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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Rampant Kerry dethrone Armagh and reignite campaign
Kerry reignited their summer with a spectacular second half display to dethrone All-Ireland champions Armagh and book their spot in the last four. A blistering 15-minute spell in which Kerry scored 0-14 without reply and laid waste to the Armagh kickout provided the platform for a famous victory, avenging last year's painful semi-final loss. Trailing by a point at half-time, Rory Grugan having fired the game's only goal, Kerry had slipped five behind early in the second half. Then came the game's decisive spell between the 40th and 55th minute, a ravenous Kerry devouring Armagh, racking up 14 points altogether, with just a pair of two-pointers included. Seán O'Shea was to the fore throughout, finishing with a haul of 0-12, eight of which came in the first half when the game was still tit-for-tat. The half-time arrival of Paudie Clifford provided further impetus, while David Clifford, snuffed out for the most part in the first half, found his range, curling over 0-06, including two two-pointers, as Kerry made their winning burst. In both the context of the game and nature of the display, it called to mind the 2009 quarter-final demolition of Dublin in Jack O'Connor's second stint in charge. With their crowd getting ready to file for the exit, Armagh were reduced to trying to force goals through a crowded defence with 10 minutes remaining. The closing stages were a celebratory affair for the Kerry support, the sideline and the players saluting their fans as they ran down the clock to claim their place in the semi-finals.
Irish Daily Mirror
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory Grugan felt like Armagh had 'something special' and wanted to go again
Rory Grugan was 33 when he helped Armagh land the All-Ireland title - but walking away never entered his head. It was a long and painful climb to the top with plenty of heartache along the way, including back to back Ulster Final penalty shoot out defeats and All-Ireland exits (2022/23). But the idea of 'One and Done' wasn't something the Ballymacnab playmaker entertained for a second. 10 months on from that famous All-Ireland Final win over Galway, Armagh are back in the last eight again and looking formidable. Their five point victory over Dublin at Croke Park at the weekend meant Kieran McGeeney's men not only topped the table for the third successive year, but they also made another piece of history. Armagh became the only side across the three years of the round robin series to qualify for an All-Ireland quarter-final with a game to spare. 'I think when you reach that pinnacle there might be a perception on the outside like, oh you'd walk away or whatever,' says Grugan, who hit eight points against Dublin. 'I was 33 at the time. It was honestly the opposite - where you wanted to go again. 'You felt like you had something special and that was Geezer's thing straight away. It's just the way he is. It's about driving it again and seeing where it can take us. 'No team in Armagh has certainly done it (back to back All-Ireland titles). It's obviously a very long way away to be talking about that type of thing. 'I suppose it's something that drives you, and we are at a stage where we are at an All-Ireland quarter-final and we'll just see where it takes us from there.' Grugan says Armagh can use all the experience they had from the good days and the bad ones. 'I think we are in a position where we probably were frustrated,' he says. 'You were in danger of being given a tag of not getting over the line in a close game, or nearly men, or whatever you want to call it. 'Then when you get there and you win that thing, there's definitely a sense of it taking a certain element of pressure off and it liberating you a bit. 'You know that you have that reliance on your experience to get over the line and to win that. 'That when it comes to it, you think that you've been here before. That doesn't mean that it's easy. 'If anything it's actually harder because you have teams that are coming for you now, but I suppose that experience stands to you. You'd like to think that it helps as the year goes on.' Grugan had an easy sell for his team mates in the huddle at Croke Park last Sunday as Armagh geared up for a first Championship encounter with Dublin since 2010. 'You are talking about being one of the older players,' he continued. 'I think when you know you are closer to the end in your career, you relish these things. 'I said after the game last week (win over Derry) I've never played against Dublin in a Championship game in Croke Park. 'I know it wasn't a sellout but I suppose playing into the Hill, the sun shining in Croke Park. I said it to the boys in the huddle before the game. 'This is why you play football. If you can't enjoy that, there's something wrong with you. It's obviously easier when you win. Those are the days you relish, so we'll be looking forward to being back here.' Grugan is playing as well as he ever has, conducting the Armagh attack and weighing in with scores and big defensive plays. 'I think you always have to try and improve,' he says. 'The minute you feel like you are the finished product you are in the wrong game. 'Even the new rules have rejuvenated it for me. You are looking for new things all the time. How you can get better and whether that's defensively or with your shooting and different things. 'There is so much of my game I would like to be better at. You'll come away after the thing (Dublin game) and it's all great, but there's so much I know from both the team perspective and even my own that you could do better. 'That's what high performance is. You are always striving for perfection. You will never get there.' The 34 year old French teacher says Armagh won't be treating the Galway game lightly, even though it's a dead rubber for them. 'I don't think at this level taking a step back or having some sort of mindset of not wanting to win a game is a good thing,' he continued. 'Momentum is a big thing. You have two weeks to Galway and two weeks after that to an All-Ireland quarter-final. 'So I think we are going to be really going after it. We just have to take it as a normal game. I know it's not do or die in the sense of we have already topped the group. 'There is talk about the boys that want their spot. Everyone is going to be pushing on, so I think everyone has enough pride in the thing to be saying they want to go on and win that game. 'It means you are going into a quarter-final with momentum rather than coming off a loss.'
