Jim McGuinness distances himself from Donegal GAA statement after Monaghan win
Jim McGuinness said Donegal's management and players knew nothing about a statement put out by the county board ahead of their All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Monaghan.
Donegal booked their place in the last four of the Championship with a 1-26 to 1-20 victory over Gabriel Bannigan's men at Croke Park on Saturday.
However, the build-up to the game was dominated by a statement released on Monday, slamming the GAA's decision to fix Donegal's game with Monaghan for Saturday rather than Sunday, given that McGuinness' side played Louth in the last of the previous weekend's games.
The statement read: 'No other county has played as many matches as Donegal in this year's championship.
"To compound the physical and mental demands, those eight games have been played within an 11 week window. Match number nine comes this Saturday, less than 12 weeks after playing Derry in the Ulster Championship Preliminary round on April 6th.
"On that basis, we thought it wholly reasonable and fully justified to seek an extra day recovery time for our players this weekend.
"Coiste Chontae Dhún na nGall concludes that it is most regrettable, and very disappointing, that our request has been turned down. We feel the welfare of our players was not adequately considered in the decision making process.'
At his post-match press conference following the first of Saturday's quarter-finals, McGuinness was eager to state Donegal's management and players had nothing to do with the statement.
'We didn't know the statement was going to be put out," he said.
'There was an awful lot of noise, and awful lot of articles and awful lot of stories about that statement and that we weren't happy and that we were disappointed or annoyed.
'The management and players knew once we got beat by Tyrone that we were going to be facing into three games in three weeks, and that was the way it was.
'The statement was released by the county board I think on the back of people in Donegal and clubs in Donegal not being happy.
'But as a management team we were okay with the game. From my own personal point of view, you should never ever make an excuse for a game before the game is played.
'I have never done that in my life and so I want to make sure that distance is there because it's disrespectful to Monaghan.
"If we got beat today and that first half performance followed through to the second half and we got beat then people would be saying that he was saying that during the week.
'We had nothing to do with it nor did we know it was going to be put out into the until I read it myself on the phone so that is very important from a management and from the players point of view.
"We were happy to be here today because we were beat against Tyrone and it was always going to be that way. It was always going to be three games in three weekends and suck it up and lets get on with it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
39 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Jack O'Connor credits switches for Kerry's untouchable second half
All-Ireland SFC quarter-final: Kerry 0-32 (0-5-22) Armagh 1-21 (1-4-13) What do you think of that, everybody? Kerry shoved our predictions, premises and polemics back up our and most people including their own's throats with this masterclass of defiance. Afterwards, Jack O'Connor gave great insight into how hurt Kerry had been by last year's defeat, the lack of faith in them among their own and the general assessment that they hadn't be up to all that much in this championship. But he need only have pointed to a sensational 14-point, 15-minute section where Kerry unburdened themselves of all the injury and insult that has come their way this year. There was rage there. In dispatches, we had heard about training going extremely well and players, the dwindling numbers able to tog out, being thorny with each other and training games being heavy. In the past, those omens have been good for Kerry football. With 12 points, Seán O'Shea was the leader of the gang throughout, the spiritual one of the group according to O'Connor, yet in that period he was part of a collective organism that were in, if not close to a flow state. It hadn't been on the cards. Not before the game or during it despite a reasonable first half. When Tom O'Sullivan in the first half became the latest of their All-Stars to go lame, Kerry's options seemed threadbare. Indeed, Armagh went five points up early in the second half and were hunting for more. But then came the surge. Under these new rules, there will be power plays, passages where teams feel almost invincible and for 15 minutes here, between the 41st and 56th minutes, Kerry were untouchable. Fourteen points scored without response, they transformed a five-point deficit into a nine-point lead. Everyone was in on the act, from the Cliffords, the one who started and the playmaker who came on at half-time, to Brian Ó Beaglaoich to captain Gavin White. For a team supposedly down to their third-string midfield, Kerry demolished Ethan Rafferty's kick-outs and sent over point after point including two-point efforts for O'Shea and David Clifford. The latter's sibling entered the fray at half-time and what he could contribute was significant and welcomed. Nine of 10 kick-outs went Kerry's away. Every time Rafferty looked up, he must have sensed dread. 