Boden on form heading into double header against Lucan
By Hayden Moore
BALLYBODEN ST ENDA’S senior hurling manager Joe Fortune has insisted that the hunger is there ahead of their opening championship game with Lucan Sarsfields on April 6.
Having convincingly beating Ballinteer St Johns 0-16 to 0-8 in the second round of the Adult Hurling League Division One last Sunday, Boden now welcome the challenge of back-to-back clashes with Lucan.
Niall McMorrow hit 0-9 against against Ballinteer.
Looking ahead to the games, Fortune told The Echo: “I have to be happy. There is a great hunger there from the lads in training and it’s important that we stay focused on our opening Championship game with Lucan in April.
“We need to be hitting the right performance levels come April and the hunger is something that I prob-ably questioned before the start of the season, but it’s there, these lads are hungry.
“I suppose it’s a bit of a strange situation now that we play Lucan next Sunday and then we play them again 10 days later in the Championship, but we’re looking forward to it.”
“The attitude is really good in the squad; the lads are working really hard in training and, look, we’ve played two and won two in the league now.
“We haven’t had our Dublin lads, so it’s been a good chance to look at some of the lads who didn’t get to play much last year or some of the younger ones, like three or four players who started for the first time in the league for me the other day.”
In the absence of a number of players through injury or intercounty duty, Sean McDonnell, Cian Mellett and Luke McDwyer were all handed debuts in their encounter with St John’s.
Corner-forward Niall McMorrow was in flying form on Sunday in Marlay Park, rattling off nine points throughout with six coming from place balls.
Among other scorers for Boden on the wintery morning were former Dublin players Shane Durkin and Simon Lambert while James Roche and Aidan Mellett picked up a brace each.
Ballinteer only managed 0-2 in the opening half to Boden’s 0-9, but the resilience of the league and county champions shone through in the second-half as they battled the elements and their opposition.
Currently sitting top of Division One on points difference, Fortune’s side will welcome the challenge of Lucan on March 24 before they face off in Parnell Park on April 6 in the opening round of the Dublin Senior ‘A’ Hurling Championship.
