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Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
TV View: Dublin deliver shock of the season to leave us all bewildered
Liam Sheedy put it best on The Saturday Game. If after watching Limerick beat Cork by 16 points you suggested that just five weeks later they'd be knocked out of the championship by a Dublin side down a man after 14 minutes, you'd have been sent to a home for the bewildered. Did you ever see the like? And be honest now, how many of you went out for some sun after Chris Crummey was sent off, making the assumption that, thereafter, Dublin would be pulverised? If it wasn't for the need to drop back indoors for another bottle of Factor 100, we'd have been none the wiser about what was unfolding, Darragh Maloney and Brendan Cummins' hollers on the telly alerting us to the drama. The new batch of freckles could wait. The Dubs, somehow, were three points up at the break, Joanne Cantwell's Gaelic Grounds-based panel mightily impressed by their efforts. But as Dónal Óg Cusack noted, 'can you imagine what's being said in the Limerick dressingroom?' READ MORE Exactly. Fireworks. So, the Dubs' delirium would be short-lived, Limerick would step it up a gear or eight in the second half, normal service would be resumed, and that'd be that for the plucky underdogs. Except, as Darragh asked after those two Dublin goals in a minute, 'WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?' You know the way sport can, occasionally, leave your jaw on the floor? This was one of those days, nothing more jaw-dropping than Seán Brennan denying Aaron Gillane that goal, there ending the save-of-the-season competition. By then, Hill 16 had filled up with the football crew who had arrived for Dublin's meeting with Cork , when at the start of the game there'd have been space to lay out a heap of picnic blankets and sun loungers. 'And how many times have we seen Dublin football followers drifting in to see a Dublin hurling team get the last rites,' asked Dónal Óg come full-time. On this occasion, they had been administered to Limerick's 2025 championship hopes. It was, in a word, sensational . Later in the evening, Damian Lawlor wondered if it was hurling's Séamus Darby moment. At the very least, 'is this the greatest day in Dublin hurling history and one of the greatest results in GAA history,' he asked Liam Rushe. 'Yeah, it's definitely up there,' he said, although he reminded Damian that the county had a few All-Ireland titles to its name. Mind you, only those pushing 90 would remember the last one. Rushe experienced a fair sprinkling of good days in the Dublin shirt too, but not too many saw this one coming. 'To think this morning I was at training and people were asking me would we cover the 12 point handicap,' he laughed. 'An absolutely massive shock.' Rare auld times indeed. Back at the Gaelic Grounds, Tipp and Galway's supporters were celebrating Limerick's demise while waiting for their own counties to square up, Galway following Limerick out the championship exit door come full-time. 'It was all a little bit flat,' said Joanne. 'Jeez, I don't often say this Joanne,' Dónal Óg sighed, 'but thanks be to God that's over'. It had, though, a hard act to follow. A view of the pitch ahead of the Lions v Argentina at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho If the Dubs fought like lions, the Lions were, well, a bit kitten-like on Friday night, Argentina ruining their big Australia send-off . And TG4 and Sky had given the game the mother of all build-ups too, Donal Lenihan among a string of folk who popped up on TG4 to reflect on their touring memories. It was only recently that he was rummaging around his attic, probably looking for Christmas tree lights, when he found not one but four boomerangs that he didn't even know he had. But sure, which one of us doesn't have four boomerangs in the attic? Not many, mind, brought them back from Australia after winning the 1989 series. Sky's team is exceptionally excited about this tour. 'All three tests are live on Sky Sports – just saying it makes you tingle,' as commentator Miles Harrison put it during their four hours of coverage of an 80 minute game. And the 'destination' of the current crop of Lions, asserted Will Greenwood, was 'a place in sporting history'. That might be arguable, seeing as they won in Australia before. Real sporting history would be, say, the Dubs doing the Double. If you'd even mentioned that possibility before Saturday afternoon, your address would, yes, now be: 'The Home for the Bewildered'.