'I suppose we kept kicking it to the wings,' said Kieran McGeeney. 'Three or four things, it's just sometimes like it happens in sport. If I could pinpoint the reason for you, we could have stopped it. 'We were too tight onto the sidelines, getting sideline balls and they were quicker on the breaks than us probably at that stage. 'Again, it was their ability to punish. Seánie just had one of those days. He couldn't miss. So, that's what happens. You have a forward of that calibre.' Jarly Óg Burns going off for 10 minutes with a head injury didn't help Armagh either but O'Connor pointed to a few switches that worked favourably for Kerry. Joe O'Connor had been quiet by his standards in the first half but was immense after coming away from wing-forward. 'I think the introduction of Paudie Clifford at half-time just gave everybody a lift because we know the calibre of a player Paudie is. Him and Micheál Burns really lifted the team. 'Joe O'Connor going to midfield halfway through the second half gave us a big lift as well because Joe had been a little bit peripheral on the wing and he had a big influence when he went to midfield. Some days, stuff like that works for you. Today was that day." Cian McConville had a couple of goal openings in the 59th minute but save for an Oisín Conaty two-pointer four minutes later Armagh were drowning and it was appropriate that O'Shea kicked the final score of the game four minutes from time in front of this 70,350 Croke Park crowd. O'Shea had been the stand-out Kerry player in the opening 35 minutes. He kicked eight points including a couple of two-pointers from play. He had three points by the time the clock struck three minutes. Conaty, again Armagh's best player, struck back with a brace of points prior to Conor Geaney threatening the Armagh goal after David Clifford laid off the ball but his seventh minute shot was tame and easily dealt with by Rafferty. Armagh had more reason to curse the opposing goalkeeper in the 10th minute when Shane Ryan parried over a powerful Tiernan Kelly effort as Kerry fluffed their attempt to clear their lines. Kerry's reaction to that let-off was strong. White pointed, Clifford followed it with another two minutes later and then Graham O'Sullivan was key to them adding a second from the follow-up kick-out, a free converted by O'Shea. Armagh bounced back with three points including a Jarlath Óg Burns's two-pointer and the likes of Jason Foley were keeping them from stringing further scores. At the other end, O'Shea and O'Sullivan were finding their range again and Kerry led by three in the 25th minute. For the remaining 10 minutes of the half, they were outscored by four, though. In the 29th minute came the game's only goal. Dylan Casey was lax in retrieving a short Ryan kick-out, Kelly stole in on his inside, fed Rory Grugan and he struck high to the net. Kerry wasted little time in recommencing play and may have been fortunate to win a free from Ryan's longer kick. However, it paved the way for a much-needed O'Shea point and within a minute he was contributing another two-pointer to restore Kerry's edge. Dylan Geaney sent over a point in the 32nd minute but Rafferty then pumped over a two-point free and McElroy's second came just after the buzzer. Armagh started the new half with the same zeal and went five up in the first five minutes. Rian O'Neill curled over a two-point free in the 37th minute after a great dash by Jarlath Óg Burns to win the placed ball. He and Conaty followed it up with points and the margin could have been six but for a poor Ben Crealey strike at the posts. And then Kerry took over. Completely. Scorers for Kerry: S. O'Shea (0-12, 3 tps, 3 frees); D. Clifford (0-7, 2 tps); J. O'Connor, B. O'Beaglaoich, G. White, P. Clifford, G. O'Sullivan, M. Burns (0-2 each); D. Geaney (0-1). Scorers for Armagh: O. Conaty (1 tp), R. O'Neill (1 tpf, 1 free) (0-6 each); R. Grugan (1-0); J. Burns (tp), E. Rafferty (tpf), J. McElroy (0-2 each); T. Kelly, D. McMullan, C. McConville (0-1 each). KERRY: S. Ryan; D. Casey, J. Foley, P. Murphy; B. Ó Beaglaoich, G. White (c), T. O'Sullivan; S. O'Brien, M. O'Shea; J. O'Connor, S. O'Shea, G. O'Sullivan, D. Clifford, C. Geaney, D. Geaney. Subs: E. Looney for T. O'Sullivan (inj 24); P. Clifford for C. Geaney (h-t); M. Burns for M. O'Shea (50); D. Moynihan for M. Burns (temp 56-57); K. Spillane for D. Geaney (63); G. O'Sullivan for T. Kennedy (69); T.L. O'Sullivan for D. Casey (69-ft). ARMAGH: E. Rafferty; P. Burns, P. McGrane, B. McCambridge; R. McQuillan, T. Kelly, J. Burns; N. Grimley, B. Crealey; R. Grugan, J. McElroy, O. Conaty; D. McMullan, A. Murnin, R. O'Neill. Subs: C. Turbitt for J. Burns (temp 37-47); J. Duffy for N. Grimley, C. Turbitt for R. McQuillan (both 50); A. Forker for T. Kelly (54); C. McConville for B. Crealey (56); S. McPartlan for R. Grugan (66); C. O'Neill for A. Murnin (temp 66-ft). Referee: B. Cawley (Kildare).
