Dean Hoping To Drive St. Mary’s To First Division 1A Title Since 2012

There is something in the air this week at St. Mary’s College RFC that stirs memory as much as it fuels ambition. The echoes of past triumphs, the ghosts of near misses, the weight of expectation, and the promise of opportunity all blend into something uniquely intense.

For their captain Conor Dean, this week carries all of that and more, as his side prepare to face defending champions Clontarf in Sunday’s Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 1A final at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 4pm – tickets are available to buy here).

It is not just another game. It is not just another final. It is, for St. Mary’s, a chance to end a 14-year wait for a Division 1A title, to bridge generations, and to etch a new chapter into the Templeogue club’s history.

And for Dean, it is the culmination of a journey that has been as personal as it has been collective, shaped by setbacks, strengthened by loyalty, and now sharpened by the opportunity that lies ahead.

“It’s great, a huge amount of excitement growing,” Dean said of the build-up. “Especially last year, coming one step shorter, losing in the home semi, it’s just kind of built even more anticipation and yeah, a bit more excitement this year. It’s a really exciting week.”

That excitement has not arrived overnight. It has been building for months, even years. Twelve months ago, St. Mary’s stood on the brink of a final appearance, only to fall short against Cork Constitution in a home semi-final that left a lingering sense of what might have been.

It was a defeat that did not just hurt in the moment, but one that embedded itself in the mindset of the group.

“It massively fuelled us, especially the start of the kick-off of the pre-season. It just left a bad taste in our mouths, obviously just coming short.

“Maybe we were a bit naive coming into the semi-final (last year) because we had such a good run, we had great momentum, we had a home semi. There’s been a huge kind of motivation push from that.

“So close, but obviously so far away as well. So again, it was a big driver initially and then again, just setting our goals at the start of the year and having some key motivators throughout the season has been pretty big as well.”

There is a difference between losing and learning how to lose. That 16-8 semi-final loss to Cork Con did both. It exposed areas that needed improvement, but more importantly, it hardened a squad that had perhaps arrived ahead of schedule.

That motivation has underpinned everything since. Whereas last season was about discovery, testing themselves against the best in Division 1A after a long-awaited promotion, this campaign has been about intent for Mark McHugh’s charges. There has been no uncertainty about where they belong.

“I think last year was probably, maybe not a surprise, but maybe a bit of a jump in terms of we didn’t really know where we were going to stack up against the 1A teams,” explained Dean, Mary’s out-half and chief playmaker.

“But as the season went on and we proved to be competitive, it was a great kind of confidence boost. We knew with a good pre-season again this year, we thought we’d be in and around the reckoning and top four was going to be a goal again.

“So, maybe a little bit last year and this year then again, a good pre-season kept a lot of the same squad around. So there was a lot of confidence coming into the season.”

That goal quickly evolved into something more. Performances became more consistent, belief became more visible, and the results followed.

Mary’s did not just compete, they set the pace, laying down an early marker by beating Clontarf 32-21 in September’s opening round. Finishing top of the table was not an accident, it was the product of a group that has grown together over time.

Along with Dean, former captain Ronan Watters, the division’s leading points scorer Mick O’Gara, Mick McCormack, and Mark Fogarty all became All-Ireland League centurions for the club this season.

They were either there when Mary’s was relegated in 2017 from Division 1A, or made their first senior appearances around that timeframe. They endured the grind of Division 1B. They experienced the frustration of near misses and the satisfaction of eventual promotion.

“I think there’s been five of us this year who’ve got 100 caps for Mary’s. So there’s a core group that have been here for a long time, even getting relegated back in 2017, a lot of us were part of that.

“We’ve been playing together for quite some time and we finally got momentum in 1B in 2024 and thankfully came up probably from one of the toughest leagues to come up from, I think.

“We’ve kind of just played together for so long. We built a great relationship and you know, we worked quite hard for those years and finally got up, and (it’s) finally kind of come to fruition on the pitch now.”

