THIS time last year, Queen’s hurlers reached their first-ever Ryan Cup final, only to be beaten by a strong Trinity College, Dublin team on a bitterly cold and windy night at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
This weekend, they will have the opportunity to make up for that missed opportunity as they travel to Cork to compete in their third Fitzgibbon weekend in the last four years.
The Malone Road students open their account at 2.30pm on Friday with a semi-final clash against IT Tallaght. The prize is a final birth, where they will meet either IT Tralee or their 2015 nemesis Trinity College.
This Queen’s team has a very different look to it this year, with a great influx of fresh blood into the side, such as Aodhan Burke, Aaron Fox, Oisin MacManus and Jack Bohill, mixed with the experience of players such as Nicholas McNaughton, Conall Morgan and Dan Kinney. There is great optimism within the camp that they can bring the Ryan Cup back to Belfast for the first time.
IT Tallaght and Queen’s have never met at this level before, so both teams will step into the unknown. Tallaght were Fergal Maher Cup champions two years ago and will look to young Dublin star Aodhan Clabby for their scores this weekend.
Under the tutelage of St Gall’s Sean McGourty, Queen’s have prepared diligently for the Higher Education hurling blue ribbon weekend, playing three games in the McGurk Cup and friendlies throughout the winter against various clubs and counties from across the province. They will go to Cork with a gameplan based on workrate and support play and, with players of the calibre of Cormac Ross, Ruairi Laverty and James Carey, confidence will be high that silverware will make the long journey to Belfast on Saturday evening.
A win on Friday should set up a repeat of last year’s final against Trinity, who look favourites to overcome a Tralee side led by Kerry senior star Shane Nolan.
You can follow Queen's progress via QUB GAA Facebook, Twitter (@QueensGAA) and Snapchat (Username: qub.gaa).
