Maynooth University let Sigerson Cup semi-final place slip from their grasp
Maynooth University's Ryan Burke Photo: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
There was immense frustration for Maynooth University on Wednesday evening as they let a place in the Sigerson Cup semi-finals slip from their grasp at a rainy University Limerick.
It was a brilliant game for the neutral and those who braved Storm Chandra to attend but that will be scant consolation for Maynooth as a series of key events in the game went against them, some of their own doing and some out of their control.
Despite the tricky conditions, Maynooth made a flying start and scored the first four points of the game, including a two pointer by Meath’s Eoghan Freyne.
But Cian McHale’s sixth minute goal, when he beat Maynooth goalkeeper Cian Burke to the punch, changed the momentum of the game and was the start of a run of 1-6 unanswered for the hosts.
During that period in the game, it appeared that Maynooth had no way of handling the UL attack but they found a foothold in the game and after James Harris linked up delightfully with Conor Duke and scored just before half time there was only two points in it, 1-7 to 0-8.
The UL forward line faltered during the second half and they didn’t score again until the 56th minute. Maynooth were superb during that spell but had enough chances to put the game to bed.
Conor Duke and Freyne scored the opening points of the half, either side of Cian Burke making a terrific block to deny Cathal Brosnan.
Eoin Cully was electrifying all evening and he nudged Maynooth ahead in the 43rd but no sooner were they back in front than a penalty was perhaps harshly awarded for a foul by Rob Fitzgerald on Conal Dawson. Mayo’s Frankie Irwin stepped up to take the kick but Burke brilliant flung himself across the goal and palmed the ball away.
Maynooth went back ahead with ten minutes to go when Cully and Luke Killan combined to set up Aaron Browne for a classy score.
The momentum that they were building was halted when referee John Molloy needed treatment and after a lengthy break he was replaced by Chris Maguire.
Both teams seemed to benefit from the break and there was an increased intensity upon the resumption. Browne put three between the teams before UL ended their scoreless streak with two quickfire points.
However, Maynooth seemed to have the game in the palm of their when Cully and Luke Crowley scored to put three between the teams heading into injury time.
The game seemed to swing on the bizarre awarding of a free on the UL 45 near the sideline to the home team despite a Limerick player ending with a yellow card. They were able to build an attack from there and after a shot from two point range hit the post, Killian Butler teed up Michael Freaney but the two Burkes, Cian and Ryan, charged out to make a brilliant block. The ball was hacked away to safety from there but Maynooth switched off from the resulting sideline ball and Daithí Hogan got in for a goal and the game to extra time.
After points at both ends, Cully against the UL defence all sorts of consternation and a pacy run ended with a foul by Thomas Ross that saw the full back pick up a second yellow card.
With the game level, up a man and a scorable free to come the odds were stacked in Maynooth’s favour but Browne’s failure to convert the free, it struck the inside of both posts, was the start of the game unravelling for the Kildare side.
UL’s Hugh O’Loughlin got in for a goal in the last minute of normal time but even turning around at that stage wouldn’t have been too bad but from the kick out, Brian O’Halloran picked up a black card and McHale went on to kick a two pointer and the game was as good as over. The game lasted well over 80 minutes but was won in that 90 second spell.
All Kildare participants exited the competition after defeats also for UCD, DCU and TUD and while that will bring Kildare manager Brian Flanagan some element of happiness as he gets to work with his full squad, that was offset by the sight of the brilliant Cully struggling through the second half of extra time with injury. How ready he will be for Saturday’s game against Offaly, along with Ryan Burke, James Harris, Luke Killian and Cian Burke remains to be seen. There was further bad news from DCU after Ryan Sinkey limped out of their game in the first half and Flanagan will be hoping that there is nothing serious with his squad already stretched to the limit.
There was better luck on the hurling front as Liam O’Reilly, Evan O Brian and Dan O’Meara were part of the DCU team that beat MTU Cork to reach the semi-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup.
C McHale 1-5 (1tp, 2f), F Irwin 0-4 (1f), D Hogan 1-1,H McLoughlin 1-0, C Dawson 0-2, C King 0-1, C Keavney 0-1, M Freaney 0-1, K Butler 0-1.
A Browne 0-4 (1f), E Freyne 0-3 (1tp), E Cully 0-3, C Duke 0-3 (1f), H Plunkett 0-1, J Harris 0-1, L Crowley 0-1, D Scahill 0-1.
Tristan O’Callaghan (Clare); Tommy Walsh (Cork), Thomas Ross (Sligo), Ben Dempsey (Laois); Paddy O’Driscroll (Cork), Sean Morohan (Castlebar Mitchels, Mayo), Charlie King (Tipperary); Brian McNamara (Clare), Cathal Brosnan (Kerry); Conal Dawson (Mayo), Jack McCabe (Galway), Cathal Ryan (Kerry); Jack Melvin (Mayo), Cian McHale (Mayo), Frankie Irwin (Mayo). Subs: Cathal Keavney (Mayo) for King, 37; Daithí Hogan (Tipperary) for McCabe, 38; Hugh O’Loughlin (Mayo) for Melvin, 43; Michael Freaney (Tipperary) for Brosnan, 53; David Buckley (Cork) for Ryan, 53; Killian Butler (Tipperary) for Dempsey, 74.
Cian Burke (Clane, Kildare); Rob Fitzgerald (Naas), Ben O’Halloran (Ballivor, Meath), Ryan Burke (Caragh, Kildare); Dan Scahill (Shandonagh, Westmeath), Ciaran Daly (Coralstown-Kinnegad, Westmeath), James Harris (Castlemitchell, Kildare); Conor Duke (Dunshaughlin, Meath), Conor Gray (Dunshaughlin, Meath); Daire Finn (Garristown, Dublin), Aaron Browne (Celbridge, Kildare), Luke Killian (Sallins, Kildare); Eoghan Freyne (Summerhill, Meath), Harry Plunkett (Tullamore, Offaly), Eoin Cully (Carbury, Kildare). Subs: Ruairi Kinsella (Dunshaughlin, Meath) for Finn, 38; Luke Crowley (Glenflesk, Kerry) for Killian, 45; Sean Greene (Emo, Laois) for Daly, 59; Mark Gibbons (Kilcock, Kildare) for Gray, 75; Shane Walsh (Oran, Roscommon) for Browne (76).
J Molloy (Galway) & C Maguire (Clare).
