Ronan Gallagher impresses at half-back as DCU cruise into Sigerson Cup last eight

Ronan Gallagher played a key role at centre half-back as DCU eased into the quarter-finals of the Sigerson Cup with a dominant 3-14 to 0-10 victory over ATU Sligo at St Clare’s on Tuesday night.

Gallagher, who hails from Downings, helped marshal the DCU defence during a comprehensive win.

On the opposing side, Four Masters’ Richard O’Rourke lined out at full-back for Sligo, and while ATU’s challenge was not without moments of resistance, it was clear from early on that DCU were the superior force. Another Donegal presence, Kyle McNulty from Realt na Mara, was introduced from the bench for Sligo but was unable to halt DCU’s charge.

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The game began slowly, but DCU broke the deadlock with points from Tom Prior and Sligo native Luke Marren, with ATU responding through James Donlon’s excellent score on 12 minutes. However, DCU continued to dominate, adding successive points from Ciaran Caulfield, Ethan Dunne, and Ryan Donoghue.

A fortuitous goal from Conor Dolan on the 19th minute further extended DCU’s advantage, with ATU’s Jack Lavin briefly halting the tide. Still, DCU went into the break with a commanding 1-9 to 0-2 lead, thanks to additional points from Marren, Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan, and Conor Heffernan.

In the second half, Emmanuel Sehu struck early for ATU Sligo, but Marren responded with a free to restore DCU’s ten-point cushion. Despite further efforts from Sehu and centre-forward Matthew Carey, ATU’s purple patch was short-lived. Dolan scored his second goal of the evening, and Eoghan Smith added a third in stoppage time to ensure DCU’s progression to the next stage.