De La Salle College to make return to Dr. Harty Cup Final

De La Salle College are just sixty minutes away from returning to a first Dr Harty Cup Final since 2012.

They play Our Lady’s from Templemore in the their first semi final since 2012 on Saturday afternoon with Bansha now set to host the game after it was moved earlier in the week from Cashel.

Not for the first time the Waterford City side will go into the game as the underdogs, but this is something that will not phase De La Salle manager Dermot Dooley who was involved with the college side when they won the competition two years running when current Waterford senior hurling manager Derek McGrath was over the team.

The Templemore College side will travel to Bansha on Saturday with a good string of results at their backs which may well make them favourites to advance to the final of this year’s competition, something that will give them plenty of confidence for the task ahead.

Pitted in Group B for the group stages of the competition, they played five games winning all five games.

They began the competition with a narrow 0-20 to 1-15 win over Charleville CBS and followed it up with a 2-14 to 2-8 win over St Francis College from Rochestown and a massive 4-31 to 1-9 win over Pobail Scoil na Trionóide from Youghal before rounding off their league campaign with another win over Cork opposition beating Gael Colaiste Mhuire AG on a 3-24 to 1-9 score line.

Last time out in the quarter finals against Castletroy Community College Lyndon Fairbrother was their leading player as the JK Bracken player hit 1-6.

But his side by no means are reliant on him for scores as in that same game the full forward line accounted for 1-9 of their sides tally of 1-17 and outside them Jamie Bergin who is outstanding all year when presented with chances from placed balls put over a further 0-4.

Others that could well cause difficulties for De La Salle on the day include full back Diarmuid Ryan, Brian McGrath at centre back, Paddy Cadell in the middle of the field as well as Gerry Kelly and Stephen Nolan in attack, some of whom have played minor for Tipperary in the last few years.

De La Salle also have qualified with an impressive run of results.

They opened with a 1-20 to 1-13 win over Blackwater Community School in Fraher Field and followed it up with another impressive 1-17 to 0-8 win over Hamilton High School from Bandon in Clashmore.

Their only loss in the competition was a big 4-11 to 1-6 defeat against Ardscoil Ris but ensured their qualification for the knockout stages of the competition with a draw against Midleton CBS in their last game at Carriganore and last time out had a 0-13 to 0-10 win over Nenagh CBS at Kilmallock.

When De La Salle last won this competition, some of the players involved have gone on to become household names and it would be no major surprise to see the same happen with this current group of players regardless of the outcome of the game.

Thomas Douglas, Harry Ruddle, Eoin Daly, Paul Hennebry, Michael Costigan, Michael Mahony, Cormac McCann, Billy O’Sullivan, Conor Gilles Doran, Lee Wall and Donie Power have all impressed for De La Salle all year and if they are to advance here they will need big performances again from these players and the others that will get a run out on Saturday afternoon in Bansha.

The De La Salle team will not be too worried that they will go into the game as underdogs. It might even be a plus for the side.

Expect this game to go right to the wire, but expect the Waterford city side to be the happier of the two sides by half three.