It's Sigerson time!

Sigerson First Round Report from Jerome Quinn on Vimeo.

The first week of February normally means only one thing if you are a college student that has any interest in GAA; its championship time.

In my opinion, the Sigerson Cup is arguably the most competitive GAA competition there is on these shores. Before the tournament started this year there would have been eight or nine teams that would all have felt that they were in with a shout of winning it with UCC, DCU, Cork IT, UCD, Maynooth, DIT and UUJ just the first few names that come to mind. I mean, how many other GAA competitions can say that over 50% of the competing teams genuinely feel they can get their hands on the trophy?

Any footballer that plays the game wants to compete at the highest level as often as they can and for me that is the beauty of the Sigerson. Played in February, there is no competition in the country that is played at the same pace and intensity at this time of year.

Through college football you meet new teammates and it’s a nice break-up from the provincial constraints that we have generally been confined to from 16 years of age or so. It’s something different and fresh.

During the week I played with DIT against IT Carlow in the first round of the Sigerson Cup and there was 10 different counties represented in our starting line-up. College football is the only scenario that lets most of us experience anything like that and it opens up the football brain to different ideas, philosophies and styles as well.

Our game on Wednesday was very much a clash of two different styles. We knew coming into the contest it would be difficult as Carlow had only lost to an all conquering UCC side by a point in the league final. We had been pre-warned about their style of play too as they play with 13 men behind the ball and then try to pick off scores on the break, through he likes of Wexford’s Ben Brosnan. As a group it took us a while to adjust to the confined spaces that are left in attack as some of our players would never have come up against such a system before.

To be fair, it nearly worked for them but in the end we were rewarded for our patience and perseverance when Gearoid McKiernan curled over an equaliser just as the fat lady was climbing onto the stage at the end of the second half.

That style of play they chose to play is physically demanding on the legs and in extra-time our forwards thankfully found that extra bit of room to manoeuvre in and Alan Freeman got the ball in the net – just – to help us on our way.

The quarter-finals will see ourselves take on the winners of DCU and Cork IT, NUI Galway play UUJ, IT Sligo take on UCC and NUI Maynooth clash with UCD – all four extremely difficult contests to call.

Most players are out with their counties this weekend as the National League commences but you can be certain that next week all the teams mentioned above will be back on the training field and working hard to get one step closer to a dream.

Championship fever is hard bet at this time of year!