University of Limerick's Brian Ryan expecting a big change to Fitzgibbon Cup

UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK Fitzgibbon Cup manager Brian Ryan is expecting a big change to the Higher Education Hurling Competition. 

UL were the winners of the Fitzgibbon Cup last year when they defeated DCU last February in the Connacht GAA centre of excellence. This year the Castletroy college have been draw in a group alongside DCU and Maynooth University. 

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Ryan feels that playing the Sigerson Cup and Fitzgibbon finals in Croke Park as a double header could enhance the competition. 

"Croke Park may be about to address that, if there is a change in the final venue. That would elevate the status of it and bring it back to centre stage a little bit more, It would be great for the game and great for the players. It would reclaim that ground I suppose that they have lost in recent years," said Brian Ryan at the draw of the Fitzgibbon Cup.

"It would enhance the reputation of the competition and would enhance young players' appetite to play Fitzgibbon or Sigerson for their universities.”

The South Liberties clubman did admit that it is difficult to get contact time on the pitch with his squad with a large number of his players involved with inter-county squads. 

"Let's be frank about it, in the ideal world you would like to see the players playing all the league games, moving on then to playing the Fitzgibbon after Christmas. But that's not the world we live in," Ryan said.

UCC defeated UL last week in the Division One Hurling League semi-final. Seven players from Limerick lined out for the Fitzgibbon Cup winners which included Ronan Lyons, Sean Casey, Chris Thomas, Joe Fitzgerald, Tadgh Boddy, Sam Williams and JJ Carey. 

"We live in a situation where you would hope to get the players in January and you'd hope to get them a couple of nights before, a lot of what we do will be a desktop review."

Brian Ryan's son Brian has enjoyed a succesful last two seasons with Na Fianna where his son went on to win a Dublin, Leinster and All-Ireland senior hurling championships last year. Last year, his son earned a call up into the Dublin senior hurling panel but Ryan doesn't see his son lining out for Dublin in 2026. 

"I don't think he's interested, he was very honoured to be offered, but my understanding from chatting to him is that he's just concentrating on the club."

Brian Ryan JNR has previously been part of the Limerick senior hurling panel in the past and a call from John Kiely is something which would interest his son according to the UL Fitzgibbon Cup manager. 

"Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah, he would I'm sure take up the offer but that's for other people to make calls on that."