LIT have stars to burn brightest

Fitzgibbon Cup Preview:If last week's Sigerson was a two- or three-horse race, this weekend's Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon Cup in Carlow IT is as narrow a field as you can get with Limerick IT available at 2 to 5, as they try to add a second trophy to their inaugural win two years ago.

This afternoon's semi-final is a reprise of that memorable afternoon in the Gaelic Grounds when they defeated neighbours University of Limerick by six points.

Although LIT had Tipperary's Eoin Kelly on board for that campaign the team's displays this year have illustrated their credentials even more vividly this time around.

Both of last year's finalists, holders Waterford IT and UCD, have been beaten along the way - the former narrowly and the latter by a punishing margin - and the cast list is stellar.

Davy Fitzgerald is still in charge with Cyril Farrell continuing to coach and even if Kelly is gone he has been spectacularly replaced by Galway's Joe Canning, who scored 1-9 against WIT and 2-8 against UCD, in the run-up to this afternoon's semi-final.

One of his points came from a lineball into a howling wind that UCD coach Michael "Babs" Keating described as "something I haven't seen before and I've been watching hurling since 1953".

The team also features Kilkenny's All-Ireland winning captain Jackie Tyrrell, Tipperary seniors Shane McGrath and Conor O'Mahoney and Galway's Niall Healy, to name a handful.

Nonetheless, UL won't be pushovers. Having won the league this season they have put in a resilient Fitzgibbon, coming through a tough outing against Cork IT with late scores.

Matthew Whelan hit the winner in injury-time, as UL struggled to overhaul the Cork side, who had considerably the better of the first half. Brendan Bugler, a veteran of two years ago, and Tipperary underage star Thomas Stapleton helped make up the ground.

In the other semi-final, DIT are the rank outsiders despite a fine win over the highly fancied St Patrick's, Drumcondra, featuring Kilkenny seniors James Fitzpatrick and Richie Power.

Dublin forward Kevin O'Reilly did the main damage with a haul of 1-8 and he has support in Kilkenny's Willie O'Dwyer at centre forward.

Despite this, the Dublin college are long odds to get past NUI Galway, who were arguably the second best team in last year's competition, losing only narrowly to eventual winners WIT.

In the quarter-finals NUIG were convincing winners over Fitzgibbon aristocrats UCC with David Barrett from Clare taking 1-4 from play off John Tennyson, albeit Kilkenny's All-Ireland centre back was struggling with injury, and Tipperary's Darragh Egan notching 0-8, including three from play.

The Galway college are solid at the back with county centre back John Lee in impressive form and ably assisted by Martin Ryan at full back.

The question isn't so much whether they can surmount this afternoon's obstacle as to what extent they can curtail LIT's fire-power in tomorrow's likely final.