Pres Athenry continue to play major role in Galway hurling

Despite reaching five Croke Cup finals since 2018, Pres Athenry have fallen short each time, losing the deciders in 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Last year's heartbreaking defeat to Thurles CBS featured both Rabbitte and Aaron Niland in the Croke Cup final on March 17. Fifteen months later, the pair are preparing to line out for Galway in an All-Ireland senior hurling final against Limerick on Sunday July 19th.

Galway senior hurling manager Micheal Donoghue is also a past pupil of the school, his sons Cian and Niall are also past pupils. His son Cathal Donoghue featured in Pres Athenry’s Croke Cup final defeat to St Kieran’s and he was also part of the Galway minor hurling panel this season.

Presentation College Athenry principal Cathal Moore admits he was surprised by Rabbitte and Niland making an immediate impact at senior inter-county level, although he always believed they had the ability to represent Galway.

“It’s surprising so quickly that it has happened, I don’t think there’s many Galway people that thought we’d be back where we are now. The two lads were doing their leaving cert last year and this year instead of being involved in the leaving cert, they’re involved in the latter stages of the hurling championship, it’s just brilliant for them,” Cathal Moore told Tribune Sport.

“It’s come earlier than expected but you can’t pick and choose when you are going to be involved in an All-Ireland final, you’re never too young if you are good enough, the two lads are certainly good enough.”

READ NEXT: Three Galway hurling league finals down for decision this weekend

Sean Murphy, another member of the Galway senior panel, also attended Pres Athenry before graduating last year. The defender suffered a shoulder injury while playing for the Galway Under-20s earlier this season. Moore says the school's role is to support players throughout their development while working alongside clubs to help them fulfil their potential.

“It’s great to see them progressing, that's what the school is, it’s a stepping stone as we always say to them on their way through. When they come into first year, we’re there as part of the journey, we are there to support the work they do with the clubs. In my time in the school, it wasn’t always that way, there weren’t many that had inter-county experience or were on inter-county panels. It's a good reflection as well that there is good work being done through the school,”added Moore.

Rabbitte has adapted superbly to senior inter-county hurling this season. Often operating as Galway's focal point inside, he has given the Tribesmen a consistent outlet at full-forward and produced one of his best displays in the All-Ireland semi-final victory over Cork.Moore says Rabbitte always possessed the hurling ability, but his physical development has allowed him to make the step up quicker than expected.

“I think just Jason (Rabbitte’s) development, the physical side had to come, we would all of seen glimpses of the hurling. He has great skill for a big man, he’s similar to Gearoid Hegarty, he’s physically able to win his own ball and he’s able to hold off defenders and a tackle but he also has great skill an eye for a score. That’s the way the modern game has gone, you need to be able to do all those things,” added Moore.

Moore believes Rabbitte and Niland have also benefited from being part of the Galway senior set-up last season, despite not featuring in championship action.

“It’s a surprise Jason (Rabbitte) has made the step up so quickly, we thought it would take a couple of years but I suppose Micheal (Donoghue) bringing him in last year and having him in or around the panel even though he didn’t play was probably great for his development, he was in literally doing inter-county training. That’s definitely standing to him this year, even being familiar to the group. He has the physical attributes and a brilliant attitude and when you put those things together, we can see the result of it.”

Aaron Niland has also become one of Galway's key performers this season after taking over the free-taking duties. The Clarinbridge clubman has contributed 0-25 during the Tribesmen's run to the All-Ireland final. Last year in the Croke Cup final, Niland made his return from a hamstring injury off the bench

“Aaron (Niland) has had a different path in that he had an awful lot of hurling played, Aaron is one of the few players that made our senior team when he was in third year. That doesn’t happen too often and he gave an exhibition against Ardscoil Ris in an All-Ireland quarter-final in Dangan, when he was in third year, he absolutely destroyed their defence."

“We had seen from far out of what Aaron was capable of, injury then intervened and it was great pity, what has been great to see is that he has been given the time to recover and he’s getting to show all of what he showed at underage level. Coming to fruition. Again a guy that worked extremely hard on his game, and he’s had to deal with the pressure as well of being the best at his age all the way up, that’s certainly not easy,” explained the Turloughmore clubman.

While Pres Athenry's wait for a Croke Cup title continues, Moore says success at schools level is only part of the school's ambition. The main of aim of the Athenry school is producing senior inter-county players capable of helping Galway compete for All-Ireland honours.

“We love to win things with the school, the other side of it is development. Development is they can go and help Galway to win a Senior All-Ireland because that’s our flagship team. That’s what everybody should be working towards in the county and that’s the ultimate prize. Any young player that starts out wants to play in Croke Park on All Ireland final day and they want to win. Micheal (Donoghue) hasn’t hidden that ambition, that he wants Galway back winning, it’s lovely to see that we are competing at the top table, if those lads go on to win on Sunday.

“And if they’re able to bring back the cup to the school in the coming months when we re-open again, that would be a tribute to all the work that goes on voluntarily in the school in terms of the promotion of hurling, it would be a fitting tribute to the lads themselves to have that All-Ireland medal, it’s the ultimate prize,” concluded Moore.