Eight Tipp players involved forTUS Midwest in draw with DCU in exciting Fitzgibbon Cup clash

Higher Education Fitzgibbon Cup - Group B - Round 1

TUS Midwest 1-18

DCU 1-18

In the end, the 1-18 each draw was a result that probably suited both sides as TUS Midwest and DCU, fancied to claim the two quarter-final spots on offer in their three-team qualifying group, opened up their 2025 Fitzgibbon Cup campaign with a share of the spoils under the floodlights of Moylish on Thursday evening.

But it was a most frustrating game for the hosts who, despite dominating the second half after turning over two points adrift, saw seven consecutive scores that bought them back to within a single point met by a response from their opponents and then missed two goal chances, a free and a '65' in the dying minutes before their inspirational centre-back Paddy Donnellan converted a '65' just before referee John Bugler blew his whistle for the last time.

Visitors DCU started with the breeze at their back but their early advantage came more from their opponents' indiscipline as a Cillan Dunne free got them off the mark and, following Niall O'Farrell's reply, he missed one and then scored one to restore his sde's lead.

A long range Donnellan point levelled matters again before the Dublin college got the bit between the teeth as points from Sam Bourke and James Carroll were followed by another Dunne free. Even though Darragh Casey replied, DCUs Cian Boran sliced through the home defence on a barnstorming solo, before flashing the ball wide to Dunne whose pull across the line of the square was shipped to the net by Carroll.

TUS' reaction was immediate. Kyle Shelly followed up his 90-metre pointed free with a strike from play before Paddy McCormack narrowed the gap to two on the quarter mark. The margin was down to the minimum after Dunne's reply was met by Seán Canning and Shelly.

Carroll struck again for the Dublin students to break TUS's momentum, but Canning collected off the puckout to feed McCormack who rattled the sliotar into the corner of Cian Byrne's goals to put the hosts ahead.

However, their joy was short-lived. DCU rejigged their defence, grabbed hold of the game before their opponents could react and after Dunne's equalising free, Billy Reid's point from distance and Darragh Carley's score moved the Dublin college into a lead of 1-10 to 1-8 at the break.

Right from the restart, Dunne added to it from a free. TUS Midwest then missed a golden opportunity to take over when Canning ghosted in behind his marker on a dropping delivery only to see his pull on goals being blocked by the advancing Byrne.

However, with the turnover momentum still behind them, Shelly and then McCormack, with a rasper that skimmed just over the crossbar, struck for points to cut the margin to one.

But there it stopped for almost the entire remainder of the second half as a point at one end was immediately met by one at the other. The scoreboard ping-pong started with Dunne and Shelly swapping frees, was followed by O'Farrell replying to Conor Kehoe's point and, after Dunne and Shelly repeated their free-taking double-act, Shelly again punished a foul in response to Carley's second strike to leave the gap stuck at the minimum on the three-quarter mark.

Although their grip on the game continued to tighten, TUS Midwest still failed to make the breakthrough. Shelly's pointed free struck back at Donal Shirley's point.

Sam Byrne and O'Farrell then swapped scores and, when an equalising opportunity was missed from a free, Sam Bourke's long shot to leave DCU back leading again by two looked to have summed TUS Midwest's litany of missed opportunities as a goal chance evaporated in a fresh air shot from the edge of the small square and a free and '65' drifted wide.

But the home side kept plugging away. O'Farrell's injury-time point on the run edged them closer and, after another shot on goal was deflected wide of the posts, Donnellan stepped up to send the '65' sailing high and handsome through the uprights for a precious equalising score.

SCORERS: TUS Midwest: Kyle Shelly 0-8 (7 frees), Paddy McCormack 1-2, Niall O'Farrell 0-4, Paddy Donnellan 0-2, Darragh Casey, Seán Canning. DCU: Cillian Dunne 0-8 (6 frees), James Carroll 1-2, Sam Bourke, Darragh Carley 0-2 each, Billy Reid, Conor Kehoe, Donal Shirley, Sam Byrne 0-1 each; 

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE SHANNON, MIDWEST: Aidan Enright (Newmarket-on-Fergus, Clare); David Fitzgerald (Kildimo-Pallaskenry, Limerick), Evan Maxted (Clooney-Quin, Clare), James Mahon (Kilcormac-Killoughey, Offaly); Jack McCullagh (Bagenalstown Gaels, Carlow), Paddy Donnellan (Broadford, Clare), Stephen Walsh (Moycarkey-Borris, Tipperary); Darragh Casey (Granagh-Ballingarry, Limerick), Cian O'Dwyer (Clonakenny, Tipperary); Niall O'Farrell (Broadford, Clare), Paddy McCormack (Borris-leigh, Tipperary), Robert Doyle (Clonoulty-Rossmore, Tipperary); Kyle Shelly (Moycarkey-Borris, Tipperary), Seán Kenneally (Moneygall, Tipperary), Seán Canning (Pádraig Pearses (Roscommon). SUBS: Barry Adams (Ballybrown, Limerick) for Seán Keneally (32 minutes), Colin Byrne (Abbeyleix, Laois) for Cian O'Dwyer (45 minutes), Darragh Tynan (Roscrea, Tipperary) for Evan Maxted (53 minutes), Jimmie Lahart (Holycross-Ballycahill) for Kyle Shelly (53 minutes).

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY DÓCHAS ÉIREANN: Cian Byrne (Saint Mary's Rosslare, Wexford); Ivan Bolger (Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny), Darragh Keogh (Cloughbawn, Wexford), Páidí Lennon (Carrickshock, Kilkenny); Sam Bourke (Ballinamera,Offaly), Paddy Langton (Young Irelands, Kilkenny), Billy Reid (Glenmore, Kilkenny); Dan O'Meara (Maynooth, Kildare), Colm Spain (Kilcormack-Killoughey, Offaly); Donal Shirley (Brosna Gaels, Offaly), James Carroll (Dicksboro, Kilkenny), Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown, Wexford); Joe Flanagan (Naomh Barróg, Dublin), Cian Boran (Naas, Kildare), Cillian Dunne (Clogh-Ballacolla, Laois). SUBS: Cian Doyle (Shelmaliers, Wexford) for Darragh Kehoe (26 minutes), Sam Byrne (Black and Whites, Kilkenny) for Joe Flanagan (45 minutes), Conor Kehoe (Saint Mullins, Carlow) for Darragh Kehoe (56 minutes).

REFEREE: John Bugler (Broadford, Clare).