Kerry athletes win glut of medals at Munster Juvenile individual and team championships
Oisín Lynch improves on his PB at the British Milers Birmingham University Grand Prix
The Lios Tuathail U10 girls' relay team of Isobel Belova Flanagan, Grace Guiney, Molly Gyulai, Cara Keane and Clodagh Lynch who won the gold medals at the Munster Athletics Championships in Waterford on Saturday. Photo by David Kissane
The first Kerry gold medallist was Jack Sheehy (St Brendan's AC) who won the U12 long jump early on that changeable June Saturday when he cleared a personal best of 4.57m to take the gold. As reigning All Ireland indoor U12 long jumper, Jack was comfortable in his fifth jump which gave him the highest place on the podium.
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Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
John McGrath on storming back to form in a season to remember: ‘I probably was frustrated having not seen game time'
It was the redemption song of the summer. John McGrath, without a championship start for two years, finally got his chance in Tipperary's opening match against Limerick . The season ended with an All-Ireland. This wasn't a triumph of perseverance for a determined underdog. McGrath's first act came in the latter years of the previous decade and yielded an All Star in his 2016 breakthrough season and two All-Ireland medals. The first half of this decade was, until this summer, a fitful narrative of not quite firing properly, an undermining Achilles tendon injury and marathon, dual club campaigns with Loughmore-Castleiney. Yet for most of the hiatus, he was widely regarded as the best club hurler in the county. Subtext: his first All-Ireland came on a drizzly afternoon in 2011 when he lined out at centre forward for the Tipp minor footballers in their sensational takedown of a Dublin cohort, many of whom would go on to feature in the record-breaking senior team later in the decade. READ MORE Even during a media conference to announce his selection as the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Month award for July, the first question concerns how his return to football went, as Loughmore began their perennial trek down two tracks in the age of the FRC. 'Yeah, I thought it was going to be more complicated to get used to. But I suppose after having seen a decent few games, it's nearly the normal now. A few times I had to be running back wondering are you supposed to cross the halfway line, or have we enough lads up or down,' McGrath says. 'You pick it up quick enough, it was good now. Enjoyable.' Not that anybody on the call was going to dwell on football. McGrath's hurling resurgence began in Thurles against Limerick last April. A scattered few appearances in the league didn't sound any trumpets about the likelihood of his first start in Munster since the opening day in 2023. John McGrath of Tipperary with the PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Month award for July. Photograph: Sportsfile To what did he ascribe the belated call-up? Did he see selection as reward for form? 'Maybe a little bit, I suppose, but I probably was frustrated as well having not seen game time in our last two league games. So, you're not really sure maybe where you are or that, but when Liam Cahill (manager) came to me and said that they were going to put me in, I probably put a huge emphasis on that game then for myself. 'I probably made it out in my own head to be a lot bigger than the first round of a Munster championship. Maybe that was just what I needed at the time and I got an opportunity maybe for any frustration I had built up, to let it off and release it.' Down went the marker. He worked like a maniac, hooking Cian Lynch at one stage in Tipp's defence. But back in his own lane, he finished the match with 2-1 – the goals as precise and predatory as any in his pomp. On he went. In the remarkable destruction of favourites Cork in the All-Ireland final, McGrath again contributed two goals in his haul of 2-2, and was fouled for the penalty that provided Darragh McCarthy with the third – to go with the one he scored against Kilkenny in the semi-final match. Tipperary's John McGrath scores against Limerick during this year's Munster Championship. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho It was some completion of Tipperary's rebound from two heavy defeats by Cork in the league final and Munster championship. In all, he shot seven goals in the championship in a campaign that has catapulted him into contention for Hurler of the Year. He is at a loss to explain Tipperary's dynamiting of Cork's six-point lead in a second half they won by 3-14 to 0-2. 'It's hard to say that anyone saw the second half coming in the manner it did ... but we took huge belief from that first half. The goal was a right sucker punch going in at half-time [but] we still felt we were really in the game. It's funny that you say it was quite a calm dressingroom – for a minute, I was nearly thinking, this is a bit too calm,' he says. 'I went over to one of the lads and said we need to kind of liven up here a little bit. But it's a credit to the lads that they were able to just stay that relaxed and focused and bring what came in the second half. 'I think the last words that Liam said before we went out – he said he was waiting for this. This is where he wanted to be all year. This is what he had visualised and he just said, 'go out and win the All-Ireland'. A lot of stuff after that is a blur. It was just a mad 35 minutes.' Mad season. Mad comeback – collective and personal.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Kerry's David Clifford and Tipperary's John McGrath named as players of the month for July
