After losing in the final of the same competition last year, Trinity GAA’s freshers hurling team had a point to prove. Trinity’s freshers have had an outstanding season, displaying both talent and grit in all of their matches, a feat they would need to replicate against Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT) side with a giant-killing reputation. In their semi final, ITT had beaten Ulster University Jordanstown (UUJ) – a surprise victory for the team from Kerry.
Trinity started the game strongly, quickly putting ITT on the back foot, although their accuracy let them down, hitting three consecutive wides in the first few minutes. Then, Aaron Coffey gifted Trinity a dream start, robbing the sliotar off the Tralee keeper and slamming it into the net.
This goal was followed by a 65 from Dublin senior Cian O’Sullivan. ITT then hit back with a goal of their own.
Trinity showed resilience and commanded the rest of the second half. O’Sullivan kept Tralee at arms length, demonstrating his ability to score from range with points from inside the Trinity half. Trinity also saw points from Eoin Kelly and Ross Gorey. Gorey added a goal to his tally, beating the keeper with a low shot from outside the 21, making use of the low friction Astro pitch surface. Trinity went into the dressing room at half time with a seven-point lead.
The game slipped away from ITT in the second half and they lost their discipline, making the second half a slower affair, as the referee was forced to award Trinity numerous frees. Trinity took advantage of Tralee’s frustration and showed their composure, keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
The final whistle was met with jubilant celebrations which extended into the night in typical Trinity GAA fashion. Speaking to The University Times, Manager and Public Relations Officer, Leon Breen, summed up the team: “We’ve got a savage group of lads, though we were very lucky to have such a high standard and they all bought into the culture.”
Regarding the future, Breen says: “If we got a team like that again we could be looking at Division One but it’s hard to tell, you never know what your freshers intake is going to be like and we have to choose what league they’ll be in before we meet them.”
Despite this, Trinity can be optimistic about the future. With success comes publicity and with publicity comes interest from the general student population. It looks like the number of people involved in Trinity GAA is set to increase as the teams continue to make a name for themselves.
Next weekend is action packed for Trinity GAA, with the Ladies Gaelic team competing in their championship semi-final on Friday. On Sunday, Trinity GAA officially opens its new pitch on Santry Avenue starting at 12pm. They will host the Dublin senior football team who take on a selection of Trinity’s own players. The day will also feature a Trinity Camogie and Ladies Football alumni match.