It is that cohesion that has allowed Mary’s to transition from challengers to real contenders so quickly since their return to the top flight. There is no sense of a team trying to find itself. Instead, there is a squad that understands exactly who they are.

For Dean, that identity is deeply personal. His journey with the club has not been straightforward, but it has been defining.

After joining Mary’s in 2016, he pursued his professional rugby dreams with Connacht having spent time in the Leinster pathway. He stepped into the westerners’ professional environment, before returning to a club which had a deep meaning to him.

“I remember Steve Hennessy was Mary’s head coach at the time, and I met with him and he was very open about the possibility of me coming back and potentially picking up another pro contract if there was anything out there.

“He was very open to the idea of me coming back and integrating back into the team that I’d previously left, and if there was an opportunity to go and get it, it would be in my best interest at heart, which was great.

“I joined in 2016, but we’d played a lot of years already together. So it was great to kind of come back and spark some of the fun out of rugby again almost, and start enjoying my rugby with some of my best mates.”

That openness allowed the Connacht-capped Dean to return without hesitation, to reconnect with a club that had always felt like home. That enjoyment has translated into leadership.

Now captain, the 28-year-old represents both the present and the future of Mary’s, while also giving a nod to its past. His surname is synonymous with the club, his father, Paul, Ireland’s 1985 Triple Crown-winning out-half, once walked the same corridors and wore the same colours at Templeville Road. He is also a past President of Mary’s.

“My Dad always there for any kind of advice. He never pushed me towards rugby or to do anything, he’s never had a huge influence in terms of pushing me anywhere, which has been great.

“He probably did push me to play rugby in some way, but I just don’t remember how he did it. But no, he’s great to kind of lean on his experience.

“Obviously, he’s been there himself playing with Ireland and he’s obviously been involved with the Irish squad (as team manager) around the World Cup and whatnot. So again, it’s great to ask him and lean on him if you have any questions or are just looking for any advice.”

That support extends beyond family. Within the squad, Dean is surrounded by leaders who bring both experience and perspective.

“It’s a huge honour to get captaincy this year. If you look across the squad, like Ronan Watters, who did an unbelievable job of captaining the club for three years from where he brought the team or where the club was, even in general when he took over, to where he’s left off is chalk and cheese.

“Then to still have him playing alongside, it’s great to kind of lean on him. Then the likes of Dan Goggin, Greg Jones, who have some unbelievable experience at the pro level, it’s great, again just to really lean on them.

“There’s another couple of key leaders across the team and the squad, which are great voices throughout the week, for weeks like last week and again for this week coming up.”

That collective leadership has created an environment where responsibility is shared, where standards are maintained internally, and where the pressure of big occasions is absorbed by the collective rather than individuals.

Living with Ireland senior captain Caelan Doris, another proud Mary’s clubman and one of Dean’s best friends, he is another person he can depend on for some pointers, especially around playing at the Aviva Stadium this weekend.

“With Caelan, I live with him, so it’s great to pick his brain when I get a chance in terms of kind of any leadership or what he felt or if there’s any kind of similarities with him taking over captaincy and doing it myself.”

It is an approach that has served him well, particularly in high-pressure moments. The semi-final experience, both last year and just last Saturday, has reinforced the importance of preparation and composure. Their 20-13 win over local rivals Terenure College will live long in the memory.

Upwards of 5,000 spectators turned out to watch Mary’s get over the line at Templeville Road, with Dean agreeing: “It was an unbelievable experience. It was like any game against Terenure, whether it’s Leinster League or in the AIL, it always sparks a huge interest locally.

“And again, the home semi-final was a massive day for the club, a huge crowd and a brilliant atmosphere to play in. It was a great experience and one I won’t be forgetting for some time.

“Even running out last Saturday, there was like a tunnel of minis and it’s been like that pretty much all year, waving flags and in the blue. You always hear them during the games, which always gives you that extra support and extra motivation to do it for the sense of community.

