Latest news with #DanielODonnell
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Conor McManus: A year on from semi-final defeats, Donegal may have improved that bit more
The seeds for this year's All-Ireland final were planted 12 months ago in the aftermath of semi-final defeats for Donegal and, especially, Kerry . They have both improved and learned the lessons of 2024. Under Jim McGuinness's original term of management, Donegal first became hard to beat and then in the second year, developed their attacking game and won the All-Ireland. He could well be on course to repeat that. If you go back to the game against Galway last year in the All-Ireland semi-final, there was a period where their attacking play really let them down. They managed just one point in the final 25 minutes. After that match, McGuinness didn't have to look too hard to find reasons for the defeat and his frustration was obvious when pointing out that his team had converted five out of 14 chances in the second half. READ MORE This year, they have the massive benefit of Michael Murphy back playing with them after two years away and the rest of the forwards have collectively picked up form. He's playing well enough to be an All Star but his influence goes deeper. If you look at Donegal in the huddle before any of the games, the last two men talking are Michael Murphy and the manager. I don't think you can underestimate his importance as a leadership figure, as a calming influence. Even for supporters, just to have him back on the pitch is huge. He's as much Mr Donegal as Jim McGuinness or Daniel O'Donnell! Now, there's no sense of panic about their attack, although there's that slight anxiety that they have only faced Division Two teams in the knockouts so far. I don't think that will be an issue for McGuinness. Their schedule leading up to it in Ulster and one of the All-Ireland 'groups of death' was extremely intense. Anyway, those Division Two teams were Louth, who are Leinster champions, Monaghan, already promoted back to Division One and Meath, who had beaten Galway, Kerry and Dublin. Midway through the championship, we were talking about Oisín Gallen not performing to his full potential but that concern has been laid to rest. He's confident and playing well. Conor O'Donnell was lethal in the semi-final, 1-3 from five shots. I think everything Donegal have done to date has been geared around performing at the latter stages of All-Ireland. Their defensive shape never deviated all year and there's also added quality with Finbarr Roarty coming in – you can see why McGuinness was so keen to get him involved last year. An excellent tackler, as he showed stripping Keith Curtis to start the move for Donegal's second goal, he also has the pace to get forward like so many of his team-mates. You'd have to think that the evolution is nearly geared towards the reality that if you're going to win an All-Ireland, in recent years, you're going to have to overcome Kerry somewhere along the line. Meath's Keith Curtis with Donegal's Finnbarr Roarty. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho Just as Jack O'Connor must have realised down in Kerry that if they were going to win an All-Ireland, they would have to able to see off the likes of Armagh or Donegal in Croke Park. The planning would have started almost as soon as they lost last year's semi-final, and you can see the specific improvements. There were no guarantees but they didn't have to be brilliant to win Munster and even when they had the horror show against Meath, you knew that would drive a response. Preparation had to be detailed and specific and you can see it in them. Defensively, they are well enough set up but they also look a wee bit fitter and stronger. David Clifford is a case in point. He just looks sharper and fitter and has definitely benefited from a proper preseason as well, having been involved with Fossa so often in recent years. Physically, they have added size, a bit of meat, around the middle as well. Mark O'Shea and Joe O'Connor, who is in really fine form, bring the kind of physicality and legs you need to beat the likes of Donegal, Armagh or Tyrone in Croke Park. Against Michael Langan, Hugh McFadden and Jason Magee, and even Michael Murphy coming out in the middle, you need size in that part of the field and they've got it. They have been a bit unlucky with injuries as well. Diarmuid O'Connor has been in and out and although he's back training, it's hard to see how he could be fully recovered from a shoulder injury like that. I'd expect Tom O'Sullivan and Paul Geaney to be fit, though, which is a significant boost for Kerry. I'm not sure there's that much to be learned from Donegal's only defeat. To be fair, Shaun Patton wasn't playing against Tyrone and he's a massive part of what they do. They did cough up a lot of possessions, though and it was easily their worst championship outing. They lost a winning position in the final 10 minutes but even had they hung on, it would still have been a bad performance. Kerry's Paudie Clifford with Tyrone's Eoin McElholm. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho Kerry came through two distinctive tests against Armagh and Tyrone but similar in that neither played a particularly zonal defence. Yes, Armagh did drop off a small bit in front of David Clifford and kept him to 0-7, but they got caught with Seánie O'Shea and Paudie Clifford running amok in the second half. Tyrone probably emphasised the opposite tactic, a man-to-man effort to restrict O'Shea and Paudie. They then were punished by David, kicking 1-9 off an often unprotected Paudie Hampsey. Donegal will look for middle ground here. Brendan McCole is as good a man-marker as there is but he won't be left to do it all himself. A lot of Tyrone's problems were also self-inflicted. They turned over ball by not minding it properly and some of their finishing – shot selection and execution – in the second half was fairly haphazard. They actually had attacking platforms – even when they were going through that second-half period that they lost 8-0 – but they just handled them badly, compared to Armagh who had no platform because they couldn't get their hands on the ball for those 15 minutes. Tyrone got up the field and got themselves into position, but their finishing let them down. I don't foresee Donegal having the same problems. If they get themselves into position, I think they're better equipped to put scores on the board. They will need to be careful with the ball because there were some careless turnovers against Meath but I they'll be on high alert for this. It's so finely balanced but I believe that in the end, Kerry have more fires to put out than Donegal.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Eagle's Open diary: Big bucks, green drives and a diarist's waste
