2022 promises to be a busy one for Jordan Morrissey.
Later in the year, Morrissey will be part of the Eire Og side that will be hoping to avenge their county final defeat to Rathvilly at the end of 2021 as they attempt to reclaim the county championship.
He will also be togging out with Carlow for another season as the Barrowsiders go in search of promotion from Division 4 of the National Football League before embarking on their Leinster championship journey in the summer.
Before all of that, the versatile and talented footballer has a potential Sigerson Cup run with DCU to look forward to.
They will take on Maynooth University in the first round of that competition as they look to add even more silverware to the trophy cabinet following their recent 0-16 to 1-07 victory in the Ryan Cup final against NUIG.
Despite player burnout being a topic of discussion in the GAA with the calendar congestion issue a constant struggle GAA officials have to deal with, Morrissey told KCLR’s Scoreline that he is a huge fan of higher education GAA.
He said: “I love the Sigerson Cup. It’s great for us as players to play as often as we can.
He added when asked about DCU’s first round opponent’s: “There are never any easy games in the Sigerson Cup. You don’t really know an awful lot about the other teams, both from personnel and tactical point of view.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the Sigerson Cup, but we have to get the team together and take it one game at a time. Once you get to the latter stages, that’s when you can really look at winning it.”
Carlow begin their intercounty season on Thursday night with a home clash against Kildare in the O’Byrne Cup as Niall Carew’s third season as manager kicks-off.
Ahead of that game, Morrissey gave an inside view itno how useful pre-season competitions can be for everyone involved in an intercounty set-up.
“It’s very useful for a lot of teams with some new players.
“For ourselves, we have had quite a high turnover of bodies so it’s great from a management perspective to be able to see new lads on the pitch and how they fit into the team and the overall panel. As a squad, we are excited to get these games played and get the season underway,” Morrissey explained.
The Eire Og star also admitted that there is collective relief and excitement throughout the panel ahead of Thursday’s game due to the uncertainty around sporting fixtures as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause havoc on scheduling.
“We’re all looking forward to the game considering the fact that there is so much uncertainty around sports these days.
“We’re just relieved that we can get back out on the pitch and that we have a new season just around the corner. It would be great to get a strong following behind us and kick on right from the off this year.”
Morrissey, who has been part of the intercounty senior squad for a number of years despite his young age, also put a lot of emphasis on the importance of finally promoting from the bottom tier of the National League in the spring.
“I think it’s a massive thing for the county to try and promote.
“If you play against better teams for a sustained period the entire team improves, but the county is able to develop too. For myself, I’m completely concentrated on the league and that is our main aim this year. Once the league is finished, our sole focus will then be on the championship.”
While he lamented his side’s inability to claim a fifth consecutive senior county championship as they fell to old rivals Rathvilly in the decider, Morrissey insisted that Eire Og will not lose their hunger to for the 2022 campaign.
“It was very disappointing for the club. Rathvilly were the better team on the day, simple as that. Our goal next year will be to try and win back the county championship.
“That will be our main focus and our goal heading into the new season. It has been a great period for the club over the last number of years and we want to continue that despite the loss in the county final.”
