THIRD LEVEL GAA season continues this week as the Fitzgibbon Cup gets underway with Round 1 games taking place on Wednesday and Thursday.
Before the action commences, let’s take a look at some of the young talents that you should be looking out for.
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TJ Brennan (Galway) – UL
A member of the UL team who won last year’s Fitzgibbon Cup, Galway’s TJ Brennan will be one of the main defenders to watch out for this year.
The Clarinbridge man was also named at full-back on the 2023 Rising Stars Hurling Team of the Year and will be a crucial player for UL as they chase a three-in-a-row. Brennan is heading for his fourth season in the Galway squad, and aside from banking some game time in 2023, he is still working towards securing a spot among the regular starters.
Another encouraging Fitzgibbon Cup campaign would help strengthen his chances of earning some more minutes under Henry Shefflin.
Jack Cahalane (Cork) – MTU Cork
The skilled dual star was in action for Castlehaven lately as the Cork side fell agonisingly short of a place in the All-Ireland senior club final.
Cahalane opted to stick with hurling at inter-county level in 2022, having won two All-Ireland U20 hurling medals with Cork. He previously achieved Munster success with the county’s football outfit.
He’s still maintaining his dual status with MTU Cork and was in action for the college in their opening round Sigerson Cup defeat to Maynooth University. His Fitzgibbon Cup duty begins with a trip away to face SETU Waterford.
Billy Drennan (Kilkenny) – University of Maynooth
An up and coming Kilkenny forward, University of Maynooth will certainly be turning to Billy Drennan for scores again in this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup. He scored 0-8 and 0-11 respectively in his side’s two championship outings last year against UCC and UCD.
He excelled in the 2023 National League for the Cats, finishing as the top scorer in Division 1 with a colossal haul of 2-70. However, he suffered an injury in the league final which stunted his progress somewhat. Drennan lined out for the Kilkenny U20s last year two, and generated headlines after hitting 2-12 against Galway in the Leinster championship.
The Galmoy forward later made a substitute appearance in Kilkenny’s dramatic victory over the Tribesmen in the Leinster senior final.
Darragh Stakelum (Tipperary) – UCC
After featuring for the Tipperary U20s in their run to the Munster semi-final last year, Stakelum went on to play a star role for Thurles Sarsfields in the Tipperary SHC.
He produced a man-of-the match display in their semi-final win over Loughmore-Castleiney, finishing with six points from play.
Kiladangan eventually came out on top in the decider by just one point, but Stakelum featured on the scoresheet for Thurles once again with a haul of 0-2. UCC will certainly be turning to Stakelum to play an influential role as they look to retrieve the Fitzgibbon Cup for the first time since 2020.
Adam Hogan (Clare) – Mary Immaculate College Limerick
Already a regular starter for the Clare seniors, Adam Hogan will be another top defender worth looking out for in the Fitzgibbon Cup. The Feakle native earned his Banner call-up during the 2022 season, shortly after the Clare U20s crashed out of the championship.
He secured a place at corner-back last season as Clare bowed out at the All-Ireland semi-final once again. The 2022 Dr Harty Cup winner with St Joseph’s Tulla was honoured with a nomination for Young Hurler of the Year alongside his county colleague Mark Rodgers following a string of impressive performances.
Kevin Cooney (Galway) – ATU Galway
Another newcomer to the senior inter-county stage, Kevin Cooney is a seasoned attacking option for ATU Galway. He was the second-highest scorer at the end of the 2022 Fitzgibbon Cup, finishing up with a tally of 2-38 to put him behind his Galway teammate Evan Niland.
ATU Galway reached the Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-finals last year where Cooney posted 0-7 in their defeat to UCC.
Cooney was a mainstay in the Galway team throughout the 2023 season, scoring three points in the Leinster final against Kilkenny while also contributing to one of the scores of the season in their All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Limerick.
After collecting the ball from a crossfield pass out near the Hogan Stand sideline, Cooney clipped the ball into the path of Cathal Mannion with impressive vision for Galway’s opening goal of the game.
Reuben Halloran (Waterford) – SETU Waterford
Halloran was named on the Rising Stars Hurling Team of the Year for 2023 after a blistering campaign where he played an inspiring role to help SETU Waterford to the semi-finals where they were edged out by eventual champions UL.
The De La Salle forward scored 12 points in their county final defeat to Waterford kingpins Ballygunner last September, seven of which were frees.
Halloran is also making strides in the Waterford senior team, and has been involved in their recent Munster Hurling League campaign with a final to come at the end of the month.
Cormac O’Brien (Cork) – UCC
Another inclusion on the 2023 Rising Stars selection, O’Brien is a cornerstone of the UCC defence. The Newtownshandrum man was part of the Cork U20s outfits that won consecutive All-Ireland titles in the delayed 2020 decider and the 2021 final. Both were played in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the Rebels outgunning Dublin the first day out in July before accounting for Galway the following month.
O’Brien was the captain for the second All-Ireland victory, starting at corner-back for their 11-point win over Galway.
Adam English (Limerick) – UL
The Doon star made his senior championship debut for Limerick last year, coming on as a blood sub for Darragh O’Donovan in the concluding stages of the Munster final. English scored a vital point that day as Limerick defeated Clare again to complete a provincial five-in-a-row.
English played a significant role in UL’s Fitzgibbon Cup defence last year, scoring two points in the final against University of Galway. He chalked up 2-59 to finish as the second-highest scorer in the 2023 Limerick SHC, and as he pursues a more prominent spot in John Kiely’s plans for this year, he will be targeting another strong Fitzgibbon Cup campaign to strengthen his form.
Fitzgibbon Cup Fixtures
Round 1 – Wednesday, 17 January
Maynooth University v Mary Immaculate College Limerick – Maynooth University North Campus, 7.30pm (Group A)
ATU Galway v UL – GMIT, 7pm (Group B)
Round 1 – Thursday, 18 January
DCU v SETU Waterford – Dublin City University Sportsgrounds, 7pm (Group C)
SETU Carlow v University of Galway – Carlow IT, 7pm (Group D)
Round 2 – Wednesday 24 January
Mary Immaculate College Limerick v UCC - MICL Grounds, 7pm (Group A)
UL v TU Midwest – UL Grounds, 7pm (Group B)
Round 2 – Thursday 25 January
SETU Waterford v MTU Cork - WIT Sports Campus, 7pm (Group C)
University of Galway v UCD – Dangan, 7pm (Group D)
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