LAST UPDATE | 28 Jan
Sigerson Cup quarter-final results
- TU Dublin 2-15 University of Limerick 2-11
- UCD 5-18 MTU Kerry 1-4
**********
BEATEN BY THE eventual champions in each of the last two seasons, perhaps this is to be TU Dublinโs season to finally win the Sigerson Cup.
A squad brimming with inter-county talent, led in attack by Dublin All-Star Colm Basquel, certainly look like a side on a mission this year.
Second-half goals from Monaghanโs Sean Jones and Dubliner Jack Lundy, and a strong performance from Basquel who helped set up the crucial second goal, proved decisive.
It was TU Dublinโs third win in-a-row with all of those coming on their home pitch of Grangegorman and while UL had their moments, Declan Brouderโs side were mostly chasing the game.
Meathโs Jordan Morris, fresh from National League activity against Cork last weekend, impressed too with three points for a TU Dublin side that have joined UCD in the competitionโs last four.
Itโs a step further than TU Dublin got in 2024 when eventual winners Ulster University beat them while 2023 champions UCC beat them at the semi-final stage that season.
As for UL, itโs the end of the line for the 2022 and 2023 finalists who never really got it going save for a mini-blitz during the first-half when they responded to a slow start with 1-3 on the bounce.
And yet UL would have felt they were in a strong position at half time having initially negotiated the strong wind which largely favoured TU Dublin.
The home team were just a point ahead at the break, 0-9 to 1-5, despite starting strongly with five of the gameโs first six points.
UL then hit that purple patch, reeling off 1-3 without response between the 17th and 25th minutes, to briefly take a two-point lead.
Sean McDonnell, who made his NFL debut for Cork last weekend, hit 1-1 during that surge of UL scoring but three TU Dublin points in-a-row to finish the half, from Morris, Jones and Basquel, put them in pole position and they largely remained there.
Jones struck TU Dublinโs first goal five minutes after the restart and Basquel did brilliantly to create their second, taking off on a searing run down the left and playing the ball across for Jones who was fouled for a penalty that Lundy converted.
Leading 2-13 to 1-9, TU Dublin looked home and hosed but 1-1 in quick response from UL, including a second goal from Mallow man McDonnell, kept the hosts honest until the end.
UCD had it far easier this afternoon at Belfield where Cormac Egan and rising Leitrim star Paul Honeyman both netted twice in their five-goal drubbing of MTU Kerry.
Tullamore man Eganโs first goal helped last seasonโs finalists to lead by 1-9 to 0-4 at the interval and they piled on the pressure in the second-half with Ben OโCarroll also netting.
Honeyman only came on in the 45th minute but still managed to hit the net twice while OโCarroll finished with 1-3 and there were impressive cameos from Westmeathโs Ronan OโToole, Meathโs Diarmuid Moriarty and Dubliner Luke Breathnach.
TU Dublin scorers: S Jones 1-3; J Lundy 1-1 (1-0 pen); J Morris 0-3; D McCartan, C Basquel (1 45), J Prendergast 0-2 each; C Fee, S Hanafin 0-1 each.
University of Limerick scorers: S McDonnell 2-1; C McHale 0-3 (2 frees); C OโGrady 0-2; C Dawson, F Irwin, J Fallon, P OโDriscoll, D Walsh 0-1 each.
TU Dublin: J Rodgers (Kildare); C Reilly (Cavan), M Nolan (Wicklow), N Carolan (Cavan); D Fee (Wicklow), C McKeogh (Cavan), J Prendergast (Wicklow); C McBride (Meath), S Hanifin (Kildare); C Basquel (Dublin), J Lundy (Dublin), D McCartan (Westmeath); J Morris (Cavan), C Fee (Wicklow), S Jones (Monaghan).
Subs: S Reynolds (Louth) for D Fee (45); D Rooney (Dublin) for C Fee (47); O Brooks (Dublin) for McCartan (56); D Lovett (Cavan) for Lundy (61).
University of Limerick: B Hogan (Meath); P OโDriscoll (Cork), B McNamara (Clare), F Kelly (Mayo); E Clifford (Kerry), D Cashman (Cork), D Walsh (Clare); T OโDonnell (Kerry), D OโHagan (Limerick); C Dawson (Mayo), F Irwin (Mayo), D Heneghan (Roscommon); C McHale (Mayo), S McDonnell (Cork), C OโGrady (Kerry).
Subs: P White (Kerry) for Dawson (45); J Fallon (Mayo) for OโDonnell & C Ryan (Kerry) for OโHagan (48); J McCabe (Galway) for Clifford (55); C OโSullivan for Heneghan (63).
Ref: A Coyne (Westmeath).
Good win for TU Dublin vs UL. UCD look very strong
Could it be another dublin team in the final
@Alan Moloney: yeโve enough won for this year now Al.