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Tipperary ease into All-Ireland semi-finals with convincing win over Galway
All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Tipperary 1-28 Galway 2-17 Tipperary are heading back to Croke Park for the first time since the 2019 All-Ireland final after a comfortable eight-point victory over Galway . The Premier will face Kilkenny in that semi-final on Sunday, July 6th. The result in front of 15,404 fans at the Gaelic Grounds also means that giant-killers Dublin will meet Cork the previous evening . The old and young guards came up trumps for Liam Cahill's side. On the inside line, Jason Forde and John McGrath shared 10 points, led by Forde's 0-7. That tally was matched by the roving duo of Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, who scored 0-5 each. READ MORE Teenage talent Oisín O'Donoghue made sure they would avenge their 2023 quarter-final exit against the same opponents with the clinching goal. Colm Molloy and Declan McLoughlin, in the final play, hit the net for Galway. They were overly reliant on Cathal Mannion's 13 points. The Tribesmen tallied 16 wides plus a handful of missed goal chances. Tipp missed the posts with 14 shots. Tipp won the toss and chose to play with the breeze at their backs. Whereas Galway were reliant on Mannion for nine of their 11 first-half points, all six Tipp forwards were on the scoresheet within 25 minutes. Forde tallied five points, comprising four from play and a sideline cut. McGrath tacked on three more and assisted two of Forde's scores. Vice-captain Morris also shone with 0-3 and was fouled for three scoreable frees. Galway began with an early response to their Leinster final defeat. Mannion split the posts for three of the first five points, including one from play. Tipp responded each time with instant equalisers. [ Inspired 14-man Dublin beat Limerick in remarkable championship shock Opens in new window ] Tipperary's Oisin O'Donoghue celebrates. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho The Premier went on to thread together five points on the spin. Forde scored two of those and laid on McGrath's first. Centre-forward Ormond also had a sight of goal. Back from suspension, Darach Fahy advanced to save with his leg. Trailing 0-7 to 0-3, Galway kept in touch with points from play via Conor Whelan, Mannion, and Conor Cooney. Tipp's biggest advantage was seven, 0-15 to 0-8, on the half-hour. Mannion finished the second half as he started it, with three of the final four points. They could've had a goal in the closing stages, too. Kevin Cooney was forced to shoot early, and Rhys Shelly dived to turn the sliotar around the post. They trailed 0-16 to 0-11 at half-time, but got their goal within five minutes of the restart. Conor Cooney swooped on to a loose pass and fed Molloy out wide. Robert Doyle slipped and the Kilnadeema-Leitrim attacker took full advantage, racing in for a low finish to the far corner. The gap was two, but Galway didn't score again for the next 12 minutes. They tallied seven wides in the third quarter. In the meantime, Tipp scrubbed the goal with six consecutive points. Ormond accounted for two and won a free for McCarthy. Forde slotted his second sideline They almost capped it with a goal, but Fahy denied Morris and Darragh Stakelum's rebound. Tom Monaghan broke the spell, only for Tipp to find the net in the 59th minute. Noel McGrath fed the sliotar to O'Donoghue, who wrong-footed the keeper for his second championship goal. When Galway tried the same short free routine that led to a Brian Concannon goal in the Leinster final, the forward was too close to the free-taker. Mannion went for goal from another free, which Shelly saved, and Eoghan Connolly got in the way of a Concannon strike. Declan McLoughlin had three late efforts. Doyle blocked one, the next flew wide, but the final one evaded Shelly's grasp to find the net. Tipperary: R Shelly; M Breen, R Doyle, B O'Mara; C Morgan, E Connolly, R Maher; W Connors (0-1), P McGarry; J Morris (0-5), A Ormond (0-5), S O'Farrell (0-1); D McCarthy (0-3, three frees), J McGrath (0-3), J Forde (0-7, two sideline cuts, one free). Subs: D Stakelum (0-2) for McGarry (h-t), N McGrath (0-1) for J McGrath (48 mins), O O'Donoghue (1-0) for McCarthy (52), C Stakelum for O'Farrell (59), S Kennedy for Connors (66). Galway: D Fahy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, D Morrissey; S Linnane, G Lee, C Fahy; David Burke, R Glennon; C Whelan (0-1), C Cooney (0-1), B Concannon; C Mannion (0-13, eight frees, three 65s), C Molloy (1-0), K Cooney. Subs: TJ Brennan for Linnane (h-t), T Monaghan (0-2) for David Burke (50), D McLoughlin (1-0) for C Cooney (51), T Killeen for K Cooney (58), R Burke for Glennon (66). Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Hurling previews: Tipperary bring new energy to a familiar challenge
