Men’s Captains Reports

Mens 1s – TRR Season Debrief

Looking back, I was attempting to classify the TRR Mens 1s season as either a success or not a success and this can’t simply be done without looking at the full picture and the ‘situation’ we found ourselves in last August – arriving up to training in August and the realisation of the player exodus we faced. This left us with 9 outfield players following the significant player exodus we faced as a result of covid / travel / work commitments and old age.

Once again the infamous ‘in transition’ term was thrown about which if you are not aware loosely translated to ‘we are royally fu**ed’ and some less optimistic members of the team / coaching staff mentioned staying in the division would be a massive success!

Over the coming weeks, a driven, hardworking, untested young team, with a couple of old yet familiar faces, was assembled. We welcomed back with open arms and a loving embrace and tearful eyes players who had left for UCD including Ben Whelan, Evan Jennings, Mark Samuel, Ali Empey. We also welcomed two new additions, namely Ryan Spencer and Matteo Rommoli, who contributed greatly. Some older faces were also welcomed back into the squad who added the experience which is invaluable to every young team.

In October, having played one game as a group we headed off to the EHL in Belgium – results didn’t go our way but the experience was invaluable. Come the Christmas break we would find ourselves top of the league following a very impressive first half of the season. After the Christmas break, we would go on to win back both the Leinster and Irish Indoor titles battling against, and coming out on top, our bitter indoor rivals ‘the Railway Union’ in both finals.

Winning back the national title will mean we will once again represent Three Rock in Europe next season in a very strong B division. We would also go on to retain the Mills Cup which is a cup we take great pride in being so successful in over the last few years.

Unfortunately, despite a very strong fish to our league campaign which included a number a late wins / comeback in games (none more so then the 2-1 down with 4 mins to go in the last game of the season away to monkstown – 3-2 comeback win) we would go on to ‘not win’ to league, and I deliberately don’t use the term ‘lose the league’ on goal difference to Lisnagarvey. Despite losing in a semi final shoot out to Banbridge in the play-offs when looking at the season as a whole I’m filled with pride with how this young team exceeded all expectations (however maybe not our own) and I expect big things from this group of players over the next few years.

Thanks, Ross ‘the Revolving’ Captain

Mens 2s – 21/22 season review

The Mens 2XI had a mixed season with a 2nd place finish in the Leinster Div 1B (highlighted with the continuation of the teams unbeaten home record in Leinster league that dates back to 2013), an early exit in the Junior Cup while retaining the Railway Cup for the 4 time in 5 years!

A mention should go out to our school boys who really kicked on this season and dragged the oldies on with them.A big thank you to Scott Williams for all he does on a weekly basis for arranging the fixtures and everyone from Mens/Ladies Captains and President for everything they have done in our first full season back post COVID.

One request for the 2XI, would be to see if a coach can be sourced for our Thursday session and our weekend fixture.

Dylan

Mens 3s – 21/22 season review

The 3rds had a good but inconsistent season. Going into the year with a mix of experienced and young players, we had hopes to yet again challenge for the Div 2 title and put up a strong showing the Railway Cup. In the league, we ultimately finished off the pace of YMCA and Pembroke who were the 2 best teams in the league, but with some very strong performances especially towards the end of the season.

Our final match of the season, in particular, up against a very strong Monkstown team in Rathdown showed the potential of the team and gives us a lot of optimism for next season with a full year of Men’s hockey now under the belts of our younger squad members.

We also had a really strong showing in the Railway Cup, even if the result doesn’t back this up. We drew Avoca 2s in Round 2 of the cup – an Avoca 2s team who finished 4th in Div 1B, and matched them in all departments, eventually drawing 0-0 and going to 1v1s. This lottery didn’t go our way in the end, however the full match was another demonstration of the potential of this squad.

Looking ahead to next season, with a consistent squad and playing numbers, we should be in a position to close the gap to the top 2 in our league and put together a strong challenge again.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to every member of the squad from this last season including those who helped out from other teams, as well as everyone who volunteered to umpire during the course of the season. I look forward to next season and seeing everybody there again.

Mens 4s – 21/22 season review

Slow starters, whether down to the average age of the 4s increasing or due to the covid break, the 4s continued their consistent slow starts this year.

After a drubbing on the opening day of the season and a few shakey results the team began to settle with an experienced core namely the two Robs, Findo, and Roly, not forgetting a few south African blow ins in their debut season in Roger and Vaughn. Another debutant was Harry who fitted in like he has played a the the club for years already.

