Fermanagh players, Josh Largo-Elis and Ronan McCaffrey are happy young men these days after they picked up two Sigerson Cup medals as key members of the Ulster University (UU), Jordanstown side that shocked hot favourites UCD by 3-12 to 0-15 in a fabulous final in Tralee last week.

And both players spoke of the motivation for the UU players going into that final – to prove people wrong.

If you were to look at the modern versatile GAA player then the rangy super-fit Irvinestown lad Josh Largo-Elis ticks all boxes.

He has savage pace, and positional sense and can go up the field and score.

Like his fellow Fermanagh Sigerson Cup winner Ronan McCaffrey, he is just as comfortable in defence as well as attack.

Last Wednesday's victory UU - the first for the college since 2008 - was something really special.

“It is really wonderful to get there especially when we were accused of not being a team," said Largo-Elis.

“We set out to have a good start and then the two goals coming so soon after each other were a real bonus and gave us a mighty platform.

“We were nine points up at the break and then we slowed it a bit in the second half but that is natural if you are so far ahead.

“Niall Loughlin’s goal was the pick of them all as it was at the end of a great move and then Oisin McCann’s second goal was a real bonus.”

One man for whom this win was extra special was the one and only John ‘Tommy Joe” Farrell, UU’s iconic GAA President as he celebrated a wonderful win.

“That was great for him and he has devoted his whole life to the college since 2008 and this is the college’s 50th anniversary so that made it even more special for him.”

For Largo-Elis the big change from playing with Fermanagh is to line out with the likes of Tyrone's Darragh and Ruairi Canavan and players from many other counties.

“It is really enjoyable, but we did not celebrate as the game against Donegal was coming up on Saturday.

“It would have been much better if the final had been played last week as we had a week off and it was very close to the game against Donegal.

“We had to re-focus.”

This is Largo-Elis’s second year playing Sigerson Cup football and he is in his final year in college and he had the wounds from last year's game against UCD to help motivate him for the final.

“Last year we got hammered by UCD and they beat us again fairly well a month ago, so we had loads of motivation for revenge and thankfully things worked out for us.

“It was great to score 3-12 and they were all saying that we were a team of individuals and that we had no real team spirit so it was nice to prove so many people wrong.”

McCaffrey echoed Largo-Elis's words about the motivation felt by the UU squad. There was a real desire to show they were a team and not just a group of players brought together to play for the university.

The Teemore titan is the Fermanagh equivalent of Galway’s Damian Comer.

He has the strength of a Pampas bull, superb balance, vision, shooting skills and the edge that all great competitors have.

But the ‘Poly’ had one powerful motivating factor according to the eloquent McCaffrey.

“I suppose what drove us on most of all was how so many people were saying we were a collection of individuals and not a team.

“So right from the start, the management stressed that we were going to be a team and the lads who were at the training would be playing on the team and that is how it developed.”

“But to win it is just the stuff you dream about.”

And the win is even sweeter for McCaffrey as UU had conceded six goals last year against UCD and we were also beaten by eight points in an earlier round.

“We gave too much ball away to them in that game earlier this year and we knew that if we tightened up on that we knew we would not be too far away.”

The two early goals from Loughlin and McCann gave the winners a great platform.

“That was massive, and Niall Loughlin is pure class, and the two Canavans are special players and great to be playing with anywhere.

“That is always a blessing, and we had a good cushion before half-time, so the second half was going to be a bit more defensive.”

And while the rest of Ronan and Josh’s teammates were giving it full welly in the celebrations, the two Fermanagh lads got back with Ronan’s parents and trained with Fermanagh on Thursday night ahead of the big test against Donegal.

There are not too many Teemore men with Sigerson medals but Ronan has been hearing about some of his predecessors in the club.

“Yeah, a boy was telling me that Ciaran Reilly won one in 2007 with QUB as have Sean Reilly and Peter Quinn (Jnr).

And now the versatile McCaffrey is making up a famous quartet.

While he and Largo-Elis add their names to the list of Fermanagh Sigerson Cup winners.