UCC tipped to retain Sigerson Cup

THE semi finals of this year's Sigerson Cup, sponsored by Murphys, are scheduled for tomorrow at the University of Limerick with the first match starting at 11.30. There will presumably be a pall of gloom around the place as the hosts were surprisingly beaten by Dublin City University in the second round.

The opening match, between University College Cork, holders for the past two years, and the steadily improving University College Dublin looks more likely to produce the 1996 champions, than the second semi final between University of Ulster at Jordanstown and the Garda College in Templemore.

Favouritism sits easily with UCC. In a world where an experienced team that has developed together over a couple of years is the ideal, this Cork side has been exceptional. Constructed around some Cork under 21s and a couple of Kerry emigre's, the team won the Sigerson at its first serious attempt, in 1994 defeating a well fancied Queen's Belfast in the final.

Last year, they won as favourites and are now tipped to win a third successive title.

Kerry's Seamus Moynihan was the key performer in last year's success and leads the most influential sector of the team, the halfback line, including Cork senior Paudie O'Regan, whose fast breaking moves are at the heart of the team's attacking play.

At midfield, Chris Collins will be in action against his brother, UCD's Fachtna, although whether they mark each other remains to be seen. This promises to be a key area because it offers the Dublin team an opportunity to break up UCC's deep lying advances.

One of last year's most noticed players, Mark O'Sullivan of Cork, is full forward and provides a sharp edge to a fluent attack where John Clifford from Kerry, John Buckley and Jason Whooley, who has a couple of years with the Cork RTC under his belt keep things ticking over.

UCD's last Sigerson win was in 1985 and they haven't posted a serious challenge in recent years. That has now changed.

Meath's Trevor Giles, holder of the college's first football scholarship, has been for a while the biggest name on the team but he has plenty of support. Aside from Fachtna Collins, mentioned above, Giles's fellow Meathman Mick O'Dowd is a very influential member of the team.

The team can also boast heavyweight senior inter count talent. Monaghan's Joe Coyle a revelation in last year's T championship and has himself be coaxed onto the team. Ciaran McManus from Offaly operates in an attack with fairly Mayo centric look.

Back into the world of Siger comes Anthony Finnerty scored Mayo's goal in the All Ireland final. Known as Larry (after Fat Larry's Band - the adjective having more to do with the soubriquet than any resemblance to the group's best known single `Zoom'), Finnerty is now back on the Mayo panel and has added greatly to UCD's performances this season.

Beside him in the full forward line is David Nestor, scorer of a sublime goal for Mayo in last year's under 21 All Ireland final.

It will be to UCD's advantage that they have had three matches - two of them fairly competitive - in the run up to this weekend whereas UCC have only had one, the untaxing quarter final. Nonetheless, the holders have enough to swing it.

The other semi final also promises to be a close run affair. In recent years, UUJ, for all the inter county talent at their disposal, have tended to add up to less than the sum of their parts.

This year's edition is said to be comparatively inexperienced but can still call on such established names as Derry's Karl Diamond, captain Mattie McGleenan from Tyrone and even Down panellist Ger Colgan who came off the bench for the lack lustre quarter final defeat of Sligo RTC.

Garda College were semi finalists for the first time last year but were well beaten by UCG. This year, the belief is that they have improved and benefited from the experience. They have had a good league and with Cork goalkeeper Kevin O'Dwyer, Leitrim's Fergal Reynolds at corner back and Kevin McGettigan, of the Donegal under 21s, at centre back, they are particularly well served in the defence. Their improved cohesion may not, however, be enough to surmount Jordanstown's greater range of options.