SIGERSON CUP SEMI-FINALS:THE ULSTER Bank Sigerson Cup moves to its end game this weekend in Maynooth and in one of those quirky developments that the competition, now in its 99th year, sometimes throws up, the hosts will be there and in contention despite such an outcome having looked physically impossible when the quarter-final pitched them against UUJ up in Jordanstown.

Managed by Galway All-Ireland winner John Divilly, the Kildare college gave their vaunted opponents a five-point lead and still managed to come out on top despite losing Dublin centre back Ger Brennan to a second yellow card in the second half.

As a guide to where the teams ranked, Jordanstown had won the Division One title before Christmas and Maynooth the Division Two equivalent.

Compared to many of their rivals Maynooth aren’t creaking with the freight of intercounty stars but both Brennan and Galway’s Niall Coyne have been major contributors to the team’s great progress this season, as they go in search of the title which they have so far won only once, back in 1976.

This afternoon’s semi-final is expected to be a stretch too far, as they take on the now hot favourites DCU, who do creak at the seams with well-known players but who are missing with injury Seán Johnston from Cavan, a main player when the north Dublin college won their only title to date, four years ago.

On their path to the last four DCU have accounted for a very strong UCD in the first round and a somewhat subdued but nonetheless star-studded Cork IT in the quarter-finals. That win over the holders makes Niall Moyna’s team the hot favourites but then again not quite as hot as UUJ were before the quarter-final.

In the other semi-final Athlone IT, who contested their first finals weekend 12 years ago in Tralee, bring what some consider their strongest Sigerson team to this year’s last four. They’ll have their work cut out though against a solid UCC team driven by current All Star full back Michael Shields and John Buckley. Overall though it looks like DCU’s to lose.

SIGERSON CUP SEMI-FINALS (at Maynooth College North Campus): Athlone IT v UCC, 12.00; DCU v Maynooth, 3.00.