DONAL SHIRLEY WON’T forget this evening in a hurry, the Offaly man drilling the all important goal that fired DCU through to just their second ever Fitzgibbon Cup final.
Finalists back in 2018, DCU fought tooth and nail to keep their maiden title hopes alive and were mightily grateful to midfielder Shirley for his game-hinging goal in the 45th minute.
The scores were tied when DCU forged a move straight through the centre of UCC’s defence, ending it with Shirley blasting off his left side to the net.
Having trailed 40-times champions UCC at half-time, the Shirley goal put DCU into a lead they would only embellish by full-time as they finished strongly.
Shirley hit 1-2 overall at the SETU Carlow GAA grounds for DCU while Dublin’s Joe Flanagan helped himself to five important points, all from play.
Four of Flanagan’s points came in the second-half as DCU, whose footballers have also made it through to the Sigerson Cup final, turned the screw on the 2020 champions.
Free-taker Denis Walsh nailed six ponts from placed balls too while the counties of Kildare, Wexford and Kilkenny were also represented on a breakthrough evening of sorts for DCU.
UCC will rue the nine second-half wides they blasted, and 15 overall, as they surprisingly slipped up at the penultimate hurdle.
It was mostly Cork men that buttressed the UCC team but Waterford’s Michael Mullaney drilled a cracking point late in the first-half.
UCC looked to be in a good position at that stage with Fionn Coleman’s goal midway the half giving them real impetus after a slow start that saw them fall three behind, 0-3 to 0-6.
Ethan Twomey sniped a couple of eye-catching scores for UCC who hit the interval with a 1-10 to 0-12 lead.
UCC were fortunate in first-half stoppage time when Sean Gallagher, who featured for Dublin in 2024 like Flanagan, had a goal opportunity blocked out for a ’65.
And UCC did their best to capitalise after the restart with three points, including two beauties from William Buckley, to DCU’s two in the opening 10 minutes or so.
But that’s when the wides started to mount up for UCC and St Finbarr’s man Twomey cut a frustrated figure on several occasions.
DCU, meanwhile, sensed opportunity knocking and drilled points from Walsh and Flanagan before Shirley cut through the UCC defence and struck his sidewinder to the net.
Suddenly, DCU had a 1-16 to 1-13 lead and while UCC got it back to a two-point game on a couple of occasions in the final quarter, the side in blue always looked more likely to prevail.
They duly did so with four points in a row between the 51st and 57th minutes setting the seal on victory and hinting that a non-Munster winner of the competition for the first time since 2010 could be on the horizon.
DCU scorers: Denis Walsh 0-6 (0-5f, 0-1 65), Donal Shirley 1-2, Joe Flanagan 0-5, Cian Boran 0-2, Paddy Langton 0-1, Sean Gallagher 0-1, Sam Bourke 0-1, Billy Reid 0-1, Darragh Carley 0-1.
UCC scorers: Fionn Coleman 1-1, Darragh Flynn 0-4 (0-2f), Ethan Twomey 0-3, William Buckley 0-3, Darragh Stakelum 0-1, Michael Mullaney 0-1, Brian Keating 0-1, Peter McGarry 0-1, Luke Elliott 0-1.
DCU
1. Cian Byrne (St Mary’s Rosslare, Wexford)
2. Ivan Bolger (Graignamanagh, Kilkenny)
3. Paddy Langton (Young Irelands, Kilkenny)
4. Padraig Lennon (Carrickshock, Kilkenny)
5. Sam Bourke (Ballinamere Durrow, Offaly)
6. Padraic Moylan (Dicksboro, Kilkenny)
7. Billy Reid (Glenmore, Kilkenny)
26. Peter McGarry (St Mary’s, Tipperary) for Wilk (half-time)
11. Daniel Hogan (Sarsfields, Cork) for Keating (43)
5. Luke Elliott (Sarsfields, Cork) for Dwyer (45)
21. Eoin O’Leary (Glen Rovers, Cork) for Stakelum (53)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
DCU rally to overcome UCC and book Fitzgibbon Cup final place
DCU 1-20
UCC 1-16
Paul Keane reports from SETU Carlow
DONAL SHIRLEY WON’T forget this evening in a hurry, the Offaly man drilling the all important goal that fired DCU through to just their second ever Fitzgibbon Cup final.
Finalists back in 2018, DCU fought tooth and nail to keep their maiden title hopes alive and were mightily grateful to midfielder Shirley for his game-hinging goal in the 45th minute.
The scores were tied when DCU forged a move straight through the centre of UCC’s defence, ending it with Shirley blasting off his left side to the net.
Having trailed 40-times champions UCC at half-time, the Shirley goal put DCU into a lead they would only embellish by full-time as they finished strongly.
Shirley hit 1-2 overall at the SETU Carlow GAA grounds for DCU while Dublin’s Joe Flanagan helped himself to five important points, all from play.
