Jake Morris and Eoghan Connolly return for Tipp while Peter McGarry is handed championship debut for Galway clash
Jake Morris and Eoghan Connolly both come back into the Tipperary starting XV with Liam Cahill making three changes for their All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Galway in the Gaelic Grounds tomorrow (6.15).
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
All-Ireland camogie championship: All you need to know
SATURDAY Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 1 Cork v Clare, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 2pm Limerick v Tipperary, Cappamore GAA, 1pm Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2 Kilkenny v Galway, UPMC Nowlan Park, 4pm Waterford v Dublin, Walsh Park, 3pm ONLINE You'll find score updates and match reports on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app. Kilkennyv Galway is live on Camogie Association YouTube channel. RADIO Score updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport. WEATHER Saturday: While warm sunshine is expected, a scattering of showers will occur too, some heavy and possibly thundery. Top temperatures of 19 to 25 degrees, warmest across the eastern half of the country, all in a light to moderate southwest wind. For more, visit GROUP 1 Cork v Clare Clare are clearly benefiting from John Carmody's decision last season to blood a number of young players. They have reached a Very League Division 1B final this year and are in contention for qualification to the knockout stages of the All-Ireland Championship. They are not expected to beat champions Cork in the Páirc, which isn't to say they can't, but every score will count in their battle for a place in the last six. At present, the Banner lie in second in the table on a vastly superior score difference to Limerick, who they drew with. Limerick have already played Cork, however. As a result, Clare have 32 points in hand on their neighbours, so a competitive outing will put them on the brink of progression. Limerick v Tipperary Limerick are under a little more pressure than Clare in terms of making the quarter-finals due to their vastly inferior score difference. Cork beat them by 38 points in their first round and it said a lot for what Joe Quaid has begun to build that they bounced back to beat Wexford and then draw with Clare, thanks to a late equaliser by their totem, Caoimhe Costelloe. The level of that first round defeat leaves them with a steep mountain to climb but if they can account for Tipperary, who are a point back in fourth with one game less played, they will be through. It would count as a shock, given the level both teams have been operating at for most of the past decade or so and especially for the past five years. Victory would also put Tipp through, having beaten Wexford by 32 points after losing to Cork by 18. GROUP 2 Kilkenny v Galway Group 2 looks far more straightforward than Group 1, with three teams level at the top on six points. This game pitches second against third on score difference, but this is Kilkenny's last game and they have already lost to Waterford, while Galway possess a 100% record. If Waterford beat Dublin in the other game, these two will be assured of qualification but this result will be significant with direct progression to the semi-final, or seeding in the quarter-finals at stake. Waterford v Dublin Dublin's mission is straightforward. Anything other than victory and last year's All-Ireland semi-finalists will not emerge from what was a very difficult group. They lost by six points to Galway and five to Kilkenny, so have been very competitive but now take on a Waterford side that opened their campaign with a seven-point victory over the Cats and followed up with a facile home triumph over Derry. With Galway still on the Déise's set list, they will want to make sure of qualification this weekend.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Galway are due one huge display but I dread thought of penalties
There'll be no trophies given out in Limerick on Saturday evening, but the result will determine which of Micheál Donoghue or Liam Cahill ends the season in All-Ireland semi-final would represent Cahill's best performance yet as Tipperary manager. But lose and it'll be an anti-climