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17th Feb 2018

Kieran Molloy en route to Sigerson final in Garda car in heroic late bid

Niall McIntyre

He shouldn’t have to do this. But he’s doing it anyway.

Kieran Molloy played a key role in Corofin’s All-Ireland semi-final victory over Moorefield in O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Saturday.

That game began at 2.00. Throughout this week, the whole of the GAA world felt sorry for both Molloy, and his club mate Liam Silke, as it looked like they would be forced into missing the Sigerson Cup final for their respective colleges.

It was unfair on the two lads, as their club mate Micheal Lundy told us during the week.

“They shouldn’t have to. Especially the week before a big game like this, an All-Ireland club semi-final. If the two colleges do happen to win, there’s a clash of fixtures.

“It’s an All-Ireland semi-final and an All-Ireland final – how do you juggle the two of them? You don’t want to miss out on one of them, it’s just unfortunate,” he said.

It was a joke, too, that the GAA fixed two of their biggest competitions for the very same day. Talk about disrespect to players.

The lads didn’t feel sorry for themselves, however.

That Sigerson Cup final thrown in at 3.30, in Santry.

The club semi-final ended at 3.35 in Tullamore.

By 4.00, it was doing the rounds on Twitter that Kieran Molloy, who from wing back was one of Corofin’s best players in their victory, was sitting in a Garda car on the way up to Santry.

By the 38th minute of the game, he had come on for NUIG.

Eventually, his efforts proved to be in vain, as the Galway college came up agonisingly short, losing to UCD by the bare minimum. But this man has done himself, his club and his college proud.

That’s what he’s about – and his teammate Liam Silke would have been with him only for a hand injury sustained in the club game.

He shouldn’t have to do this, but the heart and appetite of some of our GAA players means they just can’t help themselves.

Sports reporter Cóilín Duffy broke the story.

UCD’s response was class.

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10

Topics:

Galway GAA