Major step towards final breakthrough

With the senior team in the doldrums, Dublin hurling received another morale boost courtesy of its youth when the Dublin Colleges defeated All-Ireland champions St Kieran's at the weekend. They will face Good Counsel in the final next Saturday in Carlow.

It's seven years since the decision was taken to amalgamate the county's challenge for the senior colleges' titles and, after some encouraging performances in recent years, the combined team has delivered its best result to date.

St Kieran's were highly rated and included a number of last year's successful team. The Dublin side had to recover a seven-point first-half deficit.

Evidence of the challengers' self-assurance was visible at the end when top scorer Conal Keaney - who doesn't even attend a hurling school; he's a pupil at newly-crowned Leinster rugby champions Terenure College - had a penalty to win the match but coolly took the point to force the match to extra-time and had the nerve to grasp a famous win.

Colm Mac Sealaigh is the team's coach. A teacher in Colaiste Eoin, he felt that this might be the year for the team.

"It's easy to say in hindsight, but I had a feeling we might do it this time. The fellas had a definite focus on it - at least that's what they were saying. I don't know what it was based on, but there was definitely a greater confidence.

"About half the team that started was on the panel last year. About eight were also on the Dublin minor panel last year so there's a fair backbone of experience."

That experience includes losing the last two Leinster finals to St Kieran's. Mac Sealaigh says that both the team and management have been building to this. "I felt we were making progress all the time. For me and the others involved with team, it's been a learning process about preparing a team for this level of commitment.

"We learned things that had to be part and parcel of the game plan: A better awareness of what's going on the field, of how the opposition is playing and passing the ball around.

"We realised that first-time skills could be improved and the development squads put in place by the county board has helped that."

Taken with last year's minor achievement in reaching the All-Ireland semi-final, Saturday's win seems to indicate an encouraging trend in the developing base of Dublin hurling.

"I'd be a bit wary about being too optimistic. Breakthroughs like Saturday's have to be built on. It's a bit early to go overboard but it's a boost to those involved in Dublin hurling, a hopeful sign.

"I always felt that a lot of talent was available and I believe the combined colleges' team has brought focus to making the best of the resources."

Will the victory be for nothing if the Dublin Colleges don't win the title next weekend?

"I wouldn't say it's been for nothing, but it would end up as a fond memory for the years ahead and I'm sure the players would prefer a medal."