Gaelic Games

Sigerson Cup final: Ulster University claim victory against UCD

The win sees Ulster University claim sixth Sigerson title in their history and their first in 14 years

UCD’s Cormac Egan with Niall Loughlin of Ulster University. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho

Wed Feb 14 2024 - 21:43
Sigerson Cup final: Ulster University 3-12 UCD 0-15

A tour de force in the first half, followed by a more studied approach in the second, delivered the Sigerson Cup title for Ulster University against a fancied but somewhat disappointing UCD team in Tralee on Wednesday night.

Three goals in the first period helped Ulster University to a nine-point half time lead, which they widened to 11 points early in the second half, before UCD mounted an impressive comeback that fell short, in part because of their inability to raise a green flag.

The win sees Ulster University claim a sixth Sigerson title in their history – their five previous as Ulster of University Jordanstown – and their first in 14 years, a victory that will feel that little bit sweet after beating the 34-times champions.

Indeed, when the team met in round two of the competition in January the Dublin side had an eight-point win in Belfield, though whether that fed into any sort of complacency in the final is doubtful. Truth is, Ulster University blitzed them for those three goals and never looked back from there.

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Darragh Canavan opened the scoring for Ulster University in the second minute, and by game end, the Errigal Ciaran club man, along with his brother Ruairí, would account for nine of their team’s points.

Daire Cregg got UCD off the mark with two early points, but then Ulster University went on a scoring rampage, hitting the men in blue for 2-2 in the next five minutes.

After a 10th-minute Ruairí Canavan free, the prematch underdogs netted two goals within a minute of each in the 12th and 13th minutes.

First Ruairí Canavan set Niall Loughlin through for a well-taken finish past Killian Roche, and then Roche pushed away Ciaran Daly’s shot where Oisín McCann was waiting to collect and drive the ball back past Roche.

A quick follow-up point from Loughlin made it 2-3 to 0-2 and the Dublin side looked to be pedalling squares., though Cregg had the next two scores, from a free and from play, and then Davy Garland got two more to make it 0-6 to 2-3.

In heavy rain and a tricky wind, Darragh Canavan pointed twice for Ulster University, and then they struck for a third goal. McCann won a UCD kick-out and set up Ben McCarron for another close-range finish to make it 3-5 to 0-6, and Ulster University led 3-6 to 0-6 at the interval.

The Canavan brothers had extended their team’s lead to 11 points by the 35th minute and if UCD were to offer anything then the time was now. And how they responded.

Six unanswered points from Cregg (3), Garland (2) and substitute Liam Costello cut the lead to five points, 3-8 to 0-12, with UCD now dictating the play and driving forward.

Ulster University finally got a score – their first in 14 minutes – when John Largo Ellis’s shot in the 47th minute touched the crossbar on its way over, and though Garland and Cregg scored two more for UCD, the Dublin side were playing the clock as much as the opposition now.

Ruairí Canavan’s free kept the leaders ahead by five, and UCD knew they needed goals to salvage the game at this stage. They never arrived. Ulster University defended brilliantly in the closing minutes but it was fitting that Darragh Canavan ended the game as he started it, with a point, and the Sigerson Cup headed up to Northern Ireland.

Ulster University: R McGeehin (Donegal); R Boyle (Monaghan), C Diamond (Derry), S Donaghy (Tyrone); J Largo-Ellis 0-1 (Fermanagh); R Magill (Down), P Óg McCartan (Tyrone); O McCann 1-0 (Tyrone), B McCarron 1-0 (Derry); R McCaffrey (Fermanagh), C Cush (Tyrone); C Daly (Tyrone); D Canavan 0-5 (Tyrone), N Loughlin 1-1 (Derry), R Canavan 0-4 (3f) (Tyrone).

Subs: E Magee (Armagh) for McCartan (inj, 22), É Brown 0-1 (Down) for C Daly (44), Dara Curran (Tyrone) for N Loughlin (62), Jack Cunningham (Armagh) for C Cush (62), D Fullerton (Tyrone) for R Canavan (64).

UCD: K Roche (Laois), L Smith (Dublin), R Brickenden (Mayo), D McElearney (Monaghan); R O’Toole (Monaghan), S Callinan (Mayo), S Coffey (Meath); P Duffy (Dublin), J Lynam (Westmeath); D Gilmore (Derry), D Cregg 0-9 (4f, 1m) (Roscommon), D Moriarty (Meath), A Lynch (Meath), C Bolton (Kildare), D Garland 0-5 (3f) (Monaghan).

Subs: L Costello 0-1 (Galway) for L Smith (ht), Cormac Egan (Offaly) for P Duffy (36), S Forker (Dublin) for D Moriarty (36), B McNulty (Leitrim) for A Lynch (44), Theo Clancy (Dublin) for D Gilmore (60).

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary)

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