Dublin Colleges into Leinster SHC semis

[tayto]

Agree Scalder, it'd be a great day, might take a few years of a successful Dublin team to get to that level, i know a couple of people who's first trip to Croke Park was for the U21 final last year, hurling does fascinate some non-GAA people, like you say, and a competitive Dublin has the potential to draw a lot of them to Croke Park as well as a chunk of the football bandwagon, a lot of who wouldn't be GAA people. At this stage it's still a big if as to whether we can get on a par with Wexford, nevermind the likes of Kilkenny.

I'd be only too happy to see Wexford sort themselves out, we need a really competitive Leinster Championship for the good of the game. 

[INDIANA]

another one in the  bag - we're on the ay back.

[Declan]

Good piece by humphries today
Revolution needs some accent on Northside

Tom Humphries

Locker room: A FEW YEARS ago myself and a friend were sitting in our usual premium-level splendour in Parnell Park, enjoying the excellent hot dogs (where, oh where, is the Michelin Star?) exchanging bon mots and watching a club championship game featuring Kilmacud Crokes.

Don't recall who Crokes were playing. Call them The Defendants. I do recall our thinly suppressed smirks as we listened to the accents of a group of Kilmacud Crokes devotees sitting in the row behind us. They sounded like young men who had seen action inside of The Wes. They either went to Rock or had consorted with people who did. They were well spoken in that Dortish way and Kilmacud Crokes were losing. "Aw, goys," they roared, "get it together. C'mawwwn!"

We salts of the earth glanced at each other and glanced back at the field. Give the goys some more timber. Hee hee.

Ah, the good old days. We knew what would happen most years. Crokes or Ballyboden, generally Boden, would throw some mesmerising shapes early in the county championship, fielding teams brimful of fellas who used to be great when they were younger. Then Craobh Ciarán or O'Toole's or possibly even St Vincent's would give them an unsympathetic beating and some splinters.

All would be well with the world.

There weren't many people sporting Dublin colours in Dr Cullen Park in Carlow this Saturday afternoon. A couple of mothers with sky-blue-and-navy flags and Dublin umbrellas were the flamboyant wedge of the scant travelling support.

The long, slow march of Dublin hurling doesn't advertise itself well to the summer-on-the-Hill set. No percussive beat. No easy hooklines. Still, to be in Carlow on Saturday as Dublin hurling added the Leinster Colleges title to the provincial, minor and under-21 baubles already held was to realise (again) that the revolution is coming - and that the voice of the revolution will be dortish and no less competent or welcome for that.

Times have changed. Dublin's revolution has sprung from an unlikely geographic base. Back in 1983, the last time Dublin played in a minor All-Ireland final, the team had a more traditional look to it. A couple of boys from Cuala, two from Crumlin and Niall Quinn from nearby Robert Emmets. One apiece, goalie and corner back, for Boden and Crokes, a couple of hardy men from Good Counsel, one from Erin's Isle, a Parnells man, Barry Gavin from Round Towers and four from Vincent's.

When Hollywood would assemble stereotypes to become a platoon to suffer in celluloid under the barkings of a sadistic drill sergeant there were necessary components every time: a wisecracking Italian from Brooklyn, a broad-shouldered farm boy from Indiana, a drinking, fighting Paddy from anywhere, and a bookish Jewish guy who had to earn the others' trust. Dublin teams had the same stereotypes. Kilkenny were the drills sergeants of Leinster. Ballyboden and Crokes sent a bookish Jewish type to every audition.

With Dublin's last All-Ireland under-21 final appearance before last year you could see the pattern. It was Galway who broke Dublin on both occasions, but it was 1972 and a very young Mick Holden was shoved into the goal while his brothers PJ and Vinny played out the field. Again it was Crumlin men, some Vins, Craobh Ciarán, etc, that made up the balance.

And when Dublin made two Leinster senior finals in a row in the early 90s Brian Kelleher of Boden was the only representative from that neck of the woods in teams Lar Foley filled out with men from the old strongholds.

When the revolution comes though it will be led by men with Southside accents. When Dublin Colleges split into North Dublin and South Dublin it is South Dublin who will thrive. North Dublin will depend on St Declan's CBS, while the old strongholds such as Joeys in Fairview and O'Connells (both of whom won hurling titles on their own) have ceased to be relevant to the debate.

When young David Treacy stood up to accept the Leinster Colleges hurling trophy on Saturday afternoon he didn't sound quite like Ross O'Carroll Kelly, but you could tell what side of the city he came from. Beside him on the podium, Finn McGarry, the talented Boden keeper, stood grinning. Finn wears his hair with a bleach in it and looks like he just stepped off a surfboard (when Finn warms up with Boden though the flowing ginger locks of Brian Kennedy ensure the prize for most flamboyant hurler of the day go elsewhere).

