His performances for Midleton also earned a call-up to divisional side Imokilly and he was a member of the team that was beaten by St Finbarr's in the 1968 final.
FitzGerald's progression onto the Cork senior hurling team was instant and he made his debut against Dublin in the 1957-58 National League.
[7] FitzGerald was at left wing-back on the Cork team that beat Kilkenny in the 1966 All-Ireland final, having earlier won a Munster Championship medal.
FitzGerald's performances at inter-county level resulted in his selection for Munster in their 1964 Railway Cup final defeat by Leinster.
He was part of the selection committee the following year that helped secure the Munster Championship title before later losing to Galway in the 1975 All-Ireland semi-final.