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Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny

Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny

The Irish Sun6 days ago
LIAM Sheedy and Jackie Tyrrell finished up on opposite ends of an emotional rollercoaster at full-time of Tipperary vs Kilkenny.
Former Premier manager Sheedy was naturally delighted at seeing his county
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The 55-year-old was buzzing upon the final whistle being blown
Credit: @thesundaygame
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Tyrrell sportingly initiated a handshake seconds later
Credit: @thesundaygame
Meanwhile
He did graciously offer a handshake to Sheedy in a brilliant moment captured by the national broadcaster's sideline cameras.
Both men as well as neutral observer Ursula Jacob acknowledged that
That slightly contentious decision has been completely overshadowed by another controversial moment however.
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Human error was responsible for the scoreboard incorrectly awarding Tipperary an extra point from the 70th minute onwards.
Crucially, referee James Owen did not make the same mistake.
But Kilkenny players have a right to feel aggrieved considering they chased a goal unnecessarily thinking their deficit was then four points rather than three.
While
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Kilkenny then had two attacks where firstly Eoin Cody and secondly John Donnelly needlessly went for goal from long-range.
Joe Canning outlined how Kilkenny's players clearly forced the issue as they felt they were in a bigger hole than they were in actuality.
RTE pundits weigh in on scoreboard controversy that marred Tipperary's dramatic win over Kilkenny
Speaking about them thinking they were initially down by four immediately after McGrath's phantom point, he emphasized: "Psychologically that's huge because then you feel you have to get a goal and a point.
"When you're only two points down you're thinking we can tap one over and then try and win the puck-out so you can tap another one over.
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"So for Kilkenny's players, psychologically, chasing three points (that late on) is way different from chasing two points."
Later on in the programme Canning returned to just how vital Robert Doyle's goal-line block from Donnelly's rasping effort had been.
The Galway great added: "He's lucky because if they got that goal at the end of the match, Kilkenny would've won by the referee.
"Kilkenny would've been a point up yet everybody in the stadium would've thought it was a drawn match. So he saved the GAA I'd say!"
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GAA INVESTIGATION
The GAA have launched an investigation after the incident marred what was an otherwise incredible occasion.
In a statement last night, Croke Park chiefs are awaiting referee Owen's match report to get to the bottom of the confusion.
It said: 'The GAA can confirm that the official score at the end of the Tipperary v Kilkenny GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final was 4-20 to 0-30.
"The GAA acknowledges there was confusion over the final score. The CCCC is awaiting the full referees report in order to establish how the initial mistake occurred."
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Michael Murphy: ‘I was coming back in to help in every way possible that I could'
Michael Murphy: ‘I was coming back in to help in every way possible that I could'

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Michael Murphy: ‘I was coming back in to help in every way possible that I could'

