Three Rock and Lisnagarvey set for fireworks on hockey's cup finals day
With 19 goals shared over two EY Hockey League games this season, Three Rock Rovers and Lisnagarvey’s men’s Irish Senior Cup final showdown on Saturday (4.45pm, Grange Road) has the potential for some serious fireworks.
It brings together two sides in serious form; Garvey are chasing a third successive title – and 28th in total in world hockey’s oldest club competition – hot on the heels of their dramatic league success.
Indeed, this is one of the Senior Cup’s most enduring showdowns, dating back to the shared title in 1962 when the clubs were inseparable after two drawn final replays.
For Rovers, it is also a first appearance in this showpiece final since 2019, a 1-0 win over Garvey with current head coach Jody Hosking scoring the only goal.
Hosking is looking to win a first title in his debut season as coach having won a remarkable 28 titles across outdoor and indoor codes since 2010.
And he has seen the Rathfarnham side evolve impressively since the turn of the year with a healthy Munster influence with ex-Waterford man Ben Johnson leading their goalscoring with 18 goals this term.
Cork youngster Rob Olden has been key to the side’s evolution while Mark Collins has been a dynamic presence in a side which otherwise features 13 homegrown players.
In 2026, they have notably defeated Banbridge away from home in the semi-final; last week they defeated Corinthian 4-0 last weekend in the Champions Trophy quarter-final.
It puts them in a position that was scarcely on Hosking’s agenda a year ago.
Last summer, Ashlin Freddy was set for a third season as coach but a dream role with AH&BC Amsterdam arose for him. Hosking had anticipated a low-key season ahead, playing seconds and easing off the competitive edge.
Instead, everything moved quickly.
“I was actually a big part of trying to get Ash over to Ireland in the first place and we had talked about long-term plans,” Hosking explains. “So it was funny how it worked out.”
His departure meant Rovers were suddenly short a head coach, a rare beast in the Irish market. The club turned, naturally, to someone who knew the culture and the players as well as anyone.
“I didn’t hesitate,” Hosking says. “Not because I was desperate to do it, but because the team just needed a bit of direction.”
He inherited a side in flux. The departures of Irish internationals Luke Madeley and Kevin O’Dea had already reshaped the group. Further changes followed during the season, and the squad leaned young, inexperienced but talented.
Rather than forcing an early charge, Hosking chose patience: “The first half of the season was about finding our feet.
“Trophies aren’t won in December. There was a real drive from my side to make sure to get an understanding of the team and where we wanted to be. And then obviously there was going to be a huge focus on the back end.”
During the season, Mark Samuel and Rex Dunlop also moved abroad but young players like Conor Walsh, Oscar Pasley and Sam Rothwell have risen to the challenge, dovetailing with Olympian Ben Johnson and fellow international Ben Pasley.
Garvey, though, are the standard-setters over the past three months as they overhauled Banbridge in the league with seven wins out of eight; their only dropped point came against Rovers in a wild 4-4 draw.
It added to a 6-5 win over Three Rock before Christmas, showing how both commit to entertain.
Hosking expects structure to tighten on the big occasion but believes the nature of modern hockey means goals are never far away.
“Regardless,” he says, “I think we’re in for a treat.”
Men's Irish Senior Cup final: Lisnagarvey v Three Rock Rovers, 4.45pm
Women Irish Senior Cup final: Monkstown v Railway Union, 2.45pm
Men's Irish Junior Cup final: Lisnagarvey II v Corinthian II, 12.30pm
Women's Irish Junior Cup final: Old Alex II v Railway Union II, 10.30am
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