I have been thinking of writing this article for the last 12 to 18 months. To honour a certain player that has been through a lot in that time. He has changed as a person and as a player in that time. He is a wonderful rugby player that has gone from a club player to a schools player in a short space of time and is now one step away from a Schools Cup final. Not a bad turn of events given the fact that this time last year things were not so rosy and he had a long road to recovery.

That person is my younger brother Fionn, who has turned his rugby around through hard work and no less determination. His move to Crescent has turned out to be a good move for all parties. After his early years at Listowel to his move to Garryowen and now his time at Crescent it has been one hell of a journey, From the Cows Lawn, to Dooradoyle all the way to Thomand Park.

The people who have been the biggest part of that journey are his Mam Anne, Dad Rory and Uncle Raymond, who have done a lot of driving to and from training in the last 7 or so years. His achievements have been made possible by these people’s dedication. There have been other people involved in his journey in that time also and Knowing Fionn he is eternally grateful to all of these people, they know who they are.

From this author point of view, what he has achieved is remarkable and he can achieve even greater things in the next few years in college and on the rugby pitch. For now it is Castletroy in the Cup semi final and after that who knows, the sky’s the limit !!!

By

Cian Mc Gibney