Are this UCC team the last great GAA story of the century? Feelings run hot on the issue of college kids participating in the venerable parish tournament, but one thing is beyond debate; they are well worth the admission price. On a squelchy afternoon in Limerick, UCC were all delightful jinks and ball skills, casually totalling 1-17, leaving the earnest champions from Doonbeg labouring - and ultimately embittered - in their wake.
The limitations of the Clare side's game were mercilessly and repeatedly exposed yesterday and had this game been played on firmer turf, Doonbeg could well have been humiliated. As it was, they were totally outplayed in every area of the field and surrendered their Munster title in an inglorious manner, with Gerry Killeen, so often the club's talisman in the past, felling two UCC players near the close of the game. He compounded the indignity by gesturing at the crowd after Brian White red-carded him and when play resumed, Paul Hehir was similarly dismissed for whacking Gary Stack off the ball. It was a sad close to the Clare parish's adventure.
"I thought Doonbeg kind of lost the plot a bit," said UCC coach Des Cullinane afterwards. "I didn't see the incident at the end but, I mean, they are all proud Doonbeg men and it was a disappointing end to it. They seemed intent on making the game physical and while I don't think we were found wanting there, we do aim to play football."
And how they did. Maybe they just hit a dream hour, but there has hardly been a better exhibition of football all year. Midfielder Michael O Se took up where he left off last week and along with Stack, he rendered Senan Hehir and Kieran Nugent redundant in the centre.
Fionan Kelleher, dragged into midfield to shadow Michael Conway, promptly did the job that Doonbeg had hoped Conway might - winning ball, breaking forward, sweeping in defence.
The corner back, along with UCC's peerless half-back trio of Paul Galvin, Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Damien Reidy constantly swept forward and moved the ball with vision and pace which seemed to bewilder Doonbeg.
The game's only goal, after 24 minutes, was typical of UCC's imaginative approach, with Galvin breaking forward on the wing and spotting Billy Sheehan making a parallel run towards the square. Galvin fired a cross-field ball which wrong-footed the Doonbeg defence, Sheehan fielded, fired low and Keith Moran palmed home the rebound.
Up 1-4 to 0-2, it was already the beginning of the end for the champions. Two minutes later, Sheehan had all but broken free again - the ball held up in the soft field - but the students reeled off a string of points over the last seven minutes, the pick of which was Ian Twiss's long-range effort after 29 minutes.
It was of little surprise that Doonbeg couldn't engineer a fightback in the second half. Instead, Michael O'Cronin floated a series of frees through the gloom and the students grew ever more insouciant in their quest for scores.
After 40 minutes, they led by 111 to 0-04 and then they really began to tap dance, with Galvin switching play across field to the unmarked Stack, who threaded a ball to Murphy, who in turn fired another point in a twinkle. It was beautiful football.
Doonbeg, though, were uncharacteristically demoralised by the last quarter of the game and an element of cynicism crept into their play as they struggled for breath in a game that just left them behind.
Paul Hehir forlornly hit a few frees and substitute Oliver Conway tried to spark the attack, but it wasn't happening. Sean Mac tSithigh had playmaker Francis McInerney bottled up and with their key men tied down, Doonbeg were lost.
Philip Smith might have had a goal but for a great save by Alan Quirke and instead, Killeen erupted and Doonbeg's day truly became soaked in misery.
There is a natural inclination to empathise with a small parish club which has received a drubbing from a third-level team with a wide pool of young athletes from which to draw and now that UCC have branded themselves real contenders, their presence will now probably spark off a fresh debate.
There may be reasons for discriminating against them - a questionable taste in headbands being but one - but with this hour of football alone, they have brightened the club competition immeasurably.
The prospect of students overrunning in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day? Mouth-watering.
UCC: A Quirke; C Breathnach, S Mac tSithigh, F Kelleher (0-1); P Galvin (0-2), E Fitzmaurice, D Reidy; G Stack, M O Se (01); L Murphy (0-2), M O'Cronin (0-4, frees), K Moran (1-1), MD Cahill, B Sheehan (0-1), I Twiss (0-4). Subs: S Downey (0-1) for MD Cahill (47 mins); P Hanley for P Galvin (55 mins); E Hanrahan for I Twiss (55 mins).
DOONBEG: N Dillon: P Gallagher, C Whelan, K O'Mahoney; D Conway, K Burns P Smith; K Nugent, S Hehir (0-1); P Hehir (0-4, 3 frees), F McInerney, M Conway; B Lynch, P Conway, G Killeen. Subs: O Conway (0-2) for M Conway (half-time); D Tubridy for D Lynch (44 mins).
Referee: Brian White (Wexford).
