‘This bunch we have now are special, remarkable’

When he was teenager David McGuinness's grandfather, Tommy 'Boiler' McGuinness, passed away. The Boiler was, of course, part of the Meath team that lost out to Kerry in the 1939 All-Ireland SFC final. Known far and wide as a famous footballer the legendary Boiler was a very decent hurler too and enjoyed plenty of success at club level with Kilmessan.

One of the memories David has of his famous grandad was his hands. "They were big strong hands but they were always broken up, mangled probably because of all the blows he got over the years," he recalls. "He had a glare too that if you were a child and did something wrong he would give you a stare that would be enough to get you back on track. He was a special man."

The nickname - the Boiler - gives a strong hint of how Tommy made his living. He was a plumber. So too was Dermot McGuinness (Tommy's son, David's father). For a time David also worked at the trade (although these days he makes a crust as construction site manager).

The fact that the family is so closely connected with the plumbing trade also earned David a name he is known by far and wide - 'Flange' - an item of equipment used to keep piping watertight.

During his own playing career as a hurler, David was a watertight half-back, although he filled other positions. "I was never a great footballer so hurling became my main game," he adds.

David enjoyed some wonderful years with a powerful Trim hurling team of the 1990s and 2000s. Between 1987 and 2001 the club claimed the Jubilee Cup nine times and David was part of many of those triumphs. In that respect at least he certainly sustained the family tradition of high achievement set by the Boiler.

In all David won six SHC medals - and a stack of happy memories turning out with some of finest hurlers ever to wear the club's famous red jerseys.

Now McGuinness is in his first year as manager of the senior team. He's hoping to help engineer a victory for the Reds over Ratoath in Sunday's SHC showdown. That optimism is based on the fact that he oversees a crop of truly admirable young men.

"I was fortunate to be part of a brilliant team in the 1990s that had great players including John Andrews, CJ Murtagh, the Murray brothers, the Dempseys, Ronan Fitzsimons many others. Later we had other marvellous hurlers like Joey Toole but this bunch we have now are special, remarkable, partly because of their work ethic. No matter what you ask of them there is never an issue, never a problem, in training or in games."

That kind of temperment and outlook, he asserts, is one of the reasons why Trim reclaimed the Jubilee Cup in 2022 and left their mark in the Leinster Club IHC when they caused a shock by defeating highly fancied Kilkenny side Danesfort who had multiple All-star winner Richie Hogan in their ranks. "The players rose to the challenge, it didn't faze them."

Since hanging up his hurley, David has filled in as a selector with Trim. He's perfectly happy in the background helping out in whatever way he can but this year he stepped into the limelight, somewhat reluctantly you suspect, and took over as team manager for the first time.

He says, with a touch of modesty, that his role is "easy". He points to the fact that the coaching/training is conducted by player James Toher, helped from time to time by Tipperary legend Eoin Kelly and sports psychologist Dan Glynn. The "other work" is shared his selectors Jimmy Canty, Stephen Doyle and Alan Smith.

One thing that does preoccupy McGuinness big time, is making sure the players are not over-burdened as many of them are footballers also. It's about getting the balance right between games and training. Trim, he adds, is fortunate to have coaches in both codes who work closely to keep players as fresh as possible

Another task he, and his selectors, have set themselves is ensuring the team maintains its high standards. The level of performance fell a few times this year in group games and that concerned him a little.

That quest to sustain standards was, no doubt one of the reason why Trim were brilliant against Kildalkey in the semi-final and secured a deserved victory with James Murray memorably slicing over four points from sideline cuts.

McGuinness is very wary of Ratoath's threat in Sunday's final but feels too the attitude of his troops can be a big factor in helping them over the line.

If Trim do win it would be another memorable victory to for the famous Boiler's grandson to savour.