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The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Jim McGuinness makes eye-catching David Clifford claim in run-up to Donegal battling Kerry in All-Ireland final
JIM McGuinness has acknowledged Donegal may be facing the best Gaelic footballer ever when they battle Kerry on Sunday. The All-Ireland final match-up has Advertisement 2 Jim McGuinness is aiming to avenge their 2014 final loss 2 Clifford, 26, only has the one Celtic Cross Clifford's place amongst the all-time greats So it was no surprise that McGuinness was asked for his take at Tuesday's media day. The 52-year-old pondered: 'Myself and Mark Anthony (his son) were chatting about it on the way up in the car there and we were talking about the fact that he could be the best player that has ever played the game and time will tell on that I suppose. 'You can never make that assertion until somebody hangs up the boots but certainly he's an exceptional football player. He seems to be very driven this year. Advertisement Read More On GAA "He's carrying the fight I would almost say with a determination and aggressiveness like an attacking aggressiveness – when he sees a gap he's just really going for that gap. 'Even some of the scorers even in Croke Park – he's not kicking it over, he's firing it over. It's almost like he's putting down markers and I think he's leading from the front, literally.' Tuesday also brought even more words on Sunday's potential classic from former Brolly Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Apearing on the "They've worked with a basketball coach. McGuinness actually said it the week that the new rules were unveiled. Sharlene Mawdsley takes part in hilarious road race as part of Tipperary's All-Ireland celebration "He said 'We're going back to the old game, this is all about scoring rate.' They're scoring 1-27, 1-28, 3-25. "Paddy McBrearty was asked after the All-Ireland semi-final about how he'd be pushing for a place in starting fifteen and he said he'd be pushing for a place in the matchday 26! Advertisement "There's massive competition there because Jim has this messianic quality." A few minutes later Spillane then gave his view that he'd marginally give the edge to the Kingdom. When he mentioned that Donegal had a few weaknesses, Brolly called on him to be more specific. To which the eight-time All-Ireland winner replied: "Their running game is a hard game to sustain for 70 minutes. Zonal defence is a weakness. There's space to be exploited there by a kicking team. Advertisement "The first half against Monaghan showed that as Monaghan switched the play from one side to the other. They'd an overload and took them on one-on-one and were very impressive. "So zonal marking, running in transition and Michael Murphy - no different from David Clifford - if he's contained (Kerry can win). The new rules suit Kerry, Croke Park suits them as a heads up kicking team." WEATHER WITH US He also added that his hopeful view was partly down to the weather forecast being good for Sunday with dry conditions further helping their prospects. The two counties did of course contest the 2014 decider with McGuinness saying this week that Advertisement One instant improvement this time around will be that The Kerry county board have confirmed that Jack O'Connor's charges will line out in their alternative dark blue kit. Following on from the
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Joe Brolly & Pat Spillane share contrasting predictions for All-Ireland final between Kerry & Donegal
JOE Brolly reckons Donegal are a near certainty to lift Sam Maguire - while Pat Spillane is backing his fellow Kerrymen. The Derry native has already been on the record about how 2 Kerry icon Spillane is giving the slight edge to the Kingdom 2 Brolly was far more definitive in his view He'd made that initial prediction about "not seeing any flaws" in Jim McGuinness' side on his But he expanded on why he's so gung-ho in that belief while appearing alongside Spillane and hurling greats Eddie Brennan and John Mullane on the The 56-year-old set out: "I think Donegal will win because they're multi-purpose. They're not relying on one individual. "They've worked with a basketball coach. McGuinness actually said it the week that the new rules were unveiled. Read More On GAA "He said 'We're going back to the old game, this is all about scoring rate.' They're scoring 1-27, 1-28, 3-25. "Paddy McBrearty was asked after the All-Ireland semi-final about how he'd be pushing for a place in starting fifteen and he said he'd be pushing for a place in the matchday 26! "There's massive competition there because Jim has this messianic quality." A