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
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BEATEN BY THE eventual champions in each of the last two seasons, perhaps this is to be TU Dublin’s 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 Monaghan’s 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 Dublin’s third win in-a-row with all of those coming on their home pitch of Grangegorman and while UL had their moments, Declan Brouder’s side were mostly chasing the game.
Meath’s 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 competition’s last four.
It’s 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, it’s 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 game’s 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 Dublin’s 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 Egan’s first goal helped last season’s finalists to lead by 1-9 to 0-4 at the interval and they piled on the pressure in the second-half with Ben O’Carroll also netting.
Honeyman only came on in the 45th minute but still managed to hit the net twice while O’Carroll finished with 1-3 and there were impressive cameos from Westmeath’s Ronan O’Toole, Meath’s 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 O’Grady 0-2; C Dawson, F Irwin, J Fallon, P O’Driscoll, 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 O’Driscoll (Cork), B McNamara (Clare), F Kelly (Mayo); E Clifford (Kerry), D Cashman (Cork), D Walsh (Clare); T O’Donnell (Kerry), D O’Hagan (Limerick); C Dawson (Mayo), F Irwin (Mayo), D Heneghan (Roscommon); C McHale (Mayo), S McDonnell (Cork), C O’Grady (Kerry).
Subs: P White (Kerry) for Dawson (45); J Fallon (Mayo) for O’Donnell & C Ryan (Kerry) for O’Hagan (48); J McCabe (Galway) for Clifford (55); C O’Sullivan for Heneghan (63).
Ref: A Coyne (Westmeath).
My god, Rathnure, were absolutely screwed there. Red card after 10 seconds. Ridiculous decision. Then another red in the 2nd half.