NAME: Derek Finn DATE OF BIRTH: 14/4/68 HEIGHT: 5'8" WEIGHT: 12st 8lb CLUB: Craobh Chairain COUNTY: Dublin HONOURS: Hurling: Dublin SHL Div 2 1990; Under 15 League & Championship 1981 & 1982; Under 16 Championship 1983; 1982/83 Dublin and Leinster Under 15 Colleges with St. Davids; Under 16 Colleges (Dublin) 1984; Senior Colleges (Dublin) 1985 & 86. Football: 1982 Colleges Under 15 (Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland) with St. Davids, Artane; Senior Colleges (Dublin 1984); Senior Colleges 1986 (Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland finalists) INTER-COUNTY DEBUT: '86-'87 PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: G. Kelly's Builders Providers TOUGHEST OPPONENT: Galway at county and Cuala at club level FAVOURITE GROUNDS: Croke Park FAVOURITE POSITION: Half back SPORTING AMBITION: To win a club championship and a Leinster Championship with Dublin DO YOU PLAY ANY OTHER SPORTS: Golf, gaelic football BOYHOOD HEROES: Jimmy Barry Murphy (the late), Paul Mulhare FAVOURITE PLAYERS (CLUB AND COUNTY): Ger McInerney BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER: B Murray, B Talty, P Dunphy, P Byrne (the late B O'Brien) WAYS OF IMPROVING THE GAME: Let the flow of the game go BEST GAME SEEN: Cork versus Tipp, Munster Final '91 HOPES FOR 1992: To win a club championship (senior), to win with Dublin a senior Leinster title and All-Ireland YOU WERE INJURED FOR SOME OF THE BIGGER GAMES IN 1991: I broke my arm against Clare in March '91. And that put me out of the league games. I was a sub on the '91 championship team YOU GOT A CALL UP AS AN ALL STAR REPLACEMENT LAST YEAR. OBVIOUSLY THAT GAVE YOU A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SATISFACTION: It gave me great satisfaction. Yes, it was a great reward for all the hard training.Time and games that you go through. It was great to mix with all the other players and to play with the best selected players at that time. I was in my element, also it was terrific to see Toronto and play in the Skydome THE DUBLIN HURLERS USUALLY PULL OFF ONE BIG WIN A YEAR. CAN THEY PUT TWO SUCH VICTORIES TOGETHER THIS SUMMER AND WIN THAT LEINSTER TITLE: Yes, because for the past two years we have reached the Leinster finals and played two different opponents. We have learned a great deal and have improved a lot since then. We all know what it takes to win. It also takes an element of luck LAR FOLEY WAS DESCRIBED AS A HARD MAN ON THE FOOTBALLING AND HURLING FIELDS AND A HARD TASK MASTER AS A TRAINER. BUT IS BIG LAR THAT HARD: Lar is a man who knows what it takes to win at the top level. And to be a hard man is one of the main ingredients. He has done a lot for Dublin hurling since he took over, won Division 2 League Senior finals '91- Leinster, '92 Leinster. He knows the talent is there in Dublin and it is It just takes time to play as a complete unit and in the right frame of mind TELL US ABOUT YOUR CLUB: Craobh Chiarain GAA club came into existence in 1962 as a result of the amalgamation of Naomh Chiarain and Chraobh Rua clubs. (Naomh Chiarain, Donnycarney, Craobh Rua, Killester, Coolock and Artane). A lot of hard work has gone into the building of our club house and gym on our grounds at Parnell Park. We have teams from under 10 right up to senior grade and have won numerous under 15, under 16 hurling championships and league titles. In the past three years we have reached two county senior semi finals and last year we were defeated in the final IS THE STANDARD OF CLUB HURLING IN DUBLIN HIGH? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THAT IN MUNSTER, GALWAY AND SOUTH LEINSTER: Yes, the standard is high. They play a totally different stage of hurling in Munster and Galway. The refereeing is totally different too. They get away with a lot more than we do. But Dublin club hurling has greatly improved in the last few years JUST AS WE TALK THE DUBLIN UNDER 21 HURLERS HAVE BEATEN WEXFORD IN THE LEINSTER CHAMPIONSHIP. BUT THIS IS NOT A STRANGE HAPPENING. DUBLIN UNDERAGE HURLERS HAVE RECORDED BIG WINS BEFORE BUT QUITE A NUMBER OF THESE YOUNG HURLERS FAIL TO REACH THEIR POTENTIAL. WHY IS THIS SO: Dublin have only started up in the under 21 scene last year. Most of the lads who played minor in Dublin have nothing to look forward to the next year, unless they are good enough to make the senior team. A lot of lads when they finish minor and school get jobs and just can't find the time to play. If you have a steady flow of minors and under 21s each year, then you will get a better and more mature Dublin senior team. I also think that the parents are afraid of their kids playing hurling. They think it's dangerous, but there is a rule that kids must wear a helmet HURLING WOULD NOT BE ONE OF THE MORE GLAMOUROUS SPORTS IN THE CITY. DO THE HURLING PEOPLE FIND IT HARD TO COMPETE WITH THE OTHER SPORTS AND ESPECIALLY IN GAINING THE ALLEGIANCE OF THE YOUNGER SPORTSPERSON: Hurling would not be that popular in the inner city, but on the outskirts like Donnycarney, Mario and Artane it would. It is not that we find it hard to compete with other sports, but with the TV coverage of football etc. every kid wants to play football, snooker, tennis. As soon as the season comes in for these sports, everyone wants to play them THE DUBLIN FOOTBALLERS HOG THE LIMELIGHT IN THE CITY. ARE YOU ENVIOUS OF PADDY CULLEN'S MEN: No, they have achieved success and they deserve all the get, and I hope they do well this year. Success is the name of the game DO THE HURLERS OBTAIN AS GOOD A BACK UP SERVICE I.E. MEALS ETC. OFF THE FIELD: Yes, we do. After every league game we would have a meal, or after an away challenge match THE COMING OF CYRIL FARRELL WILL OBVIOUSLY ADD AN EXTRA ATTRACTION TO SUNDAY'S GAME WITH WEXFORD. ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE GALWAY MAN? WILL HE GIVE THE SLANEYSIDERS AN ADVANTAGE? He is an added attraction in the minds of the Wexford people, because he has done a lot for Galway. But I think it will take him up to two to three years for him to settle in and get to know the players and the way they play FINALLY, CAN YOU BEAT WEXFORD? YES! Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 19th June 1992 Vol 2 No 60 Tweet

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