In relative terms Saint Jude's is a new entity formed in 1978 as the Dublin suburbs grew. They first took to the hurling pitch in 1982 going senior in 1998 when they won the intermediate Premier division title.
The seeds were planted many years before with a healthy underage set up and a Junior A title in 1989 before intermediate status was earned in 1994. Despite no silverware being claimed, these are glory days for the club’s senior hurlers who have reached a second final in row. When the questions were asked by Kilmacud Crokes in extra-time of the quarter-final, they were answered with a mix of grit and skill. A massive mental win for a team who lost after extra-time to the same opposition in last year's final after the Stillorgan men pulled away.
The same grit and guts were on show on Wednesday when they knocked out Lucan Sarsfields despite being four points down at the break. Tom Devlin’s goal immediately after half-time set up a superb second-half that saw them outscore their opponents 1-8 to 0-2. It's no co-incidence that the Tymon Park outfit’s spine is stronger given the experience of last year and the addition of former Waterford dual player Wayne Hutchinson. 'Hutch' is a former county Championship medallist with the famous Ballygunner club and his long range frees and ball-winning ability is another weapon in the arsenal. Hutchinson's two injury late extra-time frees from around his own '45 ended the reign of holders Crokes in the last round while against Lucan he stepped again with a second-half projectile from his own '65.
Listen to Oisin's chats with Wayne Hutchinson and Sean Fallon right here:
Manager Sean Fallon says there is a hurt from last year and they want to go one better this year and Hutchinson's presence is a help in that drive: "He’s a super character to have around the place, he has a lot of hurling played at a high level he knows what it’s like to play at the level we’re hoping to get to so he's a huge addition". Just being around the team you can feel there is already a warmth for the Deiseite with players shouting "GO ON THE HUTCH" in the background of his post-match interview but in man/jock talk, what they’re really saying is "I love you!"
The man himself has only good things to say about his team-mates and the club at large: "The hurt the boys went through last year they just want to get back there" says the defender of St Jude’s return to the final. Hutchinson points to the teams work ethic as the secret to their passage back to the decider, saying: "You look at the great teams of the past and it comes down to hard work , honesty and working for each other".
That’s a point he didn’t get to finish as one of his team-mates screamed in the background. Will they will be screaming with joy on Saturday week ? It’s more than possible but Cuala are "the form team" as the Waterford man puts it so the final is anyone’s call!
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