Young star ‘centre’ of a
PERHAPS Karl Martin’s supporters sensed it was going to be a great night in the Westcourt Hotel last Saturday - for there was enough of them for a rugby team and a full bench of replacements!
And so it came to pass - no pun intended - that the 16-yearold St Mary’s DS Drogheda student’s name was called out as Young Sport Star of the Year after eye-catching performances at the Under-18 Six Nations Festival last spring.
The Millmount Abbey native, one of the youngest in the tournament, made quite an impression as he featured in all three games, set up a crucial score in the victory over Italy and claimed his first international try against Scotland.
He subsequently represented the Leinster Clubs selection at the IRFU Under-18 Interpro Festival, scoring 29 points in three games, and remains eligible to play in the Six Nations Festival for another two years.
After a gap since the glory years of producing the conveyor belt of talent that was Shane Horgan, Shane Monahan, Niall Ronan and Mark McHugh, the Boyne club are excited about the potential the powerfully-built centre has and he’s determined to do all he can to make it to the top.
Laying out his short and medium-term goals, he said: ‘Leinster Under-19s next year and then hopefully when I leave school push to get playing in the Under-20s World Championship. That would be the ultimate aim at this moment and then after that push on and get a break in the Leinster team. That’s all my mind is focused on now.
‘Especially with the Ireland team being so predominantly Leinster, the younger lads from the Academy are getting the chance to come up, so maybe in the next two or three years I might get a chance.’
Karl will never forget his roots, though, and he’s indebted to everyone at Shamrock Lodge for helping him develop into one of Ireland’s finest prospects.
‘Chuck - Alan McEneaney - he has been so helpful for me. He’s understood that when I have training certain days I won’t be at Boyne training and he’s very supportive and so are all the other coaches at Boyne.
‘When I leave school, that’s when I won’t be able to play for Boyne any more, but I’ve still another year before that.’
Like any rugby-mad teenager, Karl follows the senior international team closely, and one player in particular who has already travelled the pathway he would like to take himself.
‘Brian O’Driscoll and Johnny Sexton would be two of my favourites,’ he summised, ‘but I like Jordan Larmour just because he played 20s and then got onto the Leinster team. He won a Grand Slam and is probably going to start in the World Cup, so he’s the