After the by now tradition of pre-season tournaments and challenge games, the hurling season really gets underway this Sunday when Waterford take on Dublin in Walsh Park.
The last few years has seen something of a resurgence in the fortunes of the Dublin hurling team. For the past four seasons or so, they have improved year on year, culminating in a long-awaited appearance in the Leinster final last summer. Their performance in defeat to Kilkenny on that occasion captured the imagination of the hurling public as Anthony Daly’s men ran Kilkenny all the way to the final whistle.
The Dubs eventually fell to Justin McCarthy’s Limerick at the quarter-final stage but they had done enough to suggest that they can become a real hurling power in the years to come.
Like Waterford, Dublin have enjoyed some success at underage and colleges level in recent times and are now beginning to see the benefits. Their team may not be laden with household names but nonetheless they will put it up to all the top teams in 2010. In Ronan Fallon, they have one of the best centre-backs in the country while Alan McCrabbe is a current All Star at midfield. The Metropolitans’ forward line contains the exciting young talent of Liam Rushe and David Treacy, while former Dublin football star Shane Ryan lends an experienced head at full-forward.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.
