The 2023 Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup gets underway this week. We've highlighted 11 players to keep an eye out for in this year's competition.
Darragh Canavan
Team: Ulster University
Club: Errigal Ciaran
County: Tyrone
Studying: Quantity Surveying
2 February 2022; Darragh Canavan of Ulster University in action against Jordan Morrissey of DCU Dóchas Éireann during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup Quarter-Final match between DCU Dóchas Éireann and Ulster University at Dublin City University Sportsground in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Son of the great Peter Canavan, and already an All-Ireland winner with Tyrone in 2021. The forward was the top scorer in the 2022 Tyrone SFC as Errigal Ciarán won their first title in a decade.
Conor Flaherty
Team: UL
Club: Claregalway
County: Galway
Studying: Bachelor of education in engineering and technology
16 February 2022; UL goalkeeper Conor Flaherty during heavy rain during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup Final match between NUI Galway and University of Limerick at IT Carlow in Carlow. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Had he not picked up an injury during last year's National League Division 2 final against Roscommon, it's likely that Flaherty would have been Galway's first choice goalkeeper for the championship. Instead, that role fell to Conor Gleeson as the Tribesmen reached the All-Ireland final.
Flaherty was between the posts for the University of Limerick last year as they reached the Sigerson Cup final. He was also part of the UL panel which was victorious in the Fitzgibbon Cup.
Ruairí Murphy
Team: UCC
Club: Listry
County: Kerry
Studying: Biological Science
16 October 2022; East Kery players, from left, David Clifford, Paudie Clifford and Ruairi Murphy celebrate at the final whistle of the Kerry County Senior Football Championship semi-final match between East Kerry and Dingle at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
One of 10 new call-ups to the Kerry senior panel made by manager Jack O'Connor for the 2023 season. Murphy won a Kerry SFC title with divisional side East Kerry in 2022 playing in the half-forward line.
Colin Walsh
Team: Maynooth University
Club: Oran
County: Roscommon
Studying: Product Design
30 November 2022; Ben O'Carroll of UCD in action against Colin Walsh of Maynooth University during the Electric Ireland Higher Education Senior Football Division 1 League Final at the Dublin City University Sports Campus. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
One of the rising stars of Roscommon football. The Oran man captained the Rossies to the 2021 Connacht U20 Football Championship title, a campaign that eventually ended with defeat to Offaly in the All-Ireland final.
Walsh played centre-back for Maynooth as they defeated UCD by a point in the Electric Ireland HE GAA Senior Football Division 1 League Final in November. Maynooth are managed by Davy Burke, the Kildare man who took over as Roscommon senior football boss.
Drama and history for Maynooth!
See the last-kick winner from Dublin man Darragh Warnock & hear him talk the talk on our Live Stream..@DubMatchTracker @DubGAAOfficial @WeAreDub @GAA__JOE @The42GAA @ballsdotie @MaynoothUniGAA @ElectricIreland @alanmilton pic.twitter.com/xHJ1p51RsU
— GAA Higher Education (@HigherEdGAA) November 30, 2022
Conor Corbett
Team: DCU
Club: Clyda Rovers
County: Cork
Studying: PE and Biology
1 September 2019; Cork captain Conor Corbett celebrates with club-mates after the Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Final match between Cork and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
The young forward made his long-awaited senior debut for Cork in the McGrath Cup hammering of Kerry earlier this month. Corbett captained the Rebels to the 2019 Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor title scoring 4-22 in the championship, including 1-7 in the final.
He suffered a knee injury in the 2021 Munster U20 final which was a serious setback to his progress. A week prior, he had scored 2-4 as Cork defeated Kerry in the Munster semi-final.
Conor Corbett levels the scoreboard with a fantastic goal, bringing this thriller of an All-Ireland final to extra-time! pic.twitter.com/LWz3BfvJKW
— The GAA (@officialgaa) September 1, 2019
Tommy Conroy
Team: University of Galway
Club: The Neale
County: Mayo
Studying: Professional Master of Education
11 September 2021; Tommy Conroy of Mayo is tackled by Pádraig Hampsey of Tyrone during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Mayo and Tyrone at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
The University of Galway go into this year's Sigerson Cup as the reigning champions. They will also have a trump card to play - Tommy Conroy - which was not in their hand during the latter stages of last year's competition. Conroy suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during Galway's quarter-final victory over Letterkenny IT.
