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The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Pat Ryan's Conor Lehane revelation shows dedication Cork veteran still has as he prepares for Tipperary
WHEN the fat is in the fire against Tipperary, Conor Lehane will hope for a chance to do his bit to end the lean years for Cork. The veteran forward has had to contend with life on the fringes for the Rebels, who can end a 20-year wait for an All-Ireland SHC title in Sunday's final. 2 2 Lehane was in the team for the 2023 win over Waterford that saw Pat Ryan take charge of Cork in a Championship match for the first time. However, he has not been selected to start a game since last summer's All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Offaly. Still, Ryan recently lauded his dedication as the Cork boss highlighted how the body-fat percentage of the Midleton forward, who turns 33 this month, is the lowest on his panel. Lehane said: 'Every player that's involved wants to be getting as much game time as humanly possible. 'Everyone wants to be impacting positively and when it doesn't happen, you'd be heartbroken in a way. But that's the whole gig — it's sport. 'It's tough when you don't get your chance but when you do get your chance, whether it's a minute, ten minutes, 20 minutes, it's just whatever impact you can have.' For Lehane, the 2013 loss to Clare after a replay remains his last direct involvement in an All-Ireland final. After being cut from the panel in 2021, he missed that season's decider against Limerick. And for last summer's Croke Park clash with the Banner, Lehane was an unused sub for the duration of a thrilling showpiece that Cork lost by a point after extra-time. He admitted: 'Obviously I'd love to have been involved and try to make an impact. But it's about being a grown-up as well. "You've got to take it on the chin and regroup again and just drive on. You've no other choice really.' 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal Having been axed from the set-up by Kieran Kingston, Lehane was recalled by the same manager a year later in recognition of his sensational club form as he led Midleton to Cork SHC glory. Patrick Horgan is the only member of the current panel who has been on the go at senior level with Cork for longer than Lehane, who debuted in 2011. Now in his 14th season, is the competition for places in the Rebel attack more intense than he has ever known it? Lehane said: 'Definitely. Everyone is just talented beyond belief and as driven as the next fella. 'It kind of goes against you when you want to get your place back but certainly it keeps you on your toes in terms of you can't be slacking in any session. 'You have to be on the ball, you have to be ready as if it's a game.' BENCH PRESS Lehane came off the bench and notched a point against Dublin last time out as Cork booked their spot in the All-Ireland final for a second year on the spin. And he was one of the heroes who foiled Limerick's bid for a seventh straight Munster title. The two points he scored in extra-time after being called upon to replace Horgan helped to force a penalty shootout. He was then the first Cork player to beat Nickie Quaid, emphatically converting to set his side on their way to a first provincial triumph since 2018. It was a sweet moment for Lehane, whose involvement earlier in Cork's season had been curtailed by shoulder and hamstring injuries. He said: 'It was unreal to experience that, especially the way I'd been out for a while and not really involved. 'When the opportunity came, you don't think about that at the time because you'd be a bag of nerves otherwise. 'To be involved in the way it ended, the aftermath and the dressing room and stuff, it's worth any bit of hardship you went through throughout the year to experience that.'
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Irish ace Johnny Kenny tipped for new deal by boss Brendan Rodgers after impressing in Cork City friendly
A LOT has been happening in Cork recently. Roy Keane had three sold-out 'Evenings with…' — while their senior hurling team romped into an All Ireland SHC final with a devastating display against Dublin on Saturday at Croke Park. 2 Johnny Kenny has impressed his boss so far in pre-season 2 Brendan Rodgers' side ran out 2-1 winners to win the Cork Super Cup But it is fair to say yesterday's Cork Super Cup clash between Luke McCowan opened the scoring for Celtic in the first half before Matthew Murray, 17, equalised for the hosts. Donovan was then on hand to net an 87th-minute winner to send most of the 26,518-strong crowd home happy. Read more on League of Ireland Ireland frontman And Rodgers later revealed the club want to offer Kenny a new Parkhead contract. He said: 'We would like to sign him to a new deal. And then we will see what path it takes, whether he stays or whether he needs to go and get games.' Kenny got 45 minutes despite playing with a 'bad' shin injury — with new recruit Hayato Inamura also impressing for the visitors. Rodgers made it clear last week he did not see him being a first-team option just yet and instead saw a possibility of a loan move. Most read in Football But this dazzling display — albeit against a City side without a win since April — will make the Celts manager think again. Rodgers said: 'I always judge players on the pre-season, on how they look and are they going to be capable. I've to say he surprised me.' League of Ireland mascots compete in charity race in Naas But a huge pitch suited pass-daft Celtic. McCowan's 27th-minute strike came after fine build-up by Forrest and Engels before he buried a left-foot shot into the far top corner from 16 yards. Rodgers' changes at the break left the Hoops with virtually a kids' XI, save for the more experienced Ross Doohan, Stephen Welsh and Adam Montgomery. Keeper Doohan, a summer signing from Aberdeen, saved well from both Kit Nelson and Josh Fitzpatrick. But he could do nothing about teenager Murray's equaliser on 67 minutes as he took advantage of hesitancy from Welsh to round Doohan and finish. Welsh had already recovered from treatment when he went down in the 72nd minute and was forced off, his left arm strapped from a shoulder injury. The visiting punters got a first look at new teenage striker Callum Osmand, whose pace was the most eye- catching element of his 45 minutes. But four minutes from the end, Donovan — who started at right-back, went off at half-time and came back on at centre-half for Welsh — pounced from a few yards out to give Celtic the silverware. Celts will now jet to Portugal for a week's training and two games, with the first in Lisbon on Saturday. Meanwhile, City have a fight on their hands to stay up in the Premier Division.
