Sigerson Cup 2009

[Zulu]

No matter what you say Zulu, the bookies had QUB as pre tournament favourites, then when the poly beat them they were installed as favourites...

Why would they do that when they were the worst teams in the competition?

Where did I say they were the worst teams in the competition, I thought Queens were very good but I didn't rate UUJ? I'm not sure what the betting was pior to the start but DCU would also have been there  or thereabouts so surely CIT have as much right to favouritism as NUIG, especially considering they're hosting it. The point I'm making is that a few Ulster posters seem to be of the mindset that beating Queens or UUJ is a shock or means that tthe team to do so are automatically favourites from here on in, it's a bit arrogant and, if you know your Sigerson football beyond Ulster, simply wrong.

[The GAA]

CIT / DIT final for me. Hosts have proved to have a fair starting advantage in the past, although UCD are a fair surprise package.

I'd say queens were possibly the best team in it this year and were caught out. A weaker 08 queens team beat a UCG 08 team that was stronger than this years.

[ulster-boy]

i simply cannot understand zulu how u dont rate this UUJ team? they probably have the most inter-county players than any of the other teams in this years competition! here is just a few..Darren Hughes(Monaghan), Tomas McCann Niall McKeever Conor Murray(Antrim), James Colgan Packy Downey(Down), Stefan Forker Paul Kernan(Armagh) Colm Cavanagh Raymond Mulgrew(Tyrone). They are a very talented team in my eyes!!

[The GAA]

I would say uuj wouldn't be in the top five in terms of numbers of intercounty players

[RedandGreenSniper]

Was Conroy not with GMIT last year? very confusing

Kieran Conroy was with GMIT last year afaik. He's probably doing an engineering course, which, to be completed to degree level, requires a switch to NUI Galway

[mountainboii]

i simply cannot understand zulu how u dont rate this UUJ team? they probably have the most inter-county players than any of the other teams in this years competition! here is just a few..Darren Hughes(Monaghan), Tomas McCann Niall McKeever Conor Murray(Antrim), James Colgan Packy Downey(Down), Stefan Forker Paul Kernan(Armagh) Colm Cavanagh Raymond Mulgrew(Tyrone). They are a very talented team in my eyes!!

In fairness most of those lads don't regularly line out with their counties. The two Armagh boys would have maybe 1 Championship appearance between them.

[ulster-boy]

i simply cannot understand zulu how u dont rate this UUJ team? they probably have the most inter-county players than any of the other teams in this years competition! here is just a few..Darren Hughes(Monaghan), Tomas McCann Niall McKeever Conor Murray(Antrim), James Colgan Packy Downey(Down), Stefan Forker Paul Kernan(Armagh) Colm Cavanagh Raymond Mulgrew(Tyrone). They are a very talented team in my eyes!!

In fairness most of those lads don't regularly line out with their counties. The two Armagh boys would have maybe 1 Championship appearance between them.

well sigerson cup football is generally percieved as the stepping stone to inter-county, so im sure we will see them in future years! and remember young forker is still a teenager, the fact that big Joe Kernan called him up to the Armagh senior panel while he was still at school underlines his huge potential.

[The GAA]

Possibly but it doesn't mean that "they probably have the most inter-county players than any of the other teams in this years competition".

[Winnie Peg]

With my reckoning, UUJ had a very small number of county players this year. Going on this weekends national league, I believe that Hughes of Monaghan and cavanagh were the onlyt players who started for their counties. Have never been impressed wiuth young forker, not a stop scorer nor creates many chances either. Maybe Big Joe bringing him in too young might have something to do with his lack of development. I was surprised at UUJ's defeat but when you read the NUIG team and saw trhe number of real established county players on their team and indeed on the other southern university teams, i realised that 3rd level football up here isn't what we might think.

