Strong second half sees Galway defeat Tipperary
Connacht champions Galway began their TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship campaign with an impressive second quarter in Tuam Stadium to run out comfortable nine point victors over Tipperary.
The Tribeswomen did the damage with 1-8 unanswered, including Leanne Coen's goal, to lead 1-10 to 0-1 at half-time but Tipperary put in a much improved second half display.
Galway took the stiff wind at the start and opened on two minutes with Louise Ward slotting over. Olivia Divilly also got off the mark in the sixth minute.
It wasn't one way traffic as Tipperary dropped a couple of balls towards Aishling Moloney. Caitlin Kennedy also struck low but off target. However, a free won by Ava Fennessy on 18 minutes led to Moloney converting a free.
That was after a seven minute hold up when Galway attacker Shauna Hynes was injured. Her replacement was 2024 captain Ailbhe Davoren who also played a pivotal role.
The key score was the goal on 22 minutes. Divilly, Nicola Ward and Davoren played a part before the latter passed across to the unmarked Coen who kicked to the net. And from there, the hosts proceeded to dominate.
Kate Thompson, Divilly (2) and Davoren made it 1-6 to 0-1 as Tipperary struggled with kick outs. That being said, they did drop three dangerous balls towards the opposing square but keeper Dearbhla Gower showed good hands.
At the other end, Galway added four more white flags starting with Divilly that could have been a goal. Kate Slevin added two points either side of Davoren's second.
Slevin tallied straight after the restart but Galway only managed three scores during the period. Slevin got the second on 43 minutes before Divilly struck her fifth in injury time.
Tipperary will take from solace from their second half effort, though an injury to Kennedy will be a concern. Moloney delivered five points, three from play, while Emma Morrissey punched the air after slotting one over from the right.
Moloney also twice went for goal, once hitting the crossbar. But Galway's first half display was enough to take the win before heading to Donegal in seven days.
Scorers for Galway: O Divilly (0-5, 1f); K Slevin (0-4, 2f); L Coen (1-0); A Davoren (0-2); L Ward, K Thompson (0-1 each).
Scorers for Tipperary: A Moloney (0-6, 3f); E Morrissey (0-1).
GALWAY: D Gower; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; L Coen, S Hynes, K Thompson; E Noone, O Divilly, K Slevin.
Subs: A Davoren for Hynes (11 inj), A Trill for Slevin (510, L Noone for Thompson (51), A Madden for L Ward (54), S Healy for C Trill (58).
TIPPERARY: L Fitzpatrick; N Martin, L Spillane, E Cronin; I Carr, M Curley, S English; AR Kennedy, C Kennedy; L Morrissey, A Ryan, A O'Shea; A McGuigan, A Moloney, A Fennessy.
Subs: S O'Carroll for Carr (30), N Towey for C Kennedy (36 inj), E Morrissey for L Morrissey (39), N Shelly for O'Shea (41), C English for Ryan (59).
