New Coaching Team At Dolphin

Having considered many suitable candidates, Dolphin have confirmed their coaching team which has a strong presence of former Dolphin players, many who started with their underage sides, and have also had much coaching and playing experience with other clubs.

The head coach will be Feargus O’Donoghue, the club’s present Director of Rugby. Feargus, a former senior player who has strong background coaching with Dolphin, seven years with PBC including a victorious Bowen Shield side, UCC (Dudley cup winners ), Muskerry RFC, Munster U-21s and Munster ladies (interprovincial winners), took a break from coaching a number of years ago to take up the director of rugby role at Dolphin.

But coaching is his real passion and he’s delighted to move into the senior coaching position. The vastly experienced Barry Keeshan, one of the highest points scorers in the AIL since its inception in 1991 and highest capped Ireland Club international, will once again have a player-coach role with the backs.

Former Munster prop Darragh Hurley (while he did not play for Dolphin, his brother Paul is Dolphin’s joint 5th highest AIL try scorer) will be the specialist front row coach. The forwards coach is Dave Pomeroy, who led Dolphin to the club’s only National title – Division 2 (now 1B).

John Aherne will act as specialised skills coach. The Aherne name is synonomous with Dolphin since the 1940s through his father Gerald. John learned his rugby through Dolphin Youths and UCC before returning to Dolphin and later won a Senior Cup medal with Lansdowne and was capped by Munster.

Brendan Mills will fill the role of sports coach psychologist. Brendan scored a match-winning try quite a few years ago to bring Dolphin its last U-18 Cup before going on to play senior for Old Wesley. He coached a successful Bowen Shield team in PBC as well as being head coach for a couple of J1 clubs.

Adam Sheehan, another player who came up through the underage sides, is an experienced strength and conditioning coach with the Munster senior side and Ireland U-19s and he will look after the side's fitness.

After many years as U-20 coach and team manager, Kieran McCarthy (Diesel) takes over as senior team manager. And finally, Alan Hickey continues as kit manager, he also fulfills this role for the Ireland Clubs side and has done so previously for Munster U-20s.

Chris Rowe has been elected as club captain at the AGM. He has been an inspirational figure for the team and last season became just the eighth Dolphin player to make his 100th AIL appearance for the club (Keeshan & Pomeroy would be above him on that list). Chris earned representative honours with Wales U-21s in 2002 in a very talented squad which included nine future full internationals. Five of them went on to play for the British & Irish Lions – Mike Philips, Gavin Henson, Adam Jones, Ryan Jones and Andy Powell.