ALL ROADS LEAD to Carlow tomorrow for the Sigerson Cup semi-finals.
There’ll be new third-level football champions in 2023, with holders University of Galway bowing out to UL in a repeat of last year’s final last week.
The most recent runners-up face DCU DÉ first at Netwatch Cullen Park tomorrow evening, before TU Dublin and UCC go head-to-head for the other coveted decider ticket.
The goalkeeping situation in each clash is worth honing in on.
At one end of the pitch there’ll be a seasoned shot-stopper.
At the other, a versatile, less conventional all-rounder stands between the posts.
One goal, stark contrast.
Number one for Dublin in Division 2 the Allianz football league so far, David O’Hanlon is the DCU DÉ goalkeeper. O’Hanlon lined out for Na Fianna in last year’s county senior final defeat to Kilmacud Crokes, keeping a clean sheet, while he produced similarly assured performances in the Sky Blues’ recent wins over Kildare and Limerick.
Galway’s Conor Flaherty is the UL shot-stopper. O’Flaherty plays hurling for Carnmore and football for Claregalway, sister clubs in the Tribe county.
He played full-forward for Claregalway in the senior football championship last year, scoring 1-2 in the quarter-final loss to eventual Galway and Connacht champions Maigh Cuilinn.
Flaherty played in goal for the Galway senior footballers in the league in 2022, though was forced off in the 52nd minute of the Division 2 final defeat to Roscommon through injury. Connor Gleeson took the mantle, and established himself as Padraig Joyce’s number one from there.
At U20 level for Galway, Flaherty won a Leinster hurling semi-final at centre-back and an All-Ireland football final in goal in the space of 24 hours in December 2020. He helped the Tribe dethrone reigning provincial champions Kilkenny in Portlaoise on the Saturday, before keeping a clean sheet as the county’s U20 footballers held off a thrilling fightback from Dublin to reign supreme in Croke Park on the Sunday.
The Sky Blues denied him a stunning individual double though, as Flaherty and co. fell short in the Leinster U20 hurling final the following June.
He resumed dual duties at colleges level, goalkeeper as UL lost the Sigerson Cup final last year and defender as the Limerick college won the Fitzgibbon.
Flaherty is now back between the sticks for the UL footballers, most recently featuring in their extra-time quarter-final win over holders University of Galway last week, and lining out at corner-back for the hurlers. The defending champions topped their group and face UCD in the Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final on Thursday, meaning another busy 24 hours or so.
Flaherty is a bit of an outlier trying to play dual at colleges level, particularly given how demanding this time of year is, but he’s certainly pulling it off.
Dylan Foley of Cork and UCC is the other versatile goalkeeper who will be on show tomorrow night. Interestingly he does not play in goal for his club Éire Óg and did not feature there at underage level for his county.
Foley was a forward for Éire Óg right through the ranks. He scored 1-2 in the 2020 Cork Senior A football final, which was played in June ’21 after a Covid-enforced delay. He also chipped in with goals as the Leeside club reached the Premier Senior quarter-finals later that year.
He built up goalkeeping experience with the UCC Fresher football team, and then the UCC Sigerson team in early 2022, before injury issues in goal for the Cork senior footballers saw Foley drafted onto the panel.
It was a baptism of fire of sorts as he made his competitive senior inter-county debut in last May’s Munster semi-final defeat to eventual All-Ireland champions Kerry. The Rebels lost Mícheál Aodh Martin to injury in the first half, and Foley was sprung from the bench to face David Clifford and the Kingdom at Páirc Uí Rinn.
He kept a clean sheet and made a fine save to deny 2022 Footballer of the Year Clifford.
He’s produced some big stops in the Sigerson Cup so far this year, establishing himself as a top penalty-saver.
UCC lost their first-round clash to UL, and Foley saved a spot-kick during the game before the rebound was scored. In recent fixtures, he’s been the shootout king, saving one against Queen’s in Round Three, and three against St Mary’s in last week’s quarter-final.
Only time will tell if he has to repeat those heroics, with his direct counterpart, Darragh Brooks of TUD and Wexford, equally well-equipped.
Brooks, like O’Hanlon, sticks mostly to goalkeeping and football. He won a county senior medal with his club, Castletown, last year, while he has previous senior inter-county experience with Wexford. Brooks started in goal for the Yellowbellies in 2021 and 2022 in the Leinster championship against Dublin.
Significant goalkeeping contrast in both showdowns, but all shot-stoppers involved have the same goal.
Sigerson Cup glory.
All roads lead to Carlow tomorrow.
Wednesday’s Sigerson Cup semi-finals
- 6.15pm: UL v DCU DÉ, Netwatch Cullen Park – TG4 YouTube.
- 8pm: TU Dublin v UCC, Netwatch Cullen Park – TG4 YouTube.
