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Irish Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Davy Fitzgerald: Where Dublin got it wrong in their crushing loss to Cork
Cork were absolutely ruthless at the weekend against Dublin. They had a plan and they executed it so well. Pat Ryan's side will now be built up as unbeatable going into the final. Dealing with a performance like that and trying to raise the levels again for a final is very tough. I had them as slight favourites going into this weekend and I still have them slight favourites, but Ryan has to figure out how to get another performance like that - and it won't be easy. The Cork public will go crazy. It's happened a few times already. Last year, after beating Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final and again after winning the League Final this year - and they were set back both times. Ryan has to ground his players and he has an obligation to shield them from the hype. It's 20 years since Cork landed the All-Ireland and this one is a must win for them. Dublin will look back with regrets at the weekend. They were very naive with their approach. I think Niall Ó Ceallacháin has done a great job this year but I think he got it wrong on Saturday with some key areas letting them down. One was their half back line was caught in no man's land. They let the Cork half forward line go back and pick up easy ball. In the first half especially, Cork forced Dublin to hit long puck outs. Normally, Dublin are good at getting a spare man back and working the ball out but Cork didn't give them this short ball option so everything had to go long. I thought the Cork half back line were exceptional in the air and brought every ball to ground with the Cork half forward line coming back to pick up the pieces. This was a massive thing in the game because you ended up with a lot of two on ones. Declan Dalton, Shane Barret and Diarmuid Healy got on an amount of easy ball. The Dublin half back line played zonal and barely stirred. They didn't push up or stay back and protect their full back line. Cork shot from outside and got unbelievable scores, or they got unbelievable ball in over Dublin's half back line. There was plenty of space and the Cork full forward line were on fire. It's very hard to defend that ball on the outside and the runners Patrick Horgan, Brian Hayes and Alan Connolly had coming off them was incredible. But they were allowed that space by the Dublin half back line not pressing. The two wing backs should have pressed and the centre back should have dropped back and covered. The Cork full forward line looked so dangerous. It's the first time I've seen Patrick Horgan turn and run at the defence an awful lot. Seven or eight times out of 10 he will get the ball and move to one side and shoot it. It was a gameplan to turn, go at them and get runners off the shoulder. Dublin couldn't cope with them man on man. When one would start to run two Dublin backs would be drawn to him and the amount of offloads was unreal. The second area that let Dublin down was how they didn't deal with Tim O'Mahony at midfield. He seemed to be a support player for the inside forward line. I've rarely seen him get forward as much as he did, but every time it went in he was there. This caused Dublin numerous problems. They weren't tracking him. He scored 2-1 and it was a tactic that really paid off. I'd like to have seen Dublin run the ball a bit more but in fairness to Cork, they were good in the tackle and didn't allow it. Brendan Cummins was saying on commentary that Dublin needed more bodies inside. They had a tactic to hit John Hetheron but a lot of the time they hit him there were two or three bodies around him. I would have isolated him more - as he won't lose it - and had Sean Currie and Cian O'Sullivan out another 20 yards and rushing in off him. I think they got the tactic right, but they just didn't execute it. For Cork's high ball, Hayes was flicking it down left or right and the timing of the runs was unreal. Currie and O'Sullivan looked very dangerous and Currie has been one of the best forwards I've seen this year. Declan Dalton's shooting from distance and use of the ball was incredible. Shane Barrett's work rate was unreal but he hit a lot of wides and he'll need to be scoring them to hold onto his place. Every time Dublin seemed to come back, Cork would up it a gear. You saw it with the introduction of Robbie O'Flynn, Shane Kingson, Conor Lehane and Jack O'Connor. What an incredible four forwards to be able to bring on. The key for Cork going into the final is when they introduce these lads - and that they make a difference. Once Cork got the fifth goal it was game over. Smart thinking from a 20 metre free by Currie and O'Sullivan gave Dublin a reprieve with a goal of their own, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Dublin were just not at the races. Niall Ó Ceallacháin and his management have definitely made progress, but they need to take the learnings away from this and build on it. They are a smart management and they will do that, but they won't be happy with how they executed their gameplan here.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Even David Clifford can't save Kerry this weekend
And then there were eight. After a weekend where results went as expected, the one quarter-final we know for certain is that Kerry will face off against the All-Ireland champions, Armagh. Kerry, at times, looked to be cruising against Cavan. Then, at other times, especially in the second half they were really struggling as Cavan cut the gap to four points. David Clifford settled the nerves with his third goal of the day. The reality is unless he produces a masterclass next weekend, Kerry will be out of the Championship - and even that might not be enough. Injuries are certainly not helping their cause but this Kerry team do not look as good as they were in 2022 when they last won Sam. Diarmuid O'Connor going down straight from the throw-in with a shoulder injury he picked up in Round 3 of the League looks like a huge setback. It's a sign of the desperation that must have been there to get him back on the field. He must have been well off being right if he hurt it again so innocuously. The fact Paudie Clifford has only started two games since the League Final at the end of March, one of which he was sent off in and the other he came off before half time, is also an incredible blow. Only giving him 15 minutes at the weekend tells me he has no level of serious training done at all, a week out before their biggest game of the season. Paul Geaney, who was in great form, is another that is struggling. I'm also looking at guys like Tom O Sullivan, Jason Foley, Gavin White and Tadgh Morley at the back and their form is nowhere near what it was a few years ago. That's one of the biggest concerns I'd have if I was a Kerry supporter. Can these guys find their form in a week? It's a big ask. So that brings me back to David Clifford. Never have Kerry relied on him more coming into a big championship game than they do this weekend. His 3-7 on Saturday brings his championship total to 7-37. It's virtually impossible for them to beat Armagh without him shooting the lights out. People will point to Kerry's struggles in the qualifier run in 2009 and then how they exploded into life against Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter final. That was a Kerry team that contained greats like the Gooch, Declan and Darren O'Sullivan, Paul Galvin and Márc and Darragh O'Se. That team wasn't as reliant on one player as this one is on David Clifford. As for Armagh, this is a great test for them mentally. Heading into last year's All-Ireland semi-final, I think Armagh would have been hoping to beat Kerry, whereas now they will fully expect to do so. That, in itself, brings a different pressure as their supporters will have the same mindset. They will also be hoping that Barry McCambridge and Paddy Burns have recovered from injuries picked up against Galway as their full back line looked very shaky in the second half of that game. Armagh just seem to have the greater impetus and the better overall outfit. The chance to put Kerry out of the Championship two years in a row is an opportunity I don't think they will let slip. As was widely predicted, Down and Galway was the closest game of the weekend and was an absolute belter in the process. For the third game in a row Galway had to dig deep to stay alive in this year's championship. While they led for most of this game, Down asked serious questions, especially in the second half. When Conor Laverty reflects on this game he will point to missed opportunities. Out of 31 shots from play they only scored 17. Galway looked like they were on the ropes in the closing stages but again found a way to survive, which is the sign of a good team. Shane Walsh produced some moments of magic in the first half, but his injury, picked up before half-time certainly seemed to curtail him in the second half. Another worry for Pádraic Joyce is that the decision to change goalkeepers mid- championship doesn't seem to be working. Conor Flaherty's kickouts in the second half against the wind were poor at times and put his team under pressure. His positioning for Down's first goal seemed to be off and he left a gaping hole for John McGeough to aim for. But regardless, Pádraic Joyce will be delighted to be in the draw and the further they can go, the more belief they will gather from their gruelling run. Dublin survived a mini scare against Cork on Saturday in a game that showed us the new rules are not going to make every game a brilliant watch. Cork are one of the most conservative teams in possession. Every attack feels as if it's slow, choreographed and risk averse. To beat Dublin on Saturday I felt they would need to be a bit more off the cuff and goal hungry. Chris Og Jones did get a brilliant first half goal and had a glaring chance of another soon after. His hop before taking the shot allowed Cluxton the extra second he needed to narrow the angle and save it. Fast starts are becoming a hallmark of this Dublin team. For the second week in a row they found themselves four, nil up in a matter of minutes. I found Dessie Farrell's comments on Con O'Callaghan a bit strange. He didn't feel the game warranted his introduction, despite it being level coming down the stretch. A goal or a two pointer for Cork and the Dubs could have been out of the Championship. The fact they didn't even want to use O'Callaghan for 10 or 15 minutes tells me the overall picture of his fitness isn't good. The result of the weekend probably goes to Limerick, who are through to the Tailteann Cup Final against Kildare. Josh Ryan probably had the score of the weekend with an incredible strike from the ground, virtually on the side-line. It was an inspirational score for his team that was worth more than two points.