few minutes later Spillane then gave his view that he'd marginally give the edge to the Kingdom. When he mentioned that Donegal had a few weaknesses, Brolly called on him to be more specific. Most read in GAA Football To which the eight-time All-Ireland winner replied: "Their running game is a hard game to sustain for 70 minutes. "Zonal defence is a weakness. There's space to be exploited there by a kicking team. Sharlene Mawdsley takes part in hilarious road race as part of Tipperary's All-Ireland celebration "The first half against Monaghan showed that as Monaghan switched the play from one side to the other. They'd an overload and took them on one-on-one and were very impressive. "So zonal marking, running in transition and Michael Murphy - no different from David Clifford - if he's contained (Kerry can win). "The new rules suit Kerry, Croke Park suits them as a heads up kicking team." He also added that his "hesitant vote for Kerry" was partly down to the weather forecast being good for Sunday with dry conditions further helping their prospects. The two counties did of course contest the 2014 decider with McGuinness saying this week that One instant improvement this time around will be that The Kerry county board have confirmed that Jack O'Connor's charges will line out in their alternative dark blue kit. Following on from the
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I don't see any flaws' – Joe Brolly in no doubt as he predicts All-Ireland winner between Kerry & Donegal
CALL him the Gwen Stefani of GAA predictions because Joe Brolly is in no doubt that Donegal will end up lifting Sam Maguire. Brolly has 4 He's certain the cup will be heading up to Ulster on July 27 4 Oisín Gallen was one of three goalscorers in their semi-final rout of Meath 4 Paudie Clifford's brother David is the only person who could ruin Brolly's prediction according to the man himself 4 'Don't speak' might be Jack O'Connor's advice for Brolly at this stage And he's done so again despite them really seeming to have kicked into a new gear on the back of Speaking on his "The only possibility is that David Clifford would do something extraordinary." It's an interestingly emphatic prediction given bookmakers actually have Kerry as one-point favourites. Read More On GAA Boss Jack O'Connor would certainly disagree with the ex- The Kingdom chief said: 'I know we wasted chances — two or three at the back post that looked like tap-ins, it's disappointing, because we prided ourselves throughout the league on scoring goals. 'At least we created the chances — and the last day we were creating two-pointer chances. I think it's a sign of the team that they recognised what's in front of them. 'There was a bit more space inside this time and they put the ball in and created those chances. Of course we'd have had an easier afternoon if we'd converted a few of them. Most read in GAA Football "This is a mature team. Most of the boys are a good age. They are in their mid-to-late 20s — 27, 28, that is a good age group. They're mature lads and that was a mature performance. 'We slowed it down when we had to and we sped it up when we had to. I thought we kicked the ball through the lines well and found David in one-on-one situations, and that is always good for us.' 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal In the same post-match briefing captain Gavin White revealed their shock defeat to Meath was the kick in the backside the Kingdom needed to reignite their season. The Munster champions blew top spot in Group 2 of the All-Ireland series when the But O'Connor rallied his troops as they saw off Cavan, Armagh They battered the Breffni 3-20 to 1-17, WHITE NOISE White put in a trademark captain's display, sparking Kingdom attacks as his side fired 0-9 without reply in the second half to send sorry Tyrone packing. Their skipper knows the Meath performance was not a true reflection of their talents and the wing-back gave an insight into the dressing-room mood after the loss. White said: 'After the Meath game we were all very disappointed in our performance. We knew that wasn't us. 'We got a bit of slack for it but we tried to keep all that out of the camp. We knew the quality that we have in training and we believed in what we were capable of. 'So we just battened down the hatches going into the Cavan game, went back to basics and built from there. 'Obviously the Armagh game was huge considering what happened last year, so we wanted to rectify that and thankfully we were able to bring that into Saturday as well. 'I'm over the moon that we're able to play as well as we are at the business end of the year and we look forward to an All-Ireland final in two weeks' time.'
Irish Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Joe Brolly says Kilkenny v Tipp 'ScoreGate' controversy doesn't matter
Joe Brolly insists that the Kilkenny v Tipperary scoreboard controversy that has angered fans doesn't really matter. Oisín O'Donoghue's 69th minute strike put Tipp a goal ahead on a scoreline of 4-20 to 0-29. Moments later, Tipp star Noel McGrath saw an effort waved wide by the umpire, however, the score was given on the scoreboard. Kilkenny pulled a point back and, believing they were trailing by three points and not two, they piled on the pressure in search of a winning goal. They almost got one when John Donnelly's strike on goal was blocked by Robert Doyle, and when the final whistle finally blew, both teams were under the impression that the winning margin for Tipp was four points on a score of 4-21 to 0-30, when in reality, the score was actually 4-20 to 0-30. Naturally, Kilkenny supporters have been left infuriated by the error and it has been reported that they are considering their options. The GAA have clarified that the margin of victory for Tipp was in fact two points, and have stated that they are awaiting the referee's report to see how the mistake occurred. The mistake has left many fans and pundits wondering how on earth such an error could be made at the highest level, but Brolly doesn't believe the mistake had any relevance to the game. "It doesn't really matter," he said on his Free State podcast with Dion Fanning as Fanning spoke about the mix-up, "There will never be a replay," mumbled Brolly moments later. Fanning brought up the point that Kilkenny were trying to score a goal in the final few minutes of the game and raised the notion that if Kilkenny had've known that they were only two points in arrears, they would have clipped them over from range rather than trying to raise a green flag. "Surely the answer to that point - and the there won't be a replay - and the reason why is that the umpires and referee did their job correctly. "The ball was called wide. The scoreboard was wrong. RTE followed the scoreboard, and there was no fault on the part of the officials. "And there's another point, although it is correct that Kilkenny for the last two minutes besieged the Tipperary goal, Tipperary at that time were also dropping back at that time and defending against a goal. "So if Kilkenny had needed a few points, Tipperary would have played differently as well. "Both teams played the game on the same terms in the last few minutes."
Irish Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Joe Brolly responds after Jack O'Connor's fury over David Clifford comments
Joe Brolly was in Jack O'Connor's firing line after Kerry's hugely impressive All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Armagh. The Kingdom ran out winners by 0-32 to 1-21 against the reigning All-Ireland champions after a dominant second-half performance at Croke Park. They will now face Tyrone in the last four of the Championship. After Sunday's game, O'Connor hit out at critics of his side, accusing ex-Kerry players turned pundits of 'lacking loyalty to the team. The Kingdom manager also referenced Brolly's Sunday Independent column from the morning of the game, which had the headline: 'Joe Brolly: David Clifford is the only Kerry footballer worthy of the name'. 'One of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one man team," said O'Connor. 'I saw somebody writing this morning that the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford. David is a great player but David would tell you that there was a fair support cast out there today." Brolly responded to O'Connor's comments on his Free State Podcast, saying: "That was the headline put on the piece. But it was about that requirement for perfection in Kerry and how they look at everything through the prism of the greatest team of all - Spillane, Sheehy, Egan etc. "And that's why I started the piece with the definition of a Kerry inferiority complex. A man with two All-Irelands. "I rang my good friend Marc Ó Sé and I texted him. I said, look, will you beat Armagh. He said, 'not a hope Joe'." However, Brolly stated that he actually backed Kerry to beat Armagh before clarifying his comments on Clifford. He explained: "Clifford is going to, if he hasn't already, break all scoring records now. And I don't care what anybody says. "It's not fanciful to say that the difference between Kerry and the other teams, essentially, is that Kerry have got David Clifford. What do you do with him?" The former Sunday Game pundit added: "Nobody's suggesting, for example, that David Clifford should turn out on his own. It's a very, very skilled team. The Kerry team has, see what I wrote, excellent skills and excellent pedigree. They're a skilled team with excellent pedigree." Brolly also credited Jim Gavin for "releasing the game" through the new rules introduced this year. "The weekend for me, more than anything, exemplified the extraordinary achievement of Jim Gavin in releasing the game," stated Brolly. "I'm sure there must have been times that David Clifford thought to himself, like, 'Jesus, am I just going to have to wade through this sort of double, triple marking for the rest of my career? Boy, do I wish I was born during the Kerry-Golden Era'." Brolly believes if Kerry play like they did for their awesome spell in the second half of the Armagh game for the rest of the Championship, they will be lifting the Sam Maguire later this month. "It was an electrifying and satisfying second half from Kerry," said the All-Ireland winner. "You couldn't but be delighted watching it. "They had a virtually perfect spell of football for ten minutes. I mean, virtually perfect. And everyone was in the mood all of a sudden. Their tackling was pristine without fouling. "Their fetching in the middle of the field. For that ten minutes, they were sensational. And then, whenever you're dominating midfield, and you're getting the ball to David Clifford quickly, hello, goodbye. It's like the Roadrunner. "And that for Kerry poses the question now, that ten-minute spell which will be in their psyche now, is that who they are? Is that what this team is? Because if it is, they'll be the All-Ireland Champions."