BBC News
01-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
All-Ireland champions Armagh 'have not gone away'
Armagh forward Rory Grugan said that the All-Ireland champions "have not gone away" after their 0-24 to 0-19 victory against Dublin at Croke second victory in Group Four of the All-Ireland round-robin series, coupled with Galway's draw with Derry saw the Orchard County top the group and progress to the Grugan believes their smooth passage through the so called 'group of death' will show critics they are well in the hunt to retain the Sam Maguire after losing the Ulster Championship final."A lot of people probably had us written off at the start of the year but we haven't gone away," he told RTE after being awarded man-of-the match against the Dubs. "After the disappointment of the Ulster final, coming to this group was daunting but we knew how important the first game was, and we produced a really good performance [in a win against Derry] and it meant we could really come at it here today. "We didn't know the other result would work that a win today would see us top the group but it's a good position to be to get that quarter final and that extra week's rest."Armagh's efficiency in front of goal proved to be the difference and Grugan was pleased with their performance once they got over a slow start."I think we got to grips with the game after a shaky start. We knew Dublin were going to come at us hard, they were cutting through us, but we started to put a bit of control in the game and built a lead," he explained."They came fighting at us but maybe that bit of better conversion from our side won us the game."
The Irish Sun
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rory Grugan stars as Kieran McGeeney's Armagh dump Dublin and seal All-Ireland SFC quarter-final spot
KIERAN McGeeney hailed 'one of the best players I've ever seen' as Rory Grugan steered Armagh to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Captain Grugan stepped up to the plate again with eight points as the Advertisement 2 Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney hailed Rory Grugan as one of the best players he's ever seen after the win over Dublin 2 Armagh handed Dublin their second defeat of the 2025 campaign They've still got a game to go against Galway in the round robin but can't be caught at the top. The funny thing was, boss McGeeney was frustrated with their performance. He reckoned they should have been more clinical in attack for starters, wasting a number of goal cances. And he said they were let off the hook by Dublin's woeful shooting at the other end with the hosts drilling 17 wides. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA Armagh still looked the better side overall with five two-point scores proving the difference in the five-point win. Prodigal son Rian O'Neill nailed three of those two-pointers in just his second game back after an extended break. Grugan grabbed the other two-pointers and was named Man of the Match. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Boss McGeeney said: "I've said it for years, I think Rory's one of the best players I've ever seen. "He's outstanding, has been for us for years. You always look at it from a different perspective when you're involved. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - "You see it from the inside out rather than the outside in. You see what he brings. It was another good performance from him. "We had a lot of good performances there today. Darragh McMullan was exceptional again. So was Oisin Conaty. Advertisement "Now Conaty definitely got plenty of attention but he was still outstanding for us. I thought everybody put in good shifts, just the conversion rate when we were in goals was very poor." Armagh had a slow start and were lucky to be only three points down after the opening quarter. But they dominated the second quarter, hit the interval with a four-point lead and kept Dublin in their rear-view mirror for the entire second-half. It's back-to-back wins for Armagh after taking care of Derry in Round 1. Advertisement But it's back-to-back losses in Championship games at Croke Park for Dublin who lost their last game at the venue too - the 2024 quarter-final against Galway. And beaten Leinster semi-finalists Dublin have now lost two