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RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
All-Ireland Football Championship semi-finals: All you need to know
SATURDAY 12 JULY Tailteann Cup final Kildare v Limerick, Croke Park, 2.30pm All-Ireland SFC semi-final Kerry v Tyrone, Croke Park 5pm SUNDAY 13 JULY Donegal v Meath, Croke Park, 4pm ONLINE Live blog on and the RTÉ News app. TV RTÉ will have coverage of both All-Ireland semi-finals, as well as the Tailteann Cup final on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentaries and updates on Saturday Sport & Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 - and Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. WEATHER Saturday: Very hot with plenty of sunshine, turning hazy over the western half of the country. Highest temperatures of 24 to 29 degrees in a light to moderate southeast breeze. Sunday: A dry and bright start on Sunday with spells of sunshine for most, with highest temperatures of 23 to 28 degrees in light to moderate southeast winds. Kerry set for latest northern test From 1969 up until the summer of 1991, Kerry enjoyed a 100% record against Ulster opposition. Since then however, things have been patchier to say the least. Down ended that sequence, while the Mourne men's win in 2010 was arguably an even greater shock, the Sam Maguire holders dumped out at the quarter-final stage. Their four defeats to Tyrone - in every year the Red Hand claimed ultimate honours, has always been a stick to beat the Kingdom with. Both of Armagh's All-Ireland victories saw them lower Kerry colours, while Donegal's march to glory in was solidified after getting past the green and gold to bring an end to Jack O'Connor's second term in charge. Kerry supporters would be forgiven for an element of trepidation this weekend, yet the reality is that should their team go all the way in 2025, there is the distinct possibility of seeing off three Ulster sides in succession to come out on top. The astonishing 15-minute blitz of Armagh last time out, hitting 0-14 without reply, turned the quarter-final on it's head. Can Kerry reach similar heights again on Saturday? For a team that has struggled for much of the season to find their groove, Tyrone are likely to scope out whether that was a once-off for Kerry, or the launchpad for the business end of the season. The Red Hand, for their part, have had a topsy-turvy championship (following on from Division 1 relegation), arriving at the last four to confound many expectations. Edged out by Armagh in Ulster, an eye-catching win over Donegal in the group stages was immediately followed by a limp defeat to Mayo. Cavan, as has traditionally been the case, offered little resistance, but the campaign reignited with a strong surge coming down the stretch to see off the Dubs. Supporters will be hoping to repeat the trick of 2021, where Covid dominated the build-up to the semi-final victory over Kerry for one of the more unlikely All-Ireland successes. Some big names will be absent through injury - Tyrone's Michael McKernan, along with Kingdom trio Barry Dan O'Sullivan, Tom O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Connor - have already been ruled out, with Kerry sweating on the fitness of Tony Brosnan, Tadhg Morley, Mike Breen and Paul Geaney. Kerry edge the head-to-head record 5-4, and if Tyrone are to level that score, they are likely to need the superb form of former Footballer of the Year Kieran McGeary, and the two-point shooting prowess of Peter Harte, to continue. Ciarán Whelan and Tomás Ó Sé both expect Tyrone to go man-for-man in defence to snuff the Kerry dangermen. Kerry didn't raise a green flag against Armagh and all year Malachy O'Rourke's side have demonstrated a steeliness at the back. Cavan (twice), Armagh, Donegal and Dublin failed to find the back of the net, a Mayo side fighting for their lives the only side to force Niall Morgan to pick the ball out of his net. Donegal on a mission Twelve months ago, the Donegal footballers trooped off the field against Galway lamenting what might have been. The chance to return to the All-Ireland final was tantalisingly close in Jim McGuinness's first year back in charge, a tense, finely balanced semi-final there to be won. Level with a little over 10 minutes remaining, Oisin Gallen stood over a 13m-free. In All-Star form – though at an angle – he pulled his effort. The Tir Chonaill men failed to score, the Tribes men popped over two scores to advance. Watching on in his role as a BBC analyst on the day was Michael Murphy. This time around a different challenge awaits at the penultimate stage. Galway, Dublin and Armagh have left the stage, and now it's a Meath side that have taken a few scalps along the way that are bidding to continue their own remarkable journey. As you would expect from a McGuiness's-led side, the fingerprints of planning are all over their run to the last four. With a league final clearly within sight, the reins were pulled up with the Ulster preliminary round looming. That has proven to be a wise decision as Saturday marks their 10th championship outing, with McGuinness highlighting their tight scheduling, as well as voicing his displeasure at venue choices where he felt his team had been slighted. On the pitch, the pieces of the puzzle appear to be fitting together. Shaun Patton is in the elite goalkeeper bracket, while the likes of Finbarr Roarty, Peadar Mogan and Ciarán Moore in defence are in All-Star form. Caolan