Round-up: Mary I and UL register impressive victories in Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup:
Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup
UL 6-31 Maynooth University 1-9
MICL 4-22 SETU Waterford 2-16
University of Limerick made a strong opening round defence of their Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup title when they powered past Maynooth University with 37 points to spare, having put 30 between the teams by the half-time break.
The strength in depth in Brian Ryan’s squad looks on paper to be as strong as it has ever been with Jack Leahy and Colin Coughlan waiting in the wings to come back in to bolster a side that was laden with intercounty talent.
Tipperary’s Oisín O’Donoghue was the main man here as he pillaged 3-5 from play to lead the charge, while his Premier County colleague Darragh McCarthy (1-4 in all) and Limerick’s Aidan O’Connor added other first half goals.
Michael Brennan came off the bench to hit six points for Maynooth University in the second half, three from play, to give the Kildare college some cause for optimism ahead of what’s likely to be effectively a straight knockout contest against DCU in Maynooth next Wednesday.
It was a good day for the two Limerick sides in action yesterday as Mary Immaculate College played host to SETU Waterford and here it was Oisín O’Farrell who ran riot up front, hammering in four goals including a hat-trick inside the first 12 minutes on the South Circular Road.
It was a sensational start to the contest with the away team hitting the net off the throw in through Thomas Carey and a second goal followed from Luke Codd, set up by Tom O’Connell.
O’Farrell hit his first goal in between however and by the 12th minute the scoreboard read 3-2 to 2-2, following another brace. Alongside O’Farrell in the full forward line, Shane O’Brien and Seán Boyce also had productive afternoons but it was all about the Askeaton Ballysteen Kilcornan player, who had his fourth goal on the board by half-time for the 2024 champions.