Sigerson Cup

[mad tan]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

[Man Marker]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

[AZOffaly]

[Captain Obvious]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

They have and this competition is more to blame for burn out than the U21 championship IMO.

To answer the OP questions. Starting Tuesday the 26th. The favorites will be DCU,UCD and UUJ.

[general_lee]

St Mary's have a good team this year. UUJ have all the big names but apparently don't play well together? I thought they done rightly in the McK cup.

[Mikhailov]

Just read an article on this competition in the Gaelic Life today. In order I read about QUB and their listed squad, then St. Mary's + listed squad and then UUJ. The difference between these squads in terms of high profile names is unreal. UUJ have at least at least 20 lads who have played county senior plus another 5 + who have played county U21. It is hard to imagine any of the southern teams having that sort of representation so surely UUJ are favourites (on paper). Maybe they don't play as a unit and too many star men trying to win it on their own but on the list in the GL that is some squad of players. However, St.Marys due to the small size of the school is more like a club team and may fare out better as they are probably a closer knit unit more akin to a club side. QUB could surprise a few but unlikely.

[ck]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

They have and this competition is more to blame for burn out than the U21 championship IMO.

To answer the OP questions. Starting Tuesday the 26th. The favorites will be DCU,UCD and UUJ.

Hard to disagree with this (much as I'd like to). The problem isn't Sigerson per say, or indeed U.21 for that matter. The problem is that the same players are playing across all of these competitions. If the GAA had a set of balls they would make the Sigerson a non county players competition and take it back to its roots (a development competition) and therefore stop all these colleges like DCU and UUJ running around after big name county players. It would also give good club players an avenue to prove themselves through their college. At the minute these lads are down the pecking order due to the scholarship culture.

[bennydorano]

There were more recognisable names on the UUJ team than the Armagh team in the McKenna Cup game, first time i've ever experienced that. They played well that night & looked very organised. If I were having a punt it would be on UUJ.

[smort]

There were more recognisable names on the UUJ team than the Armagh team in the McKenna Cup game, first time i've ever experienced that. They played well that night & looked very organised. If I were having a punt it would be on UUJ.

Well they are favourites and it is being held in Jordanstown this year. I think St Marys could be in with a shout, seemed more than decent in the McKenna cup

[Lone Shark]

Not a lot of love for the Sigerson here, or in general to be fair - but I can't see the all-powerful GPA ever standing for it to be downgraded. After all, scholarships are one of the very few actual monetary benefits that county players get, and if you turn it into a competition for non-county players or anything like that, then they'll dry up.

Similar to the idea that it should be played before Christmas - that's all very well, but what happens when a player who's on a scholarship is told to play Sigerson first and foremost, to the detriment of his club? He can't say no in that situation.

[twohands!!!]

Not a lot of love for the Sigerson here, or in general to be fair - but I can't see the all-powerful GPA ever standing for it to be downgraded. After all, scholarships are one of the very few actual monetary benefits that county players get, and if you turn it into a competition for non-county players or anything like that, then they'll dry up.

Similar to the idea that it should be played before Christmas - that's all very well, but what happens when a player who's on a scholarship is told to play Sigerson first and foremost, to the detriment of his club? He can't say no in that situation.

The key thing about the Sigerson(and Fitzgibbon) is that the GAA has very little in the way of control over it - if the GAA do try to ban it or restrict it to non-county players, the odds are very high that the universities and colleges would simply ignore them and run the competition independently.

[Syferus]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

They have and this competition is more to blame for burn out than the U21 championship IMO.

To answer the OP questions. Starting Tuesday the 26th. The favorites will be DCU,UCD and UUJ.

Most county players have to travel large distances to U21 training; they have to walk over the road to Sigerson training. It should be played in Sept-Dec. It's not the demon some like to set it up to be and its prestige means colleges give many young players scholarships that mean they can attend college without a financial sword at their neck.

[skeog]

well said syferus good to see colleges encouraging our young gaa players, for many it helps them to a better education than they may have hoped for in some cases

[Captain Obvious]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

They have and this competition is more to blame for burn out than the U21 championship IMO.

To answer the OP questions. Starting Tuesday the 26th. The favorites will be DCU,UCD and UUJ.

Most county players have to travel large distances to U21 training; they have to walk over the road to Sigerson training. It should be played in Sept-Dec. It's not the demon some like to set it up to be and its prestige means colleges give many young players scholarships that mean they can attend college without a financial sword at their neck.

Sept- Dec is used up for College league and i doubt few posters here could name the two finalists last December. Throw in the O Byrne cup,McKenna,FBD where managers of those college sides try to peak their players in time for the Sigerson cup.

Scrapping their college league and no more college sides in the pre season tournaments would be one way to ease the burden on these young players.

[Syferus]

When it starting? who's the favourites and any big guns playing this year.

An elitist compo that significantly impacts on the identified vulnerable group of 18-21 year olds who experience burn out. HQ has buried there heads in the sand on this compo.

They have and this competition is more to blame for burn out than the U21 championship IMO.

To answer the OP questions. Starting Tuesday the 26th. The favorites will be DCU,UCD and UUJ.

Most county players have to travel large distances to U21 training; they have to walk over the road to Sigerson training. It should be played in Sept-Dec. It's not the demon some like to set it up to be and its prestige means colleges give many young players scholarships that mean they can attend college without a financial sword at their neck.

Sept- Dec is used up for College league and i doubt few posters here could name the two finalists last December. Throw in the O Byrne cup,McKenna,FBD where managers of those college sides try to peak their players in time for the Sigerson cup.

Scrapping their college league and no more college sides in the pre season tournaments would be one way to ease the burden on these young players.

The way the implication of moving the Sigerson Cup to Sept-Dec. It's the schedule that's the poison not colleges or U21 teams.