Sigerson Cup: Maynooth seal last-eight berth after seeing off DKIT challenge

Meath and Maynooth forward Conor Duke. Pic: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho

Sigerson Cup: Maynooth University 2-14 DKIT 0-13 

Half a century after capturing their one and only Sigerson Cup title, Maynooth are through to this season's last-eight.

This wasn't exactly a performance to suggest an anniversary success is a done deal for the 2025 quarter-finalists and 2024 semi-finalists.

In fact, take the first seven minutes and their lightning start out of the equation and they were actually outscored 0-13 to 0-11 for the remainder of the game.

But by roaring out of the traps on home soil and running up a 2-3 to no score lead early on, they gave themselves a vital cushion that meant they were always just out of DKIT's reach.

Kildare senior Eoin Cully and Conor Duke, an All-Ireland semi-finalist with Meath last year, scored those two goals within seconds of eachother in the seventh minute.

DKIT, already assured of their Sigerson Cup status after coming up from the Trench Cup, will have nightmares about the concessions as both goals came from their own kick-outs that were turned over.

Former Kildare U-20 star Cully powered in from the left after the first interception and fired to the net.

Maynooth won the next kick-out as well and worked it to Duke who sprinted through the centre of the defence before blasting home.

Duke, one of three Dunshaughlin clubmen in the lineup, finished with 1-3 while Kildare's Aaron Browne sniped three points from play. Westmeath's Dan Scahill, an O'Byrne Cup winner last weekend, was among nine different scorers also.

DKIT, managed by former Louth and Monaghan boss Eamonn McEneaney, got back into it with two separate bursts of three points. Ryan Duffy was on the mark for them in the first half too as they battled the stiff breeze.

The two goals separated the sides at half-time, 2-9 to 0-9, and Dundalk scores from Oisin McGorman and Stephen Mooney after the restart cut the gap to four, 2-9 to 0-11.

DKIT needed a second half goal but it never arrived with Mooney coming closest late on when he slalomed through the Maynooth defence and smashed a shot off the upright.

Monaghan attacker Mooney was their key forward and finished with nine points, including a two-pointer from a free.

But they couldn't reel in a Maynooth side that closed out the game with points from Browne, Duke and Harry Plunkett to ease through to the quarter-final draw. 

DKIT's campaign is over after the Round 3 loss.

Maynooth scorers: C Duke 1-3 (1 free); E Cully 1-1; A Browne 0-3; C O'Connor 0-2 (tp); J Harris, L Killian, C Gray, D Scahill, H Plunkett 0-1 each.

DKIT scorers: S Mooney 0-9 (1 tpf, 6 frees); O McGorman 0-2; K McArdle, R Duffy 0-1 each.

Maynooth University (Kildare unless stated): C Burke; R Fitzgerald, R Burke, B O'Halloran (Meath); D Scahill (Westmeath), J Harris, C Daly (Westmeath); C O'Connor (Meath), C Gray (Meath); C Duke (Meath), A Browne, L Killian; E Cully, E Frayne (Meath), D Finn (Dublin).

Subs: H Plunkett (Offaly), S Walsh (Roscommon), J Darcy (Laois), S Emmanuel (Meath).

DKIT (Louth unless stated): K Mulligan (Monaghan); C Clarke, C McKeown, C Callanan; O McGorman (Monaghan), R Duffy (Monaghan), B Butterly; J Duffy (Armagh), P Blessing (Armagh); JJ Hughes (Armagh), H Butterly, A McKeown (Monaghan); K McArdle, S Mooney (Monaghan), N McKenna (Monaghan).

Subs: E Crossan (Cavan), T McDonnell, DD Reilly.