Thurles CBS, Tipperary, players, from left, Cormac Fitzpatrick, Evan Morris and Robbie Ryan ahead of their Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools A Hurling Final against Presentation College Athenry, Galway, during the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Finals Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
On St Patrick’s Day, Thurles CBS will contest the Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Croke Cup (Senior A Hurling) Final against Presentation Athenry.
From the start of the school year this group of players and their management had the clear-eyed view that this is exactly where they wanted to be on March 17.
They knew they had the talent and they knew they had the requisite hunger. It was just a matter of working hard enough to make their vision a reality.
“Two years ago some of those boys lost a Harty Cup Final by a point and then were beaten by a point in the All-Ireland semi-final by Pres Athenry,” says Thurles CBS manager Niall Cahill.
“It was hugely disappointing to lose both of those matches by a point.
“Last year then they lost by a point to Ard Scoil Rís after a somewhat controversial end to the game so they brought huge hurt into this year.
“It was an easy sell to the boys this year because they had gone through so much hurt and hardship.
“Their attitude is excellent. If we say anything to them they listen and they have improved and that's very pleasing.
“They've won plenty with their clubs and the county and sometimes players can be a little bit individualistic but they have worked incredibly hard as a group.
“We knew we had some of the best forwards in Tipperary at our disposal this year but it was trying to see could they match the skill with the work rate and in fairness they have all year.
“We have to bring it up another notch now for the final against Athenry.”
The Thurles CBS senior hurling team that will contest the Croke Cup Final.
This Thurles CBS team is stacked with players who will hurl for the Tipperary U20 or minor hurlers later this year, but they still go into this match as underdogs.
Presentation Athenry dethroned the dominant force of post primary schools hurling, St. Kieran’s, in the All-Ireland semi-final, and have played some tremendous hurling throughout the campaign.
“They're outstanding,” says Cahill. “We probably expected them to come through their semi-final against St. Kieran's. They're very mature and experienced and still have five of the lads who beat us in the All-Ireland semi-final two years ago.
“They also have two players with the Galway senior hurling team which is huge. That just tells you how well thought of Sean Murphy and Aaron Niland are.
“Everyone already knows Aaron Niland's name because he's just top class. It's great that he's back now after being sidelined for a while with injury and is pushing on again, but hopefully he doesn't push on too much in the Croke Cup Final!”
Thurles CBS have a fine tradition of hurling and have been very consistent in their province throughout the age-grades in recent years, but Cahill believes they need to set even higher standards for themselves.
If they could win the Croke Cup for just the second time in the school’s history, he believes that achievement could have a hugely positive domino effect for the generations of players that follows this year’s team.
“We've been very successful in Munster over the last 20 years,” he says. “When you count up how many different titles we've won at U-14, U-15, Dean Ryan level, and Harty we'd have won probably the most out of any school in Munster.
“But we've set out the stall to the lads that we need to be kicking on, we need to be getting to All-Irelands. We only won one All-Ireland and that was back in 2009. Got beaten in 2008 and beaten in 2015 by St. Kieran's in Semple Stadium.
“We do need to be pushing on but the competition is phenomenal and all schools are working incredibly hard at all levels and the margins can be very fine.
“It would be huge for the school to win this game. This is what you aim for. It sets the bar for the lads in the younger age-grades that this is what they need to be aiming for too.
“It's brilliant to have this opportunity. It's that old slogan, if you see it you can be it. We want lads in Thurles CBS to see that we can win these cups and that there should be an expectation that we should be winning these cups like there is in St. Kieran's.
“Expectation brings pressure but in fairness to our lads they have responded well to that. They've worked incredibly hard and minded themselves incredibly well.”
Monday, March 17
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Croke Cup (Senior A Hurling) Final
Presentation College Athenry v Thurles CBS, Croke Park, 3pm (Live TG4)