Cork's worst ever All-Ireland final capitulation defies rational explanation
Victors by ten points over Tipperary in the National League final, fifteen points to the good when the teams clashed in the group stage of the Munster championship, and six points up (1-16 to 0-13) at the end of a first-half they hadn't dominated in last Sunday's All-Ireland final.
Although flattered by the half-time scoreline, there was good cause to believe Cork had laid the foundations for victory and would justify their rating as warm favourites if they began to perform a tad closer to their full potential in the second-half.
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Irish Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Jim McGuinness's mother gives rare TV interview ahead of All-Ireland final
Jim McGuinness's mother gave a rare TV interview about her son ahead of Sunday's eagerly anticipated All-Ireland Football final, saying that she knew he always had the drive and passion to succeed. McGuinness returned to the Donegal hotseat for the 2024 season and immediately went about changing the fortunes of the county as they reached the All-Ireland semi-finals last year. Fast forward another 12 months, and Donegal have successfully defended the Ulster Championship and are now on the verge of winning their first All-Ireland title since 2012. "He had a great passion always for the Gaelic and then he went to soccer for a while as well but I would say he always say he had a bit of drive in him always and to do better always," Maureen McGuinness told RTE News. Maureen featured in an RTE news report ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland final and still helps run Jim's Cafe in the Glenties, the family owned business. Also appearing in the news report was the father of goalkeeper Shaun Patton. "We're just over the moon. We can't wait for Sunday evening to get it out of the way, and please God, we'll be coming down the road with the big cup," he told the national broadcaster. In one of the most intriguing All-Ireland Football finals in recent years, Donegal and Kerry meet in tomorrow's decider, and as much will be made about the managers on the sideline as the players on the pitch. In his third stint in charge, a win for Jack O'Connor will catapult him to all-time greatness with five All-Ireland title wins and have him behind only Jim Gavin and Mick O'Dwyer in All-Ireland triumphs. McGuinness's track record speaks for itself. Under his stewardship, Donegal reached its third final, which would complete a remarkable turnaround for a county that had been in the doldrums since his departure in 2014.
The 42
40 minutes ago
- The 42
The star Kerry defender who was told he was too small for football
THE WORD WAS I was too small. And although I was small, my studs were as big as anyone else's - Roy Keane, Keane. **** Kerry defender Paul Murphy is in his 11th season of senior inter-county football. His debut campaign in 2014 was punctuated by Sam Maguire success, an All-Ireland Final man-of-the-match display, and a first All-Star award. The dream run for a rookie player. But when he was an U16 player, Murphy couldn't make the South Kerry team. The doors to the Kingdom remained locked at minor level. The word was he was too small. He would have to wait until the U21 grade before a chance would materialise. Murphy filled the vacancy at wing half-back as Kerry reached the 2012 Munster final that ended in defeat to Cork after extra-time. At home in Rathmore, Murphy's talent was immediately recognised. And always appreciated. Equally strong off both feet, he was suited to a place in the forwards as much as in the backs. Murphy knew what he could offer with his adaptability too. But it would take time for the message to spread across the county. Paul Murphy tackling Cork's Kevin Hallissey in the 2012 Munster U21 final. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO 'He had right and left [foot] from a very early age, when the rest of us didn't,' says Rathmore's current senior manager David McCarthy who is the same age as Murphy. He saw the makings of a future Kerry great from when they were both U8. By the time they turned 21, McCarthy had swapped playing for coaching. Murphy was set for a different path, his arc just starting to rise. 'I wouldn't have had the commitment that Paul had. He always did have the skill levels. He always made the right decision It's probably a classic thing underage where the bigger players might get the nod ahead of smaller players. 'But once everyone got on the same level, it was quickly noticed how good he was.' **** In 2021, after announcing his retirement as a Kerry footballer, Peter Crowley had a visitor. It was his friend and former teammate, Paul Murphy. This was more than a friendly visit. It was an intervention. They'd known each other since their Sigerson football days in UCC, although they weren't particularly close at the time. But after Murphy make the breakthrough to the Kerry seniors, the pair became housemates. Advertisement Murphy's words failed to inspire a change of heart on this occasion but the effort was appreciated. 'I wasn't for turning,' Crowley says, stilling reflecting on that memory with gratitude. Having made his Kerry bow in 2012, he was happy to walk away with his All-Ireland medal from 2014. He's not surprised that Murphy stayed the course, and is still meeting the Kerry standard after more than a decade of service. The enduring quality of Paul Geaney — the other survivor of that starting team who defeated Donegal 11 years ago — isn't a shock to him either. 'The two Pauls would have always been very similar in terms of their preparation,' says Crowley. 'They've always been very dedicated, always doing the extra bit in terms of keeping their body in good shape. Particularly Paul Murphy would have always been very thorough in his preparation.' Brian Kelly, Declan O'Sullivan, Peter Crowley and Paul Murphy celebrate after Kerry's 2014 All-Ireland final win. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO Murphy first came to prominence for Kerry in the half-back line, and is currently playing the specialist role of the man-marking corner-back. He's danced with some of the best forwards in the country this year. Crowley remembers the 2016 campaign when the Rathmore man was deployed along the half-forward line. He scored 1-1 in the Munster final that year, as Kerry defeated Tipperary to secure their 78th provincial crown. That versatility he had mined on the club field was bearing fruit on the inter-county stage. 'You kind of forget how long he's been there,' Crowley adds. 'He was about 23 when he got his first start. To keep playing at 34 at a high level in a kind of position where he hasn't always played. He made his name as a half-back and would have played all over us as well.' **** Rathmore have a proud tradition of All-Ireland final representation. And Murphy is not their first man-of-the-match winner either. Din Joe Crowley was the MVP in the 1969 decider against Offaly. Aidan O'Mahony won the award in Kerry's 2006 triumph over Mayo while sticky corner-back Tom O'Sullivan was the top pick in the 2009 final against Cork. And that's not the end of Rathmore's cast of Kerry heroes. Declan O'Keeffe won two All-Irelands as the Kerry goalkeeper. And now Shane Ryan is their man between the sticks. But what is perhaps most interesting about Kerry's current netminder is that he is primarily an outfield player for the club. Rathmore boss McCarthy explains where the switch in positions occurred. 'I think it actually came about through soccer. He went for trials in England with a couple of clubs when he was young and it was someone in Killarney Celtic that pulled him in as a goalkeeper. He was in a development squad with Kerry so he ended up in goals with Kerry underage all the way through. 'He's very rarely played in goal at senior level for Rathmore because he's probably wasted in goal for us. I was starting to get tempted [to try it] when I saw the new rules. I was thinking that's definitely something you could be throwing out if there was a plus one going forward, Shane would be the one you'd want. But you'd much rather have him in the full-forward line shooting.' Murphy has a few years on Ryan, which meant the young goalkeeper had an older brother from home to turn to when his Kerry call-up arrived in 2019. It was the same level of support that Murphy received from O'Mahony when he was a young pup in the Kerry camp. Double it and pass it on. Another huge plus for the Rathmore conveyor belt that keeps producing high value players with each passing generation. Paul Murphy and Shane Ryan carrying the Sam Maguire after the 2022 All-Ireland final. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'Aidan was very good to Paul when he came in,' says McCarthy, 'And obviously it's probably a great thing when you go into a set-up like that, that you have someone from your own club to put the arm around you and bring you with him, especially for something as big as an All-Ireland final. 'Shane had that from Paul in 2019. It's great that there's the two of them involved in it and that he had that experience to lean on when he needed it.' **** In 2021, Paul Murphy was selected as Kerry captain. His clubmate Aislinn Desmond was also appointed to lead the Kerry Ladies through that year, doubling the sense of pride felt in the East Kerry outfit. But in 2022, Murphy lost his starting place for Kerry's first All-Ireland success in eight years. He had injury trouble that season, but he still brought impactful energy off the bench. One particular moment stands out for McCarthy: injury-time in a dramatic All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin. Murphy made his introduction in the 62nd minute. 'He was the one that hit the kick-pass for the free [on David Clifford] that Seanie Shea put over. So, he was doing well as the impact sub. He came on, freshened things up and probably had that sense of calm about him.' Paul Murphy carrying the ball for Rathmore in the 2023 All-Ireland intermediate final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Surely a frustrating time for Murphy, although the club would provide sanctuary for him later that season in the form of an All-Ireland intermediate title. 'That was obviously a massive thing for everyone on the club,' McCarthy says recalling the joy of that Croke Park triumph over Galbally Pearses of Tyrone. Related Reads David Clifford 'could be the best player that has ever played the game' - McGuinness 'It's challenging but it's adding to the entertainment' - Goalkeeper view on new rules 4 key talking points as Kerry, Meath, Dublin and Galway chase All-Ireland final place Club football is liberating for Murphy too. Where inter-county football can often be restrictive, there are more opportunities for him to explore the true depths of his skillset with Rathmore. 'When he comes in with the club, he does get that freedom. He might be out the field in the half-back line or we might shove him up to the half-forward line. We won the East Kerry championship last year and Paul was actually playing in midfield for the last 15 minutes. 'We were under serious pressure, and Paul was the one that settled the ship. He came up with scores to drag us over the line.' Kerry lost their All-Ireland title in 2023, but one upside for Murphy was that he had regained his starting position in the team. In a county of Kerry's large talent pool, his time in the exclusion zone could well have dragged on. Sometimes, there's no way to arrest the slide. But Crowley can attest to the extent of Murphy's resilience, as well as his ability to put the interests of the team above his own. 'That would be his attitude. He's a very good team player. He's always someone who would put the team first. I know from my time playing, and even more so since that, like, his own teammates would really value him. 'He's a very good man in the group, he's a very important person in the group. He brings the group together. He's always the fella in the WhatsApp group that's organising things. The younger fellows would really always kind of gravitate to him.' **** RTÉ's Up For The Match will feature the Rathmore club on this year's edition of the show that precedes the football decider. It's always an honour when they have representation in a Kerry jersey on All-Ireland final day. To have two players involved in central roles is all the more prestigious. And against their 2014 opponents Donegal to bring things full circle for Murphy. Rathmore reached the quarter-finals of the Kerry senior county championship last year, losing out to eventual winners Dr Crokes who would also go on to contest the All-Ireland semi-final. McCarthy awaits the return of Ryan to boost his attacking formation, and veteran defender Murphy who was once told he was too small for football. 'Paul mightn't have had the height but he was always fierce,' says McCarthy. 'He was a tenacious half back. He never shied away from anything. Paul went into every tackle. 'It'll be great to have the two boys back in, hopefully with a couple of more All-Ireland medals.'
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Martin McHugh: All-Ireland final nerves are way worse as a dad than as a player
PART ONE: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER Once Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland semi-final ended, the players came back home and the fans came back to Earth. Suddenly everyday concerns mixed with an even bigger worry: where would they source a ticket? For Jim and Kathleen McHugh, they had an answer to that second problem but not the first. Read more: Kerry's summer sensation: 'He's the biggest competitor I ever came across' Read more: 'I did see a job for Wexford going…', but 1994 World Cup star isn't ready to end his India adventure just yet With two sons on the Donegal team, they had options: Upper Stand or Lower? Hogan or Cusack? But going to Croke Park left another issue unsolved. Who would milk the cows on their farm? It's unlikely if any of Dublin's players were troubled by this kind of issue but if you are from a rural background, you'd understand the scale of the predicament. Ordinarily, a neighbour would help out. Except this time just about everyone in Kilcar wanted to migrate to Dublin for the day. 'The GAA has been going since 1884,' says Martin McHugh, Donegal's talisman on that All-Ireland winning side. 'And here we were, 108 years later, reaching our first All-Ireland. To say it was a big deal is an understatement. It was huge.' All the more so because no one gave them a chance. 'A funny thing happened on the day of our All-Ireland semi-final,' McHugh says. 'Our performance was so bad that the rumour was the Dublin players left before the final whistle. 'Who knows if that is true or not but it fed into the narrative that they were raging hot favourites and we were just there to make up the numbers.' The reality was different. A decade earlier, Donegal had won an Under 21 All-Ireland with seven graduates who'd help the county win just their third Ulster championship a year later. Then in 1987 another crop came along to collect Donegal's second Under 21 All-Ireland. 'In '92, we'd a good balance between young and old. In hindsight, we actually should have won more than we did,' says McHugh, 'because we were better than we thought. 'When we asked Dublin questions, they didn't have answers.' If there was any doubt in his head about how big a deal winning that first All-Ireland was, all Martin McHugh had to do was look at the expression on his parents' faces. Jim and Kathleen had met in London after emigrating in the 1950s. Work then took them to Leicester until the death of an uncle led to Jim getting the call to come home and take care of the farm. McHugh says: 'You know growing up, it was tough. But it was tough for everyone. Everybody around us had little but we all had enough, that kind of way. 'My parents wouldn't have gone to too many of our matches (for Donegal). They wouldn't have had the time because there was always stuff to get done on the farm. So getting down to Dublin for the final, that was a big deal.' So was winning. He got to see his parents an hour after the final whistle. Not many words were said because that generation didn't verbalise their feelings the way people are more at ease at doing so now. And yet they didn't need to. 'You just know,' McHugh says. 