Four of Flanagan’s points came in the second-half as DCU, whose footballers have also made it through to the Sigerson Cup final, turned the screw on the 2020 champions.
Free-taker Denis Walsh nailed six ponts from placed balls too while the counties of Kildare, Wexford and Kilkenny were also represented on a breakthrough evening of sorts for DCU.
UCC will rue the nine second-half wides they blasted, and 15 overall, as they surprisingly slipped up at the penultimate hurdle.
It was mostly Cork men that buttressed the UCC team but Waterford’s Michael Mullaney drilled a cracking point late in the first-half.
UCC looked to be in a good position at that stage with Fionn Coleman’s goal midway the half giving them real impetus after a slow start that saw them fall three behind, 0-3 to 0-6.
Ethan Twomey sniped a couple of eye-catching scores for UCC who hit the interval with a 1-10 to 0-12 lead.
UCC were fortunate in first-half stoppage time when Sean Gallagher, who featured for Dublin in 2024 like Flanagan, had a goal opportunity blocked out for a ’65.
And UCC did their best to capitalise after the restart with three points, including two beauties from William Buckley, to DCU’s two in the opening 10 minutes or so.
But that’s when the wides started to mount up for UCC and St Finbarr’s man Twomey cut a frustrated figure on several occasions.
DCU, meanwhile, sensed opportunity knocking and drilled points from Walsh and Flanagan before Shirley cut through the UCC defence and struck his sidewinder to the net.
Suddenly, DCU had a 1-16 to 1-13 lead and while UCC got it back to a two-point game on a couple of occasions in the final quarter, the side in blue always looked more likely to prevail.
They duly did so with four points in a row between the 51st and 57th minutes setting the seal on victory and hinting that a non-Munster winner of the competition for the first time since 2010 could be on the horizon.
DCU scorers: Denis Walsh 0-6 (0-5f, 0-1 65), Donal Shirley 1-2, Joe Flanagan 0-5, Cian Boran 0-2, Paddy Langton 0-1, Sean Gallagher 0-1, Sam Bourke 0-1, Billy Reid 0-1, Darragh Carley 0-1.
UCC scorers: Fionn Coleman 1-1, Darragh Flynn 0-4 (0-2f), Ethan Twomey 0-3, William Buckley 0-3, Darragh Stakelum 0-1, Michael Mullaney 0-1, Brian Keating 0-1, Peter McGarry 0-1, Luke Elliott 0-1.
DCU
1. Cian Byrne (St Mary’s Rosslare, Wexford)
2. Ivan Bolger (Graignamanagh, Kilkenny)
3. Paddy Langton (Young Irelands, Kilkenny)
4. Padraig Lennon (Carrickshock, Kilkenny)
5. Sam Bourke (Ballinamere Durrow, Offaly)
6. Padraic Moylan (Dicksboro, Kilkenny)
7. Billy Reid (Glenmore, Kilkenny)
8. Donal Shirley (Brosna Gaels, Offaly)
9. Colin Spain (Kilcormac-Killoughey, Offaly)
35. Sean Gallagher (Naomh Barróg, Dublin)
18. Denis Walsh (Dunnamaggin, Kilkenny)
12. Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown, Wexford)
14. Cian Boran (Naas, Kildare)
13. Joe Flanagan (Naomh Barróg, Dublin)
22. Peter Clarke (Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath)
Subs
15. Cillian Dunne (Clough-Ballacolla, Laois) for Walsh (55)
20. Conoe Kehoe (St Mullins, Carlow) for Gallagher (55)
11. James Carroll (Dicksboro, Kilkenny) for Clarke (62)
UCC
1. Paudie O’Sullivan (Fr O’Neills, Cork)
4. Timmy Wilk (Cobh, Cork)
23. Sean Daly (Randal Óg, Cork)
6. Ciaran Doolan (St Finbarr’s, Cork)
17. Michael Mullaney (Stradbally, Waterford)
3. Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers, Cork)
7. James Dwyer (Ballincollig, Cork)
8. Brian Keating (Ballincollig, Cork)
15. Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields, Tipperary)
9. Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s, Cork)
12. Eddie Stokes (Doon, Limerick)
19. Darragh Flynn (Ballygiblin, Cork)
13. William Buckley (St Finbarr’s, Cork)
14. Fionn Coleman (Blackrock, Cork)
2. Cathal McCarthy (Sarsfields, Cork)
Subs
26. Peter McGarry (St Mary’s, Tipperary) for Wilk (half-time)
11. Daniel Hogan (Sarsfields, Cork) for Keating (43)
5. Luke Elliott (Sarsfields, Cork) for Dwyer (45)
21. Eoin O’Leary (Glen Rovers, Cork) for Stakelum (53)
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
DCU Fitzgibbon Cup GAA Hurling Third Level UCC