Sheehan's sights on two prizes

GAELIC GAMES: Sigerson Cup There is increasing evidence that the Sigerson Cup is moving from a healthy third level football tournament to being one of the most competitive elements of the GAA season.

The four teams that contest this weekend's finals at Queen's University could probably challenge any county team at the moment, especially given they are largely made up of county players in the first place.

That quality is reflected by the fact that Ulster Bank have come on board this year as new sponsors, the start of a five-year deal that will add further status to the competition - added to the live TG4 coverage of Saturday's final.

Winning the title outright also brings considerable status to the successful college, especially if they can win it on home turf, as is the hope of Queen's this weekend.

The Belfast college play Cork IT in the first of Friday's semi-finals, with Sligo IT meeting the University of Ulster at Jordanstown in the other. The winners of both meet in Saturday's final, which has a 2.30pm start at the main Queen's pitch, The Dub.

Predicting the outcome at this stage is particularly difficult, given the quality of all four teams, plus some of the surprise results so far. Holders DCU, for one, were beaten by UUJ in round two, while perennial favourites UCD were dismissed by Queen's.

All four semi-finalists have their share of county players - Armagh senior Charlie Vernon with Queen's, for example, or one of the big stars on display this weekend, Kerry's Bryan Sheehan.

The Kerry senior captain and understudy of a certain Maurice Fitzgerald plays a key midfield and free-taking role with Cork IT.

Sheehan, therefore, has had a busy start to the year, already playing in three big games for Kerry against Mayo, Cork and just last Sunday against Fermanagh. While he turns his attention to Cork IT this weekend, Sheehan's main goal for the year is unquestionably Kerry's attempt to win a second successive All-Ireland, and that process, he feels, is already underway.

"The two in a row is the major driving force behind us this year," he says. "We do feel we have the players to go on and do it. But the teams doing well in the league are the teams popping up in the semi-finals and finals of the championship. That's what we want to concentrate for now.

"But the captaincy thing is no distraction. We've loads of leaders on the field like Darragh (Ó Sé), Eamonn Fitzmaurice, Tomás Ó Sé and Diarmuid Murphy. They're leaders and know I'm still young, and put no real pressure on me. They let me go out and express myself.

"And I wasn't surprised at all that Darragh kept going for another year. Not with the hunger Darragh has and all the Ó Sés have. When you look at last Sunday against Fermanagh when we were down to 14 men when you wanted to stand up and be counted he was there. I think the two in a row is driving Darragh on, he knows there is a team there that is capable of doing it.

"He could have followed Séamus Moynihan and Mike McCarthy. But Darragh knows his own body well and I think hunger is the main thing. If he had lost that he would be gone. But it's a massive factor that he's back with the Kerry team."

Sheehan, like his team-mates, is also getting to know new Kerry manager Pat O'Shea: "The change is good, not doing the same thing over and over, but with new regimes, new structures, and a lot of freshness about it. And we are concentrating on qualifying for the knock-out stages, not just survival.

"If you get that far, say the semi-finals and final, you're playing more football in better games. So we're not just trying to stay safe in the division. We're determined to reach the knock-outs."

Kerry's chances of making the league semi-finals may well come down to their last match away against Dublin, and Sheehan would love to see that game played in Croke Park: "There is no player that wouldn't fancy coming to Croke Park with the lighting system here and the attention that rugby has brought to it.

"I think every player would love to come in here and play football. I think it would be a smashing game to have here, especially if both teams have something to play for."

The GAA have announced details of the All-Ireland Club Junior and Intermediate finals in football and hurling, which take place in Croke Park on the weekend of March 10th/11th.

The football finals, between Duagh of Kerry and Greencastle of Tyrone will have a 5.30pm start in junior and the intermediate between Eoghan Ruadh of Derry and Ardfert of Kerry a 7.30pm start on Saturday, March 10th - under the Croke Park floodlights.

The hurling finals see Kilkenny's Danesfort play Antrim's Clooney Gaels in junior at 2pm and Killimordaly of Galway against London side Robert Emmets in the intermediate decider at 3.40pm on the afternoon of Sunday, March 11th.

Tickets are on sale through the GAA website, GAA ticket office (01-8658657) and Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.