'Their faces, ah jeepers, the pride in them. You could see it meant the world to them. Two boys on the side. Daddy had won a County title with Killybegs years and years ago (in 1952). He loved his football and bringing the cup home to Kilcar was unforgettable. 'I'll never forget old people coming up to us. 'Thank you,' they'd say. 'We never thought we'd live to see this day… a Kilcar man in an All-Ireland.' They were the first McHughs to do so. But not the last. Donegal's Ryan McHugh credits Donegal's revival to Michael Murphy and Jim McGuinness' return. (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) PART TWO: … AND OF THE SON Martin McHugh was in the press box of the Hogan Stand. Martin McHugh was also in hell. His son, Mark, was on the Donegal team contesting the 2012 All-Ireland final. And it brought things back. 'As a player, I was grand in terms of the nerves,' he says. 'But as a dad, it was way worse. 'You think about it from a totally different perspective. All you really want is that the game ends without any one player making a costly mistake. 'Looking back, Mark had a very good game that day. 'But I won't pretend it isn't tough. I had to take a couple of valium that day to calm myself.' Watching your son in an All-Ireland stirred many memories. The car journeys to training; the anxiety watching them grow through challenges and setbacks; the day he was born; the day he was brought home; the day you realised he loved the game as much as you did. Then there was the fear. What if the team loses because of an error? What if Mark makes that mistake? But mixed with the fear is the pride in seeing your child representing your county in your sport's biggest day. 'You wouldn't change it for the world,' says Martin. But by 2014 there would be change. Mark may not have started that day but Ryan, his younger brother, did - continuing the McHugh lineage. PART THREE: JIMMY'S WINNING MATCHES Two names are synonymous with Donegal's All-Ireland final history: McHugh and McGuinness. The first has supplied five different members of the one family through the county's four final appearances: Martin, James (1992), Mark (2012), Ryan (2014 and 2025) and Eoin (2025). Yet even their contribution has been trumped by one man, Donegal's manager, Jim McGuinness. 'Jim always had a presence, even when he was younger. When he walked into a room, you could sense that,' says Martin McHugh of a person he has seen grow from young tyro on the 1992 panel to messianic leader. 'He is an unbelievable speaker, the sort of person you would walk through a brick wall for. 'We have so much to be thankful for because after 1992 we all thought we would only win one All-Ireland in our lifetimes. 'When he took over the team in 2011, we were nowhere. Then a year later we won an All-Ireland. He has since taken us to our third and fourth finals. When you analyse it, it is a serious achievement, Donegal making four All-Irelands in history, Jim managing us to three of those. 'When I was growing up, it was Dublin and Kerry who were always appearing in finals. Now our name is in the mix. Jeepers, that makes me proud.' Donegal manager Jim McGuinness after the 2014 final PART FOUR: DONEGAL There is no train service to Donegal. No motorway either. The airport is over an hour away from the southern edge of the county where the McHughs live. Emigration was a trauma in the 1950s, The Troubles an even greater wound twenty years later. 'We were deemed to be part of it,' McHugh reckons. 'The old story was that for every ten American tourists who landed into Dublin Airport, nine went south, and the tenth who went north only went there to visit family. 'So, we never received the same amount of tourist trade as other counties on the western seaboard. As a place, Donegal was not commercialised and we are the better for it in many respects. 'You see, we are very proud of our county. We are a likeable sort; we enjoy the craic and have produced some unbelievable people over the years' Packie Bonner, Seamus Coleman, Shay Given. "Daniel O'Donnell and Paul McGinley - whose father is a Donegalman - are two of our biggest ambassadors. 'Everybody rows in behind everybody here. Like, we don't reach too many All-Ireland finals. So it is great for football in the county that we are back in one. For me, it means an awful lot, not just because I have a son on the side but as a football man, as a Donegal man, it's just magical.' He's a grandfather now. Noah, Mark's son, is old enough to understand the value of haggling for a ticket. 'Grandad, I want to see David Clifford play.' McHugh laughed at that one and then he paused to think. His father, a county medal winner; his father in law, Padin O'Donnell, an understated but outstanding full back. "When I started playing, he (his father in law) couldn't watch the matches because of nerves. He'd go out the back of the main stand for a smoke.' Now the circle of life has turned. He is the anxious one now, watching over his boy, Ryan, hoping he joins Mark, James and himself as an All-Ireland winner. 'If you win it, it's unbelievable and if you lose, you have to be there for them, to get in behind them and support them because the few days after will be tough.' And yet when you remind him that tomorrow another McHugh will be on the starting team for Donegal in an All-Ireland final with his club name, Kilcar, in brackets next to that name in the match programme, you can sense what it means. Just like in 1992, when he saw Jim and Kathleen, there are no words. But his face tells you precisely what this means. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