Saturday All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals Galway v Tipperary, Gaelic Grounds, 6.15pm (Live, RTÉ2) – Up until two years ago, in all of the meetings between these counties in the modern era, from 1987, neither had managed to win more than two consecutive matches. That was until Galway won the 2023 All-Ireland quarter-final at the same venue to go three in succession. Aside from that, the sense is very much that it's Tipperary's time and not simply because it's their turn. Liam Cahill fields a much changed team this time, having introduced a cohort of younger players, all of whom have shown promise. The big defeat to date was by Cork after a match Tipp had to navigate with 14 players and in the circumstances, put their heads down and competed until the end. They have momentum and purpose. Coming third in Munster was an achievement and not a failure like two years ago, and they look like a team that's learning as they go. Older members, John McGrath and, Ronan Maher and Jason Forde are also playing well. READ MORE Tipperary's All-Ireland winning under-20s have supplied Darragh McCarthy, a precociously ice-veined freetaker, and Sam O'Farrell, a lively middle third player. Tipperary's John McGrath during the preliminary quarter-final against Laois. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Cahill gives an unexpected full debut to Peter McGarry, who came in against Laois in the preliminary quarter-final and acquitted himself very well in the half forwards. Galway have been a more complicated story. They are under new management this year, as Micheál Donoghue has made a welcome return but he hasn't been able to magic up a cohort of new players and so they are less changed from two years ago. Leinster was book ended by cuffings from Kilkenny, even if there was a dead-cat bounce at the end of the provincial final. But as has been widely pointed out as one of the lessons of 2023, Galway have frequently arrived at this stage after chastening experiences in the province and yet their All-Ireland quarter-final record is very strong, having won their last five over the past 10 years. Leinster GAA Senior Hurling Championship Final, Croke Park, Dublin 8/6/2025 Kilkenny vs Galway Galway's Seán Linnane, Gavin Lee and John Fleming dejected after the Leinster Final loss to Kilkenny. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho The most recent Croke Park display remains troubling however, as it featured a lengthy fade-out which all but sank their prospects, plus random distribution into attack and a lack of bite in defence. Even in the de facto Leinster semi-final with Dublin, Galway inattention enabled their opponents to renegotiate a hammering as a simple defeat. It is likely they will find improvement here. Cathal Mannion has been their best player but has occasionally been stymied by the collective malaise. Donoghue has lost Fintan Burke to injury but the team has more in them. They'll need it, as Clare found that any slackness in defence can invite a goal rush. Ultimately, Tipperary's hard eked-out passage through Munster contained more signs of sustainable progress and better life lessons than Galway's thrashing of their weaker co-provincials and meltdowns against Kilkenny. Verdict: Tipperary Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan in action during the preliminary quarter-final against Kildare. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Limerick v Dublin, Croke Park, 4pm (Live, RTÉ2) – Dublin signed off in Leinster with a very disappointing defeat to Galway but dealt briskly with what on the face of it was a tricky challenge from Joe McDonagh Cup winners Kildare in last week's preliminary quarter-final. Niall Ó Ceallacháin has reason for cheer with Dónal Burke's reappearance – at last – in the matchday panel. Their opponents, however, look a little over-qualified for this. Unless the definite signs of slippage (losing last year's drive-for-five and then this year's grip on their Munster title) in Limerick accelerate alarmingly, they should be emerging from this with some sense of purpose restored. They had undeniably good performances from some players, such as the enduringly menacing Aaron Gillane, but there were also errors – between handling and shooting – that helped to undo them against Cork. One worry for John Kiely is that three years ago, Clare having lost a Munster final in extra time found themselves very flat in the All-Ireland quarter-final and although they won, were unable to raise the bar higher for the semi-final. Although his focus is strictly on this weekend, the Limerick manager will be scanning anxiously for signs of an upswing that can get the team back on the All-Ireland track after the unexpected derailing earlier in the month. Verdict: Limerick
BreakingNews.ie