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: All-Ireland victory cannot be bought
In 2018, Limerick surprised the hurling world when they won the Liam McCarthy Cup after a lapse of 45 years. Over the next five years the Treaty men assembled an outstanding hurling team, or group as John Kiely calls it, and garnered some unprecedented success. What surprised me was so many sports journalists, including some in the Irish Examiner, continued to attribute this success to the 'genius' of Paul Kinnerk on the sideline and the substantial financial input of JP McManus. Last year when Cork overturned Limerick in one of the greatest ever hurling matches in Páirc Uí Chaoimh those same journalists were quick out of the traps to predict that this would not happen again. The overwhelming consensus was when Limerick got Cork into their happy stomping ground of Croke Park that the 'brains trust' of Kinnerk and Kiely would ensure that the Páirc Uí Chaoimh result was a flash in the pan. They did not, however, reckon with the fact that Cork also had a few people on their sideline that knew a small bit about hurling and the Rebels prevailed once again. Fast forward to 2025 when Limerick had stumbled through their league campaign and their opening championship game. We were all assured, however, that Limerick had earmarked May 18 when they would be welcoming Cork to the Gaelic Grounds. Legendary Limerick hurler Ciarán Carey stated the intention was Limerick, in their own patch, would 'put manners on this Cork team'. For whatever reason, Cork did not show up for this game and were beaten out of sight. Once again Carey could not contain himself and proclaimed that the 'green machine' was back on the move and every other county were shaking in their boots. Three weeks later, when Cork once again went into the lion's den for the Munster final, the players and management had not read the script and, after another epic battle, the Mick Mackey cup went home on the Cork team's bus. When Cork recorded a big win over Tipperary in the round robin game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh the hurling 'experts' claimed the victory had no value as they had played the entire game with an extra man. In view of the events in Croke Park on last Saturday week maybe the Cork management could have got some credit for giving a lesson in how to use the extra man. Including injury time, Limerick played for 62 minutes with an extra player and the much vaunted Limerick backroom team did not seem to have any idea how to utilise their numerical advantage. Whichever of the remaining teams manage to win this year's All-Ireland hurling title will do so because they are the best team guided by an astute backroom team. It will not be necessary to have a 'hurling guru' on the side line or to have huge financial backing. Matt Aherne, Passage West, Co Cork Noble Nobel prize winners The suggestion that Donald Trump should win a Nobel peace prize, much less several as he believes, is unsound and offensive. A subjective assessment of the list of peace prize winners, and other Nobel categories, shows people who have contributed so much for so long and made improvements to our lives and our knowledge. How can Donald Trump claim this? His 'complete and total' ceasefire was, like many ceasefires in the Middle East, over before it started and didn't resolve any issues. Pick a noble person for the Nobel prize. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Domestic violence A new report by the Women's Aid shows that last year the organisation was contacted circa 32,000 times about incidences of domestic abuse, which is an increase of 12%. The Women's Aid annual impact report for 2024 revealed that abuse is at its highest level in 50 years. Disclosures of sexual abuse rose by 30% and pornography and the manosphere is especially a big concern. Ostensibly there has been 17% more calls to this organisation's free phone helpline for domestic abuse. One would have to say that those figures are staggeringly high, but most experts would state that is this is just the tip of the iceberg. One must remember that most victim survivors of domestic abuse don't contact a speciality service and I find this to be very concerning. Sadly domestic violence remains endemic in our society. It's alarming to learn that 35% of women will suffer domestic violence and will suffer from this abuse over the courses of their lives. By continually highlighting this emotive issue, one would hope that it will encourage more people to reach out for the help that they need. It's startling to also learn that there's a rise in the number of disclosures in relation to former abusive partners. There can sometimes be a misconception that once somebody leaves, and the relationship ends, that the abuse ends. Sadly that's not the case. More than 33% of women last year that Women's Aid supported through their services were experiencing post-separation abuse. It's important to understand that this can can be an exceptionally high risk time because when an abusive partner has worked very hard to gain power and control over their partner, one worries that this can result in serious abuse with murder coming into play too. Pornography is the elephant in the room as it's impacting on how young people view relationships. It is giving sexual scripts to children before they ever embark out on their adult journey. Women's Aid has stated that strangulation has to be now legislated for as well pornography. As a sexual addiction clinician, I have seen the rise in pornography addiction amongst men which is most distressing. We need a multifaceted approach to this problem. When there's a good practice response from the guards , the results of these abuse cases can be transformative. I think it's essential that our education systems are encouraged to support and nurture healthy relationships. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Civil war in Sudan As the horrors of war in the middle east dominate the headlines, it is important that we do not forget the apocalyptic suffering of the Sudanese people in the midst of 'the world's largest humanitarian crisis', according to the UN. Sudanese armed forces chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, centre. The force has been accused of war crimes. Picture: AP Tens of thousands of people have died as a result of the civil war which began in 2023, and more than 12m people have been displaced. There is heinous violence and famine plaguing the African nation. According to the World Food Programme, 24.6m people face food insecurity, while 637,000 face 'catastrophic levels of hunger'. Children have suffered greatly with 15m needing humanitarian aid according to Unicef. The Biden administration determined earlier this year that genocide was being perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces, one of the warring parties. Their opponents, The Sudanese armed forces have also been accused of totally reprehensible acts and war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing, and attacks on hospitals. There have been attempts to end the conflict including by the US and Saudi Arabia and our own government has rightly provided over €10m in humanitarian support. Unfortunately, this horrendous war continues. Just this week, the World Health Organization stated that 40 civilians were killed in an attack on a hospital in one of the Southern regions. It is imperative that world leaders give this the same attention as the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the devastating war in Ukraine. A ceasefire, a surge of humanitarian aid and a palatable diplomatic settlement for both sides are essential. Tadhg Mulvey, Trim, Co Meath Read More Letters to the Editor: Ireland does not need a president
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain win at CWC
Updated / Sunday, 29 Jun 2025 23:57 Harry Kane's double helped Bayern Munich to a 4-2 win against Flamengo at the Club World Cup in Miami and set up a quarter-final clash with Paris St Germain. The England captain scored Bayern's second and fourth goals against the Brazilians at the Hard Rock Stadium, with Erick Pulgar's own goal and Leon Goretzka's effort ensuring an all-European last-eight tie. PSG had earlier showcased their European champions status by sweeping aside Inter Miami 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and they will face their German opponets at the same venue next Saturday. Kane put Bayern 2-0 up inside the opening nine minutes in his side's first-ever competitive match against Flamengo, rifling home a low 25-yard shot via a deflection soon after defender Pulgar had headed a corner into his own net. Brazil midfielder Gerson's first-half thunderbolt hauled Flamengo back into the clash, but Bayern regained their two-goal advantage after Leon Goretzka's swerving effort from outside the box. Flamengo hit back again through Jorginho, who converted his first goal for the club since his recent arrival from Arsenal from the penalty spot, 10 minutes into the second half after Michael Olisse had handled. Kane snuffed out Flamengo hopes with his second – his 41st goal for Bayern in all competitions this season – firing home a clinical low finish from Kimmich's pass into the box. Paris Saint-Germain had earlier showcased their European champions status by sweeping aside Inter Miami 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and they will face their German opponents at the same venue next Saturday. Luis Enrique's side turned in an impressive, dominant display against Lionel Messi's Miami, with Joao Neves' first-half brace putting them firmly in control. Tomas Aviles' own goal and Achraf Hakimi's strike put the result beyond doubt before half-time. Outclassed Miami, the last remaining MLS team in the competition, did not have a shot on target until Messi's effort was comfortably saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 63rd minute. Portugal midfielder Neves ghosted in at the far post to head home Vitinho's cross in the sixth minute and tapped home Fabian Ruiz's cross after Sergio Busquets had been dispossessed deep in his own half. Miami centre-back Aviles diverted Desire Doue's cross into his own net and in first-half stoppage time Hakimi lashed home from inside the area after his initial effort had rebounded off the crossbar.