The PwC GPA players of the month for the concluding weeks of the championship have been named. David Clifford and John McGrath have been recognised for their major contributions to Kerry's and Tipperary's All-Ireland victories, as have Aoife Donohue, Player of the Match and vice-captain, in Galway's camogie triumph, and Kate Sullivan for her role in Dublin regaining the football title. Clifford is on course for a third Footballer of the Year award and rounded off Kerry's All-Ireland run with a Player of the Match display in the semi-final against Tyrone when he scored 1-9 as well as a hugely effective performance in the defeat of Donegal in the final, scoring 0-9 from play for a record championship total of 8-62. McGrath marked a spectacular return to form for Tipperary, scoring seven goals in the campaign, three in the All-Ireland semi-final and final, including two in the latter demolition of favourites Cork to win a first Liam MacCarthy in six years. The PwC GAA/GPA Players of the Month for July: from left, Tipperary's John McGrath for hurling, Galway's Aoife Donohue for camogie, Kerry's David Clifford for football. Photograph: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Donohue, Player of the Year in 2021, is recognised for her major part in Galway's derailing of Cork's three-in-a-row ambitions, scoring 0-2 from play as well as providing the assist for Mairéad Dillon's ultimately crucial goal. READ MORE Sullivan was Player of the Match in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Cork and scored a vitally important goal in extra time, as Dublin got the better of Galway in the semi-final before shooting 0-4 from play in the big final victory against Meath. The award winners are short-listed by journalists and voted on by intercounty players.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Rugby World Cup preview: Irish women's rugby has battled ferociously to reach the top level
The IRFU's digital team pulled off something of a masterstroke when announcing their squad for the upcoming women's World Cup . Each player featured in then-and-now shots, pictures of the group in their current kit placed alongside old photos – most of them from childhood. On one hand, today's Edel McMahon stood smiling in her green jersey. On the other, braces and different colour hair hinted at the age of the other snap. A younger version of Ireland's co-captain captains hugs her father, Tom, in the midst of an All-Ireland celebratory scrum. McMahon, then a teenager, was in goals for Kilmihil during their run to the intermediate title. 📢IRELAND SQUAD ANNOUCEMENT Some dream in black and white, some dream in colour. We Dream In Green. Here's the Ireland squad presented by — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) Here was a rare example of meaningful social media 'content'. These are human beings behind the athletes. Sometimes we do need a reminder. There's a significant emotional investment required to reach the top level. For Irish women's rugby, it has been a battle and a half. Eight long years have passed since Ireland last played at a World Cup. They missed out on the previous edition after a dire few days in Parma. That was 2021, defeats to Spain and Scotland knocking Ireland out of the global showpiece just four years after they hosted the thing. Irish women's rugby was in the pits. A letter was sent to government. Something had to change. READ MORE Now, Ireland are the best of the rest in the Six Nations behind England and France. They're less than a year out from beating New Zealand, one of the shock results of this year's World Cup cycle. Ireland travel to Britain with legitimate, if still slightly improbable aspirations of reaching a global semi-final. [ Women's Rugby World Cup: Ireland team news, fixtures and where to watch Opens in new window ] For all the positivity, there is an inescapable sense that Ireland are limping to the starting line. Injuries have plagued them. The spine of the starting pack, tighthead Christy Haney, lock Dorothy Wall and backrow Erin King are all out. Aoife Wafer, arguably the game's best ball-carrier, is touch and go. The return of co-captain Sam Monaghan and wing Béibhinn Parsons from their own long-term injuries undoubtedly softens the blow. But they don't fill all the gaps. Jane Clohessy tackles Aoife Wafer at an Ireland squad training session. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho The frontrow depth – just two specialist tightheads remain after Haney's injury – is a concern. Ireland's scrum has been an issue for some time. Italy had a better rate of return on possession during the Six Nations. Should anything befall Linda Djougang, Ireland's most experienced tighthead, 20-year-old Sadhbh McGrath and uncapped Sophie Barrett – the latter not currently in the World Cup squad – will have a rescue job on their hands. In an ideal world, there would be a national debate on Ireland's back three. Amee-Leigh Costigan and Anna McGann have shown flashes of their pace in recent months. With Parsons' return, wing is suddenly Ireland's most hotly contested position. [ Can Ireland win the Rugby World Cup? 