NO SOONER HAD Patrick Curran helped DCU seal a trip to their first-ever Fitzgibbon Cup final than his mind turned to upcoming challenges.
Waterford and DCU forward Patrick Curran Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Waterford forward Curran has been serving two masters in recent weeks. His busy schedule continues with a league clash against Kilkenny on Sunday, before DCU face UL and Waterford travel to Cork the following weekend.
Playing in a two-man full-forward line alongside Kilkenny’s John Donnelly, Curran fired over two points as they saw off DIT by 11 points last night.
“It’s all go,” he said after the game. “During the week you could be playing nearly every night. It’s up to the managers really.
“In Waterford Derek (McGrath) is really understanding, he’s good and he’s looking after the players’ welfare. That’s key and it’s the only way it can work. As players, you just want to be playing the whole time.
“I’ll go back into the gym tomorrow and I’ll be training Friday night with Waterford. Preparing for Sunday against Kilkenny.”
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DCU have won the Sigerson Cup four times, but hurling has long been the poor relation in the northside college. It’s believed this is the first ever season the Fitzgibbon team have made it further than the Sigerson side.
“It’s massive,” continued Curran. “It’s DCU’s first ever Fitzgibbon final so we’re happy to be there and we’ll give it our best shot now coming to the final.
“The lads spoke well at half-time, some of the backroom team and management. Lads stood up in the first ten minutes and pushed on. We found it hard at times in the first-half but we really got going in the second-half and we pushed on.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been there. I suppose we’ve been competitive in freshers the last few years and it’s hard to build a bond when the tradition wasn’t there originally.
“But we’re doing well and we gel well as a team too which is the most important thing.”
Last season DCU reached the quarter-final of the Fitzgibbon Cup for the first time in 20-odd years.
Manager Eoin Roche led the DCU freshers to All-Ireland glory 12 months ago and has continued in the same vein with the senior team.
In a wider context, it’s another boost for Dublin hurling. In a competition dominated by Limerick and Cork sides, the last college team from the capital to lift the Fitzgibbon Cup was UCD 17 years ago.
Dublin players are littered throughout this DCU team with Eoghan O’Donnell, Rian McBride, Donal Burke, Fergal Whitely and Daire Grey among the well-known Sky Blues to line out last night.
With Cuala competing in their second successive All-Ireland final on St Patrick’s Day, DCU’s rise on the hurling scene also bodes well for the future.
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'It's hard to build a bond when the tradition wasn't there originally' - DCU forward Curran
NO SOONER HAD Patrick Curran helped DCU seal a trip to their first-ever Fitzgibbon Cup final than his mind turned to upcoming challenges.
Waterford forward Curran has been serving two masters in recent weeks. His busy schedule continues with a league clash against Kilkenny on Sunday, before DCU face UL and Waterford travel to Cork the following weekend.
Playing in a two-man full-forward line alongside Kilkenny’s John Donnelly, Curran fired over two points as they saw off DIT by 11 points last night.
“It’s all go,” he said after the game. “During the week you could be playing nearly every night. It’s up to the managers really.
“In Waterford Derek (McGrath) is really understanding, he’s good and he’s looking after the players’ welfare. That’s key and it’s the only way it can work. As players, you just want to be playing the whole time.
“I’ll go back into the gym tomorrow and I’ll be training Friday night with Waterford. Preparing for Sunday against Kilkenny.”
DCU have won the Sigerson Cup four times, but hurling has long been the poor relation in the northside college. It’s believed this is the first ever season the Fitzgibbon team have made it further than the Sigerson side.
“It’s massive,” continued Curran. “It’s DCU’s first ever Fitzgibbon final so we’re happy to be there and we’ll give it our best shot now coming to the final.
“The lads spoke well at half-time, some of the backroom team and management. Lads stood up in the first ten minutes and pushed on. We found it hard at times in the first-half but we really got going in the second-half and we pushed on.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been there. I suppose we’ve been competitive in freshers the last few years and it’s hard to build a bond when the tradition wasn’t there originally.
“But we’re doing well and we gel well as a team too which is the most important thing.”
Last season DCU reached the quarter-final of the Fitzgibbon Cup for the first time in 20-odd years.
Manager Eoin Roche led the DCU freshers to All-Ireland glory 12 months ago and has continued in the same vein with the senior team.
In a wider context, it’s another boost for Dublin hurling. In a competition dominated by Limerick and Cork sides, the last college team from the capital to lift the Fitzgibbon Cup was UCD 17 years ago.
Dublin players are littered throughout this DCU team with Eoghan O’Donnell, Rian McBride, Donal Burke, Fergal Whitely and Daire Grey among the well-known Sky Blues to line out last night.
With Cuala competing in their second successive All-Ireland final on St Patrick’s Day, DCU’s rise on the hurling scene also bodes well for the future.
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DCU Fitzgibbon Cup GAA On the rise Patrick Curran team:Waterford (Hurling 1590