Calls for change following skorts protest ahead of Leinster semi-final
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Irish Examiner
an hour 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.'
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Jubilee gathering brings back memories of great days for Mayo and Marcella Heffernan
Given it was a familiar stomping ground during her inter-county playing career, Mayo's Marcella Heffernan was only too delighted to be back in Croke Park for a special celebration a couple of weeks ago. First introduced to the set-up as a 15-year-old in 1993, Heffernan was a key figure on the Mayo side that secured a maiden TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football championship title at the expense of Waterford in 1999 before defending their title against the same opposition 12 months later. Along with members of the Déise County who featured in those back-to-back showpiece meetings, Heffernan and the Mayo squad from those seasons were honoured as the jubilee team by the LGFA on All-Ireland finals day at GAA HQ on 3 August. Before being presented to the crowd at half-time in the intermediate decider between Tyrone and Laois, Heffernan and her former Mayo colleagues enjoyed a sit-down meal to commemorate their on-field achievements over that memorable two-year stretch. "It was a lovely, lovely reunion and, from start to finish, you felt like royalty really. It was lovely, it really was. I never thought I'd say it, but I was in a room with a load of legends because that's what they all were. Both Mayo and Waterford. It was just a great day," Heffernan said. "Since we found out that we were going to be doing this, the WhatsApp was hopping. There was just different pictures being shared and the craic was lovely. Yvonne Byrne, who we called 'Crazy' at the time, did a Spotify list of all the songs that we used to play when we were travelling on the buses and heading into Croke Park. It was lovely." While Mayo went on to firmly establish themselves as one of the dominant forces of ladies football in the early part of the 21st century, they were very much considered underdogs heading into their All-Ireland final showdown with Waterford at Croke Park on 3 October 1999. The previous year had seen their Munster counterparts collecting the Brendan Martin Cup for the fifth time in just eight seasons and Mayo had suffered a setback a week before the final when their teenage sensation Cora Staunton broke her collarbone in training. The management team of Finbar Egan, John Mullin and his son Jonathan opted to start the Carnacon ace for the game, in advance of substituting her in the opening minute of the action. Yet in spite of Staunton's absence, Mayo upset the odds to claim a breakthrough All-Ireland success with Heffernan's older sister Christina helping herself to four points in a 0-12 to 0-08 triumph. "Nobody gave us hope at all, which we didn't mind. We liked the tag. We were quietly confident. We were knocking on the door for a while and we knew we could do it. We really trained hard that year as well and we were playing well in the games. "I don't know what it was, but we didn't fear Waterford and maybe that was it. We had nothing to lose and especially after Cora getting injured as well, we were just saying 'come on, let's just throw the kitchen sink at them'." Despite missing out on a third successive All-Ireland SFC title by the slenderest of margins (2-14 to 1-16) to Laois in 2001, Mayo returned to the top table a year later with a one-point success of their own against Monaghan. The Connacht side were becoming regular fixtures on All-Ireland finals day and they returned to Croke Park once again on 5 October 2003 for a fifth senior decider on the bounce. Current All-Ireland champions Dublin were searching for a breakthrough victory on that day, but a late goal from Diane O'Hora squeezed Mayo over the line in a low-scoring affair (1-4 to 0-5). This game was highly emotional for Heffernan and her team-mates following the tragic death of Aisling McGing in a car accident less than three months earlier. A panellist for their All-Ireland success in the previous year, Aisling's sisters Michelle and Sharon were starters when Mayo defeated Dublin in the 2003 final, while her cousin Caroline was also part of the squad. "The McGings, they were such a big part of the Mayo set-up down through the years. When their sister Aisling passed away, it was heartbreaking. I think the football was the saving grace to them. We minded them. I'd say it was a good distraction for the girls as well and Aisling wouldn't want it any other way," Heffernan acknowledged. "I know Diane got the goal, but I do believe somebody was looking down on us that day and I can honestly say it was Aisling. Because the game nearly went from us and thankfully when Cora was kicking the ball in it dropped short and it fell into the right hands of Diane O'Hora. It was nothing more than the McGings deserved, to get that All-Ireland medal." Despite collecting their fourth title in the space of five years, that 2003 victory is Mayo's most recent TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship success to date. The inter-county scene was becoming far more competitive and even though Heffernan returned to an All-Ireland final with Mayo in 2007, a Cork side that had already won two top-tier crowns in succession got the better of them. Heffernan brought her county career to a close in 2008 and it was another nine years before the green and red qualified for another Brendan Martin Cup decider. Dublin had the measure of them on that occasion and while they have reached four All-Ireland SFC semi-finals since then, this year saw Mayo having to come through a relegation play-off encounter with Leitrim in order to retain their senior championship status. However, they would have had another opportunity to survive if they lost that game and in spite of their recent difficulties, Heffernan remains optimistic that a bright future could lie ahead for Mayo. "I do think they will come back to the surface again. There's a new generation of players coming up. If they stick together and work on it, it's surprising how well they will do. I'd like to think there will be good days again ahead for Mayo," Heffernan added.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Lee Chin draws inspiration from Tipperary's rapid rise as he vows Wexford can bounce back in 2026
