Fitzgibbon Cup final: UL 4-31 Mary Immaculate College 3-21
The cream generally rises to the top and so it was again at Croke Park where Cathal O’Neill led a terrific UL team to back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup titles.
Limerick star O’Neill struck seven points from play, one less than Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy who enjoyed another landmark All-Ireland success at Croke Park.
Cork’s Jack Leahy had a huge game too and pushed O’Neill close for the man of the match award with 1-5, all from play.
It is a dream double of third level titles for UL having also claimed the Sigerson Cup on Wednesday evening. They are the fourth third-level institution to achieve the feat and the first since UCC in 2019.
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Jamie Wall’s Mary I were superbly led by Shane O’Brien who struck 1-12, and the 2024 champions registered a creditable 3-21, yet still lost by 13 points - und–rlining just how special a team UL are.
It is UL’s 10th title in all and they never really looked like slipping up on a pristine pitch that suited their slick stick work and unique ability.
Both sides were boosted by the return of key players with O’Brien back for MICL after missing the semi-final win over DCU with a bug.
The Kilmallock man was immediately involved and clipped five first-half points into the Davin End, three from frees.
Tipperary’s Joe Caesar drilled three from play also but while Mary I notched a relatively healthy 13 first-half points, they couldn’t live with UL’s attacking ability at the other end.
The game was only 14 minutes old and already Brian Ryan’s side had three goals racked up.
Jack O’Neill was fed by Aidan O’Connor for the first, English burst through the centre for the second and Leahy capped a strong start with UL’s third goal.
With top county talents like Adam Screeney and Oisín O’Donoghue relatively quiet, and UL still cutting the MICL defence asunder, the writing was on the wall.
Cathal O’Neill missed UL’s quarter and semi-final wins and proved his worth with a strong first-half display, helping UL to lead by 3-13 to 0-13 at the interval.
Mary I knew they were going to need goals to rescue a result and they duly grabbed three of them in the second period.
O’Brien netted from a penalty, Caesar got their second and substitute Ben Currivan, so strong from the bench against DCU, delivered again with a stunning strike.
And yet, in truth, UL never looked like being caught as they added another goal themselves, from substitute Fintan Fitzgerald who finished with 1-1.
UL: D Fahy (Galway); C Smyth (Cork), D Langan (Limerick), A Morgan (Tipperary); K Doyle (Kilkenny), M Fitzgerald (Waterford), C Coughlan (Limerick) (0-3); A English (Limerick) (1-1), J O’Neill (Clare) (1-0); A O’Connor (Limerick) (0-3), C O’Neill (Limerick) (0-7), A Screeney (Offaly) (0-1); D McCarthy (Tipperary) (0-8, 0-7f), O O’Donoghue (Tipperary) (0-1), J Leahy (Cork) (1-5).
Subs: J Fitzgerald (Limerick) for Smyth (23); C Martin (Tipperary) for Morgan (40); D Stritch (Clare) (0-1) for O’Donoghue (45); F Fitzgerald (Limerick) (1-1) for J O’Neill (56); I Shanahan (Laois) for Langan (60).
MICL: D Walsh (Galway) (0-1, 0-1f); B Drohan (Waterford), V Harrington (Limerick), E Lawless (Galway); D Campbell (Galway) (0-1), J Quilty (Limerick) (0-1), C Scully (Limerick); D Whelan (Galway), R O’Connor (Clare) (0-1); S Walsh (Kilkenny) (0-1), J Caesar (Tipperary) (1-3), A Daly (Tipperary); E Craddock (Tipperary), S O’Brien (Limerick) (1-12, 0-7f, 1-0p, 0-1 65), O O’Farrell (Limerick) (0-1).
Subs: C Quinn (Tipperary) for Quilty (h/t); A Hogan (Clare) for E Lawless (37); B Currivan (Tipperary) (1-0) for Walsh (44); C Lawless (Galway) for Harrington (46); P Finn (Limerick) for Craddock (60).
Referee: L Gordon (Galway).
