
‘There HAS to be a better way' – GAA fans baffled by Meath & Donegal decision for All-Ireland semi-final
The two sides will meet in
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Meath attacker Jordan Morris was named Player of the Month for June
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While Donegal still run through 35-year-old Michael Murphy
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This is the visual prospect that awaits viewers
Credit: @truefergallynch
It had been expected that the Royals' outfield players would wear an alternative kit whether it be their luminous yellow goalkeeper strip or their navy jersey.
Meanwhile Jim McGuinness' men were supposed to wear their alternative white kit. However, it appears both sides have opted to revert back to their preferred colours.
On Wednesday Meath Chronicle sports editor
The Donegal side of things was confirmed an hour later when the official Donegal GAA account tweeted: "
BREAKING NEWS
Our boys will line out in our home jerseys."
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Lynch's post has generated a largely exasperated response from Gaelic football supporters nationwide since it seems to go against all common sense.
John replied: "That'll make it a hard watch on the TV."
Meanwhile someone else complained: "Jesus do they actively try and make the worst decision they can. Can they both not wear away jerseys?"
Daniel vented: "There HAS to be a better alternative."
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On a lighter note/colour, Tom joked: "Hope Meath do like Trevor Giles and cut the sleeves. It's be too warm they need to go!"
Lastly, Thomas Niblock of
Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny
Ahead of Sunday's tussle Meath icon Giles has
He admitted his county are ahead of schedule but urged the current crop to seize their last-four chance as it may not come again.
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In an extraordinary season that has already yielded
The campaign has been beyond the wildest dreams of supporters, whose team were preparing to play in the Tailteann Cup final this time two years ago.
Giles said: 'We could say we'll be here for the next few years because it's a young team. But it's very hard to get to another semi-final.
'You couldn't guarantee you'd be there next year or the year after. It's grand saying this is bonus territory but you have to make the most of the opportunity.'
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'UNBELIEVABLE IMPROVEMENT'
Robbie Brennan was appointed last September to succeed Colm O'Rourke as Meath boss. Giles, who was part of O'Rourke's backroom staff, is full of praise for the new gaffer.
The two-time Footballer of the Year said: 'We felt the lads would be a bit better this year. The young lads would be a year older, so I was expecting improvement this year with the team.
'But it's been an unbelievable improvement since, so great credit to Robbie Brennan and Conor Gillespie and to the coaches and to the players.
'The county in Meath, everyone is happy. Everyone's talking about the game. There are cars being spray-painted.
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'There are double-decker buses going to Croke Park on the weekend full up. When it's that little bit unexpected, it's that bit more enjoyable.'
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RTÉ News
24 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
'Native game': Hope builds in Kerry ahead of All-Ireland
Ahead of the All-Ireland SFC final between Kerry and Donegal on Sunday, Paschal Sheehy examines the building anticipation and trepidation that's manifesting across the kingdom. The centuries-old Puck Fair takes place in Killorglin, Co Kerry, every year on 10, 11 and 12 August. The first day of the fair is known, for obvious reasons, as 'The Gathering'. This year, though, 'The Gathering' has begun early. In Falvey's Bar on Lower Bridge Street in Killorglin, poets, punters and philosophers have been gathering this week ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland football final. There is a tradition here: before every All-Ireland final that Kerry contests, local GAA supporter Barry Harmon writes a song to get behind the team. The 2025 offering has arrived. Mr Harmon gives his audience a teaser with the first verse and chorus: "Down here in the Co Kerry, I've often heard it told our love for gaelic football sure it never will go cold. "We have a great tradition, we love our native game. "So off to Dublin we will go, proud of our Kerry name. "So put on your Kerry colours and your hats of green and gold, and off to Croker we will go, let's hope the Sam to hold." They like their traditional music in Killorglin, but they much prefer the football. And they are good practitioners too here: the local Laune Rangers club has tasted success at county, Munster and All-Ireland level. Heading into Sunday's All-Ireland final against Donegal, there was an almost worrying bullishness among the crowd in Falvey's Bar. "I think the team are great - they're energetic and they're hungry. They really want it," Geraldine O'Sullivan declared. "We've been knocked down so many times since the start of this championship and we've proved we can do it, and we will do it on Sunday," she added. Declan Falvey agreed, adding: "I think we'll manage it again this time." Mr Falvey said: "Although I'm sure Jimmy's winning matches will have a trick up his sleeve. "But the new rules suit Kerry and I think David [Clifford] and Seanie [O'Shea] will have the freedom of the park and no matter what scheme Donegal come up with, we'll master it. "I think Kerry are going to win it by about three points." The cheering had just about abated and the foundations of the bar had re-settled when Breeda Falvey chimed in. "I feel very confident," Ms