[BallyhaiseMan]

With my reckoning, UUJ had a very small number of county players this year. Going on this weekends national league, I believe that Hughes of Monaghan and cavanagh were the onlyt players who started for their counties. Have never been impressed wiuth young forker, not a stop scorer nor creates many chances either. Maybe Big Joe bringing him in too young might have something to do with his lack of development. I was surprised at UUJ's defeat but when you read the NUIG team and saw trhe number of real established county players on their team and indeed on the other southern university teams, i realised that 3rd level football up here isn't what we might think.

UUJ and Queens would be at a general disadvantage when it comes to recruiting young players though.
with the exception of some from Monaghan, and  a few Donegal lads,(and Barry Moran of Mayo i believe a few years ago) Neither attract nearly any young players from south of the border,
compare it to DCU who have players from every province in their Academy, NUIG would pick up Connachts best but also some of the best from the Midlands,  Northern parts of Munster and up as far as Cavan.
The Southern schools would have more counties within their catchment region.

[ulster-boy]

forker got man of the match in the ulster u21 final last year in which he scored 5 or 6 points i tink. i also remember watching him in a MacRory cup game for St.Pats academy,Dungannon a while back where he scored 7points from midfield..he was the only academy scorer that day. one of the best individual performances i ever witnessed.

[Zulu]

In fairness BM that isn't really true, in Munster you have UCC, UL, CIT, LIT, WIT and IIT so in a more hurling orientated province you have 6 colleges looking for any talent available. And CIT for example are almost exclusively made up of Cork players so they have got to the weekend based largely on the talent of one county. It is a similar story in Connacht and Leinster so I don't think the Ulster colleges are disadvantaged by their pick.

[Zulu]

i simply cannot understand zulu how u dont rate this UUJ team? they probably have the most inter-county players than any of the other teams in this years competition! here is just a few..Darren Hughes(Monaghan), Tomas McCann Niall McKeever Conor Murray(Antrim), James Colgan Packy Downey(Down), Stefan Forker Paul Kernan(Armagh) Colm Cavanagh Raymond Mulgrew(Tyrone). They are a very talented team in my eyes!!

I think it's just the standard that we're taking about here UB, obviously UUJ have good players but the standard is very high and I didn't think this years squad were at the same level as some of the other colleges. Lots of the teams have established IC players supported by county U21 players and I didn't see UUJ winning it. In saying that I thought UCD would lose to both UL and the Guards so it is hard to call and big names don't always mean much in Sigerson.

[RedandGreenSniper]

remember young forker is still a teenager, the fact that big Joe Kernan called him up to the Armagh senior panel while he was still at school underlines his huge potential.

I don't think that can be true UB. Forker played against Mayo minors in the 2005 All-Ireland quarter-final. Now presuming he was just in his first year minor that year, that would mean he is 21 this year. He could possibly be 23 but definitely not in his teens.

UUJ and Queens would be at a general disadvantage when it comes to recruiting young players though.
with the exception of some from Monaghan, and  a few Donegal lads,(and Barry Moran of Mayo i believe a few years ago) Neither attract nearly any young players from south of the border,
compare it to DCU who have players from every province in their Academy, NUIG would pick up Connachts best but also some of the best from the Midlands,  Northern parts of Munster and up as far as Cavan.
The Southern schools would have more counties within their catchment region.

Is the reverse not true? That no players from the six counties play down south. There's only two good Sigerson teams in the north in UUJ and Queens, with Mary's taking an odd decent footballer too. Given that players will be coming from the six counties they actually have a great pick. Whereas down south you have competitive Sigerson teams from GMIT, NUIG, UL, LIT, CIT, UCC, UCD, DCU, DIT, Athlone IT and Dundalk IT and Garda. Then you have plenty of Marys type teams like Sligo IT, Maynooth, Carlow, Letterkenny etc. That means players tend to be more thinly spread across colleges in the south than the north.

BTW - Andy Moran is the Mayo lad you're referring too, Barry Moran is with DIT.

[tyrone86]

Forker played in the Rannafast Final in September 04 as a 5th year so he'd have been 15 or 16 at that time - so he'd be U21 this year and possibly next year