Cormac Noonan rises above Craig Dias in midfield
Conor Bates | Sports Editor
Trinity 1-5
UCD 2-11
Trinity GAA were unfortunately bested in their first Sigerson Cup appearance since 2005, on Tuesday night. The 7:30 throw-in was moved from Trinity’s home grounds in Ringsend to Belfield as a result of adverse weather conditions.
Led by charismatic coach Ryan Casey and their captain, Fermanagh inter-county star Tomas Corrigan, Trinity were no doubt the underdogs in this affair. UCD’s side was littered with inter-county players of the highest order, and to overturn their pedigree would have been the biggest win in recent Trinity GAA history.
The first half saw Trinity playing with the wind behind them. In the 10th minute they made some of this advantage tell when Darragh Daly of Westmeath drove the ball into the UCD net. This advantage, and a solid Trinity defence, were whittled away by a formidable attacking threat from their Colours rivals. By the time the half arrived Trinity had accumulated 1-3, while UCD had notched up 6 points.
In all honesty, level at half-time was a great achievement. However, it would prove to be too little, as UCD would begin the second half with the wind at their backs. For the remainder of the game, Trinity managed only three more points, while their Belfield counterparts added five points to their tally, along with two devastating goals.
Trinity managed to secure their league status this year by the skin of their teeth, and were welcome returners to the realm of the Sigerson Cup. At times on the night, they showed their class; Darragh Daly scoring 1-1, Luke Turley converting two free kicks, and Trevor English and Paul McPadden contributing a point each. However, the Trinity GAA programme has some way to come before it will challenge the likes of UCD for Ireland’s most prestigious university trophy.
Trinity Team v UCD:
- Plunkett McCullagh
- Michael Boyle
- Donal Keoghan
- James McPadden
- Conor O’Donoghue
- Sean Murray
- Sean Higgins
- Cormac Noonan
- Darragh Daly
- Mark Regan
- Luke Turley
- Michael O’Grady
- Tomas Corrigan
- Trevor English
- Paul McPadden