McGonagle could slip back into the half-back line after a recent injury setback, while there is serious strength around the middle third with the likes of Jason McGee, Hugh McFadden Michael Langan, Ciaran Thompson. The O'Donnell brothers, Shane and Conor, took Monaghan for 0-07 last time out, ably assisted up front by Murphy, Gallen and Daire O Baoill. Donegal start out as outright All-Ireland favouries, never mind to see off the Royals, but Robbie Brennan has his team riding the crest of a wave. Would they have expected to be just 70 minutes away from a first final appearance since 2001 at the start of the campaign? Unlikely, yet the only semi-finalist that went unbeaten in the group series and ended Dublin's Leinster dominance have been one of the stories of the summer. Right around the pitch they have exuded confidence, starting with 21-year-old Billy Hogan in goals. Sean Rafferty has been in imperious form on the edge of the square, while Jordan Morris and and Matthew Costello - pictured above - in particular have been causing havoc up front. The general consensus is that Meath's journey is likely come to an end, but how will Donegal cope with that pressure against the Meath tyros? "You end up in these moments in championship runs where everything is on the line and the players have to find a way," McGuinness said of the win over Monaghan after a sluggish start. Last year they couldn't find a way against Galway, this time around they will be looking to go at least one step further. Kildare and Limerick look to Tailteann glory as stepping stone Who will follow in the footsteps of Westmeath, Meath and Down in being crowned Tailteann Cup champions? Kildare and Limerick travel to GAA headquarters this weekend with the prize of All-Ireland football in 2026, regardless of league performances next year, dangling in front of them. A cursory glance at recent finals should instill great hope in Kildare supporters that Saturday could be the springboard for greater things. Down went from final defeat to Meath in 2023 to the winner's enclosure 12 months later, while the Royals have shown in spectacular fashion what a bit of momentum and confidence can do to a group. Kildare, similar to both counties, have slipped well down the pecking order in recent years, but after promotion to Division 2 and positive signs since the Leinster semi-final defeat, manager Brian Flanagan will point to green shoots. The Lilywhites however are never too far from apathy. The league campaign - despite promotion - was tainted by losing three times, including the in the Division 3 decider. Provincial dreams were swatted away by Louth with Dublin out of the picture, while their Tailteann semi-final win over Fermanagh was a wretched spectacle, substitute Brian McLoughlin reeling off 0-05 after his introduction to seal just a fourth win in 24 games at Croke Park. "That wasn't pretty at all," was Flanagan's honest post-match assessment. Standing in their way is a Limerick side that may be rank outsiders, yet have played more games at Jones' Road this year than the Treaty hurlers. They are riding the crest of a wave after a remarkable second-half comeback against Wicklow where Jimmy Lee's side hit 1-09 without response in a 16-minute spell to advance. They will need all the cards to fall in their favour if the Treaty footballers are to claim their first Championship silverware since the 1896 All-Ireland. To that end, Lee could do with James Naughton, Iain Corbett and Emmet Rigter, who all departed early last time out, to be available for selection. In a county where football could be fourth on the sport hierarchy, captain Cillian Fahy says a victory on Saturday could have a huge ripple effect. "It would be a massive privilege," he told RTÉ Sport.
RTÉ News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
All-Ireland SHC semi-finals: All you need to know
Saturday 5 July Cork v Dublin, Croke Park, 5pm Sunday 6 July Kilkenny v Tipperary, Croke Park, 4pm ONLINE Live blog on and the RTÉ News app. TV Live coverage of Cork v Dublin on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, coverage commencing at 2.15pm on Saturday, with Waterford v Clare in the All-Ireland camogie championship preceding the semi-final. Live coverage of Kilkenny v Tipperary on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, coverage commencing on 1.15pm on Saturday, with the meeting of the same counties in the All-Ireland camogie championship beforehand. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 10.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentaries and updates on Saturday Sport & Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 - and Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. WEATHER Saturday: Mostly cloudy on Saturday with patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle. While a few bright spells will develop, it'll stay rather cloudy overall. Highest temperatures of 16 to 22 degrees, warmest in the south and east, where it will feel quite mild and humid. Sunday: Cloudy to begin. Brightening up through the afternoon and for the evening with sunny spells and scattered showers. Highest temperatures of 14 to 19 degrees. Semi close to sellout as hurling fever takes hold Tickets are thin on the ground for this weekend's first semi-final, either a further of sign of the expectancy and hype that has taken hold in Cork this year or an indication that hurling fever has finally swept the capital in the wake of the quarter-final