In my opinion, you should only be allowed play sigerson/fitzgibbon if you dont play under 21 county or vice versa. That way it prevents burnout and can give a level playing field for lads who dont go to college.

deadybai (Kilkenny) - Posts: 63 - 13/02/2015 15:59:41    1693314

Ryan mc Hugh and mark mc hugh must have went on holidays with Donegal. Neither of them featured in sigerson today.

flyer (Meath) - Posts: 815 - 13/02/2015 17:36:35    1693345

deadybai
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 42

1693314


In my opinion, you should only be allowed play sigerson/fitzgibbon if you dont play under 21 county or vice versa. That way it prevents burnout and can give a level playing field for lads who dont go to college.

I fully agree with this. Sigerson/Fitzgibbon was created for college students. It is now a competition for intercounty players on scholarships, who switch between colleges for years (Jim MCGuinness being a most famous culprit I can recall). In some cases courses are invented to get intercounty players to play in colleges competions (Conor Mortimor, Colm Parkinson, Jason Sherlock etc).

Colleges competitions should be for undergraduates who are not senior intercounty players. They can then choose to play either U21 with the county or Colleges football. This would reduce burnout and provide more opportunities to play a high standard of football, thereby improving the overall standard.

It would also allow the sigerson/fitzgibbon return to being the more social sporting competition it was intended to be. Not the semi-professional event it currently is.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1134 - 18/02/2015 09:10:33    1694618

You should only get one shot at Fitzgibbon/Sigerson competition.

If you compete at Sigerson/Fitzgibbon level during your under graduate degree then you are barred from competing when you go on to post graduate studies or if you go on to do another under graduate programme in another institution.

Post grads can compete but only if they haven't competed already i.e. that their undergrad was done in a non Sigerson/Fitzgibbon institute.

A simple rule like that would eliminate a lot of the endless, some dubious, degrees that fellas are being persuaded to take on. It would mean that the competitions would be the preserve of real students and that any player taking on a degree or a post grad are doing so for the right reasons.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 18/02/2015 09:20:12    1694620

See I wouldn't be one for stopping Post Grads playing if they have played as an Under Graduate for that or any other College/Uni. The problem which this is trying to get over is the journeymen who are Inter County footballers and make a career out of going to different Colleges around the country well beyond the normal age of students who attend on the basis of getting them playing Sigerson or whatever. Why should someone who is at Uni/College and has played Sigerson who then takes on a Masters, Post Grad or whatever course as a natural follow on to their degree be then told you've had your chance and thanks for the memories. Universities/Colleges need to cop on to themselves and select from those who have genuinely applied to do a course there rather than giving out Mickey Mouse courses or the likes just to get top players registered to play. And the journeymen also need to cop on to themselves and get out and get themselves a proper job rather than doing the rounds. But as to doing something officially about it I don't see what can be done.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 18/02/2015 09:44:20    1694627

Played college football and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it but it didn't matter to me a whole lot either way.
It was great to get some free gear and the piss ups after a game were brilliant.
But it would never be the same as playing for your club and/or county. Yes you want to win, but losing a big match would not leave you devastated like losing in championship would.

Saying that, I wouldn't see the point in completely scrapping, its a very good outlet for young lads to test themselves against some of the best up and coming players in the country. Scrapping it would be unfair on these lads.

It's also a place where a future star could be spotted. I remember Bryan Cullen playing CB for DCU and he was awesome. Playing Div 3 for Skerries at the time and might not have been thrown into the Dublin team quite as quickly and having such a massive role to play.
Maybe I am wrong saying that but I definitely think it helped him and then Dublin.

It's never going to be as well supported as the club or county games because simply only the students are affiliated with the team and a lot of them couldn't care less. But it is a good outlet for lads to play some really good football and improve their game also I think it is up to an individual how he wants to split his training load. If a young lad is on the intercoouinty senior, U21, club & college teams then he needs to be taught how to manage these commitments. Something the GPA might already be looking at doing and if not they should.

GAAHattrick (Dublin) - Posts: 278 - 18/02/2015 10:01:29    1694633

I'd sooner Wexford players had nothing to do with them.

Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 2709 - 18/02/2015 10:24:07    1694648

Offside_Rule
County: Antrim
Posts: 1975

1694627
See I wouldn't be one for stopping Post Grads playing if they have played as an Under Graduate for that or any other College/Uni. The problem which this is trying to get over is the journeymen who are Inter County footballers and make a career out of going to different Colleges around the country well beyond the normal age of students who attend on the basis of getting them playing Sigerson or whatever. Why should someone who is at Uni/College and has played Sigerson who then takes on a Masters, Post Grad or whatever course as a natural follow on to their degree be then told you've had your chance and thanks for the memories. Universities/Colleges need to cop on to themselves and select from those who have genuinely applied to do a course there rather than giving out Mickey Mouse courses or the likes just to get top players registered to play. And the journeymen also need to cop on to themselves and get out and get themselves a proper job rather than doing the rounds. But as to doing something officially about it I don't see what can be done.

I take your point but I rethink stopping Post Grads is a necessary evil. And they will have had the opportunity to play for the previous probably 3 years.

Agree totally that some lads need to get themselves out into the real world a lot earlier and stop with the arrested development.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13718 - 18/02/2015 10:39:29    1694653

I fancy WIT to win this out. They appear to be coming good at just the right time.

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 26/02/2015 09:51:03    1696974

I went for WIT to win the Fitzgibbon. After having to play extra time today and having a quarter final just a few days ago might be just too much to ask. On the other hand they may be on a roll.

LIT had a player sent off today for throwing his hurl at an opponent. Since when did that become a red card offence? Just two weeks ago Anthony Nash threw his hurl at a Kilkenny player and he wasn't even booked!

westisthebest (Galway) - Posts: 444 - 27/02/2015 19:54:25    1697520

The Fitzgibbon and Sigerson are elite competitions. Students who play in these treasure their medals.

A problem has arisen in recent times due to the pressures of inter county managers where they are pressurising players to make a choice between college and county. The very same situation is happening in schools where inter county managers are placing undue demands on players from 16 to 18.

The GAA has attempted to tackle this situation but there is constant interference and alick a doo comments from the managers of county teams trying to demean the competitions at college and school in an attempt to get sole access to players.

Its happening in too many counties.

Its incredible to have county panels at minor level starting training sessions in November for championships starting the following April. Look at what happened in Wexford last year! Look at what happened in Waterford this year with their minor team a few weeks ago! Thankfully a few at senior management level in these counties have made stringent efforts to protect players and allow them to play with their schools.

So to the original poster of this thread, go to a few games, enjoy them and come back and tell us your experiences. I believe that both competitions are among the best that a student can play. Its important to the colleges and its important to the coaches and people involved in the colleges. They have their sense of place, just as I have in my club. Its important to them too. Nobody in the GAA should underestimate the input of schools and colleges to the GAA. Without schools and college competition, the GAA family and experience would be a lot poorer.

To me, its about time that the GAA put their faith in schools and colleges and ensure that players play for their school and college only when its their season and BAN yes BAN managers from accessing these players until their competitions are ended.

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1821 - 28/02/2015 15:05:19    1697645

dont care about these competitions. getting rid of them is a bit too much, because after all colleges should have tournaments in which to play one another, but I simply dont care who wins.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 28/02/2015 15:32:00    1697651

Delighted to see that motion 28 has been passed!!!

carlowman (Carlow) - Posts: 1821 - 28/02/2015 15:38:34    1697656