Waterford IT advance to today's Fitzgibbon Cup Final

For the second game running, Waterford IT needed extra time in the Fitzgibbon Cup last Friday afternoon before advancing to Saturday’s final against Cork IT who beat city rivals and winners of the famous trophy with the two years UCC in the second semi final.

 

Pauric Mahony who had a February to remember put in another quality performance in this game shooting sixteen points from the winners, all but one of which came from placed balls again finished as top scorer for Colm Bonner’s charges but it was fellow Inter County Colleague Jake Dillon that proved to be the hero of the afternoon.

 

Throughout the game the sides looked evenly matched and it took an effort three minutes from time from the De La Salle man in extra time to secure victory for the Waterford college side.

 

The Limerick students who are coached by Davy Fitzgerald played with the wind at their backs in the first half of this game and built up a 1-12 to 0-6 lead at the interval, the goal coming five minutes before the break from Cathal McInerney.  

 

The Limerick students started the second half again the stronger of the two sides and with nine minutes of the half played they held a 1-15 to 0-9 lead.

 

Going nine points down was to prove the wake up call that Waterford IT needed to spur them into action and they hit the next eight scores which included a Harry Kehoe goal on forty-six minutes.

 

With a minute of the hour remaining, the sides were locked at 1-15 but there was still time for some more drama.

 

Cathal McInerney hit his second goal of the game which looked as if it was going to be good enough to send the Shannon-side Students to the next round of the competition but the Waterford students went straight down the field and Wexford’s Harry Kehoe did exactly what McInerney did at the other end and hammered his second goal of the game to send the game to extra time.

 

The first half of extra time continued to prove to be a close fought battle. A goal from hurler of the year Tony Kelly looked to have given the Limerick Students an advantage but with Pauric Mahony proving to be unerring with his shooting the Waterford students help them stay in touch and the sides turned around locked at 3-16 to 2-19.

 

Just three further scores were added in the final ten minutes of the game, the most crucial coming from Jake Dillon three minutes from time, a score that was good enough to advance the Waterford Students to today’s final which they will be bidding to win for the first time since 2008.

 

WATERFORD IT: Stephen O’Keeffe (Waterford); Ger Teehan (Kilkenny), Pauric Gahan (Kilkenny), Jerome Maher (Waterford); Thomas Hamill (Tipperary), Joe O’Dwyer (Tipperary), Shaun Murphy (Wexford); Stephen Roche (Waterford), Cathal Kenny (Kilkenny); Harry Kehoe (Wexford), Pauric Mahony (Waterford), Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny); Liam McGrath (Tipperary), Jake Dillon (Waterford), Gavin O’Brien (Waterford). Sub: Jack Langton (Kilkenny) for Cathal Kenny.

 

Scorers: Pauric Mahony 0-16 (0-13f, 0-2 ‘65s’), Harry Kehoe 2-1, Eoin Murphy 0-2, Cathal Kenny, Jake Dillon 0-1 each.

 

LIMERICK IT: Aaron Murphy (Limerick); Sean O’Gorman (Clare), Martin Minehan (Tipperary), Cian Nolan (Clare); Paul Killeen Galway), Enda Boyce (Clare), Barry O’Connell (Limerick); Alan Dempsey (Limerick), Paul Flaherty (Galway); Tony Kelly (Clare), Pat Begley (Limerick), Mark Gennery (Tipperary); Philip Ivors (Tipperary), Cathal McInerney (Clare), Jamie Shanahan (Clare). Subs: Shane McGrath (Clare) for Killeen (46), Padraig Hickey (Clare) for Mark Gennery.

 

Scorers: Tony Kelly 1-5 (0-4f), Cathal McInerney 2-2, Jamie Shanahan, Alan Dempsey 0-3 each, Paul Flaherty 0-2, Philip Ivors, Pat Begley 0-1 each.

 

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly).