Kildare now contenders to win Joe McDonagh
Jackie Tyrrell believes Kildare are now genuine contenders to win the Joe McDonagh Cup and play Leinster round-robin hurling for the first time.
The Lilywhites, managed by Tyrrell's former Kilkenny team-mate Brian Dowling, will be guaranteed a place in the final if they can beat bottom side Down on Sunday.
That follows successive sensational away victories over Carlow and Laois over the last two weekends.
Dowling's men beat the McDonagh favourites by 11 points - 4-20 to 1-18 - on their home turf of O'Moore Park and Tyrrell warns against assuming that Laois or Carlow would turn things around in a decider.
Those two play each other in the final round this weekend, meaning only a draw between them and failure to defeat Down could deny Kildare.
"Brian is doing an exceptional job," nine-time All-Ireland winner Tyrrell told the RTÉ GAA podcast.
"The last two results, particularly Laois at the weekend, and the manner in which they won, has propelled them into a great position.
"The goals they scored over the weekend, they are playing a really good brand of hurling.
"If Kildare are to get into a Joe McDonagh final from where they came from two games ago… they could potentially win it at that stage because they are just playing with such confidence and momentum.
"Laois had been flying it up to that point so I'm there will be a few more twists there."
Down are in a three-way fight to avoid relegation, however, and could stay up even in defeat if Westmeath can win in Kerry.
"Down had a big win over Kerry last weekend to give them a chance of staying up," said Tyrrell.
"It might be important for them to stay up considering their league success [ promotion to Division 1B ].
"So huge jeopardy there in terms of the final weekend.
"If you look at the league standings, three of them on six [points] and three on two, there is such parity in Joe Mc.
"It continues to be an outstanding competition of guys of a similar level, really in putting a huge amount.
"It's not like the Tailteann Cup, where some teams kind of pick and choose, no-one looks at the Joe McDonagh and doesn't really go after it."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Conor Whelan urges Galway to take ‘massive opportunity' in Leinster final and bounce back from All-Ireland setbacks
CONOR WHELAN'S decade in maroon has flown by. The 3 Conor Whelan has been starring for Galway for ten years Credit: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile 3 He got to the All-Ireland final in his first year in 2015 Credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE 3 He won Liam McCarthy in 2017 Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile And the Kinvara ace enjoyed a dream start — scoring 1-2 against the Rebels in Thurles. He then racked up 0-2 in a 0-26 to 3-16 semi-final victory over Tipperary at Two years later, Whelan become an All-Ireland champion under Micheál Donoghue — and he was an All-Star that year too. The 28-year-old is now captain and into his 11th campaign at senior inter-county level. Read More on GAA But the Tribes have not made an All-Ireland SHC final since That was also the last year they claimed glory in Leinster — having lost three provincial finals on the spin in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Whelan is determined to make up for lost time in tomorrow's provincial showpiece against Kilkenny at But he admits forging special bonds is more difficult than before. He said: 'It's gone very fast. I think the years where you get knocked out early in particular are definitely accelerated. Most read in GAA Hurling 'If you play only five Championship games in the year, you feel like 'Jesus, I never got going really at times'.' Galway bowed out of the Championship in 2019 in the Leinster round robin — just as they did last year. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - They also exited in the second round of the qualifiers in 2021. And Whelan admits those setbacks felt like missed opportunities for the county. He added: 'Last year, 2021 and 2019 — those three years feel like they accelerated faster. 'It goes very fast and there's less opportunities for the group to spend time together with the way it is condensed. 'I don't think we've been on a night out since the start of the year because of the nature of the league and Championship. 'When you have lots of fresh faces coming in and spending time together, it's a massive part of it. 'We missed out on that an awful lot during Covid as well. 'There's something to look at around the structure of it. Even if you give players two weeks between certain games, just to have that down time and spend some time together. 'When you were there and part of the old system, you had two or three weeks until your next game. It feels like it goes faster now.' SPECIAL BOND Whelan's bond with Donoghue will always be special thanks to that 2017 All-Ireland triumph. But the Clarinbridge man left under a cloud after their 2019 Leinster round-robin loss to summer . Galway suffered the same fate against the Sky Blues last summer with Donoghue in charge of their opponents as former boss But two-time All-Star Whelan always knew his former supremo He said: 'We had fond memories with Micheál, so it's always nice to have him and his management team back. 'Micheál always brings a very high standard of what he expects and he's very good at moulding a group and bringing people together. 'He's experienced and brings a familiarity and standard. It has been positive. 'I always felt he would be back and he would have had a very close connection with the players from the first time. I knew that would always draw him back. 'I thought he'd leave it another couple of years until a good few of us were finished. But I always felt that he'd be back.' Seven long years have passed since Galway's last piece of Championship silverware. The Cats clawed them in the 2020, 2022 and 2023 finals and are going for six in a row tomorrow. Kilkenny's 3-24 to 0-21 first-round win on April 19 was a rude awakening for the Tribes. But they won their next four games against And Whelan hopes they can end their hoodoo against Derek Lyng's men and seal their place in the last four of the All-Ireland series. He said: 'As a group and individual, you have to look internally after a result like that and take what you need from that to understand that that's not the level. 'The group responded and we've been fortunate to turn it around but we haven't won anything yet. 'It's fairly prestigious to pick up a Leinster medal and put yourself in a great position, then moving forward heading into the last four. 'That's something we haven't done for the last couple of years. 'It's a massive opportunity from a silverware perspective and from the prize of going through the front door.'
