The Sigerson Cup starts this afternoon with eight preliminary-round matches taking place around the country and will reach its climax on the weekend of March 7th and 8th when holders Tralee RTC add to their distinction of being the first regional college to win the competition by becoming the first to host the event.
This year's Sigerson is being sponsored by Murphy's under the Amstel brand. The company also sponsored the third-level competition in 1995 and '96.
Responsibility for organising the event will largely fall to Tralee RTC development officer Donal Daly, the Kerry All-Ireland medallist and successor to John Kelliher who had overseen Tralee's rise to pre-eminence in recent years. Des Cullinane, chairman of the Comhairle Ard Oideachais, expressed himself "very confident" in the college's ability to discharge the task. He also said that there had been interest expressed by TnaG and The Munster Game (the local multi-channel programme) in transmitting the games.
For GAA president Joe McDonagh, the Sigerson evoked memories of his own playing career in UCG although not ones spiced with success as had been his experience in hurling's equivalent, the Fitzgibbon Cup.
He also made the point that for players like himself, the Sigerson "gave the opportunity - the only real one I had - to play football against the top players of the day".
In Des Cullinane's opinion, there are "eight or nine" teams in with a shout in this year's competition. Holders Tralee retain most of last year's successful panel, including All Star Seamus Moynihan and his All-Ireland winning colleagues, Barry O'Shea and William Kirby. They receive a bye through the preliminary round and face the survivors of today's Limerick RTC-Galway RTC match in the first round proper.
Garda College Templemore also have a bye and have been going well in league matches under new coach Anthony Davis, Cork's double All-Ireland medallist, who is said to have changed the physical emphasis associated with the side in its recent emergence which saw the guards reach the final two years ago and the semi-finals in 1995.
In the next round they will face the winners of UUJ and UL's meeting this coming Saturday. Jordanstown will have the usual strong complement of inter-county players when they take on last year's beaten finalists. Derry's Joe Cassidy and Paul Diamond, the McEntee brothers, John and Tony, from Armagh who won All-Ireland club medals with Crossmaglen last year and Fermanagh's Shane King are all available and the side is under the tutelage of Adrian McGuckin whose exploits at second-level with St Patrick's Maghera are well-known and for whom this constitutes a first venture into the Sigerson.
Among the other fixtures today, 1996 champions UCD travel to last year's hosts and surprise semi-finalists Coleraine, St Patrick's Maynooth host Sligo RTC, who impressed last year in reaching the semi-finals where they gave Tralee their toughest match.
Waterford Institute have Mayo's All-Ireland captain Noel Connelly on board for the visit of Cork RTC and Trench Cup holders Dundalk RTC travel to Galway.
