Latest news with #NestorCup
Irish Examiner
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Niall McCoy: All-Ulster decider can provide demonstration of province's continued surge
THIS weekend's All-Ireland SFC semi-finals have left open the very real possibility of a second-ever all-Ulster final with Donegal and Tyrone hoping to make it through to the July 27 showpiece. The first, famously, came back in 2003 when the Red Hands won Sam Maguire for the first time, snatching it away from bitter rivals Armagh in a game noted for Conor Gormley's late block to deny Stevie McDonnell what appeared a certain goal late on. It's also remembered for Diarmaid Marsden's controversial sending off after an incident with Philly Jordan. Coincidentally, there's a legends tour of Croke Park taking place before Tyrone's meeting with Kerry on Saturday and it just happens that Marsden will be delivering it, so the pair will be in the same vicinity anyway. 'Everyone from Armagh, 99 per cent of them anyway, will have one opinion on what happened, and that will be that I dived to get Diarmaid sent off,' said Jordan in a book three years ago. 'There's no guilt in my part in terms of what happened. When you have a camera angle that doesn't show what actually happened then it's very easy for people to say what happened.' 'I know in my own heart what happened,' Marsden, who was eventually cleared on a technicality, said in the same book, confirming that the pair hadn't crossed paths since. In terms of animosity, that Armagh-Tyrone rivalry was easily one of the most bitter in GAA history – reaching a peak in the 2005 Ulster final replay when poison seeped through the stands and onto the pitch – but Donegal and Tyrone won't exactly share the love should they be the final two standing in the battle for Sam. It was Jim McGuinness's side that brought the Tyrone team of the noughties' dominance to an end with abrasive provincial wins in 2011 and 2012. Prior to this season's round-robin clash, McGuinness had never lost a championship match in Ballybofey and he had also won every previous clash with Tyrone, but Malachy O'Rourke's side won 2-17 to 0-20 in May with Seanie O'Donnell grabbing both goals. There is no shortage of incident when the sides meet, and the fall-out from an 1973 Ulster clash could have had massive consequences. On the same weekend that Éamon de Valera officially left Áras an Uachtaráin - Erskine Hamilton Childers moving in the next day – the national press declared that it was a 'miracle' that game concluded with Donegal's Nealy Gallagher requiring a hospital visit and the crowd showering the pitch with missiles. Fights broke out everywhere. Donegal discussed the prospect of aligning with the Connacht Council as a result, but their name never made it onto the Nestor Cup in the end. The 2024 season was the year of Ulster with the province providing winners of the All-Ireland senior, U20 and minor championships, Tailteann Cup, Sigerson Cup, Hogan Cup plus the senior, intermediate and junior club championships. The 2025 season could never follow that act, but it can still provide a game to demonstrate the province's continued surge. Of course, Kerry and Meath will have a lot to say about that this weekend. STAT ATTACK Whoever Derry have on the sideline for their Division Two opener next season will be their fifth manager in just four years. Rory Gallagher, Ciarán Meenagh (interim), Mickey Harte and Paddy Tally have all been in charge in that spell and after the latter's shock dismissal this week, a new voice is required in the Oakleaf County once again as they try and get back to the highs of 2022 and '23 when they claimed back-to-back Ulster titles and successive All-Ireland semi-finals. Derry manager Paddy Tally was relieved of his duties this week. File picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile DEBATING POINT Armagh club Carrickcruppen have appealed their one-point Division 1B league loss to Dromintee. Although there was no video footage, they say a point kicked from outside the arc during the first half and bouncing over should have been given as two points. An appeal is expected to be heard next Wednesday and could be crucial to Cruppen's attempts to remain a senior side in 2026. Even in defeat – if it ultimately stands – Armagh number two goalkeeper Blaine Hughes, the man between the sticks for last year's All-Ireland triumph, delivered an exhibition. He stroked over seven points off the deck, delivered some extraordinary kick-outs and made a brilliant late save from Gareth Kilgallon. JOINED-UP THINKING Ulster hurling is always trying to find ways to bridge the gap on Munster and Leinster, and sometimes that takes an inventive approach. Step forward MacNean hurling club – an amalgamation of two clubs but with the unusual rider that Belcoo come from Fermanagh and Shannon Gaels hail from Cavan. Anita Maguire is chairing the new venture with a jersey design competition underway to select their new kit for the cross-border operation. RUMOUR MILL Former Tyrone player Gavin Devlin remains heavily linked with the vacant Louth position, possibly in a joint ticket deal with Peter Dooley. The pair worked together previously in the Wee County during Mickey Harte's spell in charge and are well received in the Leinster county. ULSTER SPAKE 'I'm not going to insult you by trying to state that Donegal see this as a tough fixture because the hard facts are that if you were given the scenario at the start of the season then Jim McGuinness and his players would have taken the hand off you.' - former Donegal footballer Kevin Cassidy on his county's upcoming All-Ireland semi-final with Meath.
The Irish Sun
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
GAA legend suggests ‘huge issue' dating back 10 years behind Dublin downfall after latest gaelic football setback
ALAN BROGAN suggested a lack of schooling has led to Dublin GAA being taught a lesson. The Sky Blues have had a difficult recent few weeks, with a number of their gaelic football teams suffering defeat in championship. 2 Dublin lost to Meath in the Leinster SFC semi-finals Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile 2 Alan Brogan explored the reason behind recent results Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile The headline-grabbing one was the seniors, who lost to Meath for the first time in 15 years in the Leinster SFC semi-final. But there was trouble further down the ladder, with both their U20s and minors losing to Louth in the respective semi-finals. It raised the alarm for Alan Brogan, who won three All-Ireland titles with the Dubs. And he suggested a falling standard at schools level may be one of the root causes. Read More on GAA He said: "Disappointing results for Dublin seniors, 20's and minors in last few weeks. "Difficult to pinpoint reasons for what seems like a drop off but I believe the drop-off in standard of Gaelic football in Dublin secondary schools in last 10 years is huge issue." When one follower asked why he put more responsibility at the doors of schools rather than clubs, Brogan pointed to his own experience. He added: "Most of my football between the age of 12 and 17 was played in school in St Declans. Most read in Sport "Huge stepping stone towards Dublin minors etc playing regularly against top schools in Dublin and Leinster." Whatever the cause, senior football manager Dessie Farrell will be hoping his side bounce back in the All-Ireland series. Owen Mulligan teases Lee Keegan over hilarious contrast in how their inter-county GAA careers ended They have been drawn in the group of death alongside Connacht champions Galway, Derry, and the losers of the Ulster final between Sam Maguire holders Armagh and Donegal. The This gave the Rob Finnerty, who helped the Tribesmen get their hands on the Nestor Cup yet again, He said: 'All we were thinking about was winning another Connacht title. It wasn't ideal that they did the draw beforehand. 'Even this weekend after the Ulster and Leinster finals would be ideal, just do it on TV after. 'It doesn't really make much sense in my eyes, knowing where you're going to be and who you're facing. 'But I think we did a good job of just staying focused on Mayo and on winning a Connacht Championship. 'The double-header will only add to the occasion and hopefully as many Galway people as possible can get down to it.'
Irish Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Conor McManus: Leaders emerge for Galway, but Mayo lose their way again
I lost a couple of provincial finals before I won one, and it is debilitating for a team. In those days it was, if anything, worse because it meant you had an extra game to play whereas now it's more like two separate championships. Province is over and move on to All-Ireland. It makes no difference whether you've won or lost in practical terms. Sunday was a bit different in that it won't be as easy for Mayo to recover from losing. Galway already had three Connacht titles. If they hadn't won, they'd still have the likes of John Maher as well as Shane Walsh and Damien Comer to come back in the coming weeks. They could build themselves up nicely going into the All-Ireland series, whereas Mayo probably needed that bit of a springboard going into the rest of the season. Galway deserved to win and even if they would have been in a better position to process defeat this fourth provincial title is a huge achievement for them. It's an uncomfortable truth for Mayo that when it came to clutch moments in the contest, they were found wanting. READ MORE It has to be all the more devastating for them that they had worked so hard to rescue the situation after half-time. Eight points down at half-time, but with a strong breeze to come, and Ryan O'Donoghue gets a two-pointer nearly straight away. Everyone watching is thinking, 'We have a game here.' They level at 1-13 each and there's probably a quarter of the match to go. At that point you could really see only one winner. Galway captain Seán Kelly lifts the Nestor Cup on Sunday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho That's what makes it all the more impressive from a Galway point of view. They were fit to grind that out and close the match. In those circumstance, teams need leaders whether in Mayo's case to drive it on and refuse to fall away after levelling the match or in Galway's to find somehow a way of disrupting and turning momentum. That wasn't really there for Mayo and they shot those wides when chances arose to take the lead. This was like oxygen for Galway, who also did have leaders. Cillian McDaid stepped up for them big time with that unbelievable run in the second half up along the stand side, which ended in him being fouled. That relieved the pressure by giving his team time to set up, regroup and just take an easy score. Connor Gleeson, last year's Connacht final hero, also stood up by stopping Enda Hession's point-blank goal shot. Then there was Dylan McHugh and his block on Paul Towey. There was also the disastrous kick-out that Rob Finnerty intercepted, forcing Rory Brickenden to bring him down at the cost of a black card, reducing his team to 14 for the last 10 minutes. You could sense the anxiety in Mayo. Having scored an equaliser by the end of the third quarter and with the wind to back them, they had gone in