No Cork team involved but still some Leeside interest in Fitzgibbon Cup final

It’s an all-Shannonside affair in tonight’s Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup final as holders the University of Limerick take on cross-town rivals Mary Immaculate College (7.35pm).

There is some Cork interest, both on the Croke Park pitch and the sideline.

Kilbrittain’s Jamie Wall has been in charge of Mary I for a decade, winning the competition twice and reaching another final in that period, having played in the final for them during his college days and serving as a selector to Eamonn Cregan for their maiden victory in 2016.

He will be looking to outsmart a UL side that features Oisín Fitzgerald of St Catherine’s in the half-back line. Dungourney’s Jack Leahy is part of a menacing attack that can also call on Offaly’s Adam Screeney and Tipperary pair Darragh McCarthy and Oisín O’Donoghue.

Also part of the squad are two other Leesiders – goalkeeper Daniel O’Connell of Dromina and

UL are seeking to retain the cup and win the title for what would be the fourth time in five years – the exception was 2024, when Mary I beat them in the decider.

Unfortunately, while UCC were the champions in 2019 and 2020, no Cork side has been in the final in the post-Covid era. This year, both UCC and MTU Cork were beaten at the quarter-final stage while the pair were semi-finalists in 2025.

It’s easy to get hysterical about a developing drought but it’s worth noting that, prior to the last pair of wins, UCC had gone six years without success and before their 2009 win, the competition’s most successful college had not won the Fitz in 11 years.

In terms of the most prestigious trophy in third-level hurling, the early part of this year has brought the usual debate about how it can fit in with the inter-county scene.

The hardest of hardy annuals is a suggestion from a manager – in this case, Kilkenny’s Derek Lyng – that the Fitz and Sigerson could take place before Christmas. The chairperson of the higher education authority, Benny Hurl, was recently quoted in The Irish Times with the usual reaction.

“Groundhog week where some manager comes out and says, my player got injured and why don’t you play this before Christmas?” he said.

“This debate has been going on for a long, long time. Semesterisation and exams before Christmas – that’s one reason why it wouldn’t work.”

Beyond an impossible move like that, there is a consensus that “something must be done” but few concrete alternatives to the status quo.

One change for this year was that players involved in inter-varsity competitions were not permitted to line out in midweek pre-season provincial tournaments, while they also had to adhere to a 48-hour window either side of college games.

With the Co-op SuperStores Munster Hurling and Leinster’s Walsh Cup feeding straight into three consecutive rounds of the national league, it has not been challenging for all parties.

Last Saturday night at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Tipperary manager Liam Cahill expanded on that.

“It’s definitely something that has to be looked at next year,” he said.

“I hear talks of maybe an extra group or extra matches in the Fitzgibbon next year – something will have to give. It is just not feasible to play here in front of the crowds and the level we are playing when fellas have played equally competitive and aggressive games 48 hours before.

“We are talking out both sides of our mouth in the GAA if we continue to allow that to happen in relation to player welfare. It has to work some way better. Assign a five- or six-week period for it and just get it played off and Fitzgibbon players be with their colleges only for that period of time.

“Or whether the Fitzgibbon goes to a simple one chance and you are beaten and finish. There are fellas more equipped to come up with the solutions than me. I think it is definitely something that has to be looked at.”