#EnergiaAIL Final Preview: Captains’ Quotes

Ahead of the Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 1A Final, IrishRugby.ie caught up with Clontarf FC Captain Matt D’Arcy and Terenure College RFC Captain Harrison Brewer.

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How Has The Excitement Been Building Up To The #EnergiaAIL Final?

Matt D’Arcy: I can’t really take the smile off my face. I was pretty sore and bruised after a very tough semi-final but it’s amazing to be back.

We love getting to play in the Aviva Stadium and it’s really exciting.

Harrison Brewer: We’re Very excited. Bit of Deja Vu there for sure. Really excited for the team and the community.

We took a lot of learnings out of last year. It was definitely something that hurt us so to be back is huge for us. 

What Can Fans Expect From Your Team On Sunday May 7^th?

Harrison Brewer: It’s the way we throw around the ball.

With our coach Sean Skehan, he allows us to throw the 50/50 in training and when it comes to game time, those kind of passes often stick.

So, our attacking rugby. It’s leading into the school and the minis – they can see that and they’re throwing the ball around.

I’d definitely say for fans it’s our attacking rugby that they’re enjoying.

Matt D’Arcy: We do score a lot of maul tries so maybe that’s not the most entertaining thing!

But I suppose how much the boys enjoy it – like Fionn Gilbert has a signature Get In There fist pump that’s probably annoying to the opposition but I’m sure the fans love it.

And seeing people from the community playing well and enjoying themselves is probably what brings people back.

How Has Your Team Evolved From Last Year’s Final?

Matt D’Arcy: Our goal all season was just to be a better team.

This was always a standalone year – there’s no retaining it, there’s no going back-to-back. We’ve got one more match to do that. We’ve kept the core of our team and we’ve improve.

Harrison Brewer: We knew we weren’t the complete outfit. We’ve just been trying to build our game in attack and defence.

We’ve had a few lads come in to layer on top of the team so we’ve changed quite a good bit.

What Does It Take To Win? What Would It Mean To Win?

Harrison Brewer: I think you could see from last year’s final it’s something big for us as a team.

We get so many people down to Lakelands through minis and from the school. They mean a lot to us and they come out in force. Not only for us, but for our community it would be huge.

Matt D’Arcy: It takes everything to win it.

It takes composure, it takes skill, it takes a bit of luck. That’s why it means so much when you do come out on top.

I’ve had a few wins and a few losses so we’ll be hoping to have that winning feeling.