Okay nurse, call it. Time of death, 44 minutes. No need to look at the scoreboard. The sight of Michael Murphy exiting the pitch tells you all you need to know. Throughout the 2025 championship, the Murphy scale has generally been the best way of judging how a Donegal game is going. The longer he's on the field, the less certain the outcome. If you see the fourth official hold up the number 14, start thinking about beating the traffic. Against Cavan, Murphy came off in the 53rd minute and Donegal won by 19. Against Louth, it was 51 minutes for a 16-point win. Conversely, he played the whole game in the defeat to Tyrone and also against Mayo when they squeaked it by a point. So when Jim McGuinness called him ashore here with Donegal 1-15 to 0-10 up against Meath , you could take it the Donegal manager was satisfied the job was done. Murphy had just scored his sixth point of the day and came away from it with a slight limp. When McGuinness asked him if he was okay, Murphy waved a dismissing hand in his direction. McGuinness told Patrick McBrearty to get ready anyway. READ MORE 'No, just a wee bang,' Murphy said when we asked him afterwards if there was any injury. 'Just one of those things. It was just kind of impeding me a wee bit. But it's done and Paddy came in and was phenomenal.' Michael Murphy is given a standing ovation after being substituted. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho This day last year, Murphy was sitting in the BBC box at the corner of the Hogan and Davin stands, swapping lip with Philly McMahon, Oisín McConville and Mickey Harte. Down on the pitch, Donegal were running out of puff against Galway, their season hitting a wall like a try-hard marathon runner at mile 19. This time around, they're driving on while the pretenders wilt, one by one by one. His part in it all has been immense. 'I was coming back to help in every way possible that I could,' he says. 'Whether it was for five minutes in a game, whether it was to help training, whether it was whatever else – that's really what was in my head. You probably weren't going to be back the same way you were – that's always the way when you push on in years and you're not playing football for a couple of years. 'So I've made peace with that and that's what I continue to make peace with. What way can you help the team? What way can you help the county? That's the kind of mindset that I was on and that I probably still am in.' Murphy talked to us outside the Donegal dressingroom, his green cap pulled down over his brow, his cartoon jawline as sharp and sheer as it ever was. He'll be 36 next month, a few days after the final. No sooner had he sat in among the Donegal subs than one of the Donegal physios jumped in beside him with a bumper bag of ice for the bang. Every second they can save him is critical. [ Donegal open the throttle to book date with Kerry and leave Meath gasping in the dust Opens in new window ] He was his usual Swiss Army Knife self here. He whipped Donegal's opening point after floating on to an unsuspecting Conor Duke in the second minute. His two-point free into the Hill soon after was the only two-pointer scored at that end of the pitch on a day when there was a strong wind against. He came out and won a kick-out break when Meath were starting to get purchase in the middle third, starting a move that ended with a Ryan McHugh point. Donegal's Michael Murphy and Patrick McBrearty celebrate Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho This has been the Michael Murphy that Donegal asked for. His shooting is as precise as it ever was. His bouldness hasn't been found wanting either – he should have picked up yet another yellow card here for a late hit on Seán Rafferty in the first half. But most of all, his game sense and his feel for what needs to happen at a given moment is foundational to what they do. Murphy's last act before going off here was to commandeer a free-kick from McHugh over the Hogan Stand sideline. He did nothing in particular with it – McHugh hared off down the line to draw a defender before Murphy flicked a kick-pass back into the middle of the field, and in fact Donegal lost the ball soon after. But what was so noticeable about it was that the Donegal players deferred to their on-field high chief, even a 12-year veteran like Ryan McHugh. As Meath broke downfield after the turnover, Murphy was literally waving the Donegal players back into position, like a platoon sergeant overseeing the protection of a vital bridge. So now he's here, back in an All-Ireland final. He shook his head afterwards at the suggestion that this is what it was all for, that this is why he came back. Maybe he was lying, sensible chap that he is. Or maybe he is actually living in the moment, just as he's done since McGuinness brought him back. Both things can be true. 'It's just to be part of it. It's just being part of the team. That's what I've enjoyed so far, being back here. You're just part of the group, part of the team. You're a cog in the wheel. 'We'll get up the road now, get at it, get ready. Paddy spoke very well there as captain in terms of the stuff that All-Irelands bring. Silly stuff and stupid stuff, enjoyable stuff and energy-sapping stuff. You're trying to just bring whatever you can bring to that.'

Donegal's barren years seem a distant memory as they prepare for Gaelic football's greatest day
Donegal's barren years seem a distant memory as they prepare for Gaelic football's greatest day

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Donegal's barren years seem a distant memory as they prepare for Gaelic football's greatest day

Paddy McBrearty sits next to Jim McGuinness in the press conference room and talks about Donegal's barren years. This, clearly, is not one of them. Out on the pitch Donegal had just laid waste to a team billed by many as the story of the 2025 championship. But it took the Ulster champions just 70 minutes to reduce Meath's role in the narrative of the summer to a mere subplot. Donegal are now threatening to assume the title of lead character again. They are back in an All-Ireland final for the first time since 2014, their fourth of all time. McGuinness has been involved in all four, as a player in 1992 and manager in 2012, 2014 and now 2025. This is the second year of his second stint as Donegal boss. They have won Ulster both seasons since his return to the helm, exited the championship at the All-Ireland semi-final stage last year and are now back in the decider. READ MORE 'When we left here in 2014 [after losing to Kerry], I didn't think it would be 2024 until we reached our next semi-final,' says McBrearty. 'We massively, massively underachieved from 2014 to 2024 basically, in our eyes. When Jim came back, standards were raised back to where they were and we're just delighted to be back here, but you know they were a barren couple of years. 'We were winning Ulster championships, [people] were tipping us to go on and win All-Irelands but we couldn't do it on the big days. Getting this man back obviously for that and getting back to days like this in two weeks is massive.' McGuinness, of course, is the 'this man' in question. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness with his players after the game. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho His team had the luxury of dropping down through the gears and freewheeling to victory over Meath at Croke Park on Sunday. 'We knew we had trained well, I suppose without covering old ground again, the difference between a one-week turnaround and a two-week turnaround really is probably that you're going to get one session done in a one-week turnaround, and I would say with a two-week turnaround you're looking at five or six,' says McGuinness. 'That's massive from a coaching point of view.' [ Darragh Ó Sé: Kerry and Donegal have shown a different gear and should be too strong for Tyrone and Meath Opens in new window ] Donegal won the toss but opted to play against the wind in the first half and still led by five points at the turnaround. The gap at the final whistle was 20 points, the largest All-Ireland semi-final victory since Cork beat Mayo by the same margin in 1993. Donegal had 12 different scorers from play on Sunday, their deep runners wreaking havoc and tearing apart the Meath defence time and time again. For Meath, there were simply too many fires and not enough hydrants. 'I suppose when you're playing a running game and a support game, everybody needs to be able to do that [score],' adds McGuinness. 'Listen, the game has changed dramatically over the last number of months. We just felt that it was important to see how those changes would grow, if you like, and then bring our own template to how we want to play the game. 'Everybody's got their own principles and how they see the game. For me it's important just to keep what it is to be from your county very close to the centre, and then move with the rules, and I think we've done quite a good job on that front.' Meath's Adam O'Neill and Michael Murphy of Donegal in their All-Ireland SFC semi-final game at Croke Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho For Meath, this was a disheartening end to what had been a season of renewed hope after championship wins over Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Galway had lifted the footballing soul of the county out of the shadows after 20 years of mediocrity. 'Obviously, it's really disappointing when you have such a big crowd and atmosphere behind it and everything like that,' says manager Robbie Brennan. 'It's disappointing for the lads really because I'm absolutely convinced we're better than that.' The challenge for Brennan and his management team now is to ensure the nature of their championship exit does not extract too much of the air from what had been a rising green-and-gold balloon. 'Yeah, that's huge for us. And it's the lads who've helped to fill Croke Park because of the way they've played and the bit of abandonment and freedom they've gone with and the way they've approached the whole thing,' adds the Meath manager. [ Vibes and victories: how Robbie Brennan put smiles on Meath faces Opens in new window ] 'I hope we've reawakened that drive and love for Meath football in the county because I think we've been crying out for it and today showed it. It was a complete sell-out, I think. 'But it's important we take that now and keep building that towards the future. You're not going to win every match, as we always know, but we can't drop off now. We have to keep pushing.' But all the heavy lifting was done by Donegal on Sunday. The Ulster champions push on. They will meet the Munster champions in the final, a repeat of the 2014 decider. 'They've just a lot of quality, they have a lot of a lot of skill level, they're playing for each other,' says McGuinness. 'You can see that they're very united and they're very together.' As McGuinness talks of Kerry, sitting beside him McBrearty allows himself a brief smile because his manager could just as easily be describing Donegal. The barren years are becoming a distant memory. First McGuinness returned. Then Michael Murphy. And now the county returns to grace Gaelic football's biggest day. It's all starting to feel like another part of the Sam Maguire master plan.

Donegal open the throttle to book date with Kerry and leave Meath gasping in the dust
Donegal open the throttle to book date with Kerry and leave Meath gasping in the dust

Irish Times

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Donegal open the throttle to book date with Kerry and leave Meath gasping in the dust