triumph and the Dublin footballers' championship exit. Probably a bit of both. When Cork finally saw off Limerick after a penalty shootout on that June evening in the Gaelic Grounds, few would have foreseen that John Kiely's side would be gone from the championship the next time the newly crowned Munster champions took the field. The Dublin hurlers' shock defeat of Limerick in the quarter-final has been described as the greatest upset in the hurling championship in decades, possibly since Antrim's landmark win over Offaly in 1989 (Though Dublin's own humbling at the hands of Laois six years ago is also in the mix.) It was all the more stunning given that they played the majority of the game with 14 men, their celebrated half-back Chris Crummey being red carded for an elbow on Gearóid Hegarty in the first half, with his suspension upheld for this weekend's semi-final. Few beforehand had given Dublin much of a chance against Limerick, especially given their previous championship outing had been a fairly conclusive home defeat at the hands of a Galway team who weren't exactly pulling up trees themselves in 2025. The Dubs led 15-12 at the break following an impressive first half display. However, there was an assumption all the while that Limerick would eventually cut loose and the established order would remain in place. That script appeared to be playing out by the 51st minute, when they nudged 19-18 ahead. However, then Dublin plundered two goals in a minute and suddenly things all got very real. Big John Hetherton, creating chaos inside, fired the first goal on the swivel - a much cleaner strike than his similar-ish goal against Wexford. Then, he broke another high ball down for the excellent Cian O'Sullivan, who slammed home the second. From there, they held on for a famous win, one which possibly even surpasses their Leinster title victory in 2013. History corner - a fixture of woe for the Dubs Saturday will be the 19th meeting of Cork and Dublin in the hurling championship, the former leading 15-2 in the head-to-head, with a solitary draw - back in 1904, since you asked. The Dublin hurlers nominally have seven All-Ireland titles, however all of them dating from the pre-Second World War period when the team was comprised of migrants from hurling country, a disproportionate number of them members of an Garda Síochána. The Dublin team that last beat Cork in the championship in the 1927 All-Ireland final was about as Dublin as a plate of drisheen. The team included Pa McInerney, who previously won the 1914 All-Ireland with his native Clare, Dicksboro's Matty Power, who won four of his five All-Irelands with Kilkenny, and Ballinderreen's Mick Gill, previously part of the 1923 All-Ireland winning Galway team. Other members of the team included Garrett Howard (from Patrickswell), Tommy Daly (Tulla) and Jim 'Builder' Walsh (Mooncoin)... and so on. Cork won the four All-Ireland finals contested between the sides during their glory days of the 1940s and early 50s, aka, the Christy Ring era. The 1952 All-Ireland final was their last championship encounter until an inauspicious Parnell Park qualifier in 2007, just before the Dubs re-emerged as a respectable hurling force in the late 2000s. Cork are seven from seven in championship meetings between the pair in the 21st century. Aside from the '07 game, there have been no real blowouts, most Cork wins being of the arm's length variety - last year's drab, goalless quarter-final being fairly typical. By far the most notable game was the 2013 semi-final, when Anthony Daly's Dublin were serious contenders for an All-Ireland title and appeared to have the upper hand for most of the game until Ryan O'Dwyer's sending off midway through the second half. There was still only a point in it until Pat Horgan's late goal decisively turned the game in Cork's favour. Team news Cork stalwart Seamus Harnedy, a veteran of the 2013 clash, misses out due to a hamstring injury, while Cormac O'Brien is laid low with a quad issue. They're boosted by the return of Declan Dalton at wing-forward, while Rob Downey is able to start this time out. Niall O'Leary comes in for Damien Cahalane at corner back. The Dubs are without the suspended Crummey, though Conor Donohoe returns having served his penance after the CCCC's attention was drawn to his wild swing on John Fleming in the Galway game. Conor Burke slips back to centre-back, while in attack, Darragh Power starts at wing-forward with Diarmuid Ó Dulaing dropping out. Kilkenny and Tipperary meet again after lull in rivalry Time was when this was an annual meeting. The Tipp-Kilkenny match-up accounted for exactly half of all All-Ireland finals in the 2010s. However, the sides haven't collided in the championship since the 2019 decider, when Liam Sheedy's side devoured Kilkenny after Richie Hogan was sent off in the run in to half-time. Tipp, in particular, have been through a pretty savage transitional period, with the celebrated team of the 2010s drifting into retirement and their successors struggling to make the step up. Between 2022 and 2024, they won just one from 12 Munster SHC games. Last season, the Tipp hurling public made clear, by their absence, how little they thought of the current crop. Liam Cahill cut a disconsolate figure at the end of last season. But they've been rejuvenated under his management this year. People were reluctant to read much into their strong league campaign, given its unreliability as an indicator in the past. But this was backed up by a strong showing in Munster, with wins over Clare and Waterford guaranteeing at worst a third place spot. The All-Ireland winning U-20 team has provided an infusion of players, with Darragh McCarthy, Oisín O'Donoghue and Sam O'Farrell impressing throughout the season. Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond, both graduates from the 2019 U20 All-Ireland team, hit a combined 0-10 from play from the half-forward line against Galway in the quarters. The side still contains eight players who had some involvement in the 2019 senior final, though Noel McGrath and Seamus Kennedy were subs the last day, while Jake Morris and Willie Connors were subs six years ago. In total, there are seven survivors from the Kilkenny side in 2019 that played in last month's Leinster final - Eoin Murphy, Huw Lawlor, Paddy Deegan, John Donnelly, TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen and Billy Ryan. The Cats are seeking to bridge a 10-year gap to their last All-Ireland win - which already ties their longest drought since they won their first title in 1904. They may sniff an opportunity with Limerick unexpectedly taken out of the equation, Kilkenny having lost the 2022 and 2023 finals before being caught in a late Clare surge in last year's semi-final. The current crop seem suffused with the same dogged spirit as previous Kilkenny teams and have achieved something of note with a six-in-a-row in Leinster, a milestone which has almost crept up on people. Eoin Cody, absent for the Leinster final, is back available and provides them with a potent goal threat. Mossy Keoghan, their designated point-scorer from play during the cold winter months in the league, has been in superb form this year and opportunistically plundered 2-02 against Galway. Their middle third was especially dominant the last day, with Cian Kenny and Adrian Mullen buzzing around and hitting 0-06 from play combined. While Reid, now 37, was as magisterial as ever. History corner Six years feels like a lifetime without a Kilkenny-Tipperary meeting in the context of the last two decades but the rivalry has gone through longer lulls before. The 1991 All-Ireland final, decided by Pat Fox's brilliance, was their only championship meeting in the last quarter of the 20th century. Prior to this century, Tipperary were unquestionably Kilkenny's bogey team, the Cats regularly suffering in Hell's Kitchen in the 1950s and 60s. The relationship flipped in the Brian Cody era, Kilkenny winning seven from eight between 2002 and 2014 (not including drawn 2014 final). The 2009-11 trilogy of All-Ireland finals is recalled these days as a traditionalists' nirvana, while the drawn 2014 match has gone down as perhaps as the greatest decider of them all - though Cody himself thought the defending was far too loose. The last two finals swung decisively in Tipp's direction, however. Seamus Callanan delivered a bravura performance in the 2016 decider before Bubbles O'Dwyer delivered an expletive-laden interview. Three years later, they had 14 points to spare in Liam Sheedy's first year back in the job, their forwards ruthlessly exploiting their numerical advantage in the second half after Richie Hogan's sending off for an elbow on Cathal Barrett. As it stands, Tipp still hold a 15-12 lead in the guard of honour.
RTÉ News
06-06-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Tailteann Cup Preliminary Quarter-Finals: All you need to know
SATURDAY, 7 JUNE Offaly v New York, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm Westmeath v Laois, TEG Cusack Park, 5pm SUNDAY, 8 JUNE Wexford v Antrim, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 1.30pm Sligo v Carlow, Kilcoyne Park, Tubbercurry, 2pm ONLINE Live scoring on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app. Highlights also available across the weekend. TV Offaly v New York and Westmeath v Laois will be streamed live on GAA+. Highlights of all the weekend's action on The Sunday Game, RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, from 9.30pm. RADIO Live updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport - and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae. WEATHER Saturday: After a wet start to the day, cloud and rain will gradually clear eastwards leaving a mix of showers and sunny spells for Saturday. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in moderate to fresh and occasionally strong northwest winds. Sunday: A mix of sunshine and showers, with cloud increasing in the west through the afternoon, before brightening again by the evening. Highest temperatures of just 13 to 16 degrees in moderate westerly winds. For more go to We welcome New York And so 16 became 11+1. The add-on, the footballers of New York, who again enter the competition at this stage. Perhaps, supporters in Leitrim are cursing their arrival, as they were the third-placed side to lose out after the regulation phase. A crumb of comfort for Stephen Poacher's side is that they finished a difficult year on a high with that win over Tipperary. Poacher is already looking towards next January, plotting Leitrim's escape from Division 4, no doubt. New York have been preparing for this weekend since their Connacht exit at the hands of Galway on 6 April. More time to get used to the new playing rules. That said, the Exiles looked more than assured in adjusting to the changes, with Frank O'Reilly, Bobby O'Regan and James Walsh catching the eye with their two-pointers. New