This year's Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon Cup final weekend gets under way at Cork IT this afternoon. Although holders Limerick IT are back in the last four the competition is fairly open with any of three teams capable of winning it.

Galway-Mayo IT, appearing in the college's first Fitzgibbon semi-finals, are outsiders and suffered a severe loss going into today's match with LIT when it was revealed yesterday that their Limerick All Star Andrew O'Shaughnessy, who scored 2-6 in the surprise one-point win over Cork IT in the quarter-finals, would miss out because of a broken toe sustained in training.

This will complicate the task of taking on the champions who have reached this stage without having hit the heights of last year but playing well within themselves, as the quarter-final win over UCD proved especially in the absence of the prodigious Joe Canning.

The second semi-final is expected to be a harder call with enduring rivals Waterford IT and UCC lining up.

In the group stages of this year's competition Waterford were impressive, beating both the highly fancied Limerick teams and powering past a disappointing DIT in the quarter-finals.

According to Colm Bonnar, WIT's sport and student development officer, Waterford aren't at their strongest stage of their cycle.

"Last year when we played LIT we were able to field 15 intercounty players. This season we're down to around four or five and unusually, we've been playing a couple of freshers, TJ Reid and Shane Fives. But we're confident we have as good a chance as anyone else going into the semi-finals."

Unlike WIT, UCC were seeded in their group and emerged to give a well-regarded St Patrick's-Mater Dei a comfortable beating despite the match being ultra-competitive for most of the hour.

A strong centrefield of Michael Rice and Kevin Hartnett will be a major test for Waterford but the latter's well balanced outfit, with Kilkenny's John Dalton and Waterford's Kevin Moran the foundations in defence and the Ballyhale Reid brothers TJ and Eoin up front (3-4 between them in the quarter-final), WIT look equipped to progress to the final, which they last reached in 2006.

In the first semi-final, LIT will be expected to advance. O'Shaughnessy, who has scored 2-22 in GMIT's three games to date, isn't his team's only loss as Conor Kavanagh who scored 1-2 against Cork IT is also missing. The Galway under-21 All-Ireland winner is suffering from a broken jaw.

GMIT selector Michael Geoghegan concedes the absences are a major burden going into so vital a match.

"It's a big ask without two of our most influential players when you are up against a side of LIT's ability. All we can do is our best.

"But having said that, it's our first Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final and we have to go out with a strong mentality.

"There is a great team spirit in this side and great character. The lads have performed well to date in the competition and hopefully they can produce this against Limerick IT."

Meanwhile, it will be an interesting day for Tipperary brothers Donagh and Shane Maher who will both be in action for this semi-final.

The Burgess pair, both of whom have had Munster success at underage level, will line out on opposing sides - Donagh for GMIT and Shane for LIT.

Next Thursday, the night before the college is due to host its first Sigerson Cup, Carlow IT will host a debate between the GAA presidential candidates, Liam O'Neill (Laois), Christy Cooney (Cork) and Seán Fogarty (Tipperary).

The event will be held at the Institute at 7.30pm and will be chaired by RTÉ's Michael Lyster.

FITZGIBBON CUP SEMI-FINALS(at Cork IT): Limerick IT v Galway-Mayo IT, 1pm; University College Cork v Waterford IT, 3pm. Final, Saturday, 3pm.