Irish Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tailteann Cup Quarter-Final draw throws up heavyweight pairings
The Tailteann Cup quarter-final draw has thrown up two repeat League Final pairings from earlier this season. Competition favourites Kildare will go head to head with Offaly again, with the Faithful County having defeated the Lily Whites in the Division 3 decider at Croke Park at the end of March. Kildare, as group toppers, will have home advantage for that one with the tie set to be played at the redeveloped St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge. All four quarter-finals are scheduled for this weekend as the second tier competition ramps up a gear following last weekend's preliminary quarter-finals. Another repeat pairing comes in the shape of Limerick and Wexford, with the Treaty men claiming the Division 4 title against John Hegarty's side earlier this year. Jimmy Lee's Limerick will enjoy home advantage for that one after topping their group and will be favoured to move on to the last four, despite Wexford's resounding win over Antrim at the weekend. Oisin McConville's Wicklow are at home to Westmeath, the only Division 2 side from this year in the competition, with Dermot McCabe's men slightly favoured to emerge in this one. After racking up 3-26 against Laois at the weekend, the Lake County may be finding form at just the right time and could do damage in a competition they won three years ago. The final tie of the round sees Sligo go to Enniskillen to face Fermanagh. Tailteann Cup victory secures a golden ticket to next year's All-Ireland series, regardless of where teams finish in the League. For Kildare and Offaly, both in Division 2 next season, it would take the pressure off next year to finish high up their League. A sixth place finish in 2026 would see them stay in Division 2 and go into the All-Ireland. The stakes are particularly high here for Leinster sides like Kildare, Offaly, Wexford, Westmeath and Wicklow, due to the longer road they have to travel to a provincial final. This makes it less likely they will get into next year's All-Ireland via one of the top two seeds placings available to the provincial finalists in all four provinces. It's a similar situation with Fermanagh, as Ulster is particularly tough and with the Erne Men playing Division 3 next year, getting into the All-Ireland via league placings is highly unlikely. The Tailteann Cup is currently their best chance of making the All-Ireland in 2026. Tailteann Cup Quarter-Final Draw: Fermanagh v Sligo Wicklow v Westmeath Kildare v Offaly Limerick v Wexford
The National
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Wholesome moment ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou breaks character
The North London club lost 2-0 to Crystal Palace over the weekend, and currently sit 17th in the English Premier League. There is a cause for optimism, though, given they are in the Europa League final. Read more: Postecoglou visibly hasn't let Sunday's result impact his mood. Although he is known for his stern ways and 'stand off' approach to his players, he sat on the grass with duo Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur in a wholesome exchange yesterday: Ange Postecoglou shares a moment with Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur during Spurs' pre-Europa League Final open training session🥺 What an image this is❤️ — Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) May 12, 2025 Spurs take on fellow Premier League outfit Manchester United next Wednesday in Bilbao for a shot at Europa League glory. The club haven't won a trophy since 2008, yet in only his second year at the helm, Postecoglou could end said drought. The 59-year-old left Celtic for Spurs in the summer of 2023. He sparked transformative change at Parkhead after the disastrous 2020/21 campaign, winning a double in his first year followed by a treble in his second. "I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the Club for everything they have given me," said Postecoglou after departing the club almost two years ago. "In particular, Dermot [Desmond], Peter [Lawell] and Michael [Nicholson] and the Celtic Board have shown me tremendous support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this. "They brought me to the Club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them. 'They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore. 'It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters."