CHIN UP Lee Chin draws inspiration from Tipperary's rapid rise as he vows Wexford can bounce back in 2026 THE light went out on Wexford's season much sooner than they had planned – but Lee Chin believes Tipperary's resurgence is proof of how quickly the darkness can lift. Having failed to record a Championship victory in 2024, Tipp won six on the bounce to be crowned All-Ireland champions last month. 2 Lee Chin of Wexford reckons they can bounce back after a poor 2025 season 2 Chin is certain they can gain promotion back to the top tier Wexford skipper Chin said: 'I just think that's what hurling is now. You have a team that potentially might not be at the level they desire one year and they win the All-Ireland the year after. "Tipperary have high standards and their ambition is to win All-Irelands. "I don't think those sorts of goals would have changed for them coming into this year, regardless of how the previous couple of years went. "To come out and go all the way was incredible to see. And of course it gives you some sort of light at the end of the tunnel to think that regardless of how your year went, you can still turn things around the following year.' A win over Kilkenny in May was ultimately irrelevant for Wexford as the game was already a dead rubber. Their Leinster SHC campaign also yielded victories over Antrim and Offaly. Yet the Model men came up short of a top-three finish due to costly defeats to Dublin and Galway. Speaking exclusively to SunSport ahead of his involvement in the 2025 Hurler for Cancer Research match, Chin reflected: "We had to wait for other results to come our way by not getting the victory up in Salthill and obviously the Dublin game had left us under pressure as well. 'If you'd managed to get a win there, you would have put a bit of comfort in your way. Unfortunately we weren't able to go to either of those two venues and get a victory. "We kind of had to keep ourselves out of the relegation picture come the game against Offaly. The Kilkenny game was an odd one then because we knew that was the last day we'd hurl for 2025.' With 20 minutes remaining in their Parnell Park clash with the Dubs, Wexford were in the driving seat with a three-point lead. Scottie Scheffler suffers major blow ahead of PGA Tour playoff event after $43 million season earnings are revealed But a significant moment that turned the game in favour of the hosts was Seán Currie's penalty. While replays showed that the sliotar had not crossed the line, a goal was awarded by ref Michael Kennedy nonetheless. But Chin insisted: "Obviously when things like that do occur, you have to just suck it up and move on. After the game when you reflect, you can be very frustrated. "But as time moves on, you accept that these things happen and that's just sport. 'You get on with it. It's just foolish to be thinking about what could have been. At the end of the day, we didn't do enough in that game against Dublin. "We just need to improve. There are a lot of other areas that we needed to be better in on that day. "Just conceding too many goals, too many scores and ourselves probably as a forward line didn't really get into any sort of a rhythm through the Championship. "There are a lot of things we just need to address in terms of our performances. We can't really put it down to one incident or two incidents. We've got to be accountable for our own performance. We've just got to go searching for better." Next season will be Chin's 14th as a Wexford senior hurler. And with the county board this week proposing that Keith Rossiter be ratified to remain in charge for 2026, the veteran forward reckons they still have the right man at the wheel. He said: "I suppose we've gone through various different changes over the last number of years. As a county and especially as a player who's been around for a while, the one thing you want is continuity. 'You don't want change occurring all the time because any manager who comes into a project like ourselves, they want a year or two to bed in, to figure out players and who's in Wexford. "And obviously just to get everything in order for themselves. 'For someone like me, if that were to start all over again, that's probably not something I have time on my side for anymore. "If change was for the betterment of Wexford, I'd obviously support that. But for ourselves at the moment, we know what quality Keith brings. 'The county board are probably confident in that too and that's the reason he's going into his third year. I'm delighted that's happening." PROMOTION PUSH As well as reaching a first Leinster SHC final since the triumph of 2019, promotion back to the top tier of the National League will be among Wexford's top priorities in a year that will mark the 30th anniversary of their last All-Ireland win. And with Tipperary showing what is possible for teams who have lost their way, Chin is adamant that Rossiter's side can also turn a corner. The Faythe Harries man, who turns 33 in October, said: "I think a lot of teams are capable of bouncing back positively with how much they have at their disposal in terms of preparation and organisation and how detailed managements can be. "It's just fine lines and narrow margins with results or decisions that cause you not to get out of Leinster or Munster. "Small things can cause you to end up on one side or the other and it can make it a completely different year for you. "This was just a year that we were disappointed in. Our ambition would be to get back to Leinster finals and compete and go into an All-Ireland series. 'It wasn't to be and it's something that we'll look to rectify. Obviously getting relegated in the league didn't help with confidence either. "But we'll put our heads down over the winter and we'll work hard on sorting out a few things that we need to address. Hopefully we'll have found the improvements coming into 2026." *LEE CHIN will be one of the stars on show in the annual Hurling for Cancer Research match. Supported by Centra, it takes place at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow on Monday at 7.30pm. Tickets – priced €10 for adults and €5 for children – are available from selected Centra and SuperValu stores, as well as online at
