League delight for St Jude’s minors

ST JUDES Minor B team clinched the Division 5 south title with a win over Clanna Gael Fontenoy last week.

After winning their league and going undefeated while doing so the team is preparing for the championship which will begin at the tail end of summer.

We heard from coach Paul Lindopp.

“We’re quite buoyed up.

‘Obviously when you’re undefeated your confidence is up and the lads have a great rapport amongst themselves.

‘They are enjoying their hurling and that has translated to good results.

‘We’ve gelled the groups together and they all know each other very well.”

Lindopp spoke glowingly of the team’s character, finishing second in last year’s championship they will be looking for redemption and after having the campaign they did in the league they have put themselves in good stead to take another crack at the championship this year.

“We just took every game as it came along with respect to the teams that you’re going to be playing. We were runners up in the championship last year. So obviously there was a good cohort of that team on the panel last year. Unfortunately we didn’t prevail but we had a good go.”

“You have to take every game at a time and not get ahead of yourself.

‘We wouldn’t have looked at it last year either, you cross your fingers but we are just happy with the league win and look forward to the championship in September.”

Speaking of the teams performance this season, Lindopp spoke on what he called a hurling boom that was going in the capital where more and more younger players were getting involved in the sport.

“They want to play hurling. We want guys to go in and play hurling for Judes. We are very much of the long term view of the team. I think everyone threw it in. We are very conscious that we are custodians.”

“From the time I was playing, you would have had a lot of country guys or parents involved.

‘But now the Dubs are into it. I think that feeds in. We try to give feedback as to what’s going on.

‘We’re constantly talking to the kids and they want to play and want to get better.

‘We get good numbers. It’s a culmination of everything. It isn’t just one game, it’s a case of these guys coming out in February in the snow and the wet and the rain.

‘That’s the desire like, they love playing and it’s great to see our native game thriving like that in the capital.”