DCU Dóchas Éireann players celebrate after their side's victory in the Electric Ireland Higher Education GAA Sigerson Cup final match between UCD and DCU DÉ at the GAA Connacht Centre of Excellence in Bekan, Mayo. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Final
DCU 1-16 UCD 3-6
Kevin Egan at the Connacht COE, Bekan
DCU are the Sigerson Cup champions for the sixth time in their history and the first time since 2020, and the four-point margin of their victory at the Connacht Centre of Excellence last night understated the comprehensive manner in which they outplayed their neighbours from the opposite side of the city.
In a contest where both sides struggled for accuracy at times and where both sides played the game with a high tempo in a bid to open up space, DCU’s control of the kickout battle and their greater range of scoring threats was the difference. In a game where the majority of scores came from players that were lined out at midfield or in defence, the craft and creativity of Tom Prior and later in the game, Darragh Swords, gave Seán Fox’s side a cutting edge that UCD lacked.
Darragh McElearney’s stoppage time goal took the bleak look off the scoreboard for UCD, but up to that point they had been comprehensively outplayed by their opponents, who lorded the middle third of the field and were able to move the ball forward much more quickly and effectively.
An early goal for Ryan O’Toole undid DCU’s solid start, where points from Greg McEneaney and Ethan Dunne gave the underdogs a real confidence boost.
John Divilly’s side began to get some good possession with Luke Breathnach, Cormac Egan and in particular Callum Bolton influential around the middle third, but they were undone by some poor shots and shot choices up front, with the Roscommon duo of Daire Cregg and Ben O’Carroll struggling to emulate their strong form from the earlier rounds of the competition.
Breathnach was incisive and he got on the board with one score while assisting another for Theo Clancy, but the cracks were appearing and it was DCU who were taking much more high percentage shots. A crude look at the stats suggests that UCD had more chances, but when measured by quality, it was arguably DCU that would have felt unlucky not to take a lead into the dressing rooms.
After half-time, there was no argument, as the northside college stepped it up again.
Scores from Conor Heffernan and Niall Dolan nudged them into the lead early in the second half and they suddenly had a five-point advantage when Dunne took a solid shoulder and stood up to fire a low shot inside Killian Roche’s near post with seven minutes played.
The raucous roar from the DCU bench illustrated how they knew they had their opponents on the ropes and even after Bolton replied in kind with an excellent low finish, by now it was a landslide in the middle of the field, where DCU easily retained their own kickouts and also caused huge problems on Killian Roche’s restarts for UCD.
With good early ball heading in to the DCU forwards, Tom Prior, Darragh Swords and Lorcan O’Dell contributed to a run of five unanswered scores that heightened the sense of desperation in UCD, who kept throwing everything at it, but not necessarily with accuracy.
One such hit and hope effort from Aaron Lynch was met with a clean strike from Darragh McElearney for a third UCD goal, but the late score from the Drumhowan man was only cosmetic as Seán Hurson allowed only another 60 seconds before blowing the final whistle to confirm DCU’s hugely impressive win.
Scorers for DCU: Ethan Dunne 1-2, Tom Prior 0-3, Darragh Swords 0-3 (0-1f), Luke Marren 0-2f, Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan 0-1, Conor Heffernan 0-1, Niall Dolan 0-1, Ciarán Caulfield 0-1, Lorcan O’Dell 0-1, Greg McEneaney 0-1.
Scorers for UCD: Callum Bolton 1-2, Ryan O’Toole 1-0, Darragh McElearney 1-0, Daire Cregg 0-2f, Theo Clancy 0-1, Luke Breathnach 0-1.
DCU: Eoin McGuinness; Bryan Masterson, Luke Glennon, Alex Gavin; Eoghan O'Connor-Flanagan, Ronan Gallagher, Ciarán Caulfield; Ethan Dunne, Conor Heffernan; Niall Dolan, Conor Dolan, Greg McEneaney; Tom Prior, Ryan Donohoe, Luke Marren.
SUBS: Lorcan O'Dell for C Dolan (34), Darragh Swords for Donohoe (36), Johnny McGroddy for N Dolan (50), Jack Tumulty for Marren (55).
UCD: Killian Roche; Malachy Stone, Darragh McElearney, Theo Clancy; Charlie McMorrow, Charlie Drumm, Ryan O'Toole; Callum Bolton, Peter Duffy; Mark McNally, Luke Breathnach, Cormac Egan; Daire Cregg, Ben O'Carroll, Aaron Lynch.
SUBS: Sam Callinan for McNally (half-time), Paul Honeyman for O’Carroll (44), Diarmuid Moriarty for McMorrow (44), Senan Forker for Egan (48), Liam Costello for Duffy (57).
Referee: Seán Hurson (Tyrone).
