Three Galway players on the Fitzgibbon Cup team of the century

To honour the centenary of the Fitzgibbon Cup, a team of 15 has been chosen as the team of the century.

There are some famous hurling names on the team - Nicky English (UCC and Tipp), Henry Shefflin (WIT and Kilkenny), Pat Henchy (UCC/UCD and Clare), and Éamonn Corcoran (WIT and Tipp) and there are also three Galway men on the final selection which was announced this week.

Niall McInerney was picked at full-back, Seán Silke at right-half back, and Joe Canning on the edge of the square.

Their citations were as follows:

Niall McInerney (UCG and An Clár/Gaillimh) 1970-77

The Sixmilebridge native was a central figure in breakthrough national triumphs for both college and county in Galway. He was a tenacious, clever defender on the first two all-student UCG sides that won the Fitzgibbon Cup in 1970 and 1977.

Even in a heavy defeat in the 1972 final, he was identified as the outstanding player. While at college, he switched county allegiance, and played at full-back on the Galway team that won the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 57 years. He was also a key stalwart at many levels in the Castlegar club until his untimely and sad passing.

Seán Silke (Maynooth and Gaillimh) 1973-76

Seán Silke was a dynamic defender in Maynooth’s magnificent feat of winning the cup twice (1973 and 1974) in its first three years of entry. Alongside his county colleague Iggy Clarke and Seán Stack (Clare), he also played on Maynooth sides that lost the next two finals. A regular for the Combined Universities, Silke was centre-back on the Galway team that won the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 1980.

Joe Canning (LIT and Gaillimh) 2007

The prodigious talents of Joe Canning set the Fitzgibbon Cup competition alight as soon as he entered Limerick Institute of Technology. In 2007 he was the chief marksman as the college won the cup for the second time, and a year later he scored an unprecedented 1-16 in the final (after extra-time), including four points from side-line cuts. Canning is set to feature once again for LIT in this year’s competition.