Hell's Kitchen is back for the digital age as Tipp produce Guerilla warfare
When Ronan Maher, captain of the Tipperary team stood on the steps of the Michael Hogan Stand, 100 years after it was named after the man who died during the violence and carnage of Bloody Sunday, he recalled another fallen Tipperary man.
In another, fairer dimension, the red helmet of Dillon Quirke would have been on the pitch here, rather than gone after he collapsed and died in a club championship match in August 2022. Captured forever as a 24-year-old Tipperary hurler.
'You weren't just with us in your spirit today,' said Maher.
'You were with us in the dressing room. You were on the field of play. You were in our hearts. We hope we did you and your family proud today.'
If the defining quality of Quirke was bravery, then that's what Tipperary were here. It couldn't be just all blood and snotters. They needed more and so their strategy set up bravery.
The extra man at the back hardly came as a surprise. At times it was Craig Morgan but as soon as Shane Barrett picked off two early points it was left to Bryan O'Mara.
Doing that, concedes the puckout. But then you can put pressure on the second ball. They were willing to do that because they trusted their half-back line to play out in front, with a safety net of a sweeper. They could also gum up the works when Cork attempted to run the ball with overlapping runs.
The Tipperary backs ate Cork whole. As a unit, this is the Hell's Kitchen of the John Doyle – Michael Maher – Kieran Carey, reimagined for the digital age.
'We just attacked everything… We just let it flow…' said Michael Breen afterwards.
Michael Breen afterwards with girlfriend, Sharlene Mawdsley. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
What's the opposite of flow? That's Cork. As soon as momentum started to shift, the ground beneath their feet went. The choice was there for them when Eoin Downey was booked on 32 minutes. Their gamble backfired with a second yellow and red. But even before that, they were baling water and holed beneath the waterline.
Pat Ryan has been around the block and has a shrewd hurling brain. But you sense that although they could have predicted Tipperary would employ a sweeper, they appeared to give it as little thought as, oooohhhh, Neil Young gave to his outfit on stage at Glastonbury.
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The Cork performance has already got the MemeLords busy. Welcome to Cork, twinned with Mayo. All the high brow stuff. But in terms of the embarrassment stakes, it was hard to see at the start of the week who could top the Coldplay Jumbotron extra-curricular couple. We aren't wondering now.
Let's not let this moment pass without acknowledging that nobody was shouting this prediction. Even as we walked to the stadium and happened upon a father-son duo from Roscrea who eventually pumped me for my prediction, I felt miserable as I opted for Cork.
'But if we're in it with fifteen minutes to go…' they reasoned. And I let them have that crumb of comfort. It made me feel happy. For a while.
You can parse and analyse all you want. Go intellectual and converse on strategies and approaches. Do what you want, but these games are decided by young divils such as Darragh McCarthy scoring 1-13 in an All-Ireland final as a teenager, hours after he put in a few hours playing video games on his phone, as revealed by Michael Breen.
Time enough for checking up on children with temperatures, we suspect.
There was a flavour of Tipp-ness from early on in the day. A tradition on All-Ireland final day has grown among their people whereby they meet at Talbot Street at noon, to honour the memory of Seán Treacy, a key figure in the War of Independence who died in a shoot-out at that very spot in October 1920.
It used to be confined to west Tipperary people and Dublin folk of Tipperary extraction that attended. On Sunday there was a gathering of several hundred people.
The difference this time was that the GAA President Jarlath Burns delivered an oration. Despite the scratchy amplification, the event was moving and profound. The hurling game to follow was guerilla warfare.
An interesting diversion for the next few days around Thurles, Cashel and Tipperary and into the surrounding parishes will be a parlour game of your particular favourite ending to the game.
Was it Liam Cahill, calm and measured all season finally exploding in emotion by chewing the linesman over a questionable line ball in the closing moments with the game long settled?
Perhaps the twinkle in Liam Sheedy's eye as he made his way down the sideline, togged out in punditry gear and heading for a most enjoyable debriefing, being cheered by the Tipperary supporters.
Liam Cahill meets Liam Sheedy with a third Liam. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Eoghan Connolly's 'f*** it' clearance actually being met with the most delicate of touches by John McGrath and steered to the net on the hour?
'John McGrath won the county final, so hopefully John McGrath will win the All-Ireland for Tipperary next Sunday aswell' - Frankie McGrath pic.twitter.com/zm5wqsoswN — The GAA (@officialgaa) July 20, 2025
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How about Rhys Shelly and his primal scream of delight when he saved Conor Lehane's penalty in injury time.
How about Rhys Shelly again, this time with a point from play?
Perhaps it was Tipperary's defence going all free-form jazz experimentation with overhead flicks with the space to indulge themselves.
Or Noel McGrath scoring the final point of the day?
As Michael Breen said afterwards, 'It was a fun second half to play in.'
That will hurt.
But look at them on top now. Galtee mountain boys.
Look at the view below. Two moments from last year jump out for us, seeing as we were there in the flesh; the league semi final against Clare in Portlaoise when Tipp burned through – I think – four different freetakers.
And then the Gaelic Grounds in the Munster championship when Bonner Maher bowed out in front of a Tipp crowd that felt invisible.
As Jake Morris said afterwards, 'We all live close to the big towns and that's where you would be meeting people. You'd have been ashamed to show your face in public.'
Not your problem now, Jake.
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Donegal's greatest strength can be their biggest weakness
THERE'S been some amount written and spoken about the All-Ireland football final - and we haven't reached Sunday yet! A common thread running through many discussions, sometimes from people who have never played or managed in one much less won it, that All-Ireland final day is different. It absolutely is, but many of the principles that apply to winning any match also apply on the biggest day. The team that works hardest, makes the best decisions in possession and has the greatest number of players playing to their potential will generally win. That final one can be the hardest one to achieve, because of the enormity of the occasion. It is every player's dream to play in an All-Ireland final and sometimes that can result in them freezing. Victims of this paralysis often speak afterwards of how the game simply passed them by. Having the experience of having played in them previously counts. Ultimately it is a game of football to be won, by constantly doing the simple things well. Kerry have an advantage here. Emphasising this very point, Jack O'Connor spoke this week about the importance of being able to think on their feet, for both players and management during an All-Ireland final. So much thought, visualisation and preparation goes into this game that it can be taken for granted that every angle is covered. It rarely is. There is always some curveball to think through. Some are controllable, more aren't. Think back to last Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final. Uniquely, the pre-game formalities went on for longer than scheduled. At one stage Pat Ryan could be seen glancing anxiously at his watch wondering about this delay. An unnecessary annoyance. The parade, a significant part of the occasion, was considerably shortened as a result. All of this, while not ideal, was not a controllable. Management have to trust the players to navigate through those twists. Many of them probably didn't even notice. What was a controllable was how the Cork management and players reacted to Liam Cahill's surprise move of playing with a sweeper. This is one of the many things they will wrestle with for the winter. Speaking of the parade, it will be interesting to see if Donegal break prematurely Sunday as they did in the semi-final. If they do will Kerry remain in place and go around in front of the Hill, often the most enjoyable and memorable part of the parade? This final is a clash of styles. Whoever wins will provide a template for certain coaches up and down the country for the foreseeable. Donegal will look to limit David Clifford's influence while not obsessing over him. As Kevin Cassidy mentioned on the RTÉ podcast this week, Jim McGuinness may accept that David will score a certain amount and they may well to try to negate the rest of the Kerry attack using their zonal system. They will plan that he can't win the game on his own and will try to make sure that the rest don't do enough to make up the difference. From a Kerry perspective they will have to get a lot right, the norm to win a final. Everyone will have to play well, they will need to tie down the Michaels (Murphy and Langan) and the O'Donnells (Shane and Conor) and they will need to get an impact from the bench, including springing a marker for Patrick McBrearty when he is introduced. To win, the Munster champions will also have to excel in attacking against Donegal's zone, defending their runners and breaking even on Shaun Patton's kickouts. Donegal's greatest strength so far can be their biggest weakness - in my opinion. Their zonal defensive setup has worked so far, getting them to an All-Ireland final and winning Ulster. I have long felt it won't win Sam, and I am about to get my answer, one way or the other. They have conceded an average of 19 points per game in the championship (2.5 less than Kerry). They sit deep, marking normally one, and sometimes a second danger man while everyone swaps between opponents on or close to the ball. Ryan McHugh and Eoghan Bán Gallagher sit in and mind the 'D'. Caolan McConagle prior to his injury can also fulfill this role, which he may do again to free up McHugh to possibly track Paudie Clifford in a similar job to the one he did on Rory Grugan in the Ulster final. Joe O'Connor is one of the Kerry players who can punch holes in an opposition defence. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile These twin sweepers are the players that will sprint to the danger and double up to force turnovers. As a team they thrive on these. It energises their supporters as they hare up the field in search of scores. They are mesmerising to watch in full flow. They have got goals from these situations where they are going from turnover to score in between 15 and 20 seconds. Finnbarr Roarty's goal against Cavan and Ciarán Moore's major against Meath are great examples. For Kerry to win they will have to avoid these turnovers, but do it without blunting their attacking edge. They need to avoid being conservative and pedestrian and attack with pace, while being patient. Patience at pace. For Kerry to pull that zone apart, there are a number of considerations. Chief among them will be decision-making in possession. Where that zone thrives is when players take the ball into contact or when a player receives a sloppy pass. The Donegal boys are expertly drilled on this and pounce on their quarry to force those precious turnovers at the most opportune time - when their opponent is in a vulnerable position. Generally this season, when faced with a deep sitting team, Kerry have favoured setting the spare bodies up outside the defensive shield and punching holes when they can. Gavin White, Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Joe O'Connor are especially effective at this. Use this again but don't rely solely on it. Flood the full forward line and create space for those runners to break into and shoot. Alternatively, to mix it up they can push those outside bodies further up the pitch, inside the two point arc to engage the Donegal backs and the create more one-on-ones. Occupy and rob them of their sweepers. Force Donegal's host of converted half forwards to defend. Play through the zone with accuracy and in the direction they are facing. Set up a two-point shooter outside and when the Donegal defence collapses in to deal with a threat feed it back out to that shooter. Monaghan did exactly this to good effect in the first half of their quarter final encounter. Furthermore, Kerry can set up two-point shooters outside the arc and entice the Donegal defence towards them. If they are given space as against Armagh, shoot. If they push too aggressively is there a pop pass inside to set up a possible goal chance, which will be required to win? Use David Clifford when possible but don't force it his way when it's not on. In short, be ruthlessly efficient through a variety of methods. Be a nightmare to defend against. Kerry have the quality but can they execute accurately under pressure? An extension of that area is Donegal's awesome counter-attacking running game. The simple thing for Kerry to do is to rob them of turnovers and the momentum that generates by killing the ball. Armagh limited them to four points from turnovers in the Ulster final because of their efficiency, getting off 42 shots from 47 attacks. Against Meath, Donegal scored 1-5 from turnovers, with the Royals getting 31 shots from 43 attacks. Three of those shots dropped short, a cardinal sin against the Ulster champions. Their huge spread of scorers (generally ten plus players score for them) in part comes from those counter attacks. Reduce those and you reduce that challenging scoring spread. Tyrone were quite effective at exactly this, limiting