Semi-Final
“It's brilliant. You have parents there, past pupils there.
“I saw lads who played in last year's All-Ireland Final down to watch the Leinster Final. It's great to see them after the match in the stand and how much it means to them to be still following the team.”
St. Kieran’s go in to Saturday’s Final against St. Raphael’s as warm favourites, but Dowling is expecting a tough battle against a team they beat comfortably enough in last year's quarter-final.
“They're very good, obviously,” he says They're after beating the Harty champions so that kind of says it all. I suppose the way they came back and won that game, they looked dead and buried but found a way around it.
"We know it's going to be a mighty battle. We played them last year and I think they were down three key players. They were very young last year and we were probably a lot more experienced.
"Look, it's a final, and we all know that you have to e ready for finals. There's a huge battle ahead for us now."
Saturday, March 16
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Croke Cup Final
St Kieran's College, Kilkenny v St Raphael's, Galway, Croke park, 1pm (TG4)
Tickets for the game can be purchased HERE.