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Cian Lynch and Jarlath Burns feel replays are preferable to penalties
Limerick captain Cian Lynch and GAA president Jarlath Burns have both said replays would be preferable to penalties after Cork's dramatic shootout victory in the Munster SHC final. Lynch doesn't think a penalty shootout was the right way to decide the epic encounter. Advertisement The Limerick captain watched on from the sidelines as his team lost 3-2 in the shootout as Cork claimed the Mick Mackey Cup at the Gaelic Grounds. Lynch feels a replay or additional periods of extra-time are preferable to matches going to penalties. GAA president Jarlath Burns has called on the association to consider a return to replays for drawn provincial finals. Speaking to Newstalk, Lynch said: "I think everyone noticed that when it came to penalties it sucked the life out of the game side of it really, after an intense 90 minutes. Advertisement Sport All-Ireland SFC: What's at stake in the final roun... Read More "For the five lads on both sides who stepped up to take the penalties, great credit to those guys. It's not something as players you practice a lot. "I think hurling is in a great place and with all counties, everyone is pushing as much as they can, and I think for the supporters wouldn't they have loved an extra five or 10 minutes of extra-time? Maybe a replay... but take nothing away from Cork, they got the victory." Burns told Newstalk: "I definitely think that any review should consider the possibility of replays, particularly in provincial finals. I just think that was such a game of drama, it was just a pity the way it ended. "The Armagh-Donegal game could have gone the same way. I am totally in favour of replays."
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cian Lynch: ‘Hurling is so instinctive, it's an art form, it's an expression'
Cian Lynch still carries the scars of battle, stitches across his left eye and several grazes down his legs. But compared to the hurt of losing Saturday's epic Munster final to Cork , those scuffs don't cut quite as deep. The manner of the defeat, after a penalty shoot-out, is something that has animated many hurling fans over the last five days. Lynch was not even aware there would be a penalty shoot-out until after extra-time and while he praises Cork for getting over the line, the Limerick captain would prefer to see provincial finals decided by a replay. READ MORE 'I suppose it's not for me to make a point or make a comment on what's the right thing to do but you'd love to have another crack at it. Any team would,' says Lynch. 'But for us, it's just about accepting that that's in the past now. We unfortunately didn't win and Cork did. 'It's great credit to Cork. They got the victory in penalties. The game could have gone either way. 'Look, it's something to obviously review. Hurling is so instinctive, it's an art form, it's an expression. Why do people play it? It's because it's a 15-man game, it's a chance to have a man on the shoulder to support. 'But when it comes to penalties, other than the five guys and the goalie, I suppose you're helpless standing on the sideline watching. It's tough for guys, but it is what it is.' Limerick's Cian Lynch dejected after the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Lynch did not take a penalty last Saturday night at the Gaelic Grounds but had nothing but respect for those who were prepared to stand over a sliotar in those pressure-cooker moments. 'If you were asked to take one, I'm sure 100 per cent you'd do anything you can to help the team but I wouldn't be someone that's known to stand over a free or a penalty, to be honest with you,' he says. 'But the five guys, obviously our guys, the same as Cork obviously and Nickie [Quaid], to step up, that takes some courage. 'After playing 70 to 90 minutes of hurling, to have it based on standing over a penalty, that is tough. That is some responsibility, but great credit to the guys, great credit to Nickie and so on. Just the way it is.' Galway defender Fintan Burke watched Saturday night's drama unfold and is also of the belief that a replay would be a fairer way to produce a winner. 'If you win great and if you lose it's the worst thing in the world,' says Burke. 'I'd be of the opinion of a replay. That's just personal, I don't think penalties are a fair reflection on where a team is at, as in you could have five great penalty takers and maybe the other team only has three, and it's not really reflecting on hurling throughout the team. So personally I'd be going for a replay, but that's just again personal preference. 'People just think you're standing up hitting a shot, but you've to put so much energy in and it's probably a lot more mentally you're exhausted and you have to walk the 60 yards then on your own and there's a lot going through your mind.'