Donegal to nine scorers, in the one game they have lost in championship this year. The second part of that turnover scenario is that when they do occur Kerry have to react instantly. It is a code red situation, with all hands to the pump. Track runners and get back in shape. Delay their attack and slow them down. If necessary give away a point but never a goal. Speaking of slowing Donegal down, when they do enter established 11 v 11 attacks they are excellent at opening up the right opportunity. They constantly run angles and wrap around each other to make sure they are probing while not over-committing. They wait for the opposition to switch off and pounce. The simple answer - harder at a human level - for the Kerry defence is never switch off, especially against this quality of opposition on the biggest day. Finally we come to Shaun Patton's kickout which will, as always, be a concern for Kerry. As well as his accuracy and distance, his unique trajectory off a couple of steps is a formidable weapon. This is his first All-Ireland though, and he has come under pressure in big games in the past. Kerry will need to press it when they can, after frees and established attacks, as giving kickouts up to Donegal is akin to giving a shot away, most of the time. When pressing they will be hyper-aware of the long one over the top and flick ons. They were extremely alert on this against Niall Morgan in the semi-final. Mark O'Shea competed manfully in the air and as soon as the ball was kicked, Joe O'Connor, Gavin White and others sprinted from their zones and anticipated the destination of the flick on. The Kingdom defenders will have to be ready for Michael Murphy's late move from the top of the traditional 'D' for this kickout and be ready to disrupt him on the ground and in the air. Up to this point they haven't used it as often as one would expect, but they may on Sunday. Similarly, the number of balls kicked into Murphy in the full forward line could be counted on one hand so far in championship but we may see an attempted 2012 reprise early in the match. All of this is only scratching the surface of what the teams have prepared for and what they are planning for. My wish for both sets of players is that they play to their potential and perform on one of the most special days of their sporting lives. Two great groups of players going at it will make for a fascinating contest, and a potentially cracking final, particularly the second half. We may need a second day to separate them, but Kerry to prevail. Eventually.
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Irish athlete Kate O'Connor wins gold and breaks national record at World University Games in Germany
KATE O'Connor has won the women's heptathlon at the World University Games in the Lohrheidestadion, Bochum, Germany. 2 The 24-year-old will be hoping to continue her form in the World Athletics Championships next month 2 The Ulster University performance scholar has added to her already impressive medal collection She beat her own record she set back in 2021 of 6297 points at the World Athletics Combined Events Challenge in Italy. When speaking to "I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into Tokyo." The also pentathlon national record holder will be hoping to continue her flying from into the World Athletics Championships starting September 13. Read more on Irish Sport She has won bronze at the European Indoors in the Netherlands and The 2024 Olympian added: "To break a national record, well my won national record is something "I'm in the shape of my life at the moment, to go out and do it here on the world stage, I'm really happy with that." O'Connor is only the third Irish women to win gold at the World University Games, following in the footsteps of Sonia O'Sullivan and Danielle McVeigh. Most read in Athletics In the sixth event of the competition, O'Connor finished first in the javelin with a throw of 51.87m, three metres further than anyone else. The final event of the competition was the 800 metres and O'Connor finished second in the final heat with a PB time of 2:10.46. Sharlene Mawdsley takes part in hilarious road race as part of Tipperary's All-Ireland celebration The result has boosted O'Connor to fourth in the world this year as she won the competition by 406 points. O'Connor made history last year by becoming the first Irish heptathlete to compete at the Olympic games. At the 2024 Paris Olympics the University of Texas alumni finished 14th in her first Olympic heptathlon. A strong final day saw her jump from 19th on the second last day to 14th in the standings. She finished third in the javelin before finishing just 113 points off the top 10.
