Published: Wednesday, 17th February, 2010 5:00pm

Board slates timing of Sigerson Cup

Cavan's Ronan Flanagan, who missed the NFL opener having sustained an injury playing with DCU

Paul Fitzpatrick

CAVAN county board chairman Tom Reilly has blasted the timing of the Sigerson Cup, the main football competitiion for third level collges which is played off each spring.

"Tommy Carr and his management team have been working hard in difficult circumstances to prepare our team despite the obstacles of injury and unavailablity of players who are forced to divide their loyalties between college and county due to poor fixture making at national level," wrote Reilly in his message in the programme for last Saturday's NFL clash with Antrim.

"This problem affects nearly every county and is something which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency," he said.

Cavan have suffered the loss of two of the county's top players due to injury sustained on college duty already this season.

Sean Johnston suffered a suspected broken elbow while helping DCU to victory over UCD last Wednesday week while, in the same game, 2009 Cavan captain Ronan Flanagan picked up a "severe dead leg" which ruled him out of last Sunday week's NFL Division Three opener away to Carr's former charges Roscommon. Tom Reilly's comments come just a fortnight after Carr himself expressed similar sentiments.

"It just confirms my thoughts on the timing of the Sigerson," stated the manager.

"I'm a former Sigerson player myself, but to play it at this time of the year is ridiculous," he said.

"We have been denied the players up until now [days before the league began], and then they play the Sigerson just a few days before the start of the league."