Fáilte chuig gaa.ie - suíomh oifigiúil CLG

Football

football

Preview: Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Final

David Clifford of UL in action against Shea Ryan of DCU Dóchas Éireann during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup Semi-Final match between DCU Dóchas Éireann and University of Limerick at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow. 

David Clifford of UL in action against Shea Ryan of DCU Dóchas Éireann during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup Semi-Final match between DCU Dóchas Éireann and University of Limerick at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow. 

Wednesday, Februray 16

Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup final

NUI Galway v University of Limerick, IT Carlow, 7.30pm (TG4)

Referee: David Gough (Meath)

By Paul Keane

A week after being mobbed by local autograph hunters, All-Star David Clifford will return to Carlow Town with UL for a novel Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup final.

The Kerry icon struck two important late points to help turn the screw on 2020 winners and holders DCU last Wednesday evening at Netwatch Cullen Park.

He will travel to nearby IT Carlow this time for a first ever final meeting between UL and 22-times tournament winners NUI Galway.

Clifford has struck a staggering 5-20 in just four championship games and it is for this reason that Declan Brouder's side, contesting their first final in 25 years, are slight favourites.

Cork star Sean Powter, Clare's Emmet McMahon, Mayo man Paul Towey and Kerry duo Paul Walsh and Donal O'Sullivan have also played significant roles in UL's journey to a second ever final.

But Clifford has consistently turned big games for them with 2-7 against Letterkenny IT in Round 2 and another 2-4 against Queens in their quarter-final win at Abbottstown.

UL and DCU were deadlocked at 0-11 apiece last Wednesday when Clifford stepped up, kicking the first and third points of a three-in-a-row of late UL scores which propelled them to victory.

Former Mayo player Maurice Sheridan is in charge of NUI Galway and tasted final defeat in 2018 when they lost by a point to UCD.

His challenge is to create a game plan that somehow keeps Clifford in check and which allows his own talented attackers to rack up the scores at the other end.

Galway seniors Matthew Tierney and Tomo Culhane, All-Ireland U-20 winning colleagues in 2020, led the destruction of MTU Kerry in their semi-final. Castlebar and Mayo attacker Fionn McDonagh is another potential gamebreaker.

At midfield, NUI Galway are anchored by the Kelly brothers, Sean and Paul, from Moycullen while a third sibling, Eoghan, a goalscorer against Letterkenny IT, is also a key figure.

But both teams are missing influential Mayo stars through injury.

Tommy Conroy, an All-Star nominee in 2021, suffered a cruciate knee injury in that quarter-final win for NUI Galway over Letterkenny IT while defender Eoghan McLaughlin is absent for UL with ankle trouble.

NUI Galway have also been without their inspirational defender Sean Mulkerrin for most of the tournament following his knee injury in the Round 1 tie against Ulster University.

As ever, what makes the competition truly special is the variety of counties that are represented.

UL fielded players from nine different counties, including captain and Limerick man Paul Maher, in their semi-final while NUI Galway had talented performers from six different counties in action.