The showers were sporadic on Wednesday in the University of Limerick (UL), but when they came, they were torrential. Mirroring the erratic weather, Trinity GAA’s senior hurlers delivered a mercurial performance in the side’s second Fitzgibbon Cup game against Mary Immaculate College, showing flashes of quality but ultimately coming up short against their assured hosts, who looked every inch the reigning champions of the competition as they ran out the winners by 3-20 to 3-12.
The result eliminates Trinity from this year’s competition, following last Sunday’s defeat to NUI Galway.
The game, played on UL’s 4G pitch due to inclement weather, began in drizzle and it was only ten minutes before Mary Immaculate had their first goal. Brian Corry burst through midfield in barnstorming fashion before firing past Eoin Skelly in the Trinity goal. Trinity were very much the underdogs before the game began.
Mary Immaculate looked unshakeably solid in defence. Only from set pieces did the visitors gain any joy, Fionn O’Riain Broin ever-reliable from the dead ball. At the other end, Michael O’Loughlin’s technique was immaculate as he kept the scoreboard ticking over and Mary Immaculate in the lead.
Both sides were up for the fight as a thrillingly physical contest ensued. Cian O’Riain Broin and David Prendergast both saw yellow for an off-the-ball incident, while Trinity midfielder Jack O’Neill received a talking-to.
Nevertheless, Mary Immaculate never looked too troubled by the attacking efforts of the Trinity forward-line, and led by 1-7 to 0-5 as both sides escaped the downpour at the break.
The second half started exactly as the first had ended, with Trinity showing occasional glimpses of the quality that saw them crowned All-Ireland Division Two champions in November, but Mary Immaculate never looked overly worried and displayed a ruthlessness befitting their lofty status. In space on the right, Trinity full-forward Johnny Walsh might have been well served to have a pop at goal, instead splitting the posts for a point.
Thomas Grimes was on target for the home side, finding his range from distance to keep a healthy gap between the sides. Predictably, O’Neill saw yellow soon after, much to his chagrin. O’Riain Broin showed his quality from open play, seizing upon a loose ball and raising the white flags behind the goal with a marvelous point.
Mary Immaculate still looked comfortable, at least until the 53rd minute, when Donnacha Butler leapt highest to claim a high ball before twisting and smashing it past Eoghan Cahill. The comeback, it seemed, was on.
Fifty seconds later, Mary Immaculate had their second goal and the comeback was off again. Michael Corry was the scorer for the hosts, tapping into an empty net after a chaotic scramble in the square. Things got worse for Trinity moments later, courtesy of an excellent finish from the lively Tim O’Mahony.
However, Trinity showed great resilience to come forward again, pushing for a second goal to make a contest of it once again. And Conor O’Carroll did just that on the hour mark, making no mistake after the subtlest of hand-passes from Cian O’Sullivan found him in space inside the square.
Moments later, O’Carroll gave real hope to the anxious faces on the Trinity bench when Cahill parried his powerful drive into the corner of the net.
However, it was not enough for Trinity, with Mary Immaculate slotting over one last nerve-settling point moments from the end to make sure of the points. In a game nobody expected them to win, Trinity put up an admirable fight, but in the end the hosts were simply too strong. The side will be playing for pride against much-fancied side IT Carlow in their final group game on Thursday.
