The response was always coming.
2018 was a dark year for the Fitzgibbon men of UCC. Beaten out the gate by UL in a 22 point quarter final hammering, the wounds left were raw but they were a reminder too.
Fitzgibbon Cup QF FT: UL 4-18 @ucc_gaa 0-8 Fantastic performance from UL! We march on to the semi-finals!! Hard luck to @ucc_gaa #ULAbú @HigherEdGAA @CastletroyPark
— UL Wolves GAA Club (@ul_gaa) February 8, 2018
A reminder that, even though the Cork college are far and away this competition’s most successful ever team with 33 titles to their name, only one of those wins has come in the last seven years and only three of them have come since the turn of the millennium.
Time to buck up.
UCC have a proud hurling legacy no matter what, but that slip-off must have eaten away at them too and they must have been mad to stick it to the big dogs, the ULs for example who were beginning to take over college’s hurling.
And with a team never as dangerous as when they’ve a point to prove and with that driving them on, UCC were always going to have a big winter’s hurling.
Two games into the 2019 Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup and these boys’ business is clear.
On Sunday, Tom Kingston’s men started as they meant to go on, a gifted Shane Conway cutting loose and firing them to a six point victory over the reigning champions UL in their own back yard.
Point made.
On Wednesday they had to back it up and that they did. UCD, on the back of a draw with NUIG at the weekend travelled down to the Mardyke with high expectations but they were sent straight back down the drawing board by a rampant UCC side.
UCC have a very strong panel this year, which includes Cork seniors Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Kingston, Sean Hayes, Robbie O’Flynn, Tipperary seniors, Paddy Caddell, Mark Kehoe and Killian O’Dwyer, highly rated Kerry talent Shane Conway and Kilkenny’s Conor Browne.
At half-time, the home side were up by five and they drove it home in the second, Tipperary senior Mark Kehoe scoring the first goal and Waterford’s Neil Montgomery blasting in the second to seal a 2-21 to 1-13 victory.
With NUIG to come next week, this was supposed to be the group of death, but UCC will go into that game with their place in the quarter finals secure and with plenty of backers to go on and win the whole thing.
