SPORTING TEACHERS: Emmet Riordantalks to Dermot Dooley about the reasons for the present success of De La Salle at school and club level

HOW MANY teachers does it take to win a Munster club hurling title? In the case of Waterford side De La Salle it was four as they followed up their first county title by claiming glory with an amazing comeback over Limerick champions Adare at Semple Stadium last Sunday.

Five points down after failing to trouble the scorekeepers in the opening half, De La Salle fought back to win 1-9 to 0-10 as John Mullane and his team-mates claimed their first Munster crown.

De La Salle teacher Kevin Moran claimed the man-of-the-match award for his performance at centre back in keeping Adare at bay in the second period.

Midfielder Páidí Nevin also teaches at the school, as does Dermot Dooley, who came on in the 57th minute. The final member of the quartet, Derek McGrath, was out with a hamstring injury but has played his part in a memorable year for De La Salle, who were recently named as Munster Club of the Year.

What makes the club so unique is its umbilical link to De La Salle College and the primary schools of St David's and St Stephen's in the city. It's a system that has seen De La Salle College claim back-to-back All-Ireland hurling titles in 2007 and 2008, with that success now manifesting itself at senior club level.

Dooley and McGrath masterminded both those successes as joint coaches of the school side, and although McGrath is a former pupil, Dooley admits to not even knowing about the school when he first arrived as a blow-in from Offaly. A cousin of the Whelahans, Dooley had already tasted county glory when he was part of the Coolderry side that won the Offaly hurling title in 2004.

His route to Waterford saw him follow his girlfriend, and now wife, Louise, to the city before finding work as a history and religion teacher at De La Salle. He continued to play for Coolderry but the travel caught up with him and he finally made the move in 2006.

The former Offaly minor and under-21 player had already made his mark in coaching, starting off with the under-14 side before taking the Dean Ryan squad and eventually moving on to the Harty Cup side in 2002.

Dooley believes the evolution of the present success for both the school and the club is one that is started at a young age. "The foundation was laid in the two primary schools at St Declan's and St Stephen's and then they come into our place. A lot of those lads are starting to shine for the club now. I'd say 90 per cent of the team that won the Munster title went to the school," he said.

And the production line keeps on churning with Dooley admitting that a small forest of ash is lugged into the school every day between the 1,000 pupils. "We have a league in first year and 96 boys signed up for it in September," added Dooley.

The benefits have also been seen in the Waterford intercounty side, with Moran, Mullane and Brian Phelan regulars for the side, while a few more De la Salle players having been called into the training panel following their recent success.

"It's going to rub off in Waterford, you can see it happening," admits Dooley. "Before Waterford won the league title we had won the All-Ireland with the school and Justin McCarthy had mentioned that we had beaten Kilkenny teams on the way to the decider so why shouldn't the senior team."

With both a Harty Cup quarter-final booked on the chase for a three-in-a-row and an All-Ireland club semi-final against Cushendall to come in the new year, it'll be a busy time for Dooley and his teaching team-mates. You sense they wouldn't have it any other way.