O’Tooles were once a powerhouse of Dublin hurling.
In the last few years, they’ve faded but they’re trying to arrest that slide. With huge pushes being made behind the club’s underage structures, it seems the north side club are going the right way about it.
It’s November now and apart from the clubs left in the All-Ireland club championships, hurling pitches are emptying. Winter is here, underage seasons are ending.
But that doesn’t mean the hurling stops.
O’Tooles GAA club have come up with a plan to ensure the hurl and sliotar are never too far away from their youngsters’ and their adults’ hands during the winter months.
Enter, the Winter Wall Challenge.
It’s a challenge for every hurler in the club, from under 8s all the way up to senior. Each hurler is challenged based on their age group and should they meet their target, they make it into the knockout competition which takes place in December.
The winners will receive a prize from the club in December.
Club member Lenny Rock is the founder of the challenge and he along with GDO David Needham have helped to make hurling the number one game in O’Tooles.
The club have a two-sided wall ball at their complex and to take part, participants video themselves at the wall-ball and send their scores to their coaches.
You can read the full guidelines here.
The current record holder is youngster Luke Fennelly, the 16-year-old who hit the wall 49 times from 12 feet back in a minute.
Others weren’t far behind with Fionn Rock hitting 48. Austin Gleeson spotted the challenge online and he sent the club his effort, the Mount Sion club man hitting 46 inside a minute.
That’s how it’s done.
That’s a club with their eyes on the ball.
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