The draw for both the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon cups has been made - and there are some very interesting games ahead.
Pitting some of the finest young footballers and hurlers in the country against one another, both tournaments promise an exciting display of GAA throughout early next year.
Featuring Galway's Damien Comer (NUIG), Monaghan's Conor McCarthy (UCD), Mayo's Diarmuid O'Connor (DCU), Tipperary's Michael Breen (UCC), Clare's David Reidy (LIT) among others, yesterday's launch in Croke Park coincided with the draw for both tournaments.
Some stand-out ties in both tournaments involve last year's champions; Sigerson Cup winners St. Mary's and Fitzgibbon Cup holders, Mary Immaculate College of Limerick.
St. Mary's will begin their attempt at retention against near rivals UUJ, while last year's beaten finalists UCD take on Maynooth University in the first-round.
Mary I meanwhile are draw in a group with last year's losing finalists IT Carlow, as well as NUIG and Trinity College.
The full draws for both tournaments are below.
Sigerson Cup
Preliminary Round – 23/24 January
Athlone IT v Garda College
Dundalk IT v Trinity College
Round One – 23/24/30/31 January
A. UCC v Athlone IT/Garda College
B. NUI Galway v IT Sligo
C. Queen’s University v IT Tralee
D. Dublin IT v IT Carlow
E. St Mary’s v University Ulster Jordanstown
F. UL v Cork IT
G. Maynooth University v UCD
H. DCU v Dundalk IT/Trinity College
Quarter-Finals – Tuesday/Wednesday 6/7 February
Semi-Finals – Tuesday 13 February
Final – Saturday 17 February, Santry Avenue
Fitzgibbon Cup
Group A – Cork IT, UCC, UCD.
Group B – UL, Dublin IT, Waterford IT.
Group C – Limerick IT, DCU, Garda College.
Group D – Mary Immaculate, IT Carlow, NUI Galway, Trinity College.
Fixtures
Round 1 - Sunday 21 January
Round 2 – Wednesday/Thursday 24/25 January
Round 3 - Wednesday/Thursday 31 Jan/1 February
Quarter-Finals - Wednesday/Thursday 7/8 February
Winner A v Runner Up B
Winner B v Runner Up A
Winner C v Runner Up D
Winner D v Runner Up C
Semi-Finals – Tuesday 13 February
Final – Saturday 24 February, Mallow
