UL were crowned Fitzgibbon Cup champions for the first time in four years this evening after securing a late dramatic victory over NUI Galway at the IT Carlow grounds.   

Having saw his late goal snatch victory over IT Carlow on Thursday night, Mike Kiely repeated the trick in this final to seal a 1-21 to 2-15 win for the Limerick here and deny NUIG dream Sigerson and Fitzgibbon double in the process.

It was 16 minutes into this decider when the Galway University drew first blood with John Fleming’s well-taken goal that had them 1-4 to 0-3 in front.

Kiely, captain Bryan O’Mara and Ciaran Connolly sailed over points for the victors in response but they’d ship another goal via Mark Kennedy that saw them 2-7 to 0-9 behind come half-time.

UL raced out of the traps for the second-half though and wiped away their deficit as Kiely, Gearoid O’Connor and O’Mara sent over points, but Evan Niland got the Galway lads motoring again and they looked to have one hand on the trophy.

That was until the dismissal of Hurler of the Year Cian Lynch with three minutes of normal time remaining.

The Limerick star seemed to be harshly red-carded by referee Fergal Horgan, who consulted linesman Sean Cleere, after a trip on opponent O'Mara.

Jeff Lynskey’s men had been 2-15 to 0-17 ahead at the time of Lynch’s dismissal but wouldn’t score again as their opponents hit 1-5 unanswered, including Kiely’s goal in the dying stages which secured UL’s seventh Fitzgibbon Cup in dramatic circumstances.

Lán Ama #ULvNUIG@ul_gaa 1-21 (24)@nuiggaa1 2-15 (21)

Déanann Mikey Kiely é arís!!

UL with another late turn around 😵@GAA_BEO @ElectricIreland @HigherEdGAA #FirstClassRivals #FitzgibbonCup

BEO/LIVE ar @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/e9JPeNwpj8

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) February 19, 2022

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