'No reason why not,' says Molly Scuffil-McCabe Opens in new window ] Centre could also fall into that category. Enya Breen, Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton rotated during the Six Nations. Now Nancy McGillivray, the Hong Kong-born 22-year-old once on England's radar, adds to that depth. Maybe it's the fortnight gap between Ireland's last warm-up and their World Cup opener. Perhaps fatigue at a lengthy, Lions-dominated men's season afflicts the rugby public. Ireland's early opponents, Japan and Spain, are unlikely to kick the bandwagon out of second gear. Whatever the reason, off-field narratives have instead driven the recent discussion. The decision to cap McGillivray and Ellena Perry, a former England prop called up after Haney's injury, raised eyebrows. McGillivray, first spotted in 2021, may well have been a long-term plan, her late call-up delayed by contractual commitments. But why summon Perry, nominally a loosehead, to replace tighthead Haney? Nancy McGillivray runs in to score Ireland's third try in a World Cup warm-up against Scotland in Cork earlier this month. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho There is a balance between showing faith in the Irish pathway and finding the best Irish-qualified talent. Going to England for the emergency call-up risks tipping it too far in one direction. While acknowledging that late additions done incorrectly can rock the boat, Ireland head coach Scott Bemand both defended his decision and the Irish pathway. 'Everything has been done well, in my opinion.' Conversations on Ireland's ability to develop players are never far away. Success in recent times has come at least in part due to the IRFU's response to the infamous player letter of 2021. After failing to qualify for the last World Cup, players past and present wrote to the government expressing a loss of 'all trust and confidence in the IRFU'. The signatories called for 'meaningful changes' in the women's game from 'grassroots to green shirts'. Since then, albeit after a Six Nations wooden spoon in 2023, Ireland have improved to finish third in back-to-back years. These campaigns came either side of the New Zealand win, Ireland playing the Black Ferns by dint of their promotion up the WXV competition ladder. Toto, we're not in Parma any more. The IRFU have invested in the top tier. Professional central contracts were first introduced in August 2022. A year later, Bemand, a former coach of England's dominant Red Roses, was hired as head coach. Forwards coach Alex Codling, who will join Munster after this World Cup, was an astute hire to shore up a creaking set-piece. Shock horror, investing in the top tier has improved results. Yet the injury-inspired scramble for players from across the water suggests the next step, fixing the grassroots, a move the player letter also called for, has not had the same success. Ireland forwards Coach Alex Codling. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Former player Lynne Cantwell joined the IRFU as the head of women's strategy at the end of last year. She will contribute to a review into Ireland's domestic programme, spending the coming weeks at club and provincial sessions. 'There are a lot of girls out there who want to play rugby who can't who need to be engaged with,' she said last month. The IRFU wants four professional provinces by 2026-27, increasing the number of full-time pros. Who the provinces will play against, given the competitive imbalance of the Celtic Challenge, remains to be seen. Where this leaves the AIL clubs is another matter. Some clubs offer players something approaching a pro set-up. Others struggle to fulfil fixtures, with three teams docked points for conceding matches at various stages last season. If late call-ups from England are the short-term solution, what is the longer term plan? Neither an AIL dominated by familiar teams nor a Celtic Challenge where Irish teams put 100 points on their 'rivals' serves anyone. These are, for now, problems for a later date. It is somewhat unfair to lump bigger-picture issues in with the biggest event of these players' careers. They've a game against Japan to win on August 24th. For all the injury talk, it should be noted that just two members of the starting XV that beat New Zealand are now missing: Eimear Considine has retired while Wall is injured. All roads lead to Franklin's Gardens. If Japan and Spain are safely negotiated, an upset against the Black Ferns secured, and with it a favourable quarter-final draw, the cautious build-up could be quickly forgotten. The bandwagon will fill up mighty fast. More celebratory photos could be added to the collection. Neve Jones: With Aoife Wafer's early tournament fitness a concern, Jones should be an alternative scoring threat off set-piece. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Ireland's ones to watch Linda Djougang – prop Christy Haney's hamstring injury leaves Djougang one of only two specialist tighthead props in the squad, 20-year-old Sadhbh McGrath the other. It remains to be seen if one of the three nominal looseheads can cover. Given Djougang's experience, not to mention Ireland's historical issues at the scrum, her mere presence on the pitch, let alone performance, will be vital. Neve Jones – hooker When Ireland needed to knuckle down in the Six Nations, they relied on the set-piece. Forwards coach Alex Codling manufactured scoring opportunities for the likes of Aoife Wafer off the lineout. In their initial games against Japan and Spain, Ireland could adopt a predominantly direct approach. With Wafer's early tournament fitness a concern, Neve Jones should be an alternative scoring threat off set-piece. Béibhinn Parsons – wing Back in the squad after suffering two leg breaks in the space of six months. Ireland are in rude health with electric back three options, leaving Parsons in a battle to reclaim her starting spot given the form of Anna McGann. With Amee-Leigh Costigan likely on the other wing and Stacey Flood at fullback, if Ireland do look to spread the ball, they have running threats aplenty.