Falvey proclaimed. ""There's a new energy to the Kerry team, there's a hunger and there's a beautiful, free-flowing style of football. It's brilliant to see," she added. Ms Falvey said: "I'm delighted with the new rules, as Declan says, because there's no mucking around anymore. "They're like gazelles and once the boys get on a roll, it's very hard to stop them." Hold on a minute - free-flowing football? Does nobody in Falvey's remember Jim McGuinness's tactical takedown of raging hot favourites Dublin in that now-famous All-Ireland semi-final of 2014 or how Donegal - literally - put a stop to the gallop of the Dublin runners, thereby dismantling their gameplan? All this was McGuinness at his most strategic. Kerry beware! Some 50km west of Killorglin, Cumann Peile Daingean Uí Chúis has become one of Kerry's key nurseries, developing talented underage footballers who go on to play senior for the county. At the club's pitch, Páirc An Ághasaigh, Johnny B Brosnan is putting the under-12 boys and girls through their paces. Among these players, there is a healthy respect for All-Ireland opponents Donegal and a welcome for the new rules, which have allowed Kerry's footballers to express themselves again. "I think Kerry have a great chance on Sunday - they've been playing great with these new rules. I think they suit them very well," goalkeeper Cian Murphy said. "They could beat Donegal if they're on a great day, but if they're on a bad day it'll be a close game," the 11-year-old added. Ten-year old Fiadh Ní Chárthaigh is not short of an opinion - or confidence - either. "I think they've got a really good chance," she said. "They've got some really good players and if they keep Michael Murphy quiet they'll be doing well, I'd say," she added. Shane O'Connor, 12, said he gives Kerry a very good chance. "They've a strong team. They're playing very well this year, gelling well, playing good," he said, adding: "So, you'd have to favour them." On the sideline furthest from the town, a cluster of adults monitor progress. An unprecedented six footballers from Cumann Peile Daingean Uí Chúis have made the Kerry team and extended panel for Sunday's All-Ireland final - three O'Sullivans, Tom, Barry Dan and Tom Leo O'Sullivan, and three Geaneys Paul, Conor and Dylan Geaney. Sean O'Sullivan is father of Kerry defender Tom O'Sullivan. He is also Chair of Cumann Peile Daingean Uí Chúis - Dingle GAA Club. "It's historic really. I don't think it ever happened in the club," Mr O'Sullivan said. He added: "We can go back to the 40s when there was four, but there's six now on the panel and it's just incredible for a small club. "We're a very small club - maybe 120 members here - and it's just incredible really." Kay Uí Shúilleabháin is Tom Leo O'Sullivan's mother. Tom Leo joined the extended Kerry training panel this year. "We feel very proud to have six players from our small club going to Croke Park on Sunday," Uí Shúilleabháin said, adding that "hopefully, the day will go their way". "We'll call it a special day, a good day out," she said. Publican Paul Geaney shares his name with his Kerry footballer son. "The GAA is our life. Everything stops when we get to a final - it's number one, and that's it," Mr Geaney said. Further west on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula, the under 14s of Cumann Caide na Gaeltachta prepared to take on Glenbeigh in Gallarus, their home pitch. The width of the pitch is restricted by the proximity of the wild Atlantic on one side and the swirling south westerly winds that blow in from it create a challenge that few visiting teams seem to be able to master. The dimensions of the pitch might make point taking look relatively easy, but scores are hard-earned in Gallarus. Like all other GAA clubs, underage players at the club have been shown the way forward by the generation that went before them like Kerry player and Gaeltacht club member, Brian Ó Beaglaoich. As they prepared for their match with Glenbeigh, the Gaeltacht under 14s were confident of Kerry victory on Sunday. Muiris Ó'Suilleabháin, 13, said he thought Kerry "will win because they have greater squad depth and experience". "I don't think Donegal have anyone to stop David Clifford," Mr Ó'Suilleabháin said. Seamus Ó'Suilleabháin, 11, admires Brian Ó'Beaglaoich as a role model. "I think it's very special that Brian Ó'Beaglaoich is playing with Kerry because he has to be one of the best and worked very hard to get up to that top level," he said. Club Chair Dara Ó'Cinnéide, who has won and lost All-Ireland finals, is wary of the threats posed by Donegal. Mr Ó'Cinnéide, forensic in his analysis of football, said: "It's probably a clash of two different traditions, two different philosophies, two different ways at looking at football, and not as dissimilar as they might believe themselves to be. "I'd give [Kerry] a good 50/50 chance, whatever that means. "It's impossible really to call. Obviously, my heart says Kerry, but there are so many fires to be put out from a Donegal point of view as well. "They have speed all over the pitch, they have threats all over the pitch. "But I trust our boys to come up with the solutions." Back at Falvey's Bar in Killorglin, it was the turn of the poets. Edso Crowley - a part local businessman, part raconteur and part philosopher – read his poem 'The Game Is Not O'er Till It's Won' aloud. "There's a county that's known as the kingdom for reasons apparent to all. "It's magical mystical beauty, the world and all else does enthrall." But then Mr Crowley sprinkled the crowd with a dash of caution, to dampen their enthusiasm. "So Kerry, great kingdom of Kerry. "Be thankful for all your great sons. "Be sure not to take them for granted. "For the game is not o'er till its won." Surely, Kerry have been in too many All-Ireland finals to allow themselves to be sucker-punched.