Extra.ie
11 hours ago
- Extra.ie
How Donegal's defence can cope with David Clifford
There was a moment of levity during Jim McGuinness's press conference ahead of the All-Ireland final. The Donegal manager was asked when he knew that Finnbarr Roarty, the fresh-faced teenage defender who has been one of the revelations of this summer, was ready for senior inter-county football. 'I would say about a year ago I thought he might have been good enough, but I was a day out on my calculation!' McGuinness smiled, a reference to how he handed Roarty his senior debut in a McKenna Cup game, despite him still being a minor, which was against GAA rules and resulted in Donegal getting a slap on the wrists. But it did show how long the youngster, a clubmate of the manager in Naomh Conaill, has been on the radar. One of the big questions that surrounded Donegal ahead of this season was how McGuinness would adjust his team's defensive structure and shape to the new rules. While much of how they defend remains based on a system — and how they like to set up zonally just inside the arc — they have adapted it to the new game. Even with 11 v 11, he has trusted his team's shape. Finnbarr Roarty has been one of the revelations of this summer. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie 'That is probably the one thing that has surprised me about Donegal this season,' says Eamon McGee, the All-Ireland-winning corner-back in 2012. 'McGuinness came back last year and loved his defensive shape, and I wondered if he would remain true to that there or is he going more to a hybrid approach where he is getting out and putting the pressure on. 'But he's stayed true to that. I'm surprised that he's able to work it out, and they've been very brave, in fairness to Donegal, how they defended those zones and how they're leaving that third zone, nearly man-free. There's one man keeping an eye on it, but they're getting across so quick. From a defensive perspective, I'm surprised that they're able to manage it as well as they have.' McGuinness has been able to make it work because of the quality of defenders they have, and the speed at which they can move into a zone if they sense danger. Tyrone's decision to go man-on-man against Kerry resulted in David Clifford filling his boots on Padraig Hampsey, scoring 1-9 and probably leaving another couple of goals out on Croke Park. It was clear from early on that Hampsey was left too isolated, especially given how wide open his team were down the central channel where Joe O'Connor had a field day and roughly half of Kerry's 10 goalscoring opportunities originated. That is one area Kerry may find clogged upon Sunday, particularly if Caolan McGonagle returns to centre half-back. David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Ulster champions are wedded to the zonal system, defenders are still required to win their individual battles. One-on-one defending still matters. Roarty's ability to strip the ball from an opponent — most clearly seen in dispossessing Meath's Keith Curtis in the semi-final to start the move that led to Ciaran Moore's goal — is reminiscent of Karl Lacey in his pomp, as both McGuinness and McGee have pointed out. 'He punches above his weight in many respects and doesn't fear anybody,' McGuinness said of Roarty. 'There's an innocence to that but a courageousness as well. He's a brilliant tackler. I can see him taking the ball off Aidan O'Shea in Roscommon that day, that's not an easy task. Karl Lacey in his pomp. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 'When he gets you in that grip, a bit like Karl Lacey, he can get the hand in and the hand out. It's clean and it's crisp and it's strong. He's fair. He's been brilliant, the Donegal people love him. They absolutely love him. When he gets a turnover now, I think it's as big a cheer as you're going to get for a point because he is so honest. ' McGee agreed with those sentiments. 'He is so good at sniffing danger and getting to the danger. His ability to rob a man reminds me of Lacey, who was like a boxer with quick hands and able to get the ball without getting the foul on. You watch Finbarr when he gets near the man. How many times we've seen it this summer, where Finbarr's getting the hand in, gets it away. 'He's brought so much to that defensive unit. And remember, Finbarr's coming from an era where he's been brought up in blanket defences, so a lot of those defensive skills were neglected, they weren't coached, it about getting everybody back, and the group, rather than the individual. For him to come out, and in the manner that he has, it's a testament to his club and his coaches and to himself.' Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football and asked to limit the damage that Clifford does in the final. There has been some speculation that Donegal may remain true to their zonal system elsewhere and McCole will be the only one tasked with a specific man-marking role, although the manner in which Ryan McHugh curtailed Rory Grugan's influence in the Ulster final suggests he may be the player to tag Paudie Clifford. Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes But all eyes will be on McCole and how he handles Clifford. In his understated way, the Mountcharles native has grown into arguably the most consistent full-back in the country over the past couple of years and his ability to read the game and sense danger are two of his most impressive attributes, both of which he will need in spades on Sunday. His policing of Matthew Costello in the semi-final underlined his ability. 'McCole has been tasked with the danger man in every game, and he keeps an eye on his man while reading the game,' McGee says. 'If you look at the players who are dubbed man-markers most of them aren't able to do that, they are just focused on their direct opponent. But McCole is able to read the game, he's always aware of where his man is and when to stand off. He's hands-on at times, but he doesn't bring any of the sledging or verbals nonsense.' McGuinness has re-designed parts of his defensive shape to fit into the new game, but he still trusts his players in their individual battle. McCole has the hardest job of all on Sunday, but if his teammates sense trouble, their system means they can move at speed to help — and how they try to nullify the Kerry threats is just one of the reasons Sunday's game is so intriguing.