York certainly put it up to the Tribes in the opening half, trailing only by three points at the break. They gave as good as they got, before being overpowered 2-18 to 0-06 by the Connacht champions on the resumption. They will obviously hope to stay in the game longer when taking on Offaly at Glenisk O'Connor Park. The counties previously met at the quarter-final stage in 2022. A point that New York forward Shane Brosnan alluded to, when speaking to RTÉ Sport last month. "We were very good for 35 minutes, we know we need to probably add on another bit of fitness and hopefully complete that performance that we had in the first-half for a full 70-minute game, he said. "We probably just didn't have the legs to keep going in the second-half, but it was good to get the game against a team like Galway." Preliminary and onto quarter-finals proper So we have our pairings this weekend: Offaly v New York, Westmeath v Laois, Wexford v Antrim and Sligo v Carlow. Watching on with their quarter-final spots guaranteed after topping their groups are Kildare, Limerick, Fermanagh and Wicklow. This quartet will have home advantage in the last eight, where the draw, live on Morning Ireland, RTÉ Radio 1 from 8.35am on Monday, shall be subject to the avoidance of repeat pairings from the group stage where possible. Pairings that can't happen: Kildare v Sligo, Wicklow v Offaly, Wicklow v Laois, Limerick v Westmeath, Limerick v Antrim, Fermanagh v Wexford, Fermanagh v Carlow. The quarter-finals are scheduled across the weekend of 14/15 June. Surprise participants at this juncture Ahead of the concluding round, both Westmeath and Offaly were favoured to secure their quarter-final berths. The same could be said of Carlow, who faced the already eliminated Longford. But the trio suffered defeats: Westmeath and Offaly by the bare minimum against Limerick and Laois respectively, the classic sucker-punch in both cases, while Carlow were well off it against their Leinster opponents and were somewhat flattered with the five-point difference in the end. Now it's a case of picking up the pieces. For Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte (above), New York are something of an unknown quantity, as they look to get the Faithful ship back on course. Losing to a 75th-minute penalty against their neighbours was a jolt. In truth, they would have expected this week off. That said, you'd fancy them too see off their overseas visitors here, where Ruairi McNamee will surely get another chance to impress after kicking some fine scores when introduced last weekend. Westmeath v Laois, on paper, is the game of the weekend. A clash of the maiden winners and last year's finalists. For the Lake County, 2025 has so far been a year of agonising defeats, most notably during their Division 2 campaign. Relegation was the outcome there. More heartache last weekend when Emmett Rigter's point at the death denied Dermot McCabe's men a last-eight berth. It was a nip and tuck affair in Portlaoise, where both teams had periods of ascendancy, one such period saw Westmeath score seven points on the spin in the second half to re-establish the lead. They couldn't push that out and were caught in the end by an improving Limerick side. Laois' victory over Offaly was characterised by a decent spread of scorers across their starting XV and substitutes. Brian Byrne, in the full-forward line, was excellent throughout, while Mark Barry was coolness personified in slotting home the winning penalty. Justin McNulty really got a tune out of Laois throughout the knockout phase last year. That took them all the way to the final. Accounting for another of the pre-competition favourites should set them up nicely again, though the slight nod here is in the direction of Westmeath. First up on Sunday is the clash of Wexford v Antrim. The Slaneysiders could not live with Fermanagh's second-half onslaught at Croker and dropped to second in their group. They can have no complaints in what was their second defeat at GAA HQ this season after losing the Division 4 final to Limerick. Antrim squeezed through in third spot in their group, when seeing off London by eight points. The margin of victory was significant in just edging out Leitrim for that remaining place. Late scores from Marc Jordan and Dominic McEnhill were crucial to give Andy McEntee's men another day out. Wexford, on their home patch, should have enough to advance. With Markievicz Park having work done on its surface, Kilcoyne Park in Tubbercurry will stage Sligo v Carlow. A fair assessment of the Yeats County so far would suggest they have not quite hit the same levels reached reached in 2024 where they nearly took Galway's scalp in Connacht and then lost narrowly to eventual winners Down in the semi-finals of this competition. They were expected to push for promotion from Division 3. That never materialised and they were far from impressive in defeating Tipperary and Leitrim in the group stage. Fifteen points down against Kildare, they fought gamely to reduce the deficit, prompting manager Tony McEntee to hail a resilience that hasn't been in this team here before. Carlow, after that setback against Longford, will need to regroup. Manager Joe Murphy is accentuating the positives and speaking on local radio, said: "They're in a division higher than us and that, but you know, we travelled well before when we went to Fermanagh. We won't fear anyone and we will give it our all." Sligo, however, are the best bet to progress.
