Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup: MICL come good after extra time
Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup Semi-Final
Mary Immaculate College Limerick 0-31 DCU Dóchas Éireann 2-16
After extra time
By Paul Keane at St Clare's, DCU
Mary Immaculate College are heading to Croke Park for the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup final after coming good in extra time to see off last year's finalists DCU.
The 2024 champions needed an additional 20 minutes or so to prevail at DCU's St Clare's grounds but eventually made up for last year's quarter-final loss to the same opposition by outscoring the hosts 0-11 to 0-2.
Shane Walsh, from the famous Tullaroan and Kilkenny clan, led the line with 0-13 in total, 0-12 of which came from frees in the absence of Shane O'Brien.
Rising Limerick star O'Brien, who'd struck 1-30 in their three games, was absent with a 'bug', according to manager Jamie Wall, and while Walsh faltered initially on the frees, he came good with a powerful performance.
There were huge displays too from Cian Scully, who boomed over six points from wing-back, centre-back Jimmy Quilty and defenders Eoin Lawless and Bobby Drohan.
Adam Daly's four points from play were important as well as the three-time tournament winners secured their place in the Friday, February 13 final at Croke Park.
For Mary Immaculate boss Wall, involved with the college for over a decade, it will be yet another Croke Park outing having watched his sister, Kate, and brother, Philip, play there for St Finbarr's and Kilbrittain respectively in recent All-Ireland club finals.
Wall's side will head into the decider in an optimistic mood after finishing so strongly with substitute Ben Currivan making a notable impact when he came on and scoring two extra time points.
DCU had hoped to push on and avenge last year's final loss to UL and were well led by Denis Walsh who fired eight points on the evening while Westmeath's Peter Clarke registered both their goals.
Dan O'Meara struck the DCU point two minutes into stoppage time which forced extra time but they were outfought and outthought after that by a slicker Mary Immaculate side full of running despite the heavy conditions.
DCU led 1-7 to 0-8 at half-time of normal time with Clarke netting in the 25th minute though their opposition rued nine wides in that period, four from the stick of Walsh.
Scully came strongly into the game in the second half and with Walsh now nailing scores for fun, and Currivan winning two frees that he converted, the Limerick outfit led by a point after the hour.
Clarke's second goal kept DCU in it though and O'Meara nudged the game into extra time at 2-14 to 0-20.
There was only one team in it after that and DCU finished up with 14 players as Páidí Lennon was dismissed late on.
MICL scorers: Shane Walsh 0-13 (0-12f), Cian Scully 0-6, Adam Daly 0-4, Eoin Craddock 0-2, Ben Currivan 0-2 (0-1f), Oisín O'Farrell 0-2, Ronan O'Connor 0-1, Jimmy Quilty 0-1.
DCU scorers: Denis Walsh 0-8 (0-8f), Peter Clarke 2-0, Greg Kelly 0-3, Cathal Beirne 0-3, Sam Byrne 0-1, Dan O'Meara 0-1.
MICL: Darragh Walsh (Turloughmore, Galway); Bobby Drohan (St Mollerans, Waterford), Eoin Lawless (Athenry, Galway - Joint captain), Vince Harrington (Na Piarsaigh, Limerick); Conor Lawless (Athenry, Galway); Donnacha Campbell (Cappataggle, Galway), Jimmy Quilty (Blackrock, Limerick), Cian Scully (Dromin Athlacca, Limerick); Dara Whelan (Turloughmore, Galway), Ronan O'Connor (Feakle, Clare); Adam Daly (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams, Tipperary), Mark Callinan (Inagh Kilnamona, Clare), Eoin Craddock (Holycross Ballycahill, Tipperary); Shane Walsh (Tullaroan, Kilkenny), Oisín O'Farrell (Askeaton Ballysteen Kilcornan, Limerick).
SUBS: Cathal Quinn (Cashel King Cormacs, Tipperary) for Callinan (h/t), Ben Currivan (Golden Kilfeacle, Tipperary) for Conor Lawless (42), Cormac Deevy (Brickey Rangers, Waterford) for O'Connor (57); Conor Lawless for Craddock (e/t), Sean Whelan (Cappamore, Limerick) for Daly (76), Michael Gavin (Ballybrown, Limerick) for Quilty (76)
DCU: Stephen Manogue (James Stephens, Kilkenny); Sam Bourke (Ballinamere, Offaly), Dan O'Meara (Maynooth, Kildare), Ivan Bolger (Graignamanagh, Kilkenny); Billy Reid (Glenmore, Kilkenny), Paddy Langton (Young Irelands, Kilkenny), Seán Gallagher (Naomh Barróg, Dublin); Peter Clarke (Castletown Geoghegan, Westmeath), Páidí Lennon (Carrickshock, Kilkenny); Cian Boran (Naas, Kildare), Greg Kelly (O'Loughlin Gaels, Kilkenny), Cathal Beirne (Glenmore, Kilkenny); Denis Walsh (Dunnamaggin, Kilkenny), Sam Byrne (Blacks and Whites, Kilkenny), Donagh Murphy (Mt. Leinster Rangers, Carlow).
SUBS: Andrew Keegan (Clontarf, Dublin) for Langton (50), Evan O'Brien (Naas, Kildare) for Clarke (57), Luke Murphy (Faythe Harriers, Wexford) for Byrne (57), Clarke for Murphy (e/t), Liam O'Reilly (Naas, Kildare) for Bolger (64), Neil Hogan (Castleknock, Dublin) for Clarke (73).
Referee: James Owens (Wexford).
