Stephen Coen pictured ahead of the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Final.
By Cian O'Connell
A dramatic month of Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup action for UCD is set to conclude with another intriguing decider at Santry Avenue on Saturday.
Having reached a third final in a row UCD have experienced pleasure and pain in the past two years, but Stephen Coen wants to respond following the 2017 defeat to St Mary’s, Belfast.
“I wouldn't say last year was cruel or hard luck because Mary's deserved to win on the day,” the versatile Mayo footballer Coen says. “We weren't happy with how we performed and we felt we let it go. Mary's were very good on the day and I suppose they didn't let us play.
“That is the regret a lot of fellas will have. We are looking to get that right this year. If you are going to win on Saturday you are going to have to earn it. Both teams are level pegging going in. It will be an interesting game, hopefully we can get the result.
On Wednesday evening in Inniskeen UCD shaded a thrilling encounter which featured two bouts of extra-time against University Ulster.
“Yeah, it was a strange one alright, I don't think I've ever played extra extra time before so it was a compliment to how both teams performed on the night, putting in a big effort,” Coen admits.
“Look we quickly recovered and we got a lot of work done yesterday in the pool and the sea so we have a lot of recovery in and boys feel good again. We can't really focus on that game now, it is all about focusing on NUIG, to get the performance right on Saturday. That is all we are doing at the minute.”
Stephen Coen, Mayo, and Damien Comer, Galway, in Allianz Football League action last Sunday.
With matches for Mayo and UCD arriving thick and fast Coen is enjoying the adventure. “Mainly recovery and game to game,” Coen remarks about his current schedule.
“In fairness to, and I know myself personally, in Mayo Barry Solan and Conor Finn have managed my load brilliantly.
“They have made sure I'm never too tired, they keep track of all the work I'm doing, that is brilliant for me. It takes all that planning out of my hands, it allows me to rest as much as possible and to relax. I'm sure guys are the same here, it is very important.”
Con O’Callaghan’s return to UCD duty was a significant boost for the latter rounds of the Sigerson Cup, while Coen acknowledges the importance of the role occupied by the injured Jack McCaffrey.
“Absolutely, Jack has been a massive influence on us and has been in UCD football for the last four or five years,” Coen states.
“To have his knowledge around the dressing room and on the sideline is very good for us. If you are getting advice from Jack McCaffrey you don't take it too lightly, you take it on board. Everyone has, he has been a big influence on our team and UCD as a whole.
“It is great to have him on board, we would love to have him on the pitch, but we don't. We will just make do with what we have.”
