All-Ireland football final preview: Donegal's Clifford conundrum - the RTÉ GAA Podcast
Will Donegal try to double-mark danger man David Clifford? How has their approach evolved in Jim McGuinness' second spell in charge? Can Kerry adapt if they spring a surprise?
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Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Paul Geaney's second-half masterclass inspires Dingle revival
Kerry Senior Club Championship Rd 2: Dingle 1-19 Milltown/Castlemaine 0-10 Trailing Milltown/Castlemaine by a point at half time, Dingle looked in trouble in this Kerry Petroleum Senior Club Championship Round 2 clash. The hosts were forced to introduce their Kerry star Paul Geaney, returning from injury. He proceeded to destroy the visitors with a vintage second-half display, ending up with a game-high 1-8, including three two-pointers. It was an incredible turnaround in Dingle's fortunes and barring an upset when Kenmare Shamrocks travel to Milltown next weekend, they will make the knockout stages. The win is all the more meritorious as it was a depleted Dingle side. They began without eight first-team regulars including four Geaneys — Paul, Dylan, Conor and Niall — as well as Tom O'Sullivan, Barry Dan O'Sullivan and Michael Flannery. Inevitably they struggled at times in an opening half that lacked intensity as Milltown/Castlemaine were happy to rely on a patient buildup, getting their shooters into position. Dingle, on the other hand, had Conor Flannery in the pocket playing the quarterback role just beyond midfield and he was the most influential player for the home side. In a slow burner, Flannery opened the scoring in the fourth minute. But Milltown/Castlemaine, despite David Roche winning primary possession at midfield, were dropping balls short. Eanna O'Connor's effort from outside the arc just drifted wide. Flannery was then fouled and Cathal Bambury converted the free to put Dingle 0-2 to 0-0 in front. But Milltown/Castlemaine eventually opened their account with a fine effort from David Roche in the 11th minute and this was followed by a two-point free from O'Connor. Leo de Brún replied for Dingle but after O'Connor had given the Mid Kerry side the lead, a crucial moment occurred when Cathal Moriarty had a point cancelled for a breach and Bambury leveled at the other end. O'Connor then pushed Milltown/Castlemaine two clear from a two-point free but two Bambury points leveled before Dara Hogan gave Milltown/Castlemaine a narrow 0-7 to 0-6 half-time lead. But once Paul Geaney lined up at midfield for the start of the second half, Dingle were a different side, as they upped their intensity and went about dismantling the visitors. Bambury kicked two early points from Geaney assists and then Geaney kicked his first from play to give his side a 0-9 to 0-7 lead before O'Connor replied with another free. Tadgh de Brún, Mikey Geaney and a two-point special from Paul Geaney had Dingle 0-13 to 0-8 clear by the end of third quarter, a six-point turnaround since the resumption. Milltown/Castlemaine were now operating off fumes and while O'Connor closed the gap with another point, it was game over when Bambury threaded a ball through and there was Paul Geaney to rifle it to the net. Geaney then added two frees from outside the arc and another close in free as Dingle cruised to a 12-point win. Dingle also can thank Conor Flannery, Darragh O'Sullivan, Mikey Geaney, and Tom Leo O'Sullivan for this vital win but while the first half belonged to Bambury, it was the second-half Paul Geaney show which proved decisive. Scorers for Dingle: P Geaney (1-8, 2x2pf, 1x2ptp, 1f), C Bambury (0-7, 3fs), C Flannery, T de Brún, L de Brún and M Geaney (0-1 each). Scorers for Milltown/Castlemaine: E O'Connor 0-6 (2x2pf, 1f), D Roche, B Casey, D Hogan and C Moriarty (0-1each) Teams: DINGLE: G H Curran; C Keane , S Óg Moran, P Ryan; A O'Connor, C Flannery, T L O'Sullivan; D O'Sullivan, B O'Connor; T de Brún, M Geaney, N Ryan; C Bambury, B Devane , T L de Brún. Subs: R McCarthy for N Ryan (inj 20), P Geaney for R McCarthy (40), R McCarthy for B Devane (47), B O'Connor for C Keane (47), M Boland for C Flannery (54) Milltown/Castlemaine: C Leane; S Roche, P Wren, A Dinham; G Horan, M Lynch, A Kelliher; D Roche, D Dennehy; D Quirke, B Casey, K Kerins; D Hogan, E O'Connor, C Moriarty Subs: O Spring for K Kerins (38) Referee: E Horan (Glenflesk)
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Watch: David Clifford adds another wonder score to his long list
David Clifford was at it again this weekend, but in the colours of his Fossa club. Fresh from his second All-Ireland title with Kerry, Clifford was firing two pointers for fun in the 4-16 to 0-18 Kerry Intermediate Championship victory over Firies. One of those was an outrageous effort against the breeze under serious pressure, which helped Fossa, playing on their own patch, to qualify for the quarter-finals. Clifford knew he had a free shot at the time as Fossa were on an advantage, and he sent it high over a block as it soared over the bar. The double Footballer of the Year, who looks poised to win the most prestigious individual award in the game for a third time, finished with 0-9 in a 10 point win. Paudie Clifford, who starred in the All-Ireland sat the game out. The older Clifford brother carryied an injury into the latter stages of the race for Sam Maguire, but was fit enough to start from half time onwards in the All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh. His return led to a surge in Kerry's form as they ran out impressive winners over Armagh, Tyrone and Donegal to land the All-Ireland.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Darragh Long: Ladies football has gone to a new level. We need our own Jim Gavin to look at the rules
