JCT Almost Bulldoze Through

Roar power…

f the sheer volume and passion of a team’s supporters could be added to the final score at Ollie Campbell Park today, there’s little doubt that Temple Carrig would have won today’s thrilling final.

Despite those deafening roars and raised shoes though, it was St Fintan’s who walked away with the Fr Godfrey Cup.

For some, it was the absence of their tone-setting hooker Donnacha Gleeson that tipped the game against Temple Carrig, even if Lucas O’Gorman did a fine job stepping into the middle of the front row.

And an early wobble in the game that slowed proceedings down didn’t help either, with St Fintan’s being the first to shake off the malaise, with Rory O’Connor-O’Hehir proving crucial to their eventual win. Thanks to his hat-trick, the final score would be St Fintan’s High School 29 Temple Carrig 15.

It was a somewhat crushing final score, given that Temple Carrig had fought back to a 12-10 scoreline at half time, clearly rising to the occasion from the ninth-minute 12-0 punch to the ego.

It was hardly surprising that the lads came out bulling in the second half, with Darragh Shanahan and Thomas Lawniczak putting Temple Carrig ahead 15-12 in the 37th minute. Not long after though, that Rory fella went for his hat-trick.

Amazing achievement for Temple Carrig to make it all the way to the Bank Of Ireland Leinster Schools Fr Godfrey Cup final, and they put up one hell of a fight.

So, congrats to players Corey O’Brien, Oisin Ivory, Gavin Lincoln, Freddie Packman, Marc Homan, Thomas Lawniczak, Dylan Burke, Darragh Shanahan (capt), Jack Caffery, Calen O’Callaghan-Albiaiti, Lucas O’Gorman, Tom Scully, Federico Ascoli, Evan Grogan-Lenehan, Daragh Keogh, Alec Bartak, Lucas Bolger, Nicko Stewart, Daniel Burns, Frank O’Shea, Lucas Fitzgerald and Ben Griffiths, along with coaches David O’Brien and John McGuinness.

And a shout-out to the Temple Carrig supporters on the day too. For all those glorious shout-outs.