Billy Morgan: 'I’m only sorry that the GAA seem to be trying to squeeze it out'
JOURNEY CONTINUES: UCC coach Billy Morgan. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
FRESH from winning his fourth Sigerson Cup as manager of UCC, Billy Morgan hopes that the competition will be there for generations to come and is not taken off the GAA calendar.
The legendary coach gave his thoughts in the immediate aftermath of his team beating UL after extra-time in the final at the SETU Arena on Wednesday evening.
“I’m only sorry that the GAA seem to be trying to squeeze it out. The players want to play in it,” he said.
“I think the Sigerson is a great competition. I loved it as a player. It is a unique competition.
"The standard is high and you are training and playing with good players, and you’re playing against good players.
"These players will be friends for life as well. It is a unique competition and I think it is a great competition.”
Morgan won two Sigerson Cups as a player and four as a manager, with the most recent being the 1-16 to 0-16 victory over UL in Waterford.
The College went up looking to win their first title since 2019 and they had a perfect start to the game with Dylan Geaney raising a green flag after punching in a free.
This established UCC’s control early on, a feeling that was eroded by UL kicking over seven unanswered points in a row during the second half.
UCC were tactically sound and they muted UL by sitting deep when out of possession, a mythology that restricted their opponents to just one point from open play in the opening 25 minutes.
The second half opened everything up and the manager is relieved his team saw this period of the game out with ease.
“We didn’t make it easy for ourselves, credit to UL for that, but we got there and that is the main thing,” Moran said.
“We lost the first game against UL but that is a game that I felt that we could have won."
Morgan was determined that UCC would make up for their opening night defeat in the final.
“We were cruising at once stage, we were five points to one up, and they came back at us. They are a good team,” he said.
“At half time, even though we were two points ahead, I was confident enough.
“Then they hit seven to go two up and it didn’t look well for us there. The lads dug in, in fairness, and they came up with some very good points. We possibly could have won it in normal time.”
The game featured a stunning performance from Mark Cronin, who kicked over five points against UL. Morgan, who also comes from Nemo Rangers, was full of praise for his club-mate after the game.
“I’ve great time for Mark, I think he is a fabulous player. But, we have other players like Shane Merritt, who is a colossus at centre-back and around midfield.
"Fionn Herlihy is the same. You have Daniel O’Mahony and Maurice Shanley and they are very good players.
"This will bring them on even more.”
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