games in the one Championship campaign for the first time since 2010. They can still potentially win the All-Ireland and only need a draw in Round 3 against Derry to finish second in the group. But things are looking a lot rosier for Dublin manager Dessie Farrell's former clubmate McGeeney. Advertisement The Armagh chief said: "There was definitely a mix of the good and the bad but look, with the way results have gone, we're through and you would take that every day of the week. "To be able to top the group is a testament to the way the boys put their shoulder to the wheel." And 'Geezer' promised that the beaten Ulster finalists won't be going through the motions against Galway in what is a repeat of last year's He said: "No, you can't do that. You can't because you'll go soft. We're going to be playing, to me, one of the top three teams in it. Advertisement "They were beaten by a point or two by Dublin, and they drew with Derry. Galway, to me, are still one of the top three or four teams in the country. "They'll be smarting because they know how good they are. If you go soft into that game, you could lose players and you could lose a whole lot of other things as well." O'Neill wasn't at his very best on just his second start of the year for Armagh - but still nailed those three two-pointers. Advertisement Dublin were without Con O'Callaghan and lacked both his calming presence and razor sharp finishing. They were 0-6 to 0-3 up after the opening quarter but were relying heavily on Cormac Costello for inspiration. Costello tortured Paddy Burns and clipped five first-half points, three from play and another from a free that he won off Burns. But seven bad wides in the half cost the Dubs and Armagh came roaring back into it in the second quarter. Advertisement Armagh kicked three two-pointers in that period and outscored Dublin by eight points to take a 0-13 to 0-9 half-time lead. Dublin were even more wasteful in the second-half with 10 wides to add to their earlier seven. But they were chasing the game at that stage and understandably opted for two pointers, seven of which flew wide. Costello and Paddy Small did kick a couple of long-range scores but techical errors killed any chance they had of a landmark win. Advertisement Three times in a row they breached the 4/3 rule. The first two times they failed to keep three forwards up the pitch when Armagh were attacking. On the third occasion one of Dubin's four defenders went over the half-way line while Dublin were attacking themselves. It all added up to three simple 20-metre frees for Armagh that were meat and drink for Grugan. Goalkeeper Ethan Raffery burst forward and pinched a point from play too. And there were scores from subs Stefan Campbell and Joe McElroy, along with the influential McMullan. Tiernan Kelly made a huge steal on Dublin sub Eoghan O'Donnell late on as well, celebrating it like a score. Advertisement Armagh 0-24 Dublin 0-19 Armagh: E Rafferty 0-1; P McGrane, P Burns, B McCambridge; R McQuillan 0-1, T Kelly, J Og Burns 0-2; J Duffy, B Crealey; D McMullan 0-1, R O'Neill 0-6, 2 tp, 1 tpf, O Conaty 0-2; R Grugan 0-8, 1 tp, 1 tpf, 4f, C Turbitt 0-1, A Murnin. Subs: S Campbell 0-1 for Turbitt 52, J McElroy 0-1 for Duffy 63, T McCormack for Grugan 67, N Grimley for O'Neill 68. Dublin: S Cluxton; D Byrne, T Clancy, A Gavin; S MacMahon, B Howard 0-1, S Bugler 0-3, 1 tp; P O Cofaigh Byrne, C Kilkenny; K McGinnis, N Scully, C Basquel; P Small 0-4, 1 tp, C Costello 0-8, 1 tp, 3f, L O'Dell 0-1. Subs: L Gannon 0-2 for Basquel 20, J Small for Gavin h/t, T Lahiff for McGinnis 48, L Breathnach for O'Dell 48, E O'Donnell for Scully 60. Advertisement Ref: J McQuillan (Cavan). UP NEXT ARMAGH will play Galway in Round 3 of the All-Ireland SFC on June 14/15 at a neutral venue DUBLIN will play Derry the same weekend, also at a neutral venue Advertisement
Irish Independent
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
GAA: All-Ireland SFC and Tailteann Cup action as it happened
The bigger ball is where the GAA action was today as the SFC and Tailteann Cup continued with the highlight being All-Ireland champions Armagh and 2023 winners Dublin. The Orchard prevailed at Croke Park this evening. Here's how the action unfolded. Live-scores: All-Ireland SFC Donegal 3-26 Cavan 1-13 (full-time) Derry 2-20 Galway 4-14 (full-time) Armagh 0-24 Dublin 0-19 (full-time) Monaghan 1-25 Clare 1-16 (full-time) Tailteann Cup Leitrim 3-9 Tipperary 0-10 (full-time) Longford 1-20 Carlow 1-15 (full-time) Fermanagh 0-25 Wexford 1-17 (full-time) Antrim 1-22 London 0-14 (full-time) Kildare 4-19 Sligo 1-24 (full-time) 6 minutes ago 'Last-gasp Conor Doherty point levels matters for Derry in dramatic clash with Galway' Last-gasp Conor Doherty point levels matters for Derry in dramatic clash with Galway There was drama everywhere you looked in Celtic Park this afternoon as Galway rose from the dead and nearly pulled a win from the jaws of defeat with Matthew Tierney's 69th minute goal. 14 minutes ago Rory Grugan is man-of-the-match for Armagh "I think we got to grips with the game after a shaky start," he says. "They came fighting at us, but maybe we had a better conversion rate." "It's a good position to be in now, getting the extra week rest." The Sunday Game on Twitter / X 'We got to grips with the game after a shaky start'Player of the match Rory Grugan tells us how Armagh got past Dublin📺: #RTEGAA The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 22 minutes ago Armagh hold out for a five point win Kieran McGeeney's side are assured of their place in the quarter finals after a second win in succession. Rian O'Neill impressed with three two-pointers with Joe McElroy and Andrew Murnin also to the fore for the Orchard. Dublin had far too many wides, taking the sting out of their challenge. The Sunday Game on Twitter / X All-Ireland champions Armagh are into the quarter-finals after seeing off Dublin📺Watch: #RTEGAA The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 34 minutes ago Paddy Small kicks another two-pointer for Dublin Six point game with nine minutes left. 36 minutes ago Rian O'Neill kicks Armagh eight ahead with his third two pointer of the day 38 minutes ago Conor McCarthy scores a goal as Monaghan turn it around in Clones Clare haven't scored in the second half as an indication of the strength of the breeze in Clones. Monaghan lead by 1-17 to 0-14 after 60 minutes. 41 minutes ago Super-sub Stefan Campbell kicks Armagh six clear. 44 minutes ago Sean Bugler kicks a two-pointer, bringing the gap back to five again Soupy comes on for Armagh. 46 minutes ago Ethan Rafferty kicks one off the right after raiding forward from the goals Armagh extend six clear. 48 minutes ago Two pointer for Cormac Costello Ó Cofaigh Byrne makes a huge catch in midfield and Dublin break quickly, with Costello swinging one over off the left from outside the arc. Costello's tally is 0-7 for the day. 49 minutes ago Tom Lahiff and Luke Breathnack on for Lorcan O'Dell and Killian McGinnis for the Dubs. 54 minutes ago Dublin caught breaching the three-up rule for the third time in the first ten minutes of the second half Three of the easiest points Rory Grugan has ever kicked. Armagh lead by seven. The Sunday Game on Twitter / X Careless from Dublin as they hand Armagh easy scores by allowing too many players over the half-way line📺Watch: #RTEGAA The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 55 minutes ago Dublin have twice been pinged for breaching the three-up rule in the second half Grugan taps over two easy frees, with Brian Howard having been on target for the Dubs. 58 minutes ago Monaghan cut Clare's lead back to five in Clones with Jack McCarron hitting a two point free early in the second half Today 12:01 PM Lee Gannon pulls one back for Dublin He linked up well with Bugler and skies one over, cutting the gap back to five. Today 12:00 PM Rian O'Neill kicks a second two pointer to get Armagh off to a flying start in the second half, increasing their lead to six. Today 11:59 AM One for the highlight reel. Watch Rian O'Neill's two-pointer from well downtown in Croke Park. The Sunday Game on Twitter / X Armagh are really motoring now with another two-pointer - this time it's Rian O'Neill📺Watch: #RTEGAA The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 Today 11:39 AM Clare lead Monaghan by seven points at half-time in Clones Peter Keane's side have built up a healthy lead having played with the breeze in the first half. Today 11:35 AM Dublin pull one back through a Cormac Costello free. He won it himself, taking on Paddy Burns and drawing the foul.
