Faughs are playing their first match of the season against Na Fianna
Faughs young talent to boost senior team
PREPARATIONS are underway for Faughs senior hurlers ahead of the upcoming 2026 campaign.
Led by Karol O’Brien alongside a team consisting of Shane Brew, James Brereton, David O’Mahony and Conor Clifford, the Templeogue based side are playing their first match on February 22nd against Na Fianna away from home.
The squad has been training since the new year though O’Brien acknowledged that lack of hurling facilities in South Dublin has seen them have to seek out alternate options with Tymon Park currently unplayable due to weather.
This has led to Faughs travelling to Abbotstown on Tuesdays for training and Naas on Thursdays with the team expecting to be back in Tymon Park by the end of March.
Winners of the Senior 2 Championship last year, Faughs will be hopeful that victory is a sign of positive things to come in the club as they look to include a host of young talent that has been active at Minor and U21 level.
O’Brien explained the approach for the league and championship and what Faughs are hoping to achieve for 2026.
“I suppose we have separate goals for the Championship and the league. We’ve been in Division 1 for the last number of years in the league, a lot of clubs are without their county players as well so it’s a different competition. Our ambition for Division 1 is to stay there but we can certainly look to kick on and be in the upper tier of Division 1.”
“From the Championship point of view, it’s our first time in three years in the Senior 1 championship. With two groups of six our ambitions is to get out of the group but we have to be realistic as well. You have three or four teams in that championship that are as good as any team in the country the last number of years. Everyone else is eye balling each other and those are the games that you really will be targeting to win.”
The current Faughs squad is young in age with the backbone coming from a juvenile team that O’Brien had been involved with bringing them right up to minor and U21 level.
Winners of multiple Division 1 titles at underage level and culminated in reaching the U21A final in 2024 where they were defeated by Lucan Sarsfields.
“A lot of those lads are involved with the senior team now and are around 22 years of age. It’s a five year project to see if we can get back up to where we once were. Our first thing is to get back competitive in the Senior Hurling Championship.”
