UCD's Diarmuid Moriarty kicks a point against MTU Kerry in the Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup. Photo by Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup quarter-finals
TU Dublin 2-15 University of Limerick 2-11
UCD 5-18 MTU Kerry 1-4
By Paul Keane
It won't have slipped TU Dublin's attention that the teams that knocked them out of the last two Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup campaigns went on to win the title.
Perhaps this is to be TU Dublin's year to claim the silverware themselves with a third win in the competition propelling them through to the semi-finals, along with UCD.
A squad brimming with inter-county talent, led in attack by Dublin All-Star Colm Basquel, certainly look like a side on a mission this year.
Second-half goals from Monaghan's Sean Jones and Dubliner Jack Lundy, and a strong performance from Basquel who helped set up the crucial second goal, proved decisive this evening in Grangegorman.
Meath's Jordan Morris, fresh from Allianz League activity against Cork last weekend, impressed too.
It's a step further than TU Dublin got in 2024 when eventual winners Ulster University beat them at the quarter-final stage while 2023 champions UCC beat them in the semi-finals that season.
As for UL, it's the end of the line for the 2022 and 2023 finalists who never really got it going save for a mini-blitz during the first-half when they responded to a slow start with 1-3 on the bounce.
And yet Declan Brouder's crew would have felt they were in a strong position at half time having initially negotiated the strong wind which largely favoured TU Dublin.
The home team were just a point ahead at the break, 0-9 to 1-5, despite starting strongly with five of the game's first six points.
UL then hit that purple patch, reeling off 1-3 without response between the 17th and 25th minutes, to briefly take a two-point lead.
Sean McDonnell, who made his NFL debut for Cork last weekend, hit 1-1 during that surge of UL scoring but three TU Dublin points in a row to finish the half, from Morris, Jones and Basquel, put them in pole position and they largely remained there.
Jones struck TU Dublin's first goal five minutes after the restart and Basquel did brilliantly to create their second, taking off on a searing run down the left and playing the ball across for Jones who was fouled for a penalty that Lundy converted.
Leading 2-13 to 1-9, TU Dublin looked home and hosed but 1-1 in quick response from UL, including a second goal from Mallow man McDonnell, kept the hosts honest until the end.
UCD had it far easier this afternoon at Belfield where Cormac Egan and rising Leitrim star Paul Honeyman both netted twice in their five-goal drubbing of MTU Kerry.
Tullamore man Egan's first goal helped last season's finalists to lead by 1-9 to 0-4 at the interval and they piled on the pressure in the second-half with Ben O'Carroll also netting.
Honeyman only came on in the 45th minute but still managed to hit the net twice while O'Carroll finished with 1-3 and there were impressive cameos from Westmeath's Ronan O'Toole, Meath's Diarmuid Moriarty and Dubliner Luke Breathnach.
Scorers for TU Dublin: Sean Jones 1-3; Jack Lundy 1-1 (1-0 pen); Jordan Morris 0-3; Danny McCartan, Colm Basquel (0-1 45), Joe Prendergast 0-2 each; Conor Fee, Sean Hanafin 0-1 each.
Scorers for University of Limerick: Sean McDonnell 2-1; Cian McHale 0-3 (0-2f); Cian O'Grady 0-2; Conal Dawson, Frank Irwin, Jack Fallon, Paddy O'Driscoll, Daniel Walsh 0-1 each.
TU Dublin: Jack Rodgers (Kildare); Cian Reilly (Cavan), Matt Nolan (Wicklow), Niall Carolan (Cavan); Darragh Fee (Wicklow), Cormac McKeogh (Cavan), Joe Prendergast (Wicklow); Cian McBride (Meath), Sean Hanifin (Kildare); Colm Basquel (Dublin), Jack Lundy (Dublin), Danny McCartan (Westmeath); Jordan Morris (Cavan), Conor Fee (Wicklow), Sean Jones (Monaghan).
Subs: Sean Reynolds (Louth) for D Fee (45); Darragh Rooney (Dublin) for C Fee (47); Ollie Brooks (Dublin) for McCartan (56); Darragh Lovett (Cavan) for Lundy (61).
University of Limerick: Billy Hogan (Meath); Paddy O'Driscoll (Cork), Brian McNamara (Clare), Fenton Kelly (Mayo); Eoin Clifford (Kerry), Darragh Cashman (Cork), Daniel Walsh (Clare); Thomas O'Donnell (Kerry), Darragh O'Hagan (Limerick); Conal Dawson (Mayo), Frank Irwin (Mayo), Darragh Heneghan (Roscommon); Cian McHale (Mayo), Sean McDonnell (Cork), Cian O'Grady (Kerry).
Subs: Padraig White (Kerry) for Dawson (45); Jack Fallon (Mayo) for O'Donnell & Cathal Ryan (Kerry) for O'Hagan (48); Jack McCabe (Galway) for Clifford (55); Charlie O'Sullivan (Cork) for Heneghan (63).
Referee: A Coyne (Westmeath).