search of a winner, but scores dried up for them as they failed to take chances. Galway's Johnny McGrath and Ryan O'Donoghue of Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho I know O'Donoghue had bad luck from the free from outside the arc that Gleeson did or didn't touch, but he also had another chance that was dropped short. To be honest, I'd be more interested in stopping two-pointers being awarded for frees, full stop, rather than fiddling with the rest of the rule. I'd have loved to be playing under these rules, which have created a very forward-oriented game that suits kickers, but long-range frees shouldn't be worth two points any more than 45s are. It's too routine a skill. That anxiety was all too evident at the end when Mayo were chasing the two-pointer needed to equalise. They could still be there for all the interest most of them showed in taking on the kick. Matthew Ruane deserved credit for taking that responsibility, but was that how they had war-gamed a situation like that? Contrast that with Galway. When they had the wind, they worked their attack and you could just see Paul Conroy waiting for somebody to get the ball over to him. As soon as he got it, it was kicked. Conroy's an excellent long-range kicker, one of the best in the country. With the wind at your back, it's just about getting the ball in the air and letting it float over the bar from there. It wasn't a difficult kick for him and you could see that quality kickers are the people who are just good at that. Instead, Mayo anxiously flung the ball around and if the plan was that Ruane should pull the trigger – to be fair, he had already scored a two-pointer – the shot selection wasn't great and it didn't work from a difficult enough angle on the right. Manager Kevin McStay acknowledged the problems after the game, more or less saying that if we can't find a way of closing these games out and closing out positions like that then we ain't going anywhere. He's right. My view on the split season has always been that the inter-county calendar needs another couple of weeks, particularly when you look at all of the speculation about All-Ireland groups and how it cut across counties' preparation last week. Those draws shouldn't have happened. They're a distraction and disrespect the provincial finals. It's not fair on those teams to have that hanging over their heads when their full focus should be on the provincial final. A couple of weeks extra in the season would sort out that. Counties would still get the fixtures in time and we could give the provincial series the due respect that it deserves, because a lot of the talk this week was about who's going to want to be in this group and who's not going to want to be in that group. The teams were preparing for a big challenge. Galway obviously set a lot of store by winning it and made no secret of that choice. Mayo were going all out to win it because they hadn't been champions for four years. I don't buy suggestions that teams were focusing on their All-Ireland groups instead of winning their province.
The Irish Sun
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Padraic Joyce hails Galway grit as Tribes edge Mayo in Connacht final classic
PADRAIC JOYCE was the king of Castlebar after their chaotic Connacht final win against Mayo. The 2 Galway manager Padraic Joyce hailed his side's grit after the win in the Connacht SFC final against Mayo 2 Galway captain Seán Kelly lifts the Nestor Cup as the Tribesmen won four on the bounce But the Tribes held their nerve coming down the stretch to haunt their neighbours once more, as Rory Brickenden was black carded on the hour mark and Conor Gleeson's super save denied Enda Hession. Dylan McHugh's heroic block foiled Paul Towey before Liam Ó Conghaile's score saw Mayo off. READ MORE ON GAA He said: 'It is kind of a bad thing that it has taken so long to do. Since the 1960s. Again, so be it. We obviously weren't good enough over the years. We've done it now. 'We knew it was going to come down to the wire. It's about making the right decisions in high pressure situations as we call them. We got a bit of luck but sometimes when you work hard enough a bit of luck will come your way. 'Two teams going at it hammer and tongs. While I'm elated, we could easily have come out on the wrong side as well. Mayo came back well. 'It looked like we were in trouble against the wind, under pressure on our kickout, in fairness to the lads they controlled the ball. Most read in GAA Football 'When we had the man advantage we took into the tackle a few times which we will improve on but overall I have to command the lads for the work they put in. "This has been a target for the group and we'll enjoy it now, and move on. Tipperary GAA legend reveals surprising difference between 'pressure' of playing for club vs county 'For us to come out of Connacht as number one seeds, it's great to win it. It gave us huge momentum last year and you see where we ended up. 'To try and regroup and play again in two weeks after a defeat, it's just a different mindset so I'm delighted to come out of it.' Matthew Tierney's first half penalty and 0-7 from reigning Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy was crucial. But McHugh's block to deny Towey with two minutes to go was every bit as important. And the Corofin defender was braced for whatever Mayo threw at them when the chips were down. He said: 'As I said out there, if you're not going to put your head on the line with two minutes to go in a Connacht final, you're never going to do it. 'That's what you train for, that's what a tight game is - it comes down to moments. And yeah, some big ones.'