The good news for Galway, and his county, is that Mayo assistant manager Stephen Rochford said in December that Conroy, one of the most exciting forwards in the country, should be available to play competitive games in the new year.
Lorcan O'Dell
Team: DCU
Club: Templeogue Synge Street
County: Dublin
Studying: Arts
A huge score from Lorcan O'Dell levels it for @Tempsyngest 🙌#GoAheadDSF1 pic.twitter.com/GP4vCrEuGO
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) August 19, 2022
O'Dell only made his Dublin senior debut in last year's O'Byrne Cup, but by July was starting the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry.
He was named Leinster U20 Player of the Year in 2020 as Dublin won the provincial title, and reached the All-Ireland final.
Cormac Egan
Team: UCD
Club: Tullamore
County: Offaly
Studying: Economics and Finance
“It's been a long time coming for Offaly” 👌👊
Is é Cormac Egan @Offaly Laoch na hImeartha inniu! Comhghairdeas leat 👏👏👏 @EirGrid @GAA_BEO @gaaleinster #GAA #GAABEO @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/2Z9LnQYgUh
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) July 22, 2021
Egan lit up the 2021 All-Ireland U20 Championship with adventurous play and electric scores as Offaly won the title. However, his progress was disrupted by a severe hamstring injury suffered in the autumn of 2021. Though he returned to play with Offaly early last year, he sustained a recurrence of the injury which kept him out of action until the latter stages of the 2022 Offaly SFC. Egan was part of the UCD side which reached the final of the Electric Ireland HE GAA Senior Football Division 1 League in November.
Matthew Downey
Team: Queens
Club: Lavey
County: Derry
Studying: Mechanical Engineering
18 July 2021; Former Derry player and 1993 all Ireland winning team captain Henry Downey with his son Derry captain Matthew Downey after the 2020 Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Final match between Derry and Kerry at Bord Na Mona O’Connor Park in Tullamore. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Matthew is the son of Henry Downey who captained Derry to the 1993 All-Ireland title. The son has already began to follow in his father's footsteps by leading the county to the 2020 Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor title. The forward was named Electric Ireland Minor Footballer of the Year for 2020.
He made his senior debut for Derry in 2022, and was part of the panel which won Ulster and reached the All-Ireland semi-final.
Joseph Keaney
Team: ATU Sligo
Club: St Molaise Gaels
County: Sligo
Studying: BSc (Hons) Sport with Business
The midfielder was inspirational for Sligo last year as the county won its first ever Connacht U20 Football Championship title with victory over Mayo. The all-action Keaney was named 2022 Connacht U20 Player of the Year.
He was also part of the St Molaise Gaels side which returned to the senior ranks in Sligo with victory over Easkey in the 2022 intermediate final.
27 nóim #KILvSLI
@KildareGAA 0–05@sligogaa 0-03A leithéad de scór ó Joseph Keaney 🤩
Great strength and determination shown here! 👊👊
@GAA_BEO @officialgaa
#GAABEOBEO AR @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/TnfyFo7fVA
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) May 7, 2022
Evan Looney
Team: MTU Kerry
Club: Dr Crokes
County: Kerry
Studying: Health and Leisure
10 February 2022; Tomo Culhane of NUI Galway in action against Evan Looney of MTU Kerry during the during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Sigerson Cup Semi-Final match between NUI Galway and MTU Kerry at Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale, Limerick. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile
The Dr Crokes man was named Munster U20 Player of the Year for 2022 as Kerry won the provincial title and reached the All-Ireland semi-final. Playing in the half-forward line, Looney was Man of the Match in the Munster final victory over Cork.
He was also part of the MTU Kerry side which progressed to the semi-finals of last year's Sigerson Cup.
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