University of Limerick 4-19 University of Galway 1-13
A four goal salvo from Waterford’s Michael Kiely kept the Fitzgibbon Cup on the University of Limerick sideboard following a comfortable victory at the SETU Arena.
While UG’s Niall Collins opened the scoring inside two minutes, the holders blitzed Galway between then and the 13th minute, landing 2-6 without reply.
UL goalkeeper Dean Mason underlined his credentials as one of the country’s leading netminders when diving smartly to his left to thwart Evan Niland’s third minute penalty.
Barley a minute later, Kiely, assisted by the impressive Adam English, drilled home his first goal, with English opening his account with a point from UL’s next attack. Gearoid O’Connor, only outshone by Kiely over the hour, landed a sixth minute 65 before English pointed again two minutes later.
O’Connor converted a 10th minute free, followed by Mark Rogers’ white flagger before Kiely’s second goal after 13 minutes left Limerick 10 points clear. Another O’Connor free moments later left UL firmly in command and UG in dire straits.
But UG, led by Evan Niland and Niall Collins, mounted a spirited recovery, registering eight of the game’s following nine points to trail by just four points by the 29th minute.
Yet the wind was truly knocked out of western sails on the brink of additional time when Michael Kiely completed his hat-trick when seizing onto a high ball with a strike which sent goalkeeper Liam Reilly the wrong way.
Rangy UL centre back Bryan O’Mara found his range impressively to add to Limerick’s tally while UG’s Tiernan Killeen completed the first half scoring.
Any chance of a UG comeback was snuffed out within three minutes of the restart as Kiely, last year’s final hero, added 1-1 to his remarkable tally to send the holders 11 points clear.
Playing into the wind, UL weathered UG’s attack with impressive comfort, with Ballyhale wing back Darragh Corcoran in commanding form throughout.
Niland and O’Connor traded frees in the 35th and 39th minute before UL landed the following quartet of points, featuring a brace of O’Connor frees along with efforts from Corcoran and Sean Twomey.
UG’s resilience in the face of UL’s dominance deservedly yielded a stoppage time goal from full-forward Greg Thomas, who finished well, striking low to the right of the diving Dean Mason.
The champions ended the game with just 14 players after Limerick’s Adam English was forced off due to injury.
University of Limerick: D Mason; M Fitzgerald, TJ Brennan, S Staunton (0-1); C Coughlin (0-1), B O’Mara (0-1), D Corcoran (0-1); B O’Sullivan (0-1), K Sampson; A English (0-2), G O’Connor (0-9; 0-7 frees, 0-1 65), S Twomey (0-1); M Rogers (0-2; 0-1 free), M Kiely (4-1), J Power.
Subs: D Hannify for J Power (37 mins), M Gough for S Staunton (44 mins), C Flaherty for K Sampson (50 mins), P Dunne for M Fitzgerald (57 mins), K McDermott for M Rogers (59 mins).
University of Galway: L Reilly; P McGann (0-1), O Salmon, M Hardiman; T Killeen (0-1), E Lawless, C Cunningham; A Connaire, I M Glynn; B Concannon (0-2), E Niland (0-5; 0-3 frees), D O’Brien; O Flannery (0-1), G Thomas (1-0), N Collins (0-3).
Subs: B West for E Niland (23 mins, Blood), S Morgan for M Hardiman (31 mins), R Davitt for C Cunningham (47 mins), C O’Callaghan for N Collins (55 mins).
Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)
