Sigerson Cup: UCC aiming to book their place in another final

UCC will look to book their place in yet another Sigerson Cup final tomorrow night when they face University of Galway in a tasty looking semi-final game.

The encounter takes place in the Mardyke with throw-in at 8pm with UCC 60 minutes away from making the decider, which will take place in Croke Park for the first time in 40 years.

First of all, they will have to focus on what will be a stern challenge against a decent University of Galway team.

UCC do come into the game with a real buzz after impressive displays to date. They have won three games on the bounce against ATU Sligo, Queen’s University Belfast and reigning champions DCU last Wednesday night.

They have done it the hard way to a certain degree in terms of reaching this juncture considering they wouldn’t have been fancied to win their previous two games.

“There’s no favourite tag in the Sigerson Cup from my point of view,” UCC manager Paul O’Keeffe says.

“There’s no soft draw from here on in. Any team is capable of beating each other and this game with University of Galway will be no different. It will be a ferocious battle against a very good side. That’s all we are looking at right now.

“There’s a massive prize at stake but that’s the rock you perish on if you start thinking about the final and all the rest of it and you forget about the job in front of you.

“The opposition wouldn’t be long letting you know what you are after missing out on. We are under no illusions about this semi-final.” 

UCC have come a long way since their last Sigerson Cup triumph back in 2023, which was their 24th time winning it. They got knocked out at the Round 3 stage in 2024 and lost their two games last year.

They have turned it around though and know that they have to make hay while the sun shines.

“Any day you get into a Sigerson Cup semi-final is a happy day,” O'Keeffe said.

“But the job isn’t done and we will try and improve on our performance from the last day and see if it’s good enough. It’s a quick turnaround, all about rest and recovery.

“We did a video session and a light workout since the game last Wednesday. The lads got in their own recovery over the weekend and we had to assess a few knocks and niggles that a few players picked up.

“We are looking forward to this game and we know that we have to make the most of it. As I have said before, Sigerson Cup football is fickle. There’s very fine margins between winning and losing games.”