Sigerson Cup

[rodney trotter]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

[Syferus]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

It's absolutely insane. UUJ winning the Sigerson would make a mockery of the competition.

[BennyHarp]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

It's absolutely insane. UUJ winNing the Sigerson would make a mockery of the competition.

The Sigerson has been a mockery for a long time but that's what makes it interesting. Its purely about which Uni has the best players in any given year and watching a whos who of county players lining out for a team makes the games interesting. Tralee where at it years ago, DIT have been at it - UUJ aren't doing anything that they weren't doing 15 years ago. In my view the Sigerson is a competition that isn't taken too seriously, outside those that are taking part.

[Jinxy]

Turn it into an u-21 competition.
Problem solved.

[PAULD123]

The almost USA system of attracting players more for football than academia is of course against the spirit of the competition and disappointing. However I think it is unfair that year after year UUJ take heavy negative comment for doing it without a fair balance being given to the fact that they are far from the only ones doing it. Sometimes reading comments here would make you think UUJ are unique in the approach.

As said before Tralee, DIT and DCU all do it and Queens are right on teh border of the rules selecting Stranmillis students as is seen each year when they have to attend hearings.

[Syferus]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

It's absolutely insane. UUJ winNing the Sigerson would make a mockery of the competition.

The Sigerson has been a mockery for a long time but that's what makes it interesting. Its purely about which Uni has the best players in any given year and watching a whos who of county players lining out for a team makes the games interesting. Tralee where at it years ago, DIT have been at it - UUJ aren't doing anything that they weren't doing 15 years ago. In my view the Sigerson is a competition that isn't taken too seriously, outside those that are taking part.

Nope. Vast majority of colleges don't field teams of players they nearly entirely poached from other colleges' courses. DCU got some abuse but they never did anything of the level of UUJ. What Jordanstown are doing is precipitating change by being so brazen in their abuse of the system.

[BennyHarp]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

It's absolutely insane. UUJ winNing the Sigerson would make a mockery of the competition.

The Sigerson has been a mockery for a long time but that's what makes it interesting. Its purely about which Uni has the best players in any given year and watching a whos who of county players lining out for a team makes the games interesting. Tralee where at it years ago, DIT have been at it - UUJ aren't doing anything that they weren't doing 15 years ago. In my view the Sigerson is a competition that isn't taken too seriously, outside those that are taking part.

Nope. Vast majority of colleges field teams of players they nearly entirely poached from other colleges' courses. DCU got some abuse but they never did anything of the level of UUJ. What Jordanstown are doing is precipitating change by being so brazen in their abuse of the system.

They were doing it when I was at Queens in the late 1990s. The whole competition is about getting as many good players as possible to play for your University in any given year and its been like that for years in a range of universities - not just UUJ. In many ways, this is the only reason that anybody, not directly involved, has an interest in the competition. The higher profile the players, the higher the profile of the competition.  UUJ aren't doing anything now that makes the competition any more or any less of a mockery.

[imtommygunn]

Yeah UUJ have been like that for a long time. Queens now seem to be getting in on the act and Tralee were probably worse in that late 90s period.

[nrico2006]

Turn it into an u-21 competition.
Problem solved.

What about the students over 21?

[nrico2006]

UUJ: S Fox (Tyrone); R Johnston (Antrim), R McNamee 0-1 (Tyrone), K Clarke (Cavan); R McHugh (Donegal), F Burns 0-2 (Tyrone), S Sheridan (Armagh); N McKeever (Antrim), M Argue (Cavan); C Grugan 0-1 (Tyrone), E Rafferty 0-1 ('45') (Armagh), R McAnespie 0-1 (Monaghan); P McBrearty 0-5 (4f) (Donegal), K Hughes 0-1 (Monaghan), E Regan (Mayo)

Subs: R Donnelly 0-2 (Tyrone) for Rafferty (15), M Johnston (Antrim) for McKeever (BC, 23), D Savage (Down) for Argue (52), S Heavron (Derry) for Regan (55), G McKinless (Derry) for Burns (BC, 59)

St Mary's: R Burns (Down); A McKay (Armagh), D McBride (Tyrone), P McAleer (Antrim); H Loughran (Tyrone), N McParland (Down); C Byrne (Tyrone); P Carragher (Armagh), K McKernan 0-2 (Down); A Nugent (Armagh), K McGeary (Tyrone), C Meyler (Tyrone); P McBride (Antrim), M Fitzpatrick (Antrim), R O'Neill 0-2 (2f) (Tyrone)

Subs: C McCann (Tyrone) for Nugent (20), J Johnston 1-2 (Down) for Fitzpatrick (HT), R Johnston (Down) for McKay (BC, 35), N Toner (Derry) for Byrne (42), D Cavanagh (Tyrone) for O'Neill (52)

I always love seeing where the boys are from!!!!!!!

Anyways, how old is Danny McBride

I like seeing where they are from too, actually came onto this thread to see if someone had posted their county as had read the report on hoganstand and it hadn't specified.  Quite a number of Tyrone players involved as expected.  McBride must be 29 at this stage.

[ck]

As some have eluded, Sigerson has been a mockery for a long time now. Outside of those directly involved it is a bit of a laughing stock. Yet I would see it as a high value competition, WHEN PLAYED FAIRLY.

