Donegal players back on the field with all hoping to progress in the Sigerson Cup

Aodh Ruadh and UCD player Shane McGrath is looking to this week’s Sigerson Cup round 2 full of optimism as his Dublin-based side hope to advance to the quarter-final of the competition by beating Ulster University in the capital on Tuesday. 
 
The Ballyshannon native is just one of 43 footballers from Donegal involved in the third-level competition in 2024, but currently sees his side in a fantastic position after overcoming ATU Galway on a 1-22 to 1-5 scoreline last week. 
 
“If we win against Ulster University, we will advance automatically to the quarter-finals which would be great,” McGrath said. 
 
“I think DCU are already in a preliminary draw because they lost the last day to Queen’s. So, if we beat Ulster University they will also go into the preliminary draw too. You’re then putting pressure on those big teams and avoiding that extra game. 
 
But the midfielder is not getting ahead of himself. 
 
“We’re not taking anything for granted. We topped our group in Leinster earlier in the league, but then lost out to Ulster University in the knockout stages, so, we know it won’t be easy.” 
 
UCD are hoping to reclaim the Sigerson trophy for the first time since 2018, but like most university players throughout the country, McGrath knows with the compact season of balancing county with this event, assembling a squad can be a difficult challenge. 
 
“You’re sometimes not sure who you have because of lads playing with their counties or sometimes their clubs. It’s really just trying to get your full squad together but really, you have to take it week by week, see who’s fit and who is able to play.” 
 
Though McGrath’s side may have the home advantage, Ulster University are currently flying high after recovering from an early five-point deficit to defeat reigning champions UCC 1-13 to 1-10 in Abbotstown in the opening round. 
 
McGrath will come up against fellow Donegal native and St Eunan’s player Ronan McGeehin who played his part in goals for Ulster University and came to the rescue for his side in the second half with a brilliant save from UCC’s Conor Daly to help his team out for a morale-boosting victory. 
 
Elsewhere, Maxi Curran and his ATU Donegal side are hoping to bounce back from their heavy defeat to University of Limerick when they travel to Dublin to take on MTU Cork in the hopes of keeping their Sigerson hopes alive. 
 
Of the starting 15 that took to the field for Curran’s side, 12 were from Donegal and it will be interesting to see how much the side will rotate this week and whether Jason McGee will return to team. 
 
For DCU, they will try to recover from their one-point defeat to Queen’s University when they play away to SETU Carlow on Wednesday with Jamie Grant from Termon, Ross Marley of Glenfin, Downings’ Johnny McGroddy and St Eunan’s Shane O’Donnell, who all played in the opening round, expected to make an appearance. 
 
In Connacht, ATU Sligo will host University of Galway with both sides looking for their first win of the campaign. Four Masters and former U-20 player Richard O’Rourke made an appearance for the Sligo side last week in the hope of salvaging a win for his team who fell to St Mary’s by one point.  
 
Conor Roarty from Naomh Conaill played corner-back for ATU Galway while Pauric Love of Kilcar was also part of the westerners' panel. 
 
In the other fixtures, Queen’s University - in which Four Masters player Senan Quinn is a part of the panel - will play TUS Midlands, St Mary’s will take on TU Dublin, where Glenswilly’s Donal Gallagher plays for the former, and University of Limerick will travel to Maynooth where Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin player Drew McKinney is a member of the squad.