Brian Keating: UCC must drive on again after Fitzgibbon Cup opener

Brian Keating is ready for UCC’s second Electric Ireland HEC Fitzgibbon Cup test in as many weeks when the University of Galway visit the Mardyke on Wednesday evening.

A 0-29 to 1-20 defeat of University College Dublin got UCC’s 2025 Electric Ireland HEC Fitzgibbon Cup campaign off to a terrific start. Later this evening, on the same Mardyke pitch, Tom Kingston’s side faces an even tougher challenge.

The visit of the University of Galway sees this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup final weekend hosts eager to rebound from a 1-18 to 1-15 loss at the hands of MTU Cork, who host UCC in a derby in the final group game next week.

One of the architects of UCC’s impressive opening night win was Brian Keating. The Ballincollig midfielder finished the UCD match with 0-5, all from open play, as part of an impressive individual performance.

St Finbarr’s Ben Cunningham was another player to stand out, matching Keating’s five-point haul and assisting in numerous UCC scores throughout the evening. Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s), Timmy Wilk (Cobh), Michael Mullaney (Stradbally) and Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields) also impressed.

The skull and crossbones were pushed to the limit that evening before pulling away in the final quarter. UCC know they will need to match that performance if a second consecutive Fitzgibbon Cup group victory is to be attained.

UCD were tough opponents but Brian Keating was delighted with his team’s application and effort in securing a six-point success.

“It was very tough going out there in the first half as UCD came out with all guns blazing,” Keating commented.

“In the second half, in fairness, they got two or three points up on us. I suppose we got our set-up right from the full-back line and worked our way back into the game. That worked out nicely. We came back into it and took off.

In Fitzgibbon Cup hurling, it is all about the middle eight. All the hard work in and around there. There’s no inch given. 

"I suppose we will have another tough task against the University of Galway. That will be another step up. 

"We will have the Sars lads back, hopefully, and they will add another bit to us. We will drive on from that.” 

DEPTH

Unsurprisingly, all of UCC’s Sarsfield representatives were unavailable for their Fitzgibbon opener due to the Munster champions All-Ireland club final preparations. Glen Rovers’ Eoin Downey was another notable absentee but UCC still found a way to win, underlining the depth of Tom Kingston’s squad.

So, was getting off to a positive start, especially with two additional tough group games to negotiate, vital for UCC’s aspirations?

“Look, all fellas want at this time of year is matches, matches, matches. You can be training all winter, all year, but I suppose the best thing you can do is get games into fellas.

“There's a great camaraderie amongst this group. Fellas are playing alongside each other since we were young, between minor, U20 panels and then into the Fitzgibbon. It’s a great opportunity to play together and, I suppose, making new friends is really the most important thing.

“As for our Tom and our management team, we all want to be playing for fellas that we look up to. 

We are going into training every day and learning new things off guys who have been there and done that. So it’s great to be able to learn off those fellas. 

“Everyone knows we need to up that ante another five or six notches for the University of Galway. That will be a very tough game.”