RTÉ News
22 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
David Dooley determined for Laois to go one better in Joe McDonagh Cup final
Laois captain David Dooley hopes the pain of last year's Joe McDonagh Cup final loss to neighbours Offaly can provide the fuel to get over the line against Kildare in Sunday's decider at Croke Park. Dooley, who only made his senior debut 16 months ago, was part of the starting line-up which Offaly accounted for on a 2-23 to 0-26 scoreline, with goals at the start of each half from Brian Duignan and substitute Oisin Kelly proving decisive. This time around, the Rosenallis clubman leads the O'Moore men into battle as captain, with that honour bestowed on the 22-year-old at the start of the season. "It's absolutely massive," Dooley, who spent two seasons with the Leinster rugby sub-academy, said of Sunday's final in conversation with RTÉ Sport. "We probably have the heartbreak from last year spurring us on a small bit, but it's great to be back here again in Croke Park playing on days like this. It's what you dream of. "It means everything to the group and to the wider community in Laois as well." Laois sauntered to victories over Westmeath, Down and Kerry at the start of the campaign, but then suffered an unexpected 4-20 to 1-18 loss to Kildare in Round 4 of the competition. Their place in the final was only decided when James Duggan found the back of the net with a glancing deflection deep into injury time in a 2-17 to 1-20 draw against Carlow. A little luck and a lot of character saw Kildare edge out the Barrowsiders on scoring difference in the group. Dooley may captain the side, but he believes his side is stacked with leaders and strength in depth. "There have been a huge number of lads stepping up," he enthused. "I think in the early stages of the round-robin there were lads standing up and in the latter stages there's been new fellas, lads that haven't been included in matchday squads are stepping up and getting starting positions and there's that bit of competition amongst everybody. That's what's needed." The struggle for midfield supremacy could well decide who prevails at HQ, with Dooley opining: "The middle third of the pitch is probably where games are won and lost, mainly. "There's going to be another battle there this weekend and they're going to be well up for it too." The Laois captain has been a constant in the heart of midfield this season, but his partners have varied, reflecting the riches that Laois now boast. "It's chopped and changed the last couple of weeks," Dooley said of the personnel he has started alongside. "Fiachra C-Fennell, Paddy Purcell is operating there as well, John Lennon, there's Aidan Corby - anyone of them can step in there. "Hopefully I hold my place, I could be out of it! "They're all very capable and excellent hurlers." Despite being humbled by Kildare earlier in the competition, Laois go into the game as favourites, but Dooley isn't underestimating the task at hand. "We played them early on in the round-robin and they got the upper hand on us that day, and they were very, very well worth their win," he admitted. "Then they played Carlow and they had a great win against Carlow and against the other teams as well going through. "We've been very, very impressed by them and the way they conduct themselves throughout the round-robin. "It's going to be a massive challenge this week. "They've been in Christy Ring finals the last couple of years, so they have that bit of experience. "They were playing the same day as us or maybe the week before us last year, so they have that experience of Croke Park as well. "It'll hopefully be a cracker and we'll count on our experience, but that hurt from last will hopefully stand to us and hopefully get us over the line." Watch Limerick v Cork in the Munster SHC final live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 5.15pm Saturday. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport. Highlights of all the weekend's football and hurling championship action on The Sunday Game, 9.30pm RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
RTÉ News
23 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Munster Senior Hurling Championship final preview: Cork need divine display to deny Limerick seventh heaven
For a brief period there, it looked like Limerick might be vincible. Denied the five-in-a-row last year. Held to a draw by a rebuilding Tipp in the opening round in Munster. Was the engine starting to wear in the once in a lifetime Green Machine? The subsequent, more-comfortable-than-it-looked, win over Waterford and 16-point annihilation of the Cork side who beat them twice last season suggest the answer is no - same as it ever was. Sure, John Kiely's men lost the last game of the round-robin to Clare, but that was with qualification already assured, eight changes, and facing eliminated All-Ireland champions and bitter rivals playing for pride. Limerick set a new record of six consecutive Munster Senior Hurling Championship titles last year and are hot favourites to extend that to seven this evening. Presumably, the provincial council didn't imagine renaming the Munster Cup after Treaty legend Mick Mackey (in 2022) would mean nobody else ever winning it again. The high-scoring nature of hurling lends itself to big swings in results – Tipperary either lost narrowly to Kilkenny or hammered them in finals from 2009-19 – and Cork will surely improve on their