The reality is that many colleges have now entered the policy of attracting players, as their only way to compete. The reason for this is because of colleges like UUJ who have taken this approach for a couple of decades now. You can either sit back and dwell in disgust at their approach or you can join them and try to poach players for yourself. I was involved in a college team previously who attempted to compete but it simply underlined that Sigerson has moved a long way away from its roots. There is usually one or two men in these colleges who are behind all of this, usually men who have not been accepted in mainstream GAA.

Make Sigerson a non county player competition, make it U.21 and see how the poachers and scholarship givers get on then. More importantly it would force the competition back to where it once was, a competition for the up and coming, the FUTURE county player.   

[imtommygunn]

CK I went to queens so have it engrained in me to not have a love for UUJ but you do pick on them a bit. The likes of Tralee in the late 90s at least would have been every bit as bad as them and in later years dublin collegs too I suspect.

I would agree something like a non county player competition would maybe make more sense. I really enjoyed the sigerson competition(I wasn't in the league to play in it but watching) when at university in late 90s but the demands are too much now with the training load, u21 teams etc etc.

[theticklemister]

UUJ: S Fox (Tyrone); R Johnston (Antrim), R McNamee 0-1 (Tyrone), K Clarke (Cavan); R McHugh (Donegal), F Burns 0-2 (Tyrone), S Sheridan (Armagh); N McKeever (Antrim), M Argue (Cavan); C Grugan 0-1 (Tyrone), E Rafferty 0-1 ('45') (Armagh), R McAnespie 0-1 (Monaghan); P McBrearty 0-5 (4f) (Donegal), K Hughes 0-1 (Monaghan), E Regan (Mayo)

Subs: R Donnelly 0-2 (Tyrone) for Rafferty (15), M Johnston (Antrim) for McKeever (BC, 23), D Savage (Down) for Argue (52), S Heavron (Derry) for Regan (55), G McKinless (Derry) for Burns (BC, 59)

St Mary's: R Burns (Down); A McKay (Armagh), D McBride (Tyrone), P McAleer (Antrim); H Loughran (Tyrone), N McParland (Down); C Byrne (Tyrone); P Carragher (Armagh), K McKernan 0-2 (Down); A Nugent (Armagh), K McGeary (Tyrone), C Meyler (Tyrone); P McBride (Antrim), M Fitzpatrick (Antrim), R O'Neill 0-2 (2f) (Tyrone)

Subs: C McCann (Tyrone) for Nugent (20), J Johnston 1-2 (Down) for Fitzpatrick (HT), R Johnston (Down) for McKay (BC, 35), N Toner (Derry) for Byrne (42), D Cavanagh (Tyrone) for O'Neill (52)

I always love seeing where the boys are from!!!!!!!

Anyways, how old is Danny McBride

I like seeing where they are from too, actually came onto this thread to see if someone had posted their county as had read the report on hoganstand and it hadn't specified.  Quite a number of Tyrone players involved as expected.  McBride must be 29 at this stage.

How long has he been at St. Mary's. Must be 5 years at least!

[Kickham csc]

How many of the UUJ team have been there since freshers?. Killian Clarke and Argue weren't.. Clarke was in AIT and Argue in DIT.. Paddy McBrearty was in Maynooth. Ryan McHugh was in Sligo It as was Evan Regan

Regan doing a Masters.

It's absolutely insane. UUJ winNing the Sigerson would make a mockery of the competition.

The Sigerson has been a mockery for a long time but that's what makes it interesting. Its purely about which Uni has the best players in any given year and watching a whos who of county players lining out for a team makes the games interesting. Tralee where at it years ago, DIT have been at it - UUJ aren't doing anything that they weren't doing 15 years ago. In my view the Sigerson is a competition that isn't taken too seriously, outside those that are taking part.

Nope. Vast majority of colleges don't field teams of players they nearly entirely poached from other colleges' courses. DCU got some abuse but they never did anything of the level of UUJ. What Jordanstown are doing is precipitating change by being so brazen in their abuse of the system.

Any evidence of this abuse other than the usual "dogs on the street" know.

If they were so brazen then why have they not been punished???

And a point of note;

UCD brought in scholarships to the GAA in 95-96, followed by DCU etc.
So is UCD's Sigerson win in 96 tainted? It must be, they had scholarship students, nobody else had!!!

Students transfer all the time, change of course, college closer to home etc, and if a student wants to go to a college to get a scholarship, then why not. And if UUJ is offering a good scholarship package, and a student want to avail of it, why the negative response. Surely everybody should be asking why their colleges are not stepping up to the plate in regards to scholarships.

This whole UUJ being the bad boys goes the whole way back to the 80's, when they had the audacity to enter the Sigerson. They were met with resistance from the established Sigerson colleges at the time due to the Jordanstown being a Poly and having HNDs etc. and the elite colleges at the time were not happy about it.

The fact that they are being focused on here, while giving other colleges a bye ball is a joke.

And finally, I'll go back to my first point. Any evidence of this abuse other than the usual "dogs on the street" know and if they were so brazen then why have they not been punished???

[oakleafer]

Turn it into an u-21 competition.
Problem solved.

Agreed.

They'll have 3 years to play Sigerson - you have to draw the line somewhere. This would prevent colleges trying to recruit well established county players to come and do masters courses at their establishment. I'm not against any mature student going back to college, good luck to them - they just aren't eligible to play sigerson.