The Irish Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘I didn't know what to expect' – Patrick McBrearty reveals drastic action behind Jim McGuinness' return to Donegal GAA
PATRICK McBREARTY door-stepped Jim McGuinness two years ago to beg the Glenties man to return as Donegal boss. The county endured a dismal inter-county season in 2023 that was preceded by manager 2 Jim McGuinness returned as Donegal manager Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Paddy McBrearty revealed what he did to make it happen Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile They were relegated to Division 2 as Aidan O'Rourke took charge in the interim. But the Armagh native could not help the team avoid an Ulster SFC quarter-final loss to Down. Provincial foes Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals. Skipper McBrearty, along with team-mate Hugh McFadden, took drastic action. McGuinness led Read More on GAA And after some persuasion, McGuinness agreed to return. Donegal have since won back-to-back Ulster titles and are 70 minutes from lifting Sam again ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland final against Kerry. And it all came from a knock at McGuinness' front door. Forward McBrearty admitted: 'We didn't know what to expect. We knew Jim would either welcome us or there would be another response. Most read in GAA Football 'When you door-step someone . . . if it was me, I probably would have told him to clear it. 'We hadn't seen each other in a long time but we had a good chat about where Donegal football was. RTE GAA pundit embrace Tipperary captain Ronan Maher after his epic display toppled Cork in All-Ireland final 'But he never said no, which kept the thing alive. If he said no, that would have been fine. 'There wasn't just one conversation. There were a few conversations and it kept the pressure on. 'Thankfully he came back because god knows where it would be if he didn't.' McGuinness had to use his own powers of persuasion to coax 2012 All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Murphy back into the fold ahead of this season. The five-time All-Star has been in scintillating form and is Donegal's Championship top scorer this term with 44 points. And McBrearty has had to be content with a place on the bench for the last three games. The 31-year-old was in inspired form when entering the fray against Meath in the semi-final, scoring three points in a 3-26 to 0-15 triumph. Looking on from the sideline as skipper is never easy but it is for the greater good. And McBrearty likened his role to that of Stefan Campbell off the bench for Armagh last year as the Orchard lifted Sam. The Kilcar man said: 'Every player wants to start but you've got to see the bigger picture. 'Everyone knows about Stefan Campbell coming in and Armagh's squad probably won them the All-Ireland last year. 'There are really good players in the Donegal set-up who can't get into the 26, never mind the first 15. 'I'm up against Oisín Gallen, Michael and Conor O'Donnell. 'It's tough for positions there. 'That's what I think is really good about this group. 'They are all willing to see the bigger picture.'