In the months after Kerry's first All-Ireland ladies football title in over three decades, the duo who engineered it made a choice. The legacy at senior level was secure; what they could build beneath that was only beginning. Over coffee one morning, Declan Quill floated an idea to his former joint-manager, Darragh Long. The pair had been together for the famine-ending triumph of 2024. Now, they wanted to stitch something from the grassroots to the top. 'Dec leaned over and said we should do a camp,' recalls Long. 'I asked have we not enough on already? But at the same time, we were nobodies five or six years ago and the LGFA took a chance on us. We just felt, after talking it over for an hour, this was an opportunity to give back to an organisation we are very passionate about.' Long, son of former Millstreet and Cork All-Ireland SFC winner Denny and now Austin Stacks manager, had no connection with Quill before coaching. They came from rival Tralee clubs and first worked together with the Kerry LGFA minors. Midway through the 2019 senior campaign, they took over the county team. What followed was a Division 2 title, a Division 1 title and the ultimate prize. This week they ran a four-day camp for girls aged 12–16 in Killarney. It included a cast from the 2024 winning panel including selector Anna Maria O'Donoghue as well as players Síofra O'Shea and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh. 'We wanted it to be different from the typical camps or club camps that go on. We wanted to show the level of coaching. Our tag line is Laochra, it was for the young girls of Kerry and drew from the country. We've a girl from Ballyboden, two from Aherlow in Tipp, from Douglas in Cork. It's about giving them more insight into it all. Why are we doing each drill? How does this stuff translate to being a county footballer? 'We ended up with 120 girls at the camp which is brilliant and humbling. We have broken it down into attacking and defending aspects of the game. Eric McDonnell from the Belief Gym has come in for S&C, just the fundamentals for different age groups, an intro to the basics of it. 'Each day we did something different. Michelle O'Connor, the performance coach for Cork camogie in 2024 and 2023, did mental work. Claire O'Sullivan did a presentation on nutrition. We were blown away by the response we got.' Raising standards was the heartbeat of their tenure. Quill has spoken previously about their first night in Currans: 13 players on the pitch, a queue of others in the gym avoiding training. They needed drastic change. 'I had to hold Declan in place, he wanted to leave. He was flabbergasted by what was going on. What they were getting wasn't of the correct standard, he actually tried to walk away. I said, not that we are here for a purpose, but we have a duty to do this. This is where we are meant to be, we felt strongly that we could do something in Kerry, something special. 'We came from a low base. From fighting relegation to three finals in a row. We fought for everything. With that, the standard of the game has gone up hugely in the last few years. The AFLW drain is obvious, but it's a sign of the talent we are producing. While it is a bit of a drain, it is hard to tell a girl not to take up a professional lifestyle as well. Look for us, it was about doing everything we could.' That boom has brought the game to a new place. Now the game needs to respond. Long admires the lift the new rules have brought to the men's code and believes it is time for the LGFA to create a Football Review Committee of its own. 'The standard, the physicality has gone to a new level. We need our own Jim Gavin at the minute to have a look at the rules and tweak the physicality. The S&C has gone to another level across all teams. The game needs to catch up with that. 'I know other managers have spoken about it, the rules are behind the standards the girls have driven it to. It is only right we allow them to showcase their physical capability.' Long was a gifted player for the Rockies, and the opportunity to manage them was a dream come true. It doesn't require a different approach to what we brought with Kerry. The mantra is the same: strive to get better, day by day. 'The girls are like sponges. The Lorraine Scanlons, the Louises, the Aisling O'Connells, the questions they ask. All-Stars falling out of their pockets but the continuous hunger for learning was remarkable. Boys are different. Maybe it's the environment, development squads early, they probably think they know it all, but if they open their minds and ears, it's massive. 'I try not to be very different, it would be doing someone an injustice. I just want to be the best version of me, I think that is what the boys in Stacks get and it is the version that ladies got in the last few years.'
