An exciting year lies ahead for Trinity GAA’s men’s hurlers and footballers, with possible silverware in both camps. After winning the Ryan Cup twice in a row, the hurlers have opted to compete in the Fitzgibbon Cup – the top championship for third-level hurling teams. A successful campaign for them would be to win one or two matches and lay down a marker for future years. They will be facing Limerick IT, Dublin City University (DCU) and Waterford IT. The Trinity hurlers – led by manager Shane O’Brien – are a tight-knit and talented group of players who are keen to cause upsets against the more established hurling teams.
The freshers hurlers are coming off the back of a successful league campaign where they won a Division 2 title. They will now be competing in the second division championship. With a litter of quality players, including six county minor players, and with a palpable hunger in the dressing room, they are in with good chance of winning their second piece of silverware this academic year.
After a boom in numbers, the hurlers are now hoping to field a second senior team to compete in the junior championship. If this happens, it will be a major milestone for a club that has struggled in the past to generate a large amount of interest on campus.
After a somewhat disappointing league campaign for the senior footballers, the seniors are hoping for better luck in the Sigerson Cup – the first division championship. Their first game is against NUI Galway, who have been very strong this year, winning the Division 2 league. This game will be a massive challenge for the seniors but, with a raft of players returning from injuries and club commitments, the seniors are still expected to progress.
Similar to the hurlers, the gaelic footballers have plenty of players representing their counties, including their Captain, Cian O’Donoghue, who has been a starter for Kildare in recent years. Dylan Brady – whose club performances may warrant a call up to the Meath seniors – was absent for much of the league campaign but scored 1-3 to help Trinity avoid relegation in a playoff game against Cork IT. With the addition of several other top senior inter-country players, including James Guinness of Down and Keelan Beirne of Roscommon, Trinity seniors are a formidable opponent for any team.
The freshers footballers, similar to their hurling counterparts, will be competing in the Division 2 Championship, a title they hope to retain after winning it last year. Their league campaign was sparse with only one of their games being played due to other teams pulling out, but, with a crop of excellent players coming through, Trinity is in with a good shot of winning Division 2 championship titles in both hurling and gaelic football.
The intermediate footballers appear to have the most concrete chance of winning silverware. They are competing in the Division 3 Leinster Championship and anything short of winning the title would be seen as a disappointing result for the team and for their manager, Brian O’Ruairc.
If the year goes well, the men’s GAA teams could see themselves with some silverware and, most importantly, see a stronger presence on campus as numbers for both clubs boom and sporting insiders sit up and take note.