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
26 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Leading trainer Edward O'Grady dies aged 75
Edward O'Grady, one of Ireland's leading racehorse trainers over the last 50 years, has died aged 75. Based in Ballynotty, Co Tipperary, O'Grady trained his first Cheltenham Festival winner in 1974 and went on to enjoy 18 victories in all at National Hunt racing's ultimate meeting. Most prominent among them was Golden Cygnet, a spectacular winner of the Supreme Novices Hurdle in 1978, who looked to have the racing world at his feet only to sustain fatal injuries in a fall just weeks later. O'Grady started training in 1972 and saddled his first winner, Vibrax, at Gowran Park in January of that year. He took over the license from his father Willie, who had just died. READ MORE It meant O'Grady, who attended school at Blackrock College in Dublin, had to leave university without finishing a veterinary degree. He was in the spotlight due to the famous Gay Future controversy in 1974 when the horse of that name was at the centre of a gambling coup by an Irish betting syndicate. O'Grady was later played by Pierse Brosnan in the film 'Murphy's Stroke' based on the matter. He was also instrumental in introducing the then bookmaker and gambler JP McManus to racehorse ownership. Trainer Edward O'Grady, former European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy and JP McManus at the Cheltenham Festival in 2012. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho In 1982 the pair combined to win at Cheltenham with Mister Donovan. McManus backed the horse and later admitted: 'He was needed!' O'Grady was champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland for four years between 1977 and 1980. He flirted with switching his attentions to the flat but returned to the jumps to some effect with star names such as Nick Dundee, Back In Front and Sound Man. A statement issued by his family through Horse Racing Ireland on Monday said: 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Edward O'Grady, who passed away peacefully yesterday evening at St James's Hospital, surrounded by his family. 'Edward was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also one of the most respected and successful racehorse trainers of his generation. 'Over the course of an extraordinary career that spanned more than five decades, Edward trained just shy of 1,700 winners under rules. His name became synonymous with Irish National Hunt racing, and he was a formidable force at Cheltenham and across the racing world. 'Beyond the winners and the headlines, Edward was a man of deep intelligence, sharp wit, and remarkable warmth. He had friends on every continent, a story for every occasion, and a lifelong passion for the sport, the hunting field and everything equestrian.' O'Grady's second wife, Maria, died in a fall while out hunting in 2017. He is survived by their daughters, Mimi and Rosie Mae, as well as his older children, Jonathan, Amber and Lucy.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Louth's Darren Geoghegan in the running as Annaverna plays host to All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals
Competitors taking part this year are of the highest calibre, with many holding All-Star Awards, All Ireland Club and County medals. The modern Poc Fada recreates the legendary journey of Cú Chulainn who as the seven-year-old boy Setanta decided he had waited long enough to become a member of the famous Red Branch Knights of Ulster. So he set off from his home in Dundalk for the Macra, the Red Branch Knights school in Armagh, some 60km away. While crossing the Cooley Mountains, Setanta hit his sliotar far ahead and ran forward to catch it on his hurley stick before it hit the ground. Today's contenders compete over the same Cooley mountains as Setanta once passed. The 5km Senior Hurling and 2.5 km Senior Camogie and U16 courses provide ample opportunity to practice pocs, as on average the Senior Hurling takes 46 pocs to win. The modern All-Ireland Poc Fada dates back to 1960 when six boys from Dundalk (Mal Begley, Peter Crilly, Sean Mc Aeney, Jerome Mc Donagh, Peter Myles and the first-ever winner Damien Callan) under the watchful eye of An tAthair Pól Mac Shean, took part in the very first Poc Fada. The first All-Ireland Poc Fada took place the following year in 1961. First sponsored by Martin Donnelly more than 25 years ago, the MD Sports All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals represent one of the longest-running sponsorships within the GAA and Camogie Association. Spectators are very welcome to come along to Annaverna Mountain on Monday for 11am. PLAYING ORDER Senior Hurling 1. Cathal Dillon, Tipperary 2. Pearce Smyth, Down 3. Noel Fallon, Roscommon 4. Sean Og McLaren, Antrim 5. Killian Phelan, Kilkenny 6. Cillian Kiely, Offaly 7. Darren Geoghegan, Louth 8. Brendan Cummins, Tipperary 9. Pat Burke, Westmeath 10. Bobby Douglas, Mayo 11. Colin Ryan, Limerick 12. Fionan Mackessy, Kilkenny Senior Camogie 1. Isobelle McInerney, Clare 2. Ellen Leech, Antrim 3. Patricia Coote, Westmeath 4. Maeve Muldoon, Galway 5. Sara Louise Graffin, Down ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 6. Molly Lynch, Cork U16 Hurling 1. Donnacha Collins, Derry 2. Oran Stratford, Galway 3. Sean Og O'Regan, Waterford 4. Conor Raleigh, Westmeath U16 Camogie 1. Siofra Ginty, Offaly 2. Kayla Garrett, Galway 3. Saoirse Ryan, Tipperary 4. Eimear Ward, Antrim
