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Cuala- A Look Back At A Superb...

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Cuala- A Look Back At A Superb 2016

98FM
98FM

02:09 21 Dec 2016


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2016 has been a year to remember for Cuala’s hurlers.

The kings of Dublin hurling followed up their successful 2015, by retaining both their Dublin Senior Hurling League and Championship titles.

And they went one further- making history by winning their first ever AIB Leinster Senior hurling crown.

The Dalkey men’s victory over O’Loughlin Gaels in the Leinster decider brought huge celebrations to the village- especially from the Cuala “Ultras”, as the club became Dublin’s first to win the Leinster championship since Crumlin’s success back in 1979/80.

It was a year that brought many twists and turns, as they navigated through tricky Dublin league and Championship campaigns, culminating in success in their deciders against O’Toole’s and Kilmacud Crokes respectively.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Mattie Kenny’s side fell at the final hurdle in last year’s Leinster Championship, losing in the decider to Oulart the Ballagh.

However, they made no mistake this year, with facile wins over Borris Kilcotton and St Mullins, before their 9 point victory over Kilkenny champions O’Loughlin Gaels in the final.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Cuala boss Mattie Kenny insisted their defeat in last year’s Leinster Final wasn’t spoken about too much this year:

“After the Leinster Final last year, we were disappointed. We felt we didn’t play as well as we’d liked to have.

“The performance on the day wasn’t at the standards we set ourselves.

“But your next game is not the Leinster final again. It’s going back into the Dublin championship and working your way through the championship to get to the final, get into Leinster and get back into the Leinster Final.

“You can’t be saying earlier on in the year ‘we want to get back and win a Leinster final’. That’d be a very naive way of thinking.

“You have to plot your way through the next round of matches that is coming.

“We were disappointed after the Leinster Final last year- it was an unsaid thing.

“But it was something we never spoke about during the year. We always just looked to the next game.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Kenny is also confident Cuala’s success this year could prove to be a huge benefit to the club in the long run.

“It’s gonna be great for the underage structure.

“The younger players in the club are now looking up to the senior players. They’re heroes in their eyes.

“It gives them something to aim for. There’s a team there they can support and aspire to play on some time in the future.

“That can only be good for underage teams in Cuala.

“We won’t see the effect of that for a few years.

“But you would imagine that when these young lads go back training next year, there is a development path there for them, to get from U12 to U14 to U16.

“You would hope that that conveyor of talented hurlers will continue in Cuala.

“The underage coaches have alot of work to do- it’s not simple.

“But I know Cuala are working to make sure that the coaching and development of these kids, in both football and hurling, is being improved the whole time.

“And wins for the senior team can only help in the development process”

Listen below to Kenny chatting to 98FM’s Derek Ryan after their hugely successful year:


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