“I think outside of the playing squad, the club have done such a great job and including the minis, the ‘Stars’, the Women’s team again, the junior teams. There’s been a huge sense of growth in the community in Mary’s over the last couple of years. So yeah, it’s a really exciting time for the club.”

That excitement extends to those who have come before. The connection between past and present is strong, with former players remaining closely linked to the club.

Those conversations provide perspective, but they do not define the present. Dean is acutely aware of the opportunity in front of him, to become only the third St. Mary’s captain to lift the Division 1A trophy.

Trevor Brennan was the winning captain at Lansdowne Road at the end of the 1999/00 season, while Hugh Hogan did the honours in April 2012 at Templeville Road. Dean is not getting carried away by the thought just yet, but is hoping to lean on previous knowledge as much as possible in the build-up.

“I have a few memories from back in the day, as a young lad, almost trying to steal the rugby balls when the kickers were kicking them to touch. Running around the club as a young lad and messing around,” he recalled.

“I’ve seen a few clips recently and Hugh Hogan was up at the game last Saturday. Great to talk to him about his previous experience, obviously captaining the team to the AIL title, the last one Mary’s won.

“It’s great obviously to speak to a lot of the lads who played back then and great to get their insights and their experience and their kind of knowledge about what to expect, coming into this week.

“Yeah, there’s still a great sense of continuity even between that group and our own group. There’s a lot of crossover. A lot of them kept playing for quite some time, and like Gareth Logan, for example, our President, he was obviously playing as well that year and I actually shared the field with him.

“So yeah, there’s loads of crossover already. It’s great to get little nuggets when we can. We do rub shoulders a lot with them as it is, which is great.”

Standing in their way on Sunday afternoon is a Clontarf side that has long been a benchmark team in Division 1A. Their consistency, their physicality, and their ability to perform on big days make them formidable opponents. Add in the fact that it is a Dublin derby, and it makes it an even more mouth-watering spectacle on Sunday.

Mary’s have beaten Andy Wood’s men twice already this season, including a 14-10 success at Castle Avenue three weeks ago, but that will count for little when the whistle goes at Irish Rugby HQ.

“It’s supposed to be great weather anyway, which is always a plus. I think Clontarf, they’ve been setting the standard in the AIL for the last, well, for as long as I’ve been in the AIL.

“You know what to expect on their side. They’re going to be bringing their best. It’s going to be hopefully a great fixture and hopefully we can show up as well and it’ll be a great game.”

Mary’s understand that finals are different, that previous results offer no guarantees, especially when they are playing the current holders at a venue where ‘Tarf have been crowned champions in 2016 and 2022, as well as 2025.

Preparation, once again, will be key. The lessons of the past year have been absorbed, the mistakes addressed, and the standards raised. Excitement is balanced by focus. McHugh’s men knows what is at stake, but they also understand the importance of staying present.

For Dean, that balance is crucial. As captain, he must manage both the emotion and the expectation, ensuring that his team remains grounded while embracing the occasion. It is a role he has grown into, shaped by his own experiences, supported by those around him, and driven by a desire to deliver for the club that has given him so much.

“It’s been a great journey. I was involved in that year in 2017 when we got relegated and it was tough enough, but then coming back from Connacht again, we were kind of mid-table in Division 1B for two years and then things just started to click.

“We got the bounce of the ball, a couple of late results that year and just gathered a lot of momentum. And then leading into last year’s AIL, we weren’t too sure how we were going to stack up, but then again, like the likes of Greg Jones, Dan Goggin, we had some really good quality coming into the squad.

“Then last year, leading into a home semi, we weren’t too sure what to be expecting, and yeah, it just didn’t go our way on the day. Con were a great team and a great outfit and deserved to win.

“That kind of experience and having another year under our belt playing AIL, playing the same teams, has definitely helped a lot. Having the home semi last year definitely helped a lot this season in terms of the experience.

“I think we just left no stone on turn in terms of the preparation for last week. It was great internally, and then again, a really exciting week this week coming up,” he added.

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