Irish Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Marc Ó Sé: The one Donegal player that Kerry must target to lift the Sam Maguire
Marc Ó Sé says Kerry must target goalkeeper Shaun Patton if they are to defeat Donegal in Sunday's All-Ireland SFC final. The five-time Sam Maguire winner believes there is nothing between the sides coming into the Croke Park showdown, their first meeting in the championship decider since 2014. 'I think everything has to go right," said Ó Sé, looking at the clash from a Kingdom viewpoint. "If we can tie down Shaun Patton and Michael Langan, if we have players that can stay with those runners and that's a lot of if, if, I think Patton is the big one. "If we can curb the influence of this man, I just see Kerry just pipping it by a point. Did I see this before the Armagh game (the All-Ireland quarter-final)? Certainly not, and there were a lot of people in Kerry that didn't see it - and now we're in an All-Ireland final." Ó Sé's brother, Darragh, took flak for saying there was 'an air of inevitability' about Kerry's exit at the hands of reigning champions Armagh. 'Darragh told me actually he was just trying to get the Kerry team going," Marc grinned. He got exactly what he wanted. "But it (the atmosphere in Kerry) is completely different. It's been excellent in the way the mood has shifted down here. It's gone from, 'Jeez, we've so many injuries, we're in the doldrums' to 'we're going to win Sam Maguire'. Look, any year we get to an All-Ireland, we always feel we've a great chance of winning. It's no different this year. "The mood has totally changed, very much upbeat but obviously knowing full well that we face a huge, formidable challenge in Jim McGuinness and Donegal. "The fact that Jim knows Kerry so well, the fact that he's been down here, knows the way we think about football, after a few years in Tralee that all adds into it as well. It's going to be very interesting how it pans out but two teams of contrasting styles. "The momentum has been huge. I think if we can curb the influence that I see Shaun Patton, I would just expect us to get over the line by a point or two." Donegal's Colm McFadden with Marc O'Se of Kerry in the 2014 All-Ireland SFC final at Croke Park (Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) Ó Sé smiles at the question about a possible Kerry curveball on Sunday. Everyone talks about what master tactician Jim McGuinness will bring to the party and Ó Sé quickly recalls the 2012 quarter-final defeat to eventual Sam Maguire winners Donegal. He was shocked to see Colm McFadden maintain 100 yards of space between himself and Colm McFadden, and how his brother Tomás was equally surprised to see Rory Kavanagh tearing back into his own defensive line when Kerry had possession. But Kerry and curveballs? Sure it wouldn't be unusual. Ó Sé delves into the memory bank and comes up with Jack O'Connor's "twin towers" of Kieran Donaghy and Tommy Walsh who were unleashed in Kerry's '08 All-Ireland final attack. The move forced Tyrone's McMahon brothers into their own backline - but it didn't work out for Kerry. In 2014, in response to Donegal's novel approach to secure their 2012 triumph, Kerry went on the defensive themselves under Éamonn Fitzmaurice and it worked out. "I'd imagine there will be curveballs from both sides," said Ó Sé, who won his last Celtic cross that day. "The big thing in 2014 was that we got match-ups bang on, we learned a lot from 2012. "In terms of curveballs we threw one that day, Aidan O'Mahony did a fine job on Michael Murphy. The big thing is who are they going to put there now and is there a curveball coming, because if I'm looking at match-ups, and I'm looking at, say, Michael Murphy, the obvious physical character you would say is Jason Foley. "But I think he would be well equipped for the likes of Oisín Gallen because of that explosive pace Gallen has. So are you looking at Mike Breen or someone like that? "Curveballs...I'm sure Jim McGuinness would have plenty of those. With the new rules, though, it was hard to see how you're going to tie down a David Clifford. Former Kerry footballer Marc O'Sé, pictured for AIB ahead of GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final between Kerry and Donegal this Sunday, July 27th at 3:30pm. The 2025 Championship, revolutionised by the Football Review Committee's rule enhancements, has produced a thrilling, high-scoring Championship season and a final that is proving to be one of #TheToughest to predict. (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) The 45-year-old is a big fan of the FRC's revolution that has transformed Gaelic Football this season. The new rules have put a renewed emphasis on the attacking game and Ó Sé predicts that the team who gets their attacking game plan right will prevail, even with the contrasting styles in play. Kerry's problem, as he sees it, is their dependency on David Clifford and Sean O'Shea - and maybe Paudie Clifford and Joe O'Connor after them - to deliver scores, whereas Donegal have a much wider spread of threats. "There's so many different aspects of Donegal's play that Kerry need to counter-attack the next day," he stressed. "And don't think I'm the cute Kerry hoor who's trying to play Kerry down and Donegal up. My point is that Kerry are focused on maybe two or three players who get the scores, Donegal have that balance all over the field." He points to Ciarán Moore as an example of a great athlete in the rival camp, plus Peadar Mogan and Ryan McHugh. And, at 19, the outstanding Finbarr Roarty. "To me it's off the charts," said Ó Sé. "I always felt it would take you a year or two to find your way, obviously Jim has seen something in this young fella, he brought him in even before he was the legal age! He got man of the match the last day, there's very few players that can do that in your first season. "I'm looking at Kerry and you were talking like David Clifford, Gooch, players who are performing at that level in their first season, so it's phenomenal what he's done. "We're going to have to track him on Sunday." What the Kingdom must do, Ó Sé warns, is stay all day with Donegal's runners and he forecasts that Jack O'Connor will pick a team with that in mind. That means the likes of Graeme O'Sullivan and Micheál Burns playing the Donnchadh Walsh role in this Kerry outfit. "I close my eyes and I can see Donnchadh Walsh running after Jack McCaffrey down the Cusack Stand in 2013 in an All-Ireland semi-final," he said. "And you'd think that Jack would take away from him but Donnchadh actually stayed with him, so that's going to have to be the case on Sunday." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.