There's a heck of a lot of money swilling around during Open week. Not that the diarist sees any of it, of course. 'Less is more,' said the sports editor as he counted out my wages in IOUs. The LIV Golf lot have been whooping it up in Portrush over the past few days and hosted a lavish, 'after dark' private party in the town's well-kent night club, Kelly's. Amid the feasting and glass-clinking, the award-winning rock band Kasabian played an intimate gig for the revellers and were reportedly paid a whopping £250,000 to belt out a few hits. Upon discovering that, the diarist was convinced he'd heard a tale that Irish crooner Daniel O'Donnell was once offered a similar figure not to sing. *It's all about being eco-friendly at The Open these days. The R&A's Greenlinks programme has been driving innovation and action in sustainability at the championship since 2016. 'Yes, but this diary is utterly unsustainable,' spluttered the sports editor as he menacingly polished his recycled duelling pistol. Through the Greenlinks initiative, The Open continues to be powered by solar panels and carefully sourced biofuel derived from waste product. It's good to see the diarist's daily rubbish being put to good use. *As part of this on-going green push, there's not much paper fluttering around the press centre these days. Not that long ago, everything from draw sheets, interview transcripts, player guides, bulletins, weather forecasts or disciplinary procedures brought against golf writers were piled into trays as the media team printed off more odds and ends than Caxton. The Open is going paperless. This diary, meanwhile, continues to be pointless. See you at Birkdale in 2026.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Citi Wealth teams up with Allfunds to enhance client services
Citi Wealth has entered a partnership with Allfunds, aiming to improve the speed and efficiency of services for its clients using the latter's platform. The Allfunds system will facilitate smoother processes for trade execution, settlement, and reconciliation. Additionally, Citi Wealth will act as a sub-distributor for Allfunds, enabling broader access to third-party investment products through the platform. Allfunds chief commercial officerGianluca Renzini said: 'Citi Wealth brings deep expertise in client solutions and wealth management to everything they do. 'This collaboration supports our position as a premier technology partner for top-tier firms like Citi in addressing market changes and continuing to deliver the outstanding service their clients expect.' The initiative will first roll out for Citi Private Bank clients in the EMEA region later this year, with plans to extend Allfunds' capabilities to other regions in 2026 and 2027. Citi Wealth stated that this collaboration aligns with its ongoing commitment to providing a top-tier investment experience for clients across various regions and segments. Citi Wealth alternatives and investment manager solutions head Daniel O'Donnell said: 'We are focused on establishing strong partnerships with best-in-class providers to support growth and innovation across Citi Wealth. 'Our partnership with Allfunds is an important step in our efforts to strengthen and simplify our business and enhance our client and banker experience.' Last month, investment firm Carlyle announced partnership with Citi to explore asset-backed financing opportunities in the fintech specialty lending sector. The agreement includes a framework for sharing market intelligence and assessing co-investment and financing prospects. "Citi Wealth teams up with Allfunds to enhance client services" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Citi Wealth teams up with Allfunds to enhance client services
Citi Wealth has entered a partnership with Allfunds, aiming to improve the speed and efficiency of services for its clients using the latter's platform. The Allfunds system will facilitate smoother processes for trade execution, settlement, and reconciliation. Additionally, Citi Wealth will act as a sub-distributor for Allfunds, enabling broader access to third-party investment products through the platform. Allfunds chief commercial officerGianluca Renzini said: 'Citi Wealth brings deep expertise in client solutions and wealth management to everything they do. 'This collaboration supports our position as a premier technology partner for top-tier firms like Citi in addressing market changes and continuing to deliver the outstanding service their clients expect.' The initiative will first roll out for Citi Private Bank clients in the EMEA region later this year, with plans to extend Allfunds' capabilities to other regions in 2026 and 2027. Citi Wealth stated that this collaboration aligns with its ongoing commitment to providing a top-tier investment experience for clients across various regions and segments. Citi Wealth alternatives and investment manager solutions head Daniel O'Donnell said: 'We are focused on establishing strong partnerships with best-in-class providers to support growth and innovation across Citi Wealth. 'Our partnership with Allfunds is an important step in our efforts to strengthen and simplify our business and enhance our client and banker experience.' Last month, investment firm Carlyle announced partnership with Citi to explore asset-backed financing opportunities in the fintech specialty lending sector. The agreement includes a framework for sharing market intelligence and assessing co-investment and financing prospects. "Citi Wealth teams up with Allfunds to enhance client services" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Finextra
01-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Citi Wealth taps Allfundds for streamlined trade execution
Citi Wealth is entering into an agreement with Allfunds to leverage their leading technology platform to provide enhanced speed and execution for Citi Wealth clients. 0 The innovative Allfunds platform will enable streamlined trade execution, settlement, and reconciliation processes. In addition, as a new sub-distributor for Allfunds, Citi Wealth will leverage the full scope of the Allfunds platform to enhance the availability of third-party investment offerings. 'We are focused on establishing strong partnerships with best-in-class providers to support growth and innovation across Citi Wealth. Our partnership with Allfunds is an important step in our efforts to strengthen and simplify our business and enhance our client and banker experience,' said Daniel O'Donnell, Head of Alternatives and Investment Manager Solutions. 'Citi Wealth brings deep expertise in client solutions and wealth management to everything they do. This collaboration supports our position as a premier technology partner for top-tier firms like Citi in addressing market changes and continuing to deliver the outstanding service their clients expect," added Gianluca Renzini, Chief Commercial Officer for Allfunds. Citi Wealth is targeting the launch of these services for Citi Private Bank in EMEA later this year, with additional regions expected to benefit from Allfunds' capabilities in 2026 and 2027. This partnership is part of Citi Wealth's broader efforts to deliver an industry-leading investment offering for clients across regions and segments.
