Fitzgibbon Cup Final: Limerick IT 2-13 Univ of Limerick 3-4: The hurling focus in Limerick shifted on Saturday from the ailing fortunes of the county hurlers to this year's Datapac Fitzgibbon Cup final at Gaelic Grounds, featuring for the first time both of the city's third-level institutions. It was the hosts LIT who emerged with the silverware, a first victory for the college, writes Seán Moran
As a balm for the county's bruised sensibilities the occasion had its limitations with UL's Niall Moran the sole Limerick senior player and centre back Ray Hayes the only other participant from the county.
LIT were managed by Clare goalkeeper David Fitzgerald and coached by Galway's Cyril Farrell. Fitzgerald was emotional after the match and found time to remember a member of the backroom team who had passed away before this season.
"A very special man left our lives last year: Trixie Twomey, who was involved with me for years. You see the 'TT' on the back of the jerseys; that was for him," said Fitzgerald.
"We played our hearts out, trained three times a day - sometimes I trained them three days in a row for four times a day. You could see at the end of it that their fitness and courage was unbelievable.
"They did everything I asked of them. I couldn't be happier. I got a great kick out of that. We knew the way they were going to try and play and we had a game plan to counteract their running game. I think it worked."
For all the jubilation, Saturday's final was a slightly bloodless affair with the winners looking assured from an early stage of the match.
Having seen off the holders and favourites WIT in Friday's semi-final, UL were entitled to view their prospects optimistically but their trademark short game was effectively countered by LIT who carried too much menace up front.
Captain Eoin Kelly led the way as he had done in the semi-final and ended the final with 1-8. His goal came after four minutes. Brian Carroll was well fouled by the time the free was awarded and the Tipperary All Star drove the 20-metre free low and hard and through the UL goalline cover.
For all their troubles - starved of ball and largely ineffective with the scraps they got - UL kept in touch, courtesy of two isolated goals. The first was a free from Moran that floated in under the crossbar in the 11th minute and the second from Paul O'Flynn, who provided the finish to good work by Carroll.
At the break it was 1-9 to 2-1, undoubtedly flattering for UL but the three scores as against their opponents' 10 reflected the sober reality.
Two frees from Moran got UL back to within four, 2-3 to 1-10, but without the remotest hint that they were going to bridge the divide. Even the theorising stopped in the 45th minute. Enda Tannian's line ball set up Aonghus Callanan and he found the net.
UL did have a couple of vague goal chances but by the time John Heneghan actually managed the goal it was four minutes into injury-time.
LIMERICK IT: S Hawes; E Collins, J Coen, C O'Mahony; D Morrissey, F Flynn (0-1, a free), S McGrath; J Tyrrell, J Reddan; A Callanan (1-0), B Nugent (0-1), I Tannian (0-1); N Healy, E Kelly (1-8, goal and six points from frees), K Murphy (0-2). Subs: D O'Reilly for Murphy (63 mins).
UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK: T Flynn; A Murphy, J Devane, B Bugler; R Conlon, R Hayes, G Flood; N Moran (1-3, all frees), B Coleman; P O'Flynn (1-1), J Gantley, D McCormack; B Carroll, D Greene, N Kenny. Subs: T Healy for Coleman (26 mins), P Dowling for Gantley (48 mins), J Heneghan (1-0) for McCormack (52 mins).
Referee: A MacSuibhne (Dublin).
