
Derry put seven past Waterford while Joey O'Brien makes winning start – what we learned from Friday's League of Ireland fixtures
Derry City's
fine form has reached a remarkable apex – seven goals at the Brandywell on a night that underlines the quality in a squad often accused of underperformance.
Liam Boyce, who has faced questions over his mixed start to life in the League of Ireland, looked in his element on Friday night. His brilliant hat-trick was made sweeter by virtue of his team-mates' contributions. When faced with crowded penalty areas from dangerous wide pockets early on, both Gavin Whyte and Michael Duffy only had eyes for their striker. Boyce converted their respective pullbacks with all the swagger you might expect from a seasoned international goalscorer.
Everything has clicked into gear for the Candystripes. Both Whyte and Duffy got their names on the scoresheet later on – Duffy's goal was stunning, as he trapped a sprayed, long ball down on the stretch and chopped inside his man in one motion, before slotting it under unfortunate debutant Bradley Wade. The best of the night, however, was reserved for Sadou Diallo, whose bolt from distance thudded satisfyingly off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing over the line.
Pádraig Amond, to his credit, managed to score two consolation goals himself, but he alone could not spare
Waterford
from an embarrassing defeat. Derry now sit eight points behind Shamrock Rovers with a game in hand.
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Stalemate suits nobody in Inchicore
Bohemians
arrived at Richmond Park in fresh sky-blue, Oasis logos printed on their chests and opportunity written across their faces.
It is rare enough to visit
St Pat's
expecting to come away with a win, but the form of both teams gave cause to such a prediction. With that said, Stephen Kenny's men were never going to roll over, and despite running into familiar difficulties in front of goal, they at least managed to keep their opponents scoreless.
Amid all the fanfare around Bohs' collaboration with the Gallagher brothers, Douglas James-Taylor quietly let himself in the Dalymount door this week, ready to perform as the powerful target man in a mazy, effervescent frontline. The striker will have better days for the Gypsies, though he was a welcome cushion for their flying arrows to bounce off early on.
Having cracked the bar through Jason McClelland on the verge of half-time, Pat's thought they had opened the scoring early in the second half. Simon Power sped through and finished well but was denied by a linesman's flag despite looking as though he had kept himself onside. With one goal in six games now, this was the sort of tough break Pat's could have done without.
Alan Reynolds was particularly disappointed with Colm Whelan's failure to convert Ross Tierney's dinked cross in one of the game's final actions, as Bohs mounted a late barrage on a tired Saints defence. Kenny agreed the away side finished strongly, but he was bullish on Power's disallowed goal.
'Simon Power is clearly onside when he's running in again,' he said post-match. 'That's happened to us about five or six times. We have evidence of five or six goals, that have been clearly onside, given offside. The easiest thing to do is just put up a flag.
'I think it's probably that we've got quick players like Jake Mulraney and Zack [Elbouzedi] and Simon [Power]. We have explosive players. They're the main players that have been flagged when they're running through. We've seen it quite a few times. But listen, that's the way it goes.'
Cork a welcome tonic for Joey O'Brien's Shels
Joey O'Brien's
reign as permanent manager of Shelbourne began with two goals inside six minutes.
Cork, with distant memories of a season-first clean sheet against St Pat's last week, were hopelessly porous, but that shouldn't take away from Harry Wood and Mipo Odubeko. Both strikers have had their composure in front of goal criticised at times this season, but they were sharp and efficient early on at Tolka Park.
After that blitzing start, Shelbourne could have done with a confidence-boosting stroll to victory ahead of their mammoth Champions League qualifying tie against Linfield. Instead, the home side lost their way a bit and before half-time, Kitt Nelson dragged Cork back into the game with a clean, driven finish from just inside the area.
It could have been an uncomfortable second half for Shels, but a harsh-looking red card for Cork captain Charlie Lyons made the challenge too great for the league's bottom side. JJ Lunney eventually made sure of things with a bizarre goal, looping in a hopeful cross that evaded everyone and nestled in the corner. A vital, if unconvincing, three points for the champions.
Drogheda do what Drogheda do
Kevin Doherty's formula at Drogheda United has been simple all season, but you have to play very well to beat it.
Galway United had an early goal for Malcolm Shaw ruled out for offside at Sullivan and Lambe Park, but didn't create enough clear chances in a first half they dominated. Drogheda stayed compact and picked their moments – as the tide turned early in the second period, they smelled blood.
The game's only goal soon arrived via Dare Kareem, a 19-year-old making his first start for Drogs. He was quickest to react to a bouncing ball from a long throw-in, powering home and leaping into his trusting manager's arms. Galway couldn't find a route back in, and Drogheda only seemed to grow more comfortable.
Europe now the focus
Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and St Pat's can now begin to turn their attention to European ties and potentially transformational prize pots.
