'MEC Press' December 2019 Publication 1. Newsletter December 2019 Vo 7 | Page 12

Senior Hurling: Dublin A Hurling
Championship Review
The unnecessary, overstated reviews may
have dried up since the start of this school
year but the hurling definitely hasn’t! This
year, MEC entered the Dublin A Hurling
Championship for the first time in its history.
Having conquered C and B grades over the
previous two seasons, the step felt natural
and we once again stepped out of our
comfort zone in the pursuit of silverware ...
and maybe more.
The season opened with a daunting task,
away to 2018 A kingpins, St. Benildus. The
South Dublin school has been a relative
powerhouse of late in Dublin hurling so the
lads approached the fixture knowing our
hands would be full. Playing Benildus, in
Benildus, and walking out past the scores of
framed pictures depicting victorious side
after victorious side would be unnerving for
most squads but MEC had the perfect man to
lead them in battle in this, the most
intimidating of away fixtures.
Maybe it’s the blue blood running deep in his
veins, maybe it was a sense of belonging that
came with hurling in a Dublin venue, but
either way Matty Eustace would not be
overawed by the situation. Missing key
personnel, Conor ‘Big Mac’ McBrearty,
Cormac Nolan and Luke Murnane all stepped
up and provided huge performances to steer
us past a 4-point deficit at half time to a 4-
point victory.
Our next opponents were St. Aidan’s of
Whitehall, in the more familiar setting of
Maynooth GAA. The game proved to be an
exhibition for silky forwards as Shane Whyte
and Paidi Doran caused wreck among the
Aidan’s rearguard. Aidans’ ill-discipline also
left David Qualter with the opportunity to
showcase the precision of his free-taking.
From 19 dead balls, Qualter hauled in an
astonishing 2-17, leaving the scorekeepers
under serious pressure to tot
up his final
Sports Writer:
tally. The two victories in the group stage
@Hurling.N.Ryan
rewarded us with the prize of
a home semi-
final.
St. Fintan’s provided the opposition in the semi-
final. Featuring Dublin u20s and several
members of the Dublin North Schools team, who
compete at Leinster A hurling level, we could not
have asked for a tougher assignment. As has
become the norm for this group of young men,
the stiffer the challenge, the greater the
response. From the throw in, Harry Dunne set
the tone, sending ash whistling into the air with
a ferocious early pull. David Qualter and “Chips,
Cans” Gav McVann were alive to the break and
played a series of 1-2s before Qualter deposited
the ball to the net with ease. A series of scores
from frees, Cathal McCabe from play and a fine
solo effort from Harry Dunne, saw the lads enter
half time with a 4 point cushion, in testing
conditions. The second half was the ultimate
backs to the wall effort as Daniel O’ Meara, Luke
Murnane, Adam Jordan and Sam Hillyer hook,
harried and hassled their opponents into a
world of turnovers. O’ Meara in particular, gave
a masterclass of ‘cute-hoorism’ at corner back
winning endless frees using a patented ‘Dan
McCormack’ technique.
Mr Walsh and Mr Hogan must have been
teaching him that one. Special mention must go
to Cathal McCabe who produced some stunning
pieces of skill, wizarding ball after ball into his
claw, despite the heavy conditions. Where
others trudged through the mire, ‘Macca’ glided
over the surface, throwing over the insurance
score from far out on the right touchline,
minutes from the end. Some hairy moments
around the square were seen out and history
was made! We look forward to our first ever
Dublin A hurling final after the Christmas break.