Suttonians RFC

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Suttonians Rugby Football Club is an Irish Rugby Union club whose first team play in Division 3 of the AIB All Ireland League. The club, now in its 83rd season, is located at the JJ McDowell Memorial grounds on Station Road, Sutton, Dublin 13. The Club fields four senior sides with underage teams from under 6 age grade up to under 20. Proudly representing the North Side of the city, Suttonians is one of only two Northside Dublin Clubs (Clontarf RFC being the other) currently playing in the All Ireland Leagues.


Suttonians Rugby Football Club
Emblem(s) Crest featuring three castles representing Dublin roots, the coats of arms of the Sutton famiy and the harp of Leinster
Founded 1925
Location Sutton, Dublin, Ireland
Ground(s) JJ McDowell Memorial Ground
Captain Flag of Ireland Joey Walsh
League AIB All Ireland League Division 3
Official website
www.srfc.ie.ie

Contents

[edit] History

Suttonians RFC was formally established in 1925 although rugby has been played in Sutton on the northside of Dublin since the start of the twentieth century.

1993/94 The 93/94 season saw the club win the Leinster League, the Spencer Cup and finalists in the Metropolitan Cup.

1995/96 The club won the Leinster League in and was promoted to the then 4th Division of the AIB All Ireland League.

1996/97 The Club won the 4th division of the AIB All Ireland League with an 100% record, one of only three teams to have ever achieved this in any division.

2004/05 For the first time the club was involved in Division 3 playoffs after a creditable fourth place finish, losing out to runaway Division 3 winners Greystones.

2005/06 Suttonians achieved the historic feat of gaining promotion to the AIB All Ireland League Division 2, progressed to the semi final of the Leddin Finance Leinster Senior Cup and competed in the inaugural All Ireland Cup as one of the five sides representing Leinster.

2006/07 The club finished thirteenth in their first season of AIL division 2 having risen to the lofty heights of joint third at the Christmas break.

Darragh Mulligan, Senior player with Suttonians
Darragh Mulligan, Senior player with Suttonians

[edit] Players

Drawing on the local community, Suttonians has been for many years a 'parish' style club attracting members from the immediate surroundings and just beyond.

[edit] Records

Top AIL Try Scorers Top AIL Points Scorers
Name Tries Name Points
David Walsh 20 Joey Walsh 312
Joey Walsh 18 Paddy Maguire 256
John Tainui 18 Eamon Molloy 214
Daire Higgins 16 David Walsh 132
Vinnie Patton 15 Niall Murray 112

[edit] Academy

Founded in the 2002/03 season, the Suttonians Academy was generated with the aim of identifying and working with elite players among the under 18 and under 20 age grades who have the potential and commitment to develop to AIL Division 1 standard. Specialist additional coaching in a variety of areas is provided to aid those players in their quest to improve the required skills. All players remain fully amateur and work or attend college during their time in the Academy. Every summer, two Academy players are sent to Durban, South Africa and spend the Summer months attending the Academy of the Super 14 franchise The Sharks to further their rugby education.

[edit] Youth Section

With a strong, vibrant minis section (age u6-u12) Suttonians' fledglings take to the pitches on Sunday mornings and some midweek evenings. Hard work invested by those in the club's J.A.C. (Juvenile Affairs Committee) and coaches has seen the club become strong in numbers and results at these ages. Over the years, Suttonians have fed at least as many high quality players into the schools system as any other nursery in the city. This, in many cases, has been damaging to the club with the rugby schools reaping the benefits of the hard work invested. A large number of Suttonians minis have gone on to represent Leinster and Ireland at underage level and often do not return to the nest, instead favouring the lure of AIL Division One rugby after leaving school. In recent years players such as Aidan Kearney (now returned as club captain), Dave O'Brien and Ian Keatley have taken this route.

The minis 'exodus' impacts hardest at youths level (age u13-u18) as Suttonians has been in a position where restocking in terms of numbers and quality has left the club and coaches with a hard task. Traditionally, some youths attending schools in the neighbourhood have filled the void by taking up the game afresh to play alongside those in local schools continuing through from minis. The increase in popularity of the game in 'non traditional' rugby areas has helped recruit larger numbers in recent years and it must be said that while recruitment at youths has been difficult for the club the potential to attract young talent from local, 'non traditional' areas could surely be an area of huge, hitherto largely untapped, growth. The club employs a Y.D.O. (Youth Development Officer) whose role is to introduce the game into new schools and propegate interest in the sport with the hope that some of these young players will join the club during or after school. St. Fintans High School, winners of Leinster Schools Development Cup 2006/07 are a good example of the work being done in the community.