For Shels and Pat's in particular, these games may be season-defining. Neither side will be delighted with their form, but there is no better moment for everything to turn around. Shamrock Rovers, on the basis of their development over the course of the year and the squad depth that has won them so many league games, there will be hopes of a memorable run.
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Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Aer Lingus College Football Classic: A guide for the uninitiated heading to the Aviva Stadium
For the uninitiated, the Aer Lingus College Football Classic between Kansas State and Iowa State at the Aviva Stadium might not be the most consequential sporting event you've never heard of. It's the first game of what is known as 'Week 0' of the College Football season in the US. Week 0 is Schrödinger's schedule, a slate of games which both are and aren't the official curtain-raisers. Week 1, next week, is the first full Saturday of action in the new season. Last year's Florida State v Georgia Tech clash in Dublin had five million American fans tuning in via ESPN as Georgia upset the odds to take the Waterford crystal Aer Lingus College Football Classic trophy back to the Peach State. For Irish fans heading along to see what all of this fuss is about, here are a few pointers to aid your enjoyment of the occasion. READ MORE C o llege f oo tball fan s g o all-in A view of play during the 2022 Aer Lingus College Football Classic between Northwestern and Nebraska at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho In American college sports alumni are ride-or-die behind their alma mater. The 22,000 fans from Kansas and Iowa will be passionate, noisy and will fill the Aviva Stadium – not to mention pubs from Temple Bar to Lansdowne Road – with team chants, songs, colour and craic for the entire game day (and beyond). Thi s game i s kin d of a big de al Kansas State and Iowa are rivals. This is a derby game between mid-western states known for their agricultural output, hence the tagline 'Farmageddon'. They play in the Big 12 conference (something akin to provincial championships in the GAA). The winner of the Big 12 advances to the College Football playoffs to have a chance of winning the National Championship. Iowa State lost the Big 12 Championship Game last year and missed out on the playoffs. They want to go one better and Kansas State badly want to stop them. Ye s it i s ' s t o p s tart' an d y o u'll have t o buckle in f o r m o re than three h o ur s Even American Football zealots among us have to accept the charge traditionally levelled at the game by the pigskin-phobic. There is an awful lot of waiting around between the fleeting moments of high-octane action. The average College Football game lasts 3 hours 24 minutes. That includes stoppages in play after the ball goes dead, a 20 minute half-time break, timeouts which both teams are permitted to call and scheduled commercial breaks agreed in advance with broadcasters. You'll see around 175 plays crammed in to the 60 minutes of official game time, some of which may only last two to three seconds. C o me f o r the s pectacle, an d y o u'll s tay f o r the s p o rt The good news is that College Football teams are past masters at keeping fans engaged between plays. You'll experience plenty of razzmatazz at the Aviva with marching bands, acrobats, cheerleaders and other delightfully American sideline diversions including the T-shirt cannon. Kansas State University and Iowa State University cheerleaders at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile You're rolling your eyes even thinking about it now, but wait till you feel the bass drum reverberate in your chest when the marching bands going and watch yourself transform into a rabid free merch hunter when the first T-shirt flies towards your section of the crowd. Do n't s weat the s mall s tuff It takes time to become accustomed to the rhythm of American Football. There's a lot of detail and arcane language to absorb which, initially, seems impenetrable. But you don't need to know what it means when K-State quarterback Avery Johnson is in shotgun on third down with trips right and Dylan Edwards in motion in the backfield. There will be phenomenal athletes on show, including Johnson and Edwards, two of the most eye-catching players in College Football right now. Iowa State's quarterback Rocco Becht and running back Carson Hansen are among those expected to do big things on the other side. In s h o rt The TLDR version is this: The big guys crouching on the line of scrimmage (where the ball is placed to start each play) go to war. The offense is the team in possession of the ball until they either score, advance 10 yards within the four plays (downs) allowed, turn the ball over, or kick it back to the other team. Their big guys are trying to buy time for their quarterback (the one who takes possession of the ball to start every play). The defense's big units want to get to the other team's quarterback to bury him in the dirt before he can get rid of the ball. The rest is an explosive cocktail of near Olympic-level running, leaping, catching, sidestepping and bone-crunching tackling you will feel right up in Row W. Drink it in!


Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Who is Michael Darragh McAuley? Dublin GAA icon steps into new role on Ireland's Fittest Family
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RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Why a new team manager can be key to U20 footballers turning senior
Analysis: Timing, squad turnover and the arrival of a new manager are as important as talent for U20 players breaking into senior teams A few weeks ago, I wrote that minor success is not a reliable predictor of future senior representation. The response was lively. Several people rightly pointed out that the senior intercounty team is a bottleneck and there is only so much room. Even if an underage team is stacked with talent, there is still only one senior team they can graduate to and there are a finite amount of places. It's like a roundabout with traffic coming in from every road (different years of underage teams) - everyone's indicating to get in, but the circle is already full. All that said, there has long been a perception that the U21 (now U20) grade is a better indicator, than minor, of who will play senior football for Kerry. The logic is obvious: players are older, stronger and closer to senior standard. But the numbers, and the patterns behind them, tell a more complex story of the county. This follow-on to the minor piece looks at that story in more detail and at one crucial factor entirely outside a player's control: timing. Measuring the yield From 1994 to 2024, I tracked every Kerry U20/U21 panel and counted how many eventually started a senior championship match for Kerry. For the record, Kerry won All-Ireland U21 titles in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2008. As with the minor article, players could only be counted once (their final year). For instance, Noel Kennelly was a four year Kerry U21 from 1997 to 2000, but was only counted in the 2000 crop. Across those 31 seasons, the average yield is just over three starters per year. Some cohorts have produced no graduates - 2014, 2023, and 2024 have yet to deliver a senior championship starter - while others produced the backbone of a team, such as 1996 (10 players – numbers in brackets throughout indicate the number of players), 2011 (nine), and 2017 (nine). The peaks: when the stars align The most productive stretch came between 1995 and 1999, when Kerry won the U21 All-Ireland in 1995, 1996 and 1998. These years produced the core of the 2004 to 2009 golden era which saw six All-Ireland finals in six seasons and four Sam Maguires. The 1996 team alone yielded 10 senior starters, the highest on record, many of whom won the 1997 All-Ireland and carried the team into the next decade. Each significant spike in the past 30 years has come when a new manager arrived and fresh faces were needed Other notable spikes came in 2011 (nine) - thrashed 2-24 to 0-8 by Cork in the Munster final that year, yet several were All-Ireland senior champions in 2014 - and 2017 (nine) - beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final, yet supplied several key players to the present squad. The importance of timing This is one of those occasions where the numbers do not give the context. On the surface, you'd think these spikes represented exceptional crops. However, the numbers don't capture the role of luck and timing in a young player's break. Each significant spike in the past 30 years has come when a new manager arrived and fresh faces were needed, often after senior retirements signalled the end of a managerial cycle. Páidí Ó Sé's new tenure in 1996 brought in the 1995 and 1996 crop. Éamonn Fitzmaurice in 2012 introduced the 2011 group. Peter Keane in 2019 added more of the 2017 group, although Fitzmaurice had already begun integrating them in 2018. Keane's arrival came just after more than 10 senior players had retired between 2013 and 2016. In each case, the door opened not just because of quality, but because circumstance happened to turn the key. When the door stays shut However, some years yield almost nothing. 2014, 2023 and 2024 have seen no senior starters to date. 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2021 have just one apiece. These low-yield years usually coincide with a settled, successful senior panel and management team. The 2020 and 2021 groups, for instance, have been trying to break into a team in its peak years. The starting side that beat Donegal in the 2025 All-Ireland final had an average age of 27.33, right in the sweet spot of a team's lifespan. The funnel narrows dramatically when a team is both experienced and winning. For players, this can mean years of frustration or being limited to panel roles. Some patient players eventually break through, but history shows that for many, the window doesn't open before they call it quits on their senior dreams. The last major intake came from the 2017 cohort, and they remain the spine of the current team. Between 2018 and 2022, yields have been modest (one to four players), and the 2023–2024 cohort have yet to produce a starter. This suggests Kerry could face a five year stretch with minimal senior turnover. That stability is good for results now and the current players, but bad news for those on the fringe and risky for succession planning. It can lead to sudden, mass retirements and a scramble to replace experience. This is precisely what happened at the end of the Kerry Golden Years era (1975–1986). A "famine" ensued where Kerry didn't win an All-Ireland between 1986 and 1997. How can teams deal with this replacement issue? One partial solution to replacing players still performing above the level of those coming through is an extended development squad for players aged 21 to 25. This is a group beyond the U20 grade who are kept in a structured, high-performance environment. Several counties already run similar systems, giving players above the U20 grade but not yet ready for senior football tailored programmes. Éamonn Fitzmaurice introduced a version of this during his tenure. The challenge is keeping players motivated during these "waiting years" and meeting the cost to the County Board. You are, in effect, running two senior teams. A formalised plan for this development squad could include strength and conditioning to senior standards; skills and tactical work aligned with the senior team and organised matches against other counties. A player who started in the 2019 final against Dublin told me about the last 10 minutes of that drawn game. For him, it was a blur. The Dublin players, in contrast, seemed in total control. They were in their sixth final. No young player can shortcut those experiences. Those same Kerry players now have, in many cases, four finals behind them. They carry the same assured mindset Dublin had in 2019. A newer member of the extended Kerry panel simply does not have that experience. How could they? Looking at the current age profile, the "ideal" time to be a Kerry U20 might be in three years' time, depending on the position they are vying for. But there is no ideal in sport. It is a game of cycles outside of the control of most. As much as we try to apply logic and reduce the role of chance, sometimes a player chasing the number 13 jersey is simply born in the wrong decade. Unless you're .