Having set aside their penchant for draws in previous seasons, the fours became a challenger in a competitive league. The youngsters on the team, notably Theo, Hugh, Adam, Dylan and Cillian, established themselves as key players and each had pivotal parts to play throughout the season. A special mention must be said regarding the great maturity each of them had throughout the year adapting to the rough physical division and rotating fairly through substitutions.

Thanks also to the various goalkeepers we had throughout the season. From some of the shifts they put in, it’s fair to say they all have very promising careers ahead of them at the top of the game.After a disappointing early exit in the cup, the team kept strong and most notably handed the eventual league winners their only defeat of the season. A joint third finish is what we ended up with ten wins from 18. A great finish to the season as the highest ranked 4ths side in Leinster.

Finally, it’s farewell to Greg who has been a stalwart for the fours for some years now as he returns to old blighty. He will be missed for his constant poaching and cricket references and we wish him all the best. Although he says he might be available the odd Saturday…

Until next year Andy & Mark

Mens 5s – 21/22 season

A summary. It was a season of two halfs for the 5ths. The first half was tough. With al ot of hard losses. Second half the team held its own with a couple of good results.A massive shout out should be given to the juniors who played this season.

Without their support the team would not have existed. It was great to see so many great players coming up from the colts.

I would like to thank all the players for coming out to play this season. It’s good to know the in coming captain is a man of the 5ths.

Smiler

Ladies Captains

Ladies 1s

Ladies 1s competed in the newly formed Womens Challenge A league. This was our second season under the guidance of Dave McGivern and Stephen O’Keeffe. The squad has a large number of juniors that have come through the junior section of the club mixed in with a few ‘experienced’ players. Leaving it until the last day of the season, we travelled down to league winners Kilkenny needing at least a point to secure promotion. Defending at least 17(!) defensive short corners, we managed a 0-0 draw and finally reclaim Division 1 status after many years of trying.

This squad has a lot of potential, with several players included in the Leinster panels:Anna Hoey (Leinster U16s), Sarah Flynn (Leinster U18s), Emma Montgomery (Leinster U18s) and Indie O’Donohoe (Leinster U18s).

A special mention to all of the parents for their support on and off the pitch this year. We look forward to next season with the challenge of playing Division 1 hockey and to watching this young side develop even further.

Thanks to Dave and Stephen as coaches and Barbara Snow as captain.

Ladies 2s

The ladies 2s this year struggled to find a coach and so begun their pre-season campaign quite late which hampered their progress for the start of the season.

However, Ed Simpson kindly stepped in to ensure that the team was covered and what was meant to be a short, six week stint lasted for the rest of the season as once he got involved his enthusiasm and loyalty to the club kept him there for the year.The team struggled to find a rhythm though and unfortunately finished the season in 9th place.

In truth though this doesn’t reflect the progress made after Christmas as the team turned things around and won all 10 of their points for the season in this period. This was driven by the team and by the support provided to them by players across all squads in the club making it a true club effort to try and keep them in Division 4.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be though and they will return next season looking to bounce back immediately.Thank you to Louise Callan and Louise for their work as captains and Ed for this work as coach.

Ladies 3s

Life is never easy when you’re the lowest registered team as invariably all the issues around availability and player numbers falls onto this team to manage. This was no different for the 3s this year.

Pre covid we looked to be gaining a 4th ladies team, however numbers dropped again and so the 3s struggled at times to juggle their squads with lots of changes week to week. This was probably reflected in their results as unfortunately they finished 10th in the league.

However, they welcomed lots of new players into the club, many of whom were returning to hockey after a number of years away. Next year we hope to utilise the changes to Leinster rules to integrate the u16s into this squad more.

Huge thanks to Avril Haughton as coach and Eleanor as captain.

TRR Juniors 2021/22

There were 421 Junior Members (132 Boys, 289 Girls)

This season saw the much anticipated return of blitzes, league matches and indoor hockey for our junior members.

6 Boys teams entered in Leinster Leagues & 13 Girls teams entered in Leinster Leagues. Including for the first time an U18 Girls League team, which was a good opportunity for social competitive hockey for girls who were not ready to move on to Ladies hockey.

We hosted a level 1 course in October 22 with a number of our coaches completing their Level 1, 24 Transition Year coaches as part of their Gaisce Certificate, including 4 who coached on a Tuesday evening with The Rockets.

As part of the Gaisce program we ran a coaches training session with our Mens and Ladies 1st Coaches as well as an umpiring session with Alison Keogh.

A number of out TY students attended an end of season blitz with the Rockets. It was a fantastic evening and we hope to run something similar again next season.

A review of the season was carried out with a number of parents after Christmas with a number of recommendations and suggestions made for next season.