NUIG kick-started their Fitzgibbon Cup Group D campaign with a comfortable victory over Trinity College at Abbotstown yesterday.

First-half goals from John Fox and Darragh Burke helped the Tribesmen to develop a 2-10 to 0-11 interval cushion. The dead-ball accuracy of Fionn Ó Riain Broin kept Trinity within touching distance, before NUIG assumed control after the restart.

Fox found the back of the opposition net just 18 seconds into the action, but Trinity soon settled with points from Conor O’Carroll and Ó Riain Broin. However, Burke’s superb major on 15 minutes offered some breathing space to the visitors – who included inter-county stars Padraic and Cathal Mannion amongst their ranks.

With Lynch, Sean Loftus and Brian Concannon all on target, NUIG were in the driving seat at the break before they put the outcome beyond doubt with 10 unanswered scores in the second period. In addition to six points by the excellent Burke, Padraic Mannion, Cathal Mannion (two) and Fox also split the posts from distance. This scoring sequence was interrupted by Ó Riain Broin’s 59th-minute free, but thanks to late contributions from Concannon and Burke, NUIG finished with 15 points to spare.

Scorers – NUIG: D Burke 1-10 (0-8f, 0-1 ’65’), J Fox 1-2, C Mannion 0-3, S Loftus, B Colcannon 0-2 each, P Mannion, M Lynch, A Helebert 0-1 each. Trinity College, Dublin: F O Riain Broin 0-8 (6f, 1 ’65’), C O’Sullivan 0-2, M Malone, D Ryan, C O’Carroll 0-1 each.

NUIG – S Hennessy; B Fitzpatrick, C Cosgrove, J Cronan-Rogers; S Loftus, C Ryan, P Mannion; B Concannon, S Fletcher; C Mannion, D Burke, G Loughnane; J Fox, M Lynch, A Helebert. Subs: C Salmon for Helebert (53).

Trinity – E Skelly; Ciaran Heeney, D O’Donoghue, D Ryan; L Corcoran, M Malone, E McNamara; M O’Keeffe, J O’Neill; C O’Sullivan, F O Riain Broin, C O Riain Broin; J Walsh, C O’Carroll, S O’Connor. Subs: Cillian Heeney for C O Riain Broin (53), C McCarthy for O’Sullivan, C Keating for Ryan, C O Ceallaigh for Walsh (all 60).