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kilkenny GAA expected to respond over decision not to replay SHC semi-final
There will be no replay of last Sunday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final but Kilkenny GAA are expected to make a public response to outline their disappointment at the circumstances around the Croke Park scoreboard carrying the incorrect score during injury time. The scoreboard mistakenly awarded Noel McGrath's 70th-minute effort as a point – even though one of the umpires signalled it had drifted wide of the Hill 16 posts. That error gave Tipperary a four-point lead in the game and forced Kilkenny to immediately try force goalscoring opportunities. The score at the final whistle was initially given as 4-21 to 0-30 but just before 8pm on Sunday night the GAA amended the result with referee James Owens confirming the final score as Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 0-30. The referee's report trumps all else. Derek Lyng did not make a big deal of the error when speaking immediately after the game and there does not appear to be an appetite in Kilkenny to enter the appeal trenches on the matter. READ MORE However, several county officers believe it is important for the board to construct an official response and show support for their players, so a Kilkenny GAA statement is expected. Meanwhile, Raymond Galligan has stepped down as Cavan senior football manager after two years in charge. The former county goalkeeper, who in September 2023 was appointed on a three-year term, has brought his spell at the helm to an end citing work and family commitments as the reasons for his decision. 'Raymond has been a wonderful servant to Cavan GAA over the years as a footballer, team captain, manager and a positive role model for all. Raymond always had time for all the younger fans which did not go unnoticed,' stated Cavan GAA. Cavan retained their Division Two status during both of Galligan's seasons in charge. They chalked up a famous victory over Mayo in this year's championship but exited the competition after a heavy defeat to Kerry in the preliminary quarter-finals. As a player Galligan made 114 appearances scoring an impressive 1-122 despite being a goalkeeper for the majority of his Cavan career. He captained the team from 2019 -2023 and lifted the Anglo Celt Cup in 2020. He also won an All Star that year. 'Cavan GAA would like to put on record their appreciation and gratitude for the huge commitment and effort Raymond and his management have given to Cavan football. We wish Raymond, his wife Niamh and their two young children the best in the future and thank you again from all in Cavan GAA.'
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
GAA clarify full-time score in Tipperary-Kilkenny semi-final after confusion over scoreboard error
The GAA has issued a statement clarifying the final score of Sunday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final, revising the official score to: Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 0-30. The final score was initially given as 4-21 to 0-30 but has been amended as Noel McGrath's 70th-minute effort had been incorrectly awarded as a point. '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 referee's report in order to establish how the initial mistake occurred,' a statement from the GAA on Sunday evening read. McGrath fired over a shot just as the clock struck 70 minutes, his effort greeted by cheers from the Tipp fans on Hill 16 but the umpire on the near post waved the effort wide. READ MORE However, the scoreboards in Croke Park all updated to include McGrath's point, showing the score as 4-21 to 0-29 as the game entered the first of four added minutes. Coming seconds after Oisín O'Donoghue's late goal, Tipperary also made a substitution at the same time in a chaotic period of the game. Believing they were four behind, Kilkenny immediately went in search of a goal. In the next attack Eoin Cody tried to burrow through for a green-flag despite an opportunity for a relatively straightforward point. Jordan Molloy took a point in added time to reduce to gap to three points as per the scoreboards in Croke Park but really two points in light of the error. In the dying moments Kilkenny continued to try force a goal they thought they needed to level the match rather than picking off points. Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng raised no issue regarding the confusion after the game.
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Oisín O'Donoghue goal edges 14-man Tipperary past Kilkenny to reach All-Ireland decider against Cork
All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 0-30 Oisín O'Donoghue scored an outrageous goal in the last minute of normal time as a 14-man Tipperary set up a first ever All-Ireland SHC Final against Cork . It was an All-Ireland semi-final in which new blue and gold heroes were created but it was also an afternoon some of the county's old warriors stormed the Kilkenny barricades once again. When all seemed lost, Tipp found a steely defiance from somewhere – a kind of resolve nobody was quite certain this bunch possessed. But there it was on full display in front of 60,738 spectators at Croke Park. O'Donoghue's wonder goal. Jason Forde's unerring accuracy when he was needed most. Noel McGrath's sheer bullheaded refusal to be beaten. Robert Doyle's goal-line block. Tipp, Tipp, Tipp. READ MORE But Kilkenny will look back on this game with huge regret. One they left behind. They led by two points in the 63rd minute – five minutes after Tipp had been reduced to 14 men when Darragh McCarthy was sent off on a second yellow card. But they simply couldn't bury Tipp. After McCarthy was issued his marching orders following a second yellow for clipping Eoin Murphy on the hand, Tipperary were trailing by one point. But for the remainder of the match they outscored Kilkenny 1-4 to 0-4, the Leinster champions managing just four points despite their numerical advantage coming down the home stretch. Tipperary's Noel McGrath celebrates being awarded a free. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho At the other end of the field, Forde was immense during the closing stages, scoring his side's last three points. Noel McGrath had one point to his name for a few hours too - but that was wiped out after confusion over the awarding of that late score. It was a regrettable incident as chasing a four-point gap rather than a three-point gap influenced how Kilkenny approached those final minutes of the fixture. Still, the pivotal moment of the game was O'Donoghue's 69th-minute goal. The Cashel King Cormacs man was only on the field six minutes when he found himself barrelling through on the Kilkenny goal. His progress was impeded and James Owens signalled for an advantage. A free was incoming, but on he went. Somehow, with all of Kilkenny descending upon him, O'Donoghue got a shot off, the sliotar arching high over Murphy's outstretched dive and smacking in under the roof of the net. It was a thing of beauty. For the briefest moment, Croke Park fell to a stunned silence before shaking on its foundations. Tipp were doing to Kilkenny what Kilkenny had done to other for years – breaking their spirit with a goal in the dying seconds. The goal put Tipperary three ahead and while many were still trying to figure out what had just happened, McGrath seized the opportunity and popped over his point. Kilkenny's TJ Reid celebrates scoring a free. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Just like that, the contest had gone from level to Tipp leading by four. With four minutes of time added on, the Cats laid siege to the Canal End goal. A point from Jordan Molloy reduced the gap to three and then in the dying embers of the game John Donnelly momentarily thought he had forced extra-time, watching as his shot blazed beyond Rhys Kelly and whizzed onward, goal-bound. But Doyle had placed himself on the goal-line, the Tipp corner back batting the ball away to safety. There would be no way through for Kilkenny. Not on this day. The final whistle sounded seconds later. Tipp had pulled it off. If the game was won in those frantic last few minutes, Tipperary had done plenty of the heavy lifting in the first half, claiming three goals to lead 3-11 to 0-16 at the turnaround, all three of their full-forward line raising green flags – John McGrath, Darragh McCarthy and Forde. Eoghan Connolly and Conor Stakelum were both superb in the first half, scoring three points apiece, while Bryan O'Mara mopped up a huge amount of ball. And that 3-11 haul before the break all came from open play, an indication of the problems Kilkenny's defence was having. Moments after Forde's 25th-minute one-handed goal Derek Lyng moved Paddy Deegan to the full-back line in a bid to patch up the leaks. Lyng also made a change at half-time, introducing David Blanchfield for Shane Murphy. Adrian Mullen, who had struggled to get involved in the opening half, finally sprang to life shortly after the restart, popping over two points. Cian Kenny fired over an inspirational score from under the Cusack Stand and with TJ Reid showing his class from placed balls, Kilkenny appeared to have steadied the ship as the second half progressed. Tipperary's Darragh McCarthy in action against Kilkenny's Paddy Deegan. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho McCarthy had missed a couple of frees during the second half – indeed Tipp hit four wides in three erratic minutes soon after the resumption – and eventually Forde was handed the free-taking responsibilities. Martin Keoghan was Kilkenny's best forward and his 58th-minute point edged the Cats 0-26 to 3-16 ahead. McCarthy, who was sent off in the opening seconds of Tipp's Munster championship game against Cork, hit Murphy moments later. With Tipp down to 14 men, few would have bet against Kilkenny pulling away. But Tipp have been defying many of their doubters this season, and in those closing stages this team carved out an incredible victory, one they had no right to pull off. It was Tipperary's first time playing in Croke Park since the 2019 All-Ireland final, but the Premier County have returned themselves to the decider now. Their neighbours await in a fortnight. Long after the final whistle, the last player off the pitch was TJ Reid. Who knows if we will see him back again next year. But on Sunday, we might just have witnessed the return of Tipperary. TIPPERARY: R Shelly; E Connolly (0-3), R Maher, M Breen; C Morgan, B O'Mara, R Doyle; W Connors, C Stakelum (0-3); J Morris (0-4), A Ormond, S O'Farrell (0-1); D McCarthy (1-2, 0-2f), J McGrath (1-2), J Forde (1-5, 0-4f). Subs: N McGrath for J McGrath (50 mins); A Tynan for O'Farrell (53); D Stakelum for Connors (57); O O'Donoghue (1-0) for C Stakelum (63); S Kenneally for Ormond (71). KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, S Murphy; M Carey, R Reid, P Deegan; C Kenny (0-2), J Molloy (0-4); J Donnelly (0-1), E Cody (0-2), B Ryan (0-2); A Mullen (0-2), TJ Reid (0-11, 8f, 1′65), M Keoghan (0-6). Subs: D Blanchfield for S Murphy (h-t); S Donnelly for Mullen (66 mins); K Doyle for Kenny (70). Referee: J Owens (Wexford).