performance three weeks ago. But will that be enough, back on enemy territory? Even if the crowd at the Gaelic Grounds is evenly split. Kiely's selection of full-forward Aidan O'Connor for his first Limerick start in a Munster final is a signal of the strength-in-depth Limerick have developed. It seems a bit harsh on Shane O'Brien, who hit 1-08 from play in the opening two games before having less impact against Cork and Clare, but what is just as illustrative is the fact that Seamus Flanagan and Peter Casey now seem to be considered impact subs. They are not the only former All-Stars/multiple All-Ireland winners warming a fearsome bench; Declan Hannon, hurling's most successful captain, Darragh O'Donovan and Shane Dowling (as sub-keeper) are all there too. As is Cathal O'Neill, who scored at least two points in all six of their championship games last year. Barry Nash's versatility has taken him to wing-back, allowing Kyle Hayes to move into the centre-back role that ensures he will be more involved in play – Cork deliberately avoided his wing last July - and Will O'Donoghue to his preferred midfield spot. The rain should have eased off by the 6pm throw-in, an advantage to a gameplan built on retaining possession, but Limerick will have to be careful with their handpasses – today's referee Thomas Walsh penalised them for three throws in the second half of their draw with Tipp. A lot of air has leaked from the red balloons since Tipp were swatted aside in the league final, though in fairness to Pat Ryan he wasn't the one selling the notion that Corkness - "It drives me mad when I hear that [word]" – and early-season form after going so close in 2024 made an end to the 20-year All-Ireland drought inevitable. The manager laughed off suggestions he had had one eye on this clash when the finalists met three weeks ago, insisting it was just "a bad performance" but also warning that "I can guarantee you we'll be able to perform in the final." The Rebels seemed to lack the defensive work by the forwards and aggression that allowed them to compete with, and beat Limerick, twice last season, so that could be fixed at least. But they are missing some significant personnel to injury, particularly in defence. Captain and centre-back Rob Downey (knee) and corner-back Niall O'Leary (groin), though both are named on the bench. Ger Millerick (broken finger), who had done well in the full-back line in O'Leary's absence. Veteran Damien Cahalane will thus have his hands full with O'Connor or Aaron Gillane while Cormac O'Brien has the unenviable task of trying to contain Gearóid Hegarty on his second championship start. Another absentee is Declan Dalton (hamstring), who relishes the physical onslaught Limerick always bring and offered a long-range threat comparable to Diarmaid Byrnes in last year's electric semi-final victory. Diarmuid Healy has big boots to fill on what is also his first time in a championship XV. Cork's stand-in captain Shane Barrett will try to test Hayes, Ryan having decided that Darragh Fitzgibbon's roaming instincts might be better served in midfield than at centre-forward. If he can get away from O'Donoghue and the conductor Cian Lynch, who is likely to direct proceedings even if assigned a man-marker. As Brendan Cummins identified, Cork might need their half-forwards working back to let the half-back line sit, or else risk conceding fatal amounts of space to Gillane and Co. That could also open up the space for the running attack that caused Limerick issues last year but they would need Brian Hayes to win a lot of ball for Alan Connolly and the now 37-year-old Patrick Horgan to maintain the potent goal threat they surely need to turn the tables. Nobody will be out at the final whistle (which could be after extra-time, or preceding penalties) but a second trouncing by their neighbours might challenge even that famous Cork confidence. Like Clare last year, they could be left hoping that someone else takes Limerick out before the final. Win against the odds and the hype will explode again. A more competitive defeat would still leave room for improvement. Victory would be same as it ever was for this Limerick team, who haven't gone through the back-door since their breakthrough triumph of 2018, the last time the Rebels reigned in Munster. That year was the least convincing of their five All-Ireland triumphs, albeit with a very young team, and it's hard to imagine Dublin doing more than softening them up for the Leinster champions. It wasn't enough last year but Kiely believes the four-week break for the provincial winners is a prize "worth fighting for". They have yet to lose a final under his watch. Cork will need plenty of fight if they are to change that. Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Barry Nash; Adam English, Will O'Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Aidan O'Connor, David Reidy. Subs: Shane Dowling, Peter Casey, Colin Coughlan, Seamus Flanagan, Declan Hannon, Barry Murphy, Shane O'Brien, Donnacha Ó Dálaigh, Darragh O'Donovan, Patrick O'Donovan, Cathal O'Neill. Cork: Patrick Collins; Damien Cahalane, Eoin Downey, Seán O'Donoghue; Cormac O'Brien, Ciarán Joyce, Mark Coleman; Tim O'Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Seamus Harnedy; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes. Subs: Brion Saunderson, Niall O'Leary, Rob Downey, Tommy O'Connell, Ethan Twomey, Luke Meade, Shane Kingston, Jack O'Connor, Brian Roche, Robbie O'Flynn.