Irish Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Galway advance with precious momentum as Mayo left to lick their wounds
As a final affront, the Galway team bus snaked away from MacHale Park on Sunday evening to a loud celebratory soundtrack of beeping and hollering and yelping. The neighbours chastened once again. The Tribesmen had just won a record 51st Connacht title, pulling three clear of Mayo . In doing so they had also claimed a first four in-a-row since 1963-66. They managed it without two of their key players – Shane Walsh and Damien Comer – and even as the fans spilled down to the pitch at the end of the game it was clear the difference between victory and defeat fell somewhere between colossal and immense. In the tunnel afterwards, Pádraic Joyce was asked about the momentum they have now for a crack at Sam Maguire. The big time awaits. Down the way Kevin McStay was left rummaging around the wreckage for some scraps of hope. Nobody is quite sure what the future holds now for this Mayo team. READ MORE Their season isn't over, but it felt like a lot of green and red eggs had been placed in the Nestor Cup basket. In wrestling it back. So where to now? Few Mayo fans are eyeing a day out in the capital on the last weekend of July but even if his body language suggested otherwise, McStay insisted the dream remains alive. 'That's my job, that's what I was appointed for so I can't just perform on the good days and walk away from the tough days,' said McStay when asked if Mayo can regroup for the All-Ireland group stages. 'We have great leaders in the group so we will react because we have done, that's our nature, we will react to it. By Wednesday, the soreness, the edge will have gone off it maybe to a certain degree and we will go again. 'Our recent history with this group is that we have been able to navigate the group series generally, sometimes better, sometimes not as well. But there is certainly no sense that anybody is going to walk on top of us.' They will have Cavan, Tyrone, and the eventual Ulster champions for company in their All-Ireland group. 'Unless I believe in what we are doing I can hardly sell that to the players but I don't have to because I know they will react,' continued McStay. Galway's Matthew Tierney and Matthew Ruane of Mayo in action during the Connacht final at Hastings McHale Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 'But they are so sore now and disappointed and it is a tough dressingroom right now. We have only ourselves to blame about how this is, we got into a position to win it, we didn't win it and we need to reflect on that now and see can we improve. 'And we need to improve fairly quickly at seeing out these games. Galway have the cup now, we had one shot to draw it, that is how close this bloody thing is, but close is no good.' And yet close they were. Still, Galway made the big plays at the pivotal times – Connor Gleeson's fingertips, Dylan McHugh's diving block, Rob Finnerty winning Colm Reape's short kick-out. Gleeson, who kicked the winning free in last year's final, showed brilliant awareness when tipping over Ryan O'Donoghue's two-pointer, his touch took the sting out of the score and out of Mayo's rally. McHugh's block on Paul Towey was exceptional, coaches will be showing it at tutorials for years. 'It's probably a bit of a blur,' said the Galway defender when asked about it afterwards. 'I just remember seeing Paul Towey lining up and I was close enough to apply some pressure, that was it. 'If you're not going to put your head on the line with two minutes to go in a Connacht final, you're never going to do it.' Before the game, it appeared all the local stewards on duty had been handed the same note and told to remain on message throughout because when asked about what might be about to unfold, to a high-vis bib each replied: 'Mayo won't win the All-Ireland but we'll win today'. In a sense, rightly or wrongly, Mayo folk believed this might be their only shot at championship silverware in 2025. For Galway, having reasserted their dominance locally, the challenge now is to stamp their authority on the national stage. Galway manager Pádraic Joyce celebrates with his daughter Jodie and son Charlie in Castlebar. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'For us to come out of Connacht as number one seeds, it's great to win it,' said Joyce. 'To try and regroup and play again in two weeks after a defeat, it's just a different mindset so we're delighted to come out of it.' Galway will be in arguably the toughest group of all alongside Dublin, Derry, and the eventual Ulster runners-up. But they will arrive to that stage brimming with confidence. 'We've been in them [toughest groups] the last few years, it's nothing new to us,' added Joyce. 'We will enjoy tonight and probably enjoy tomorrow as well I'd say.' Up the road in Mayo, the mood will be heavier. It feels a long way back for them now. 'In the prematch commentary I said we'd have no excuses and we don't,' added McStay. 'The cup is presented, there's nobody going to say, 'hang on a minute now we'll play another five minutes'. It's done and dusted, Galway are the champions and we're not, we have to suck that up now and get on with it.' It might prove easier said than done.
