This afternoon sees the final weekend of this year's Ulster Bank Sigerson Cup being played out in Queen's Belfast. Even by the standards of a host college it's a big couple of days for the home club.
Having lost the last three finals, James McCartan's team have an excellent chance of making amends for the run of bad luck and most observers, including the bookies, make them favourites to win out ahead of their Belfast rivals UUJ.
In the first semi-final (1.30pm) the hosts take on the outsiders of the quartet, Cork IT, who have reached this stage with comfortable wins over Waterford IT and Maynooth. With Kerry captain Bryan Sheehan and Cork's Daniel Goulding on board they're a useful team but will be up against it playing the favourites.
Queen's were more convincing winners of the quarter-final in Belfield than the final margin suggested. But they played in fits and bursts, leaving McCartan a little concerned at their failure to put away UCD despite obvious superiority.
Going forward they were at their best, driven from centrefield by Armagh's Charlie Vernon and featuring Fermanagh's Ciarán O'Reilly and Derry's Gavin Donaghy, whose county man Gerard O'Kane is a key figure for the team at centre back.
Of most concern for the hosts will be how unsteady the full backs looked under UCD's hit-and-hope barrage, which forced them into coughing up two goals. But they'll be strong enough to reach tomorrow's final.
The second semi-final is more tightly balanced. Sligo IT have had great success this decade, winning their first three titles in the space of four years. A few of those medallists are still around, most notably Colm Boyle, Andy Moran and Michael Doherty.
They have unfinished business with Jordanstown, who eliminated them last year after extra time by the unusual means of a penalty shoot-out.
Their opponents are a stronger outfit than 12 months ago but have grabbed most headlines this year because of the row between Mickey Harte's Tyrone and the Ulster colleges over who gets the players during the McKenna Cup.
The three UUJ players at the heart of this, Brendan Boggs, Colm Cavanagh and Damien McCaul, haven't started for the college this campaign, though McCaul came on during the win over holders DCU and played well, including in a spell at full back on Conor Mortimer.
Up front, Raymond Mulgrew has been a key contributor along with Paddy Cunningham and Derry's Mark Lynch.
An indicator of the strength of the panel is that the Armagh minor and Abbey CBS star Kevin Dyas is only on the bench.
Whereas there's a strong possibility of Sligo springing what would be something of a surprise, the depth of Jordanstown, with whom the former Mayo manager Mickey Moran is involved this year, suggests that they'll give the locals an all-Belfast final tomorrow.
SIGERSON CUP: Semi-finals: today: QUB v Cork IT, The Dub pitch 10, 1.30pm; UUJ v Sligo IT, The Dub pitch 16, 3pm; Final: tomorrow: The Dub pitch 10, 2.30pm (Live TG4).