All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Donegal 3-26 Meath 0-15 It was a weekend of slightly disappointing irony at Croke Park. The most exciting football championship in years served for its penultimate course two underwhelming All-Ireland semi-finals. Big crowds were in attendance. Sunday saw a capacity crowd turn up for the clash of Ulster champions Donegal and the season's mold breakers, Meath. If only it could have been left suspended in time with everyone in anticipation of perhaps another surprise scalp on the Leinster finalists' belt or at least a pulsating contest. Instead, the winners ran up a margin unseen at this stage of the championship for 32 years since Cork beat Mayo. The reality that intruded on romance was however of such awesome destructiveness that it at least sets up a titanic encounter for this year's All-Ireland final between Donegal and Kerry. There might have been more apprehension at half-time about the prospects for Sunday's second half had everyone grasped the difficulty of scoring into the Hill end. A tricky, swirling breeze narrowed the window of scoring considerably and there was maybe something ominous about how Donegal built a five-point interval lead, 0-13 to 0-8 in the face of the elements. READ MORE First, though, it should be acknowledged that Meath set about the task with energy and determination. Within 15 seconds, Seán Coffey, raiding from the throw-in, burst through but blasted his shot wide off the post. It set an unfortunate trend for the team, who finished the half with nine wides and two dropped short, as they attempted to harness the elements and put a sizable gap on the scoreboard, as they had, when ambushing Dublin in April. There were signs that they were perhaps forcing it a bit, as seven efforts at two-pointers either went wide or dropped short. This was in addition to the two, scored by Eoghan Frayne and Ruairí Kinsella. Donegal's Ciaran Moore scores a goal against Meath in Croke Park yesterday. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Meath were also combative in defence, turning over Donegal at one point in successive attacks and successful in making Shaun Patton pay for a sequence of wayward restarts. The dynamic of the plucky underdogs wore off as the first half progressed. Meath needed more product on the scoreboard at the break. The downside was also obvious. Donegal were hugely efficient in the first quarter. Michael Murphy steered a two-point free over from a couple of metres beyond the arc – it was the team's only enhanced score of the afternoon. If Jim McGuinness's team became a bit trigger happy before half-time, they were also discovering where the bodies were buried in the opposition defence. Ominously, in light of what was to come, there were three goal-scoring opportunities that came to nothing. Donal Keogan cleared Conor O'Donnell's shot off the line in the 31st minute, followed by Billy Hogan saving a point-blank shot from Hugh McFadden and finally, Murphy doing everything right by taking a step, in front of goal and drilling it high - but it cleared the bar for a point. Meath's misfortune with injuries continued when in the 21st minute centrefielder Bryan Menton had to go off after a collision with Michael Langan, who then proceeded to dominate the sector, as Donegal won about half a dozen consecutive kickouts. For the third match running, Donegal unleashed hell in the second half. Their ability to counter-attack from turnover ball at serious pace is astonishing in its relentlessness. Make allowances for a game but outgunned opposition and yet the sustained tempo was furious. Donegal's Michael Murphy and Adam O'Neill of Meath compete for possession. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Murphy was replaced on 45 minutes, having done his job, calming everything down in the early stages and – literally, at times – directing play. There were so many stand-out displays. Finbarr Roarty was the tv MOTM, one of his defensive interventions leading to the second goal and his constant movement, either shadowing attackers or breaking out like a forest fire devastatingly effective. Brendan McCole did another fine man-marking job, this time on Meath's MOTM against Galway, Jordan Morris, who was comprehensively frustrated as the slick counter-attacks that had undone the Connacht champions never achieved lift-off. Oisín Gallen, after a slow start, kicked 1-2 – the goal, exceptionally well taken after he had stepped out to make space for his shot after a Caolan McColgan assist. Ryan McHugh was another withdrawn early and also made sharp interceptions and clever runs from the back. He played a pivotal role in the second goal, taking the pass from Shane O'Donnell and popping the ball into the fast raiding Ciarán Moore who placed his shot in the net. Langan, having taken hold at centrefield played a threatening, advanced role to finish with 0-4. Meath players dejected after the final whistle at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho The best of the three goals came from a move as goldenly pieced together as a Fabergé egg. Patrick McBrearty, who again made a big impact off the bench with 0-3 from play, attacked and played in Jason McGee, who checked and kicked back across the goal for Conor O'Donnell who cut back and finished. Meath by now were like dogs chasing cars, exhausted and bewildered. They tried to make the scoreboard more respectable, but the Northern End was not hospitable and chances went wide. Seán Rafferty, who had been defiant all day, came up from the back and kicked their first in 11 minutes but it was little more than a reminder they were still there. There was a sense that if two disappointing semi-finals is the price we pay for an epic final, so be it. It will be the second time Kerry have played Donegal in an All-Ireland final, 11 years on from the first. Fourteen/ more sleeps. Donegal: S Patton (0-0-1, 45); F Roarty, C McColgan, B McCole; R McHugh (0-0-1), EB Gallagher, P Mogan (0-0-1); H McFadden, M Langan (0-0-4); C Moore (1-0-1), C Thompson (0-0-2), S O'Donnell (0-0-1); C O'Donnell (1-0-3), M Murphy (6: 0-1f-4, 1f), O Gallen (1-0-2). Subs: P McBrearty (0-0-3) for Murphy (45 mins), J McGee for McFadden (50 mins), D Ó Baoill (0-0-1) for McHugh (55 mins), O McFadden-Ferry for Mogan (59 mins). Meath: B Hogan; S Rafferty (0-0-1), S Lavin, R Ryan; D Keogan, S Coffey, C Caulfield; B Menton, A O'Neill; M Costello (0-0-1f), R Kinsella (3: 0-1-1), C Duke (0-0-1); J Morris (0-0-1), K Curtis (0-0-3), E Frayne (5: 0-1-3). Subs: C Gray for Menton (21 mins), E Harkin for O'Neill (46 mins), J McEntee for Lavin (51 mins), B O'Halloran for Curtis (57 mins), S Walsh for Kinsella (62 mins). Referee: P Faloon (Down).

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