A strong second half display was key as UL claimed their ninth Fitzgibbon Cup
University of Limerick are 2025 Fitzgibbon Cup champions after a 0-23 to 1-15 win over DCU at the Connacht Centre of Excellence today.
After being just 0-9 to 0-08 up at halftime, UL kicked on in the second half through a brilliant performance from Tipperary forward Gearoid O’Connor who finished up with 0-10 (0-6 f).
For DCU, it was an admirable display – even if a late 1-1 meant the scoreboard wouldn’t quite tell the tale of UL’s second-half dominance.
It was a slightly nervous start for UL, who shot two wides in the first minute – first Aidan O’Connor, then Jack Leahy. Not long after though, it was third time lucky when full back John Conneally raced forward on a solo run and put the ball over the bar for the game’s opening score.
This was quickly followed up by Gearoid O’Connor – who doubled the early lead with a great score off his left under pressure. Denis Walsh then sent over a free for his side’s opening score but another O’Connor score after great work by Colm O’Meara and a long-range effort from Adam English made it four points to one early on.
Mark Fitzgerald then stormed out of defence with the ball and after exchanging a one-two with O’Connor, put the ball over to leave the score 0-05 to 0-01 after just eight minutes.
DCU recovered from their slow start however, coming back down the other end through Walsh who converted his own free before Kildare’s Cian Boran and Cathal Beirne got their sides first points from play.
After a period of wides from both sides, UL’s Patrick Crotty set up midfielder Brian O’Sullivan for the first score in nine minutes of action. This was followed up by one of the scores of the match – Gearoid O’Connor with a massive score out by the sideline to give UL a three-point advantage with ten minutes until the break.
Despite being a quiet day for forward Joe Flanagan, he still showed remarkable trickery to escape the UL defence before putting it over for a great score. Darragh Carley brought the lead back to one after some lovely passing by the DCU forwards and Peter Clarke then leveled the game after great work by Walsh.
Just before the break Gearoid O’Connor scored his first and second frees of the day before another Walsh left it UL 0-09 0-08 DCU at the break.
Unfortunately, that was as close as the contest got – UL burst out in the second half, and Jack Leahy scored two points in quick succession between a sharp O’Connor score.
After an O’Connor free was followed up by scores from play by Adam English and Sean Hanniffy – UL found themselves with a 0-15 to 0-08 lead just five minutes after the restart.
Despite DCU scores cutting the lead back to five, UL never relinquished their grip on the lead, Aidan O’Connor with a point after his strike nearly found it’s way into the net.
Two more frees from the extremely accurate Gearoid O’Connor made it a six point UL lead with ten minutes to go. O’Connor then turned provider for sub Cathal O’Neill who marked his return from injury with a score from play.
As if to demonstrate his continued brilliance – O’Connor landed a massive, long range free just as he was announced as TG4’s man of the match.
The victory was confirmed near the end when sub Diarmuid Hanniffy pointed and Killian Doyle put the icing on the cake shortly after to leave a nine-point gap between the sides.
DCU to their credit kept fighting and hit a goal in injury time after a scramble but that was as good as it got for the Dublin college, UL winning out on a scoreline of 0-23 to 1-15.
Scorers
UL: Gearoid O’Connor 0-10 (0-6 f), Sean O’Hanlon, Jack Leahy, Adam English (all 0-2), Aidan O’Connor, Brian O’Sullivan, John Conneally, Mark Fitzgerald, Cathal O’Neill, Diarmuid Hanniffy, Killian Doyle (all 0-1).
DCU: Denis Walsh 0-8 (0-6 f), Conor Kehoe 1-0, Cian Boran and Peter Clarke (both 0-2), Joe Flanagan, Cathal Beirne, Peter Clarke, Darragh Carley ( all 0-1).
Teams
UL: Darach Fahy (Ardrahan/Galway); Aaron Morgan (Kilruane McDonaghs/Tipperary), John Conneally (Clooney Quin/Clare), Michael Corcoran (Silvermines/Tipperary); Killian Doyle (Emeralds/Kilkenny), Mark Fitzgerald (Passage East/Waterford), Colin Coughlan (Ballybrown/Limerick) ©, Brian O’Sullivan (Kanturk/Cork), Adam English (Doon/Limerick), Gearoid O’Connor (Moyne Templetuohy/Tipperary), Colm O’Meara (Clonlara/Clare), Patrick Crotty (Scariff/Clare), Jack Leahy (Dungourney/Cork), Aidan O’Connor (Ballybrown/Limerick), Patrick O’Donovan (Effin/Limerick).
Subs: Evan O’Leary (Ahane/Limerick) for Corcoran (25 mins), Sean O’Hanlon (Turloughmore/Galway) for O’Donovan (HT), Cathal O’Neill (Crecora-Manister/Limerick) for Leahy (40 mins), Sean Rynne (Inagh Kilnamona/Clare) for O’Sullivan (48 mins), Diarmuid Hanniffy (Oranmore Maree/Galway) for Crotty (53 mins).
DCU: Cian Byrne (St Mary’s Rosslare/Wexford); Ivan Bolger (Graignamanagh/Kilkenny), Paddy Langton (Young Ireland’s/Kilkenny), Padraig Lennon (Carrickshock/Kilkenny); Sam Bourke (Ballinamere/Offaly), Padraic Moylan (Dicksboro/Kilkenny), Billy Reid (Glenmore/Kilkenny); Donal Shirley (Tubber/Offaly), Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey/Offaly); Cathal Beirne (Glenmore/Kilkenny), Denis Walsh (Dunnamggin/Kilkenny), Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown/ Wexford); Joe Flanagan (Naomh Barrog/Dublin),Cian Boran (Naas/Kildare), Peter Clarke (Castletown Geoghegan/Westmeath).
Subs: Conor Kehoe (St Mullins/Carlow) for Carley (48 mins), Cillian Dunne (Clough Ballacolla/Laois) for Walsh (52 mins).
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).