Spirited Maynooth try again for Sigerson prize
Defeated at the semi-final stage by DCU in 2010 and by UUJ in 2011, they seek to atone for those losses by claiming a final spot this afternoon.
They face reigning champions UCC in the last four clash at the NUI Galway Sportsground in Dangan at 1.30pm today.
“We’re thrilled to be back again for the third year in-a-row,” admits NUI Maynooth manager and former Galway All-Ireland winner John Divilly.
“In NUI Maynooth’s history, they’ve only won it once, 1976, and reached one finals weekend in the 90s. We’ve turned it around to reach a third successive semi-final but there’s no big secret to it. We just come in every year, set out a plan and work to it.”
NUI Maynooth’s team may not be populated by household inter-county teams yet Divilly has fashioned a well-drilled and cohesive unit.
“We’ve a very spirited group of guys who get on very well together. There’s no major names but we still have guys on Kildare and Meath panels while Paul Cahillane is with Laois. We’ve tried to create a sense of self-belief in them that they can compete. In GAA terms, it’s a small college but that doesn’t count on the pitch.”
Opponents UCC are likely to be without Martin Hickey — who started at corner-back on the team that won the Cork SFC title last October — and Padraig Lucey through suspension as both were sent off during the week in an intermediate football game against Sligo IT. However they are able to welcome back midfielder Johnny Buckley who missed the quarter-final win over Sligo IT due to club commitments with Dr Crokes.
“Johnny’s back and he’s fit,” revealed UCC selector Paul O’Keeffe. “He had a huge disappointment with his club last week in losing an All-Ireland semi-final but we hope he’ll be able to make amends with us now. We saw from the Sligo game how important Johnny is to the team as we struggled without him.
“I don’t think the team had its greatest day and we were fortunate to win. But these lads have been through a huge number of big games between the Sigerson and club championship over the last few years. That helped us to grind out the result against Sligo as we found our feet in the last quarter when we tipped over three points in succession to go ahead.”
UCC are chasing a third successive final appearance. Despite that record, O’Keeffe is wary of Divilly’s outfit.
“I’d never take any Sigerson game lightly. Maynooth are an unknown quantity, but having been in the semi-finals the last couple of years, they’re clearly moving in the right direction and are building momentum.
“This is our third weekend in a row which is a big help. Most of the panel has been there and know what to expect. We now have a set regime in terms of preparing properly. The structures we have in place are bearing fruit. We’re at our peak this year with this team as we’ll lose a lot of players after this Sigerson. Hopefully they can finish off on a high.”
The second semi-final takes place at 3.30pm in Dangan this afternoon as UUJ face DCU. The Jordanstown outfit enjoyed a successful trip to Dangan last week when they defeated NUI Galway at the quarter-final stage and joint manager Barney McAleenan is hopeful they can reprise that success.
“Our performance in the last 15 minutes (against NUIG) certainly deserved to win the match. But DCU will be going to Galway expecting not only to beat us, but to win Sigerson outright. They have quality all over the park and it’s a massive challenge.”
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