Flynn on fire as DCU deliver final masterclass

For the third time in seven years DCU climbed to the Sigerson Cup winner’s podium on Saturday afternoon at Pearse Stadium.

They may have been pushed to the limit in their opening game this season by Cork IT but have strolled through their encounters since and claimed victory by handsome margins.

Possessing a squad crammed with inter-county luminaries made DCU’s task all the easier. Their strength in depth is remarkable. Galway senior midfielder Fiontán Ó Curraoin, who gave a towering performance in Friday’s semi-final win over UUJ, was unable to play due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Cork’s Fionn O’Shea.

And when it came to dismissing the challenge of NUI Maynooth, DCU sprung Sligo attacker David Kelly and Donegal talisman Michael Murphy from the bench. They contributed to a formidable second-half performance and simply operated at a higher level, as evidenced by the fact that they outscored NUI Maynooth 2-11 to 0-1.

All but one of DCU’s points on the day came from play and their sideline operators were able to reflect approvingly on a fine afternoon’s work that reinforced the strength of Gaelic football in their college.

“A decade ago we made the decision to make Gaelic games and athletics our number one sports,” said manager Niall Moyna.

“We do not have floodlights. We do not have an artificial pitch. We are one of the very few colleges that don’t have those facilities. We train on club pitches. It is about people and not about facilities.”

“If you saw Ross Munnelly and the work that he is doing with our Freshers, the ethos that is coming from there is unbelievable. They are now knocking down our doors at DCU trying to get in so we must be doing something right.

“We have that whole sports science element in the college and the fact Dublin train there, it is a centre of excellence as well and people are buying into that.”

The game was a chastening experience for Maynooth. They had the benefits of the wind in the first half but found themselves behind on the scoreboard despite the efforts of Conor Brophy and Sean Hurley. Paul Cahillane was denied what would have been a vital goal in the 22nd minute and DCU took control. Eoghan O’Gara and Dean Rock excelled in the spine of the attack while Paul Flynn and David Kelly raised the green flags.

Flynn was once more in outstanding form, securing the man of the match award that capped off a wonderful campaign. His stature continues to rise in the wake of a terrific summer and after striking 0-5 in the semi-final win over UUJ, he bagged 1-3 in the final.

Scorers for DCU: P Flynn 1-3, D Rock (0-1f), E O’Gara 0-4 each, D Kelly 1-1, D Keenan 0-2, C Begley, G Sweeney, M Murphy 0-1 each.

Scorers for NUI Maynooth: M Newman 0-2 (0-1f), D Dalton, D Quinn, C Berrigan, T Moolick, P Cahillane 0-1 each.

DCU: M Boyle (Donegal); P McMahon (Dublin), K Gavin (Westmeath), E Culligan (Dublin); J McCarthy (Dublin), J Cooper (Dublin), N Collins (Roscommon); F O’Shea (Cork), C Begley (Laois); P Flynn (Dublin), D Rock (Dublin), D Keenan (Roscommon); J Brady (Cavan), E O’Gara (Dublin), A McFadden (Donegal).

Subs: D Kelly (Sligo) for Brady (ht), M Murphy (Donegal) for Keenan (40), G Sweeney (Dublin) for Rock (47), R Hennelly (Mayo) for Boyle (53), F Ó Curraoin (Galway) for O’Gara (56).

NUI MAYNOOTH: S Connolly (Kildare); K O’Brien (Kildare), K Lynch (Meath), D Dalton (Meath); S Denvir (Galway), J McDermott (Dublin), T Moolick (Kildare); C Berrigan (Meath), C Brophy (Kildare); C Mullins (Dublin), S Hurley (Kildare), P Cahillane (Laois); M Newman (Meath), J Califf (Louth), D Quinn (Na Fianna, Dublin).

Subs: S Fahey (Kildare) for Califf (35), T Johnson (Meath) for Denvir (37), D Quinn (Lucan Sarsfields, Dublin) for Berrigan (45), W Ryan (Meath) for Lynch (48), P Óg Ó Gríofa (Galway) for Mullins (53).

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).