UCC manager Paul O'Keeffe: 'I can't fault the lads, they've given us a brilliant year'

UCC manager Paul O’Keeffe had no complaints about the result after his side lost the Sigerson Cup final to University of Limerick on Wednesday night.

The 24-time champions never truly got to the pitch of the game at Croke Park as they lost on a scoreline of 0-17 to 1-11.

It was a game where they played second fiddle as they never went ahead at any point.

“The hurt is brutal to be honest, I think we never got out of the blocks and we spoke about the occasion and all the rest of it,” O’Keeffe said post-match.

“We gave them a bit of a lead early on. Going in at half-time, we were delighted given we were level.

“UL had their period of dominance and we were expecting to maybe drive on in the second half. We had loads of goal chances and just didn’t convert. That hurts you. You have to take those chances. On a different day, they go in for you. 

"UL did have their goal chances too. Looking at the game overall, UL played better than us.

“We were at 70 percent for most of the game. We were chasing the game. These are all the should-have-would-have-could-have typical post-match stuff.” 

This defeat will sting UCC for some time to come. It will be more the performance aspect that will be the biggest frustration for all involved.

“You make your own history, you can hear UL celebrating in the background there, it’s a tough one to take,” O’Keeffe says.

“I spoke to the lads before the game about having no regrets afterwards. If you don’t perform, that’s what you’re left with. UL will be celebrating all the way home to Limerick and fair play to them. It just leaves a bad taste for us.

“You could tell that we weren’t firing on all cylinders from early on. When you’re chasing the game, I think it takes a bit of a toll mentally. Then you start making silly errors and the pressure comes on and the longer the game goes on, the pressure gets greater and greater.” 

When the dust settles on this loss, it has been a positive season for UCC. They are judged on winning Sigerson Cup titles, but considering how below par they were in the 2024 and ’25 Sigerson Cup seasons, they have come a long way this year.

Their attempts to win a 25th Sigerson Cup crown will go into another campaign. They last won it in 2023 when they defeated UL.

“Look, we were very close. I can’t fault the lads. They gave it their best shot. They’ve given us a brilliant year. I can’t complain. I suppose in a thousand years’ time maybe I’ll take this. Playing a final in Croke Park is something special. 

“It’s just awful to be on the wrong side of it. I suppose it will benefit the players going forward.

“There’s a good cohort of players left over for next year and then there’s a very good Freshers team coming through as well. The future isn’t all dark. The boys will learn from this and hopefully we can push on and get the job done maybe next year.

“It’s a bit soon to be talking about next year I suppose right now.” O’Keeffe ended.