[edit] Club Presidents & Captains

[edit] Presidents

1920s/30s President 1940s/50s President 1960s/70s President 1980s/90s President 2000s/10s President
1925/35 A Jameson 1940/42 G Greenway 1960/62 H L Hick 1980/82 R Hogg 2000/01 J Hannigan
1935/37 H Patton 1942/44 R C Barton 1962/65 S N Grant 1982/84 B F Lynch 2001/02 D Headon
1937/40 E F Thornley 1944/47 A Horton 1965/68 J J McDowell 1984/85 J Kelly 2002/03 T McHenry
1947/50 J J McDowell 1968/70 J Geary 1985/86 M Connolly 2003/04 F Kearney
1950/51 P J Lavery 1970/71 T Thunder 1986/87 R Barry Duke 2004/05 C Smyth
1951/54 W H S Campbell 1971/73 J J McDowell 1987/88 L O'Reilly 2005/06 M McEvoy
1954/55 S J Hurley 1973/74 E Martin 1988/89 N Reilly 2006/07 J Quill
1955/56 R Malcolm 1974/75 J J McDowell 1989/90 A Chambers 2007/08 P Magner
1956/57 R G Watson 1975/77 D O'Shea 1990/91 J Lee 2008/09 P Penlerick
1957/58 P J McDonnell 1977/79 A Knowles 1991/92 D Fitzpatrick
1958/60 J W Smythe 1979/80 B M Hearne 1992/93 S Scanlon
1993/94 J Dowling
1994/95 B Fahy
1995/96 P Reilly
1996/97 P Lawless
1997/98 B Lennon
1998/99 B Melinn
1999/00 D Gallagher
Daragh Dowling, Former Club Captain
Daragh Dowling, Former Club Captain

[edit] Captains

1920s/30s Captain 1940s/50s Captain 1960s/70s Captain 1980s/90s Captain 2000s/10s Captain
1924/26 A G Keddie 1940/41 C Foley 1960/61 L O'Reilly 1980/82 M Shatwell 2000/01 N O'Reilly
1926/28 W J Spenser 1941/42 T D Geary 1961/62 M Webb 1982/84 B Lennon 2001/02 J B Finucane
1928/29 W J Keddie 1942/43 N Conn 1962/63 R Hogg 1984/86 M Shatwell 2002/04 D Dowling
1929/30 M Spenser 1943/44 P J Reynolds 1963/64 J N Bell 1986/87 M De Buitlear 2004/05 K Cowman
1930/31 W W Cairns 1944/45 K B Scott 1964/65 N Bourke 1987/88 D Cassidy 2005/06 V Patton
1931/32 P J Lavery 1945/46 W P Scott 1965/66 P Kilbride 1988/89 M DeBuitlear 2006/07 D Walsh
1932/33 J J McDowell 1946/47 M J Geary 1966/68 R Kavanagh 1989/90 C Smyth 2007/08 A Kearney
1933/34 W N McCracken 1947/48 S Henry 1968/69 B M Hearne 1990/91 M Reddin 2008/09 J Walsh
1934/35 K O'Grady 1948/49 M J Geary 1969/70 K Kavanagh 1991/92 A Kiernan
1935/36 W H S Campbell 1949/50 M Cagney 1970/71 D Howe 1992/93 S O'Grady
1936/37 T K O'Dowd 1950/51 B B Russell 1971/72 D Fitzpatrick 1993/95 E McKeon
1937/39 R Malcolm 1951/52 E B Booker 1972/73 D O'Boyle 1995/97 N O'Reilly
1939/40 R Campbell 1952/53 S N Grant 1973/75 A Chambers 1997/00 E McKeon
1953/54 O Campbell 1975/76 D McHenry
1954/55 S O'Shea 1976/77 F Byrne
1955/56 J N Bell 1977/79 S Quinn
1956/57 T Byrne 1979/80 B Stafford
1957/58 M McDonagh
1958/60 L O'Reilly

[edit] See also

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