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The football year in review: Footballer of the year? Biggest disappointment? Our writers make their picks
Malachy Clerkin Footballer of the year: David Clifford. Scored more than everyone else. Scored more from play than everyone else. Scored more goals than everyone else. Scored 0-7, 1-9 and 0-9 from the quarter-final on – and wasn't named Man of the Match in any of those games. Pleasingly, his overall tally from play came to 8-12-24 – or, if you like, 24-24-24. And he did it all while being the one player every opposition made plans for, sent their best man-marker after and changed their own game to contain. A genuinely astonishing footballer. Kerry's David Clifford scores a two-pointer despite Donegal's Brendan McCole. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Best game: Derry 's draw with Galway in the round robin game in Celtic Park. It finished 2-20 to 4-14 and never let up. Six goals, four two-pointers, countless hits and spills and crankiness all over the pitch. Derry finally showed who they can be, Galway hung in grimly right to the last drop and looked to have dug out the win with Matthew Tierney's 69th-minute goal. But Derry, with Conor Glass exceptional, got up the pitch and Conor Doherty's equaliser brought the house down. Memorable moment: Louth 's Leinster title. Ger Brennan's team had been coming but nobody was predicting anything other than a 15th Leinster title in a row for Dublin at the start of the year. But once Meath knocked them out, Louth took their chance. Played a bad first half but clung on through a hailstorm of goals, including the strike of the year from Craig Lennon. Sam Mulroy's second half was a display for the ages. READ MORE Biggest disappointment: The knock-out stages consisted of 11 games, only three of which ended with a margin smaller than six points. We thought we had a wide open championship but as the stakes got higher, so many of the games were decided long before the end. It all kind of fizzled out really. Former Dublin manager and FRC chair Jim Gavin at Croke Prk ahead of the All-Ireland final. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho In 2026 I would like to see: The game keep evolving. The new rules aren't perfect by any means but what they've done is illustrate the need for a standing rules committee with the power to change something if it isn't working. If 2025 did anything, it should have cured the moaning of the why-can't-they-just-leave-the-game-alone crowd. Fat chance, probably. Gordon Manning Footballer of the year: Is it a debate? David Clifford finished the year as championship top scorer with 8-62 all in, an average of 9.5 points per game. Second was Seán O'Shea on 1-50. Clifford hoisted his team-mates upon his shoulders and carried them to glory this year. The new rules have liberated his considerable talents. Best game: Donegal 's Ulster final win over Armagh was a gripping, couldn't-take-your-eyes off it battle. It was a game played with huge intensity, aggression, high skill level, plenty of physicality and drama. The sun was beaming and St Tiernach's Park felt like a claustrophobic powder-keg waiting to explode. And it did. Michael Murphy with the Anglo-Celt Cup after Donegal's Ulster final win over Armagh. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Memorable moment: Louth's first Leinster SFC success since 1957 sparked an outpouring of emotion rarely seen for provincial triumphs these days. The atmosphere in Croke Park was more in keeping with an All-Ireland final than Leinster final day. In terms of memorable moments it was closely followed by Meath's victory over Dublin. Who said the Leinster SFC was a lame duck? Biggest disappointment: The lack of space between the end of the league and the start of the championship encouraged teams to essentially pull the handbrake on their league campaigns a few weeks before the end of the competition. For what is apparently the second most important competition in the intercounty calendar, nobody seemed very motivated to win it. In 2026 I would like to see: A return to the traditional throw-in of two v two at the start of each half. The unnatural optics of two players standing on either sideline waiting for the ball to be tossed in before they can enter the pitch is completely unnecessary. The new rules have made such a positive impact, but the one v one throw-in is an example of needless meddling. Denis Walsh Footballer of the year: In sport, numbers are a coarse expression of genius but sometimes they're handy. David Clifford was the top scorer in the championship by a clear 33 points; he was also the top scorer from play by 33 points, and he kicked the most two-pointers. In the final he racked up nine points, without even attempting a free. Astonishing. Best game: In its final edition the mid-championship round robin produced a blizzard of great matches, two of them involving Galway, but the hectic Cork-Kerry Munster semi-final in late April was a glorious portent of the season to come. Louth fans in Hill 16 celebrate after the final whistle in the Leinster final against Meath. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Memorable moment: Meath's sensational victory over Dublin revived a moribund Leinster championship and their mind-boggling victory over Kerry was just the shock therapy Kerry needed, as it happened. But Louth winning the Leinster final was the day of days in football's golden summer. Biggest disappointment: Games 97, 98 and 99 between the last four teams standing in a great championship were all one-sided. It was just a pity that nothing sparked in Croke Park over the last fortnight. In 2026 I would like to see: Further refinements of the new rules. Do we really need 12 players behind the ball? How soon before we can get the number down to 10? What's the plan for squashing the outbreaks of lateral handpassing? Seán Moran Footballer of the year: Just before half-time, David Clifford 's two-pointer encapsulated his consistent ability to defy the tightest marking and the acumen to kick scores, 8-62 in total. Like all great players, his scores cut deeply, messaging: he's here; today is not your day. Best game: Kerry 0-32 Armagh 1-21. The portal through which Kerry emerged as a transformed force. Trailing by five in the second half, they unleashed 15 minutes of dazzling football, which completely undid the champions in the quarter-final. Donegal's Ciarán Moore scores the winning point against Mayo at Dr Hyde Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Memorable moment: Ciarán Moore's 70th-minute gallop to kick the winning point against Mayo in Roscommon. It didn't advance Donegal in the slightest but killed the opposition's championship and tolled the bell on Kevin McStay's management with the usual unseemly consequences in the county. Biggest disappointment: Despite the positive impact of the FRC and some great contests, the business end proved terribly disappointing with one-way All-Ireland semi-finals, which were going to be redeemed by the resulting final. Instead, Donegal were handed a beating not suffered for 18 years. In 2026 I would like to see: Louth's somewhat forgotten – or at best, overlooked – breakthrough and Meath's progress to an All-Ireland semi-final, having beaten Dublin along the way, raised optimism for a competitive, well-attended Leinster championship. Let's hope it's not a false dawn. Ian O'Riordan Footballer of the year: Just when you thought David Clifford couldn't possibly get any better. He came out this season leaner, hungrier, and meaner, his appetite for destruction in front of goal more insatiable than it has even been. After scoring 8-53 from eight games coming into Sunday's final, he added another 0-9 from play, including three two-pointers – and only a fantastic clearance off the line denied him a goal. The smiling scene of him raising the Sam Maguire with his son Ógie, and his brother Paudie Clifford, was the perfect end to a perfect championship season. Shane Walsh celebrates after kicking the winning score against Armagh at Breffni Park. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Best game: A few contenders here, given the many smash hits of the football championship, but Galway's All-Ireland series round-robin game against All-Ireland champions Armagh at Breffni Park was one of the best in my book. In the penultimate round of the so-called Group of Death, Galway came from eight points down at half-time to land a one-point win with the last kick of the game, a cool-as-you-like it free by Shane Walsh. Galway would later progress to the knock-out stages thanks to their draw with Derry, another cracking game of football, only that Saturday evening in Breffni was Galway at their fighting best. Memorable moment: Sometimes you get a different view of a game when attending as a spectator, not a reporter, but either way Kerry's All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh was a sight to behold. Sitting in the lower Hogan Stand between a mixture of Kerry and Armagh supporters, that 15-minute spell in the second half when Kerry scored 14 unanswered points was utterly breathtaking. One point by David Clifford, after running rings around the Armagh defence, was a kind of magic. Biggest disappointment: We know there will be one less round in the All-Ireland series next year which will free up another weekend to allow a little more breathing space at the business end of the championship. We also know there's no going back to September All-Ireland finals, or even early August – not for the time being anyway – but there's still an uneasy sense the championship has been raced through at an unnecessarily fast pace. In 2026 I would like to see: Louth's first Leinster football title since 1957 injected some much-needed interest and excitement into the province, particularly after Dublin's exit at the hands of Meath. Ulster and Connacht continue with their competitive element, while the Munster football championship is lacking it, despite Cork's brave effort this year. It's hard to see how that will change next year, but maybe Jim Gavin might have some thoughts on the structure of it?