RTÉ News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Munster & Connacht SFC finals: All you need to know
SUNDAY 4 MAY Munster SFC final Kerry v Clare, Fitzgerald Stadium, 1.45pm Connacht SFC final Mayo v Galway, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 4pm ONLINE Live blog for both games on RTÉ Sport and RTÉ News app TV Live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 1.15pm. Highlights of the weekend's action on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an Lae. WEATHER Sunday: It will be mainly dry and bright with good spells of sunshine. Cloud will build a little at times through the morning and for the afternoon, bringing the chance of a few isolated showers, these most likely across the eastern half of the country, but they'll be very hit and miss. Highest temperatures of 13 to 18 or 19 degrees, coolest in the north and warmest in the midwest, in light to moderate northeast winds. For more go to Heightened jeopardy for some after provincial dust has settled And so to the first of the provincial deciders. Repeat pairings from last year and in the case of Kerry-Clare, it's a third successive meeting. Meath's win over Dublin has seen a bump in Leinster's market value, so could that province be the most competitive going forward? No more talk then of splitting Dublin in two. Thank God for that! Though it was a discussion that did fill some air time on The Sunday Game during Covid. Of course the championship discussion, that part concerning affairs in Connacht, took on a more concentrated gaze following Wednesday's All-Ireland group phase draw. The winners of the Nestor Cup will have either Armagh/Donegal, Dublin and Derry for company. The vanquished in Castlebar can then start preparing for either Armagh/Donegal, Tyrone and Cavan. Naturally enough, the 'group of death' tag was applied but if you take a step back, or a 'shtep' as they might say in the west, with three teams from four guaranteed to be still involved come the conclusion of the series, there is less jeopardy. We can expect some cracking contests, as teams aim to top their section and avoid that extra game before the Croke Park quarter-finals. For Kerry and Clare, their schedule after Sunday, looks not as intimidating. And so we have the cries that Kerry always get a 'soft, aul draw'. Those in the Kingdom giving a shake of the head and moving on. Keane and Clare ready to have cut of a somewhat rattled Kingdom It's as we expected in Munster; Kerry and Clare through to the final again. But not in the way we would have envisaged, as Kerry's progression was nearly derailed by a Cork outfit who took them to the limit and beyond in the semi-final. To the Rebels we give thanks and that's no slight on the Kingdom. In advance of that Easter Saturday encounter, there was much talk of Munster becoming 'something of a doddle' for Kerry. Of course, Jack O'Connor wasn't having any of that, we wouldn't expect too, but the Green and Gold we all knew were more than a cut above. We know something different now. Cork could have and should have sealed the deal during extra-time on Leeside. A stunning goal from midfielder Joe O'Connor in that period ensured that Kerry noses were in front when it mattered. O'Connor's men put to the pin of their collar sooner than they expected. They'll take that. Can Clare also give them a rattle? Well, there were 14 points between the sides in the 2023 final; that margin was down to seven last year. Following that sequence, this Fitzgerald Stadium should finish level. If that were to happen, expect a stampede on social media from those saying 'we well and truly have our provincial championships back'. The Banner just missed out on promotion to Division 2 and then accounted for Tipperary to reach this juncture. They didn't shoot the lights out in Ennis, always managing to keep their noses in front against game opponents. A goal in each half from Mark McInerney proved decisive as on both occasions it would be the catalyst for a Banner scoring blitz. Clare's cause this year has been helped by the return of Eoin Cleary and Keelan Sexton, this after much change in personnel since Colm Collins' departure. After Kerry native Mark Fitzgerald stepped down as boss after one year, the county board looked at the same geographical terrain for his successor. Enter Peter Keane, who managed his county for three years, getting them to an All-Ireland final in 2019. He was the right man at the time after his success with Kerry underage teams. But his tenure with the seniors ended somewhat abruptly after that All-Ireland semi-final loss to Tyrone in 2021. A game that was there for the taking; small margins decided it. You'd have fancied Kerry to subsequently take care of Mayo in the decider. The course of history could have been different for Keane. Instead, Jack O'Connor was cutting his ties with Kildare and heading back south, this after equating Kerry with Manchester United on a podcast. Keane will have Clare primed, notes taken on how Cork caused their neighbours more than a few defensive jitters. After being sent off at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Paudie Clifford will be an absentee for Kerry. The game comes too soon for Diarmuid O'Connor, with Paul Murphy (calf issue) and Graham O'Sullivan (groin) also likely to be unavailable. Mike Breen and Tom O'Sullivan are in contention to return. It all points to another title for Kerry; home advantage an added bonus to a likely victory by around six points. Defining match of the McStay tenure? And so for the 95th time in championship, Mayo and Galway will lock horns. It's 2014 since they last met in a provincial decider in MacHale Park, a period when the Green and Red held sway, winning what was the fourth of five consecutive titles on the spin. Lee Keegan, in his column on these pages, said it was a time when Mayo could bully Galway. Now, it is the Tribes who are calling the provincial tune, and are seeking a fourth success on the trot. Of course, their neighbours would love to throw a spanner into that works. Kevin McStay places great stock on winning a Nestor Cup, this after being pipped late on in last year's final. That was followed by more heartache of sorts when drawing against Dublin