DCU 0-19
Trinity College 1-14
– Jackie Cahill reports from Santry Avenue
PATRICK CURRAN HIT 12 points as Dublin City University qualified for the quarter-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup.
DCU will face UCC at the Mardkye next week after progressing to the knockout stages.
Victory over Trinity College, coupled with Limerick IT’s win against Waterford IT, sent DCU through.
WIT are the big casualties from Group C but all DCU could do was win their final group game – and ideally with plenty to spare.
It didn’t quite work out like that as Trinity, who lost midfielder Cian O’Dulaing at the throw-in when he suffered an injury, produced their best display of the campaign.
Once again, Cian O’Sullivan was their star man with an eight-point haul, six from frees, and a last-gasp Jack O’Neill goal cut DCU’s lead back to two points.
But time ran out on Trinity and while DCU stuttered to victory, on the balance of play they were good value for it.
Four times approaching the break, Waterford star Curran hauled DCU level with frees and at the break, the sides were deadlocked at 0-9 apiece.
2016 All-Ireland U21 medallist Curran put DCU ahead for the very first time with a point from play early in the second half and while O’Sullivan drew Trinity level with a free, it was the last time they would get that close to the winners.
DCU hit six of the game’s next seven points to move 0-16 to 0-11 clear but still Trinity refused to die, as they rallied to within two points again.
Tony French, Curran (free) and AJ Murphy hit points to open up a five-point lead again for DCU, before O’Neill scored that late goal from close range.
Scorers for DCU: Patrick Curran 0-12 (10f), Gavin Bailey 0-2, Rian McBride, AJ Murphy, Killian Doyle, Tony French & Eoghan Conroy 0-1 each.
Scorers for Trinity: Cian O’Sullivan 0-8 (6f), Jack O’Neill 1-0, Donncha Butler 0-3, Fionn O Riain Broin 0-2 (1f), Niall Redmond 0-1.
DCU
1. Robbie Gillen (Westmeath)
2. Sean McCaw (Dublin)
3. Eoghan O’Donnell (Dublin)
4. Darragh Brennan (Kilkenny)
5. Aaron Maddock (Wexford)
6. Padraig Foley (Wexford)
7. Paul O’Dea (Dublin)
8. Gavin Bailey (Wexford)
9. Joe O’Connor (Wexford)
12. Jason Byrne (Kilkenny)
24. Rian McBride (Dublin)
10. Liam Fahey (Tipperary)
15. Eoghan Conroy (Dublin)
14. Patrick Curran (Waterford)
13. Killian Doyle (Westmeath)
Subs
23. AJ Murphy (Dublin) for Fahey (h.t.)
20. Tony French (Wexford) for Byrne (50)
27. Harry O’Connor (Wexford) for Doyle (57)
21. Paul Kelly (Dublin) for Bailey (59)
Trinity
1. Eoin Skelly (Dublin)
2. Jack O’Neill (Dublin)
3. Darragh O’Donoghue (Galway)
4. Cormac Keating (Tipperary)
5. Cian O’Riain Broin (Dublin)
6. Manus Malone (Clare)
7. Eoghan McNamara (Limerick)
8. Cian O’Sullivan (Dublin)
9. Cian O’Dulaing (Dublin)
10. Donncha Butler (Dublin)
11. Niall Redmond (Wexford)
12. Fionn O’Riain Broin (Dublin)
13. Eoin Kelly (Wexford)
14. Conor O’Carroll (Kilkenny)
15. Sean Ryan (Dublin)
Subs
25. Sean O’Connor (Cork) for O Dulaing (3)
26. Aaron Coffey (Dublin) for Ryan (57).
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)
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