You looked at the pair of them, successful Dublin minors last year, and realised these are serious young hurlers and ooze cool and star quality. Treacy in particular impressed on Saturday. Not for the first time in Dr Cullen Park (he was majestic there against Wexford last year) he gave an exhibition of hurling and was by a clear head the best player on the field.

Of the 33 players on the Dublin Colleges panel on Saturday, 23 came from south of the Liffey (and one from Castleknock, which like Clontarf is really a franchise of the Southside.) Na Fianna made up half the Northside representation. The figures are replicated to a slightly more modest extent in last year's successful minor and under-21 sides.

It was interesting to look through the names and see little hurling dynasties emerging from the Southside. The O'Carrolls, who gave Ross to the schools set-up a couple of years ago, had Rory at full back and Bill on the subs (the first of Crokes' 2005 All-Ireland Féile-winning side beginning to draw attention) as they drew level with the O'Rorkes (young Oisín yet to arrive of course) in contributions to the cause. The Lamberts had Mark there (Simon has just broken through at senior for Dublin). Conor Gough scored a fine goal; his brother Oisín was corner back for Dublin's minors last year. A couple of O'Loughlins were in evidence.

For the GAA in Dublin the emergence of places like Ballyboden and Stillorgan and Dalkey as the heartlands of hurling represents an interesting but welcome challenge. Those places have, remarkably, developed their own culture of hurling. Boden are county senior champions, Crokes the minor champions.

One or other, but probably both, will win an All-Ireland club championship within 10 years. Cuala won't be far off that either.

Across the river, in the absence of centres of excellence such as Coláiste Eoin or Benildus, the Northside will suffer. The St Declan's links with Oliver Plunketts in particular and that club's excellent coaching policies will ensure some response, but in the old heartlands there is evidence of recession and it gets worse the farther North you go. That vastly populated area stretching from Swords, through Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Balbriggan is generally a wasteland for the game of hurling.

Saturday's win in Dr Cullen Park wasn't greeted by herald angels. Rather some moaning (not from the CBS) about the imminent need to end the Dublin Colleges experiment, which began in 1993 and has yielded one All-Ireland and two Leinster titles.

It isn't as if Dublin's dominance has been oppressive, and recent success has been brought about by good structures and fine coaching rather than natural advantage (the hurling population of the city is small) but perhaps a move to Northside and Southside teams would draw attention to the need for the game to be tended north of the Liffey.

It doesn't matter what voice Dublin's hurling revolution speaks with, but for either half of the city to get left behind would be a betrayal of the principles that underpinned the revolution back in its nascent stages.

[INDIANA]

i think the point of how we've won 1 all-ireland in 14 years and it's called domination is taking the piss. Good Counsel had lads from 4/5 counties playing in the semi when dublin beat them- so i don't know what all the fuss is about.

[Sky Blue]

He makes a good point about the north- south divide. Everybody supports the development of hurling in Dublin until we start to win.

[the ship]

how will they do on saturday aginst thurles cbs any views

[INDIANA]

thurles are very good but so are dublin. - i think it's going to be an absolute cracker- i would suggest anyone in the vicinity should go to it because it will be worth it. I think with the firepower dublin have they should edge it. We've a couple of very classy forwards on this team. Dublin by 2 points but could just as easy go the otehr way. Thurles were level with De La Salle with 10 to go in the Munster Final and De Le Salle are the favour
ites.- so thurles have to be extremely good and they beat kilkenny cbs by roughly the same margin as dublin so i'd say there will be nothing in it.

[the ship]

thurles never got near de la salle 3 points just after half time was as close as they got should be agood game would have to fancy the dubs though

[the ship]

anyone have an update

[Zulu]

DLS and Thurles through, though I'm sure you know that at this stage. DLS seem unstoppable and you'd expect them to go on and retain their title now. Final could be a decent game.

[INDIANA]

don't think so- fair play to thurles- but our lads didn't perform at all and still nearly won. started the wrong team and after being only 3 down playing into a gale in the first half we couldn't convert in the second half. i think DLS will cruise to victory- i think they'd have beaten dublin as well but i think dublin might have given them a better game. Gutting for us because we didn't play - but the best team on the day won.

[INDIANA]

dublin north schools beat kierans in the u14 leinster championship final today. great to see our strength is continuing despite bowing to the wishes of splitting the colleges teams up. with colaiste eoin winning the u14b title as well yesterday, it caps off another good day for dublin hurling.