and then losing on penalties to Derry in the All-Ireland series. A trend emerging. Not winning games that matter. A new season brought a league campaign that started slowly, got better midway through, before flatlining badly against Kerry in the Division 1 final. They were always expected to reach this Connacht final. That said they did little to catch the eye against either Sligo or Leitrim, though credit must go to that pair for their resistance. McStay was quite bullish after the semi-final, in that his troops will be ready to go to war with their old foes. This Sunday, you suspect was earmarked just after the Ballina native got the backing last autumn to continue in the job. A Connacht medal now has greater currency, a greater share value than the Division 1 silverware won in 2023. A prize worth winning for a side now seen as drifting in the All-Ireland market. Connacht finals, though, are often a law on to themselves. A ravenous home support at MacHale Park should help Mayo, but history has shown that that doesn't always carry the hosts to glory. *Galway manager, Pádraic Joyce played 11 championship games against Mayo between 1998 and 2011, winning six and losing five. Mayo manager, Kevin McStay played five championship games against Galway between 1983 and 1990, winning one, drawing one and losing three. Aidan O'Shea is playing the best football of his career. You can expect him to roam a bit, no doubt entrusted with trying to disrupt the influence of Galway midfielders Paul Conroy and John Maher. Matthew Tierney reacts fastest to extend Galway's lead against Roscommon with the opening goal 📺 Watch @rte2 & @rteplayer 📻 @rteradio1 📱 Updates 👇 — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 20, 2025 Mayo, it's fair to say, have more fires to put out. The Galway attacking threat, even without Shane Walsh, is more potent now, with the likes of Rob Finnerty, Cillian McDaid and Matthew Tierney now all scoring more freely. As for two-pointer potential, the Tribesmen offer more. Mayo must improve in that regard. Last weekend gave our first real surprise of the championship when Meath took care of Dublin. Mayo prevailing a week later over their bitter rivals would be a mild surprise. Galway's picture is framed around winning Sam Maguire and boss Pádraic Joyce was very, very happy by the way Roscommon were dispatched on Easter Sunday. A manager content that he now has the squad to go all the way. The evidence of that was there to see at times against Rossies. More proof of Galway's credentials will be on display in the challenging schedule that awaits after their visit to Castlebar.
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Football championship weekend: All you need to know
SATURDAY 26 APRIL Ulster SFC semi-final Armagh v Tyrone, Clones, 4.45pm SUNDAY 27 APRIL Leinster SFC semi-finals Kildare v Louth, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm Dublin v Meath, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 4pm Ulster SFC semi-final Donegal v Down, Clones, 3pm ONLINE Live blogs each day with RTÉ Sport and RTÉ News app TV Live coverage of Donegal v Down live on BBC2 NI. GAA+ will stream Saturday's clash of Tyrone and Armagh in Ulster as well as both Leinster semi-finals the following day, Kildare v Louth and Dublin v Meath. Highlights of the weekend's action on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport. Also live updates on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae. WEATHER Saturday: The mist and fog will generally clear on Saturday morning to leave a mainly dry, bright day with good spells of sunshine with a few isolated showers. Mild overall with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in light to moderate south to southwest winds. Sunday: Likely to be cloudy for a time with some scattered showers. It'll be a breezy day with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty south to southwest winds. For more go to Hankering for the noughties The meeting of Armagh and Tyrone this weekend conjures up memories of one of the great rivalries in Gaelic football. With the gripping nature of the contests and the fact they were such big games in the calendar, it is easy to forget that at its peak, it lasted four years (2002-05), spanned six memorable games and resulted in maiden All-Ireland success for both. Tyrone edged the rivalry by ending the decade with three Celtic Crosses, but there was rarely little between the sides as the most gifted and ferocious competitiors of their generation duked it out. Gripping games, though former Tyrone player Enda McGinley concedes rewatching the game is a reminder of the evolvement of the sport. "It was before the era of controlled possession, so looking back on the games now, it seems like kamikaze football," he said earlier this week. Could a decent hitout in Clones reignite the flames of this rivalry? Certainly the ingredients are there. While the powerhouses Kerry (2022) and Dublin (2023) reinforced the idea of the traditional two in football, those successes were bookended by unlikely teams - at the start of the respective seasons at least - walking up the Hogan Stand, the Red Hands prevailing in 2021 and Kieran McGeeney's side upsetting the odds last year. The Orchard County will be wary that Tyrone's dismal defence of Sam Maguire - it was Armagh who put them out of their misery in the qualifiers - did little to dispel the notion that they won that All-Ireland against the head. Few backed the team to make it back-to-back, their implosion fuel to the critics who suggested it was one of the weakest teams to land top honours in recent history. Armagh now are following a similar path, keen to prove last year was no flash in the pan. With Rian O'Neill remaining outside the panel and a sizeable injury list, McGeeney could only call on five starters from last year's All-Ireland triumph over Galway for the Ulster quarter-final win over Antrim. It has allowed others stake claims with the manager name-checking the scoring contribution of three of his four championship debutants last time out, with Tomás McCormack, Calum O'Neill (the first Belleek man to play championship for Armagh) and Darragh McMullan working the scoreboard operator at Corrigan