Resolute DIT defy the odds
DIT were 4/1 outsiders going into this one against the tournament favourites but such figures are always curious, based perhaps on last year’s quarter-final which DCU won by ten points than on current form.
More than a few had money lumped on the side seeking a first ever title prior to throw-in and those who did were richly rewarded with a victory that was, if anything, even more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests.
DCU were chasing a third title in four years and were doing so with a side sprinkled lavishly with inter-county class and yet they scored just one point from play over the 60 minutes, Dean Rock providing it two-thirds through.
Donegal’s Michael Murphy provided the other eight scores from dead balls but the All-Ireland winning captain was well chaperoned throughout by Meath full-back Brian Menton.
The Donaghmore-Ashbourne defender was merely a first among equals. The midfield axis of Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea and Cavan’s David Givney was the key. Kerry’s Darran O’Sullivan and Cavan’s Mark Reilly buzzed about like the busiest of bees and Mayo’s Jason Doherty was the point man up front.
O’Sullivan has only been up in Dublin six months and didn’t know much about the Sigerson Cup until recently. DCU he did know about but he was puzzled when he compared DIT’s list of stars and the bookies’ predictions.
“When I heard 4/1 I thought, there must be something about Sigerson that I don’t know because it was a bit of an insult. It is easy get motivated for the games where you are the underdogs but it will be a different story now (in the final).”
DCU were able to field their Ballymun Kickhams trio of Rock, James McCarthy and Davy Byrne despite fears that they would be rested with next month’s All-Ireland club final in mind, but how they missed Aidan Walsh.
The Cork midfielder watched events unfold from the sideline in his role as a ‘maor uisce’ after the controversial rule changes on third-level eligibility recently and it was in his central sector where DCU were badly eclipsed.
O’Shea in particular was awesome, displaying a workrate in a deeper than usual role that was mirrored by a team punctured with its own plethora of stars who were simply hungrier than their opponents on the day.
O’Sullivan typified that at one point, running half the length of the field in a DCU player’s shadow before sticking out a hand to intercept a pass and launch a raid down the other end and that was only one example.
“It’s all about turnovers these days,” he said. “The intensity in games is just going up and up and up. We wanted to just get a good start and a few turnovers would maybe lift our lads and leave them down a small bit. The lads at the back did that.”
DIT were six points to two to the good by the time the second quarter cranked up and the advantage would have been even greater had Ciaran Reddin’s shot not been saved by James Farrelly in goal, but they never quite managed to escape the shadows of the reigning champions and the game was still very much up for grabs until Offaly’s Bernard Allen pounced for the only goal with eight minutes to go.
The Tubber man was only on the pitch a handful of seconds when he swung his left leg at a ball that had fallen to the floor and the surprise element meant Farrelly could only tip the shot into the netting.
The main concern beyond that point was the sight of O’Sullivan limping off but the Kerry forward dismissed the injury afterwards as a mere touch of cramp ahead of today’s decider against UCC.
“I’m not doing too much training because of all the injuries I’ve had so it is a kind of a monitored schedule with all the games I have been playing. An ice bath overnight and it will be fine.”
Scorers for Dublin IT: J Doherty (0-6, 0-5 frees); B Allen (1-0); D Givney (0-2); R Sheridan (0-1); D O’Sullivan (0-1); A Nestor (0-1 free).
Scorers for DCU: M Murphy 0-8 (0-8f), D Rock 0-1.
DIT: R Lambert (Wicklow); K O’Brien (Dublin), B Menton (Meath), G O’Hare (Louth); R Sheridan (Cavan), N Devereaux (Dublin), C Walshe (Monaghan); A O’Shea (Mayo), D Givney (Cavan); M Reilly (Cavan), M Collins (Cork), D O’Sullivan (Kerry); C Reddin (Dublin) T O’Connor (Kildare), J Doherty (Mayo).
Subs: B Allen (Offaly) for Reddin (47); P Maguire (Dublin) for O’Sullivan (54); S O’Connor (Dublin) for T O’Connor (59); A Nestor (Meath) for Sheridan (60).
DCU: J Farrelly (Cavan); C Boyle (Monaghan), J Cooper (Dublin), W Lowry (Dublin); J Brady (Cavan), C Daly (Roscommon), M Quinn (Longford); F O Curraoin (M Breathnach, Galway), J McCarthy (Dublin); C McGuinness (Monaghan), Paul Flynn (Dublin), A McFadden (Donegal); P Ryan (Dublin), M Murphy (Donegal), D Rock (Dublin).
Subs: C Dunleavy (Dublin) for Daly (19), D Byrne (Dublin) for McFadden (21), G Sweeney (Dublin) for Rock (53), B Donnelly (Louth) for O Curraoin (53), D Smith (Roscommon) for Quinn (57).
Referee: Michael Duffy (Sligo).
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