Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup

University of Galway 1-24 UCC 2-18 (After Extra Time)

Kevin Egan reports from St. Joseph’s, Doora Barefield GAA Club

University of Galway will get the chance to avenge last year’s narrow defeat to UL in the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup final after they came back from five points down and then survived extra time against UCC in Clare tonight, eventually prevailing when Daire Connery’s free with the very last puck of the game was pushed wide of the near post.

Jeffrey Lynskey’s side were the better team for longer stretches of the game, but a very disappointing third quarter, during which time they conceded two goals, almost cost them dearly.

A deceptively strong wind favoured UCC in the first half but UG were very strong defensively, with Tiernan Killeen in imperious form again, as he has been for both college and county this year.

Greg Thomas’ goal ensured they were on level terms at 0-7 to 1-4 at half-time, and they would have been delighted with that state of affairs, as anything from midfield out was simply out of scoring range shooting into the breeze.

Yet it was UCC who found their range after half-time, boosted by a goal from Shane Barrett. Ger Millerick and Pádraig Power also struck excellent points for UCC, as they moved four points clear before the Galway men finally found a little bit of scoring rhythm.

Three points in succession, kicked off by a wonderful strike from the in-form Alex Connaire, cut the gap to the bare minimum before a close-range goal from Brian Hayes put UCC back on the front foot.

By now Evan Niland was potting frees from all over the pitch, including one from his own 45m line, right out on the sideline – but the Cork defence was holding firm close to goal, and at 2-15 to 1-15 going into stoppage time, it looked like keeping out a Galway goal would be enough.

Instead UG held their patience, Niland struck two more frees, and it fell to Killeen to sweep over a high-pressure equaliser from 65 metres with the last puck of normal time.

UG kept the wind for the first half of extra time and they made it count with the only three points of the spell, two for Niland and one for Connaire, and they held firm through the second period of extra time as well, trading scores to stay a goal in front. Niland had a chance to add an insurance point with just one minute of added time to play but he pushed his free wide, opening the door for one last UCC opportunity to level it. A long ball out of defence by Connery dropped into the Galway square and after Liam Reilly blocked the sliotar after a loose hurl in the crowd poked it goalwards, a foul in heavy traffic left Connery with one last chance to force penalties, albeit from just outside the arc.

Scorers for UG: Evan Niland 0-12 (0-10f, 0-1 65), Alex Connaire 0-4, Greg Thomas 1-0, Darren O’Brien 0-2, Niall Collins 0-2, Brian Concannon 0-2, Ian McGlynn 0-1, Tiernan Killeen 0-1.

Scorers for UCC: Darragh Flynn 0-7 (0-6f, 0-1 65), Brian Hayes 1-2, Shane Barrett 1-1, Daniel Hogan 0-3, Ger Millerick 0-2, Conor Cahalane 0-1, Pádraig Power 0-1, Daire Connery 0-1f.

UG: Liam Reilly; Mark Hardiman, Eoin Lawless, Thomas Hynes; Oisín Salmon, Tiernan Killeen, Colm Cunningham; Alex Connaire, Ian McGlynn; Brian Concannon, Evan Niland, Darren O’Brien; Niall Collins, Oisín Flannery, Greg Thomas.

Subs: Shane Morgan for Salmon (40), Jack O’Meara for Flannery (42), Phelim McCann for Hardiman (45), Ben West for O’Meara (60), Oisín Salmon for Hynes (60), Cillian Lawless for O’Brien (63), Cillian O’Callaghan for West (79).

UCC: Brion Saunderson; Jerome Boylan, Niall O’Leary, Eoin Roche; Luke Elliot, Cormac O’Brien, Ger Millerick; Darragh Flynn, Seán Daly; Daniel Hogan, Conor Cahalane, Eoin Carey; Brian Hayes, Shane Barrett, Robbie Cotter.

SUBS: Padraig Power for Cotter (half-time), Ethan Twomey for Daly (39), Cathal McCarthy for Carey (54), Conor McGoldrick for Elliot (58), Daire Connery for Cahalane (half-time in ET), Seán Daly for Roche (half-time in ET), Ronan Fox for Flynn (75), Colm McCarthy for Hogan (79).

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)