Irish Examiner
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
When it's Cork v Tipp, best to expect the unexpected
When it comes to sport, it feels like we've reached our saturation point. It is impossible to keep up with everything. Would you even want to? How does a sport manage to keep itself relevant when there is so much going on? For the most part, it seems to be clips, clicks and giggles. Scroll through whatever social media that you've chosen to annihilate what's left of your brain cells and you're overwhelmed by nonsense. Apologies, content. The streets won't forget this, that was the best game ever of that, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a great venue, but I can't park on the halfway line. Hyperbole has been the chosen weapon in the race to find the lowest common denominator. However, we saw something very different in Thurles and in Ennis last weekend. The occasions and the action were able to speak for themselves. It was impossible to distill what we saw into something bite-sized. There was a purity to it. Yes, the Munster Hurling Championship is alive and well. Where would we be only for it? To paraphrase the greatest hurler of them all, would the GAA only be half-dressed without it? I'm not one for hyperbole, but tomorrow the next chapter of the greatest rivalry in sport will unfold in front of a packed Páirc. A Cork juggernaut that was as good as derailed last Sunday in Ennis will lock horns with a rejuvenated Tipperary who held the greatest team of modern times to a draw a couple of hours later in Thurles. Like all great rivalries, the fortunes of the protagonists have fluctuated over the past 136 years. Go back over the history of it and it's surprising how little tit-for-tat there is from year to year. When a team wins one, they tend to win a couple. Five is the magic number for Cork. They achieved that on four occasions while their longest streak is six, but that stretched out from 1976 to 1985. Tipp like the number four. They achieved that on three occasions but the hegemony they enjoyed over Cork from 1958 to 1968 is their high-water mark, the high-water mark. Seven games, seven wins. What of Sunday, then? Well, after the League Final three weeks ago, many pundits may have mentally accrued the points in Cork's favour already. However, to quote the great truant Ferris Bueller, 'life moves pretty fast.' The second half of that game was about as false as our secondary national competition gets and this rivalry has turned the formbook on its head often enough in the past to ensure that the future can never be written in stone. Take, for example, 2007. Cork had beaten Tipperary in the Munster Finals of 2005 and 2006. They'd beaten them on that famous day in Killarney in 2004. They'd also beaten them in the 2000 Munster Final and the 1992 Munster semi-final. Interestingly, Cork haven't enjoyed back-to-back championship wins over Tipp since. Anyway, both teams had fallen in the Munster semi-finals so this game was to decide who would top the qualifier group. A post-Semple Gate Cork lost a thriller to Waterford while Tipp had drawn twice with Limerick before falling at the third attempt. Tipp were mired in controversy. Brendan Cummins didn't start, neither did Eoin Kelly. Cork were hell bent on getting into a fifth successive All-Ireland Final. Some 53,286 souls were present the previous year when Cork won the Munster Final, but only 12,902 bothered to show up to this. Cork raced into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead, but from there, Tipp grew into it and 2-3 from Willie Ryan gave them their first win over the old enemy since 1991. Both sides went out in the next round, Tipp with a whisper to Wexford, Cork with a scream to Waterford. I worked with a man from Cahir at the time. It's 26 miles from Thurles to Cahir. It took him three days to complete that particular marathon. Sometimes a game is just a game. Try this one for size. A young team loses an All-Ireland Final that they certainly could have won, perhaps should have won. They're expected to push on and surpass one of the all-time great teams and be the next big thing for years to come. They beat their nemesis in the league but when championship comes they ship three goals in their opening game and are faced with the same questions that haunted them from the previous campaign. No, this is not Cork 2025, but Tipperary 2010. In what turned out to be the last kick of a once great machine, an Aisake Ó hAilpín inspired Cork beat Tipp by ten points. The year, however, would belong to the Premier men. Cork haven't beaten Tipp at home since. Throw in 2017. A young and improving Cork showed great form in the league but nobody expected them to beat the All-Ireland champions in their backyard. Enter Michael Cahalane. And then there was this one. Cork hammer Tipperary in Thurles in a game that they must win to reach the All-Ireland Series. The loss sparks an existential crisis within Tipperary and the consensus is that the rebuild will take years. However, 349 days later Tipperary closed that gap and draw a game that they should have won. No, that's not tomorrow, that was 2023. The moral of the story? Expect the unexpected. More than anything else, as Public Enemy told us back when Tipp were beating Cork by nine points in Limerick in 1988. Just don't believe the hype.