Park. Have Down another upset in them? "Down are crafty. Down have a team full of ball players. So many notes taken on them." The words of Donegal manager Jim McGuinness in relation to the build-up to the 2012 Ulster final. The Tir Chonaill men would make it back-to-back provincial titles for the first time en route to landing Sam Maguire while Down's barren run would continue to an 18th season at least. That wait has moved beyond three decades. McGuinness's thoughts back then may not hold quite so true now, aside from the obsessive note-taking. That particular Down side were two years on from going within a whisker of an All-Ireland title. Earlier that spring just missed out on a Division 1 final with Dan Gordon, Mark Poland, Danny Hughes, Benny Coulter and current manager Conor Laverty leading the way. The current crop will battle it out in the third tier in 2026, three wins from seven in Division 2 not enough to avoid the drop. That disappointment looked set to be compounded by a championship defeat to Fermanagh as the Erne men led by seven points with eight minutes left on the clock. Inspired by midfielder Daniel McGuinness, who raised a flag of all three colours, Pat Havern and Ryan McEvoy, the Mourne men rallied for a superb win. Unless we see a significant improvement – the closing stages aside – it's hard to see anything other than the Ulster holders marching on. An embarrassment of riches up front, an athletic midfield and some pacey and attack-minded defenders such as Finbarr Roarty, Ciarán Moore, Peadar Mogan (0-05 between them against Monaghan) means the eight-point spread seems about right. While Donegal are bidding for a 12th Ulster final in 15 seasons, and their record against Down is impressive – four wins from last five games with an average winning margin of 13 points – their last championship clash should serve against complacency, if that is even possible with McGuinness at the helm. Two years ago goals from Liam Kerr and Pat Havern sent Down on their way to victory at Pairc Esler against a Donegal side reeling from Division 1 relegation, managerial upheaval and apparent player apathy. McGuinness returned for a second stint in charge of his native county four months later. Will Leinster remain a piece of cake for Dublin? A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges. One of the most accomplished American minds, Benjamin Franklin, is attributed with that quote, and it could be used with the Dublin footballers in mind. The icing has come off if you will, the likes of James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey exiting stage left since last year's championship, but will Leinster remain a piece of cake fo the boys in blue? Dessie Farrell drafted in 16 new faces during the league. Solid if not spectacular was the early verdict, though the laboured win over Wicklow in Aughrim has whispers of an end to provincial domination – they are bidding for 15-in-a-row in Leinster- growing louder. Peter Canavan is of the opinion that the presence of Con O'Callaghan alone means the Delaney Cup will remain in the capital, but more will be needed from those around him if they are to go deep into the All-Ireland race. Question marks regarding goalkeeper and midfield persist, though the return of John Small and Davey Byrne is a huge boon. Sean Bugler is in the form of his Dublin career while Greg McEneaney has nailed down his place in the starting XV. Meath will, perhaps for the first time since their famous 2010 upset of the Dubs, enter the game with ambitions of more than simply keeping the score down. Whether they have the tools to deliver another shock remains to be seen, but the manner of the performance against Carlow was encouraging with Ruairi Kinsella, Eoghan Frayne and Matthew Costello to the fore for the Royals. Meath's tallies 1-30 and 1-25 against Carlow and Offaly respectively indicate that there is potential to cause a Dublin defence that wasn't exactly watertight last time out problems. For all the optimism, it still pits a Division 1 side against a middling Division 2 outfit, with 16 points between the sides last year. Since 2013, the average winning margin hs stood at a touch over 13 points. Whatever about a shock, a competitive match would be a plus and the surroundings of Laois Hire O'Moore Park can only create a better atmosphere rather than a souless Croke Park. All-Ireland place up for grabs By the time the Dubs and Meath throw in at Portlaoise, we will know the identity of the 16th and final team to compete in this year's All-Ireland championship, with Louth v Kildare the first of the provincial semi-finals on Sunday. The Wee County won the corresponding fixture 12 months ago and are bidding for a third successive final appearance, something they last achieved in 1914. Louth manager Ger Brennan will be pleased that their Division 2 status was retained despite a lengthy injury list. What will have given more food for thought was the indifferent display against Laois last time out. Goals from Ryan Burns and Ciarán Byrne (above) saw them through, but it was a performance to be filed in the 'room for improvement' folder. The possibility of talisman Sam Mulroy returning to action - he has been named at full-forward but one can never be certain of the starting personnel - would be a huge shot in the arm for their chances. It's just three years since the Lilywhites dished out a 16-point trimming to Saturday's opponents, but even last year's defeat as a reference point for Kildare is tricky. Eight of the 20 who lined out in Croke Park last April have departed the panel and another six unlikely to start. Brian Flanagan saw a mixed bag of results early season, with expectations low heading into their quarter-final against Westmeath. Under the cosh in the opening half, they found a resilience that has not always been apparent in recent seasons to dig out a morale-boosting two-point victory. Kevin Feely and Callum Bolton are looking to build a strong partnership in the middle of the field, while Ben McCormack and Alex Beirne were central to the second-half turnaround against Westmeath. Tommy Gill and Niall Kelly impressed off the bench and Flanagan will have to plan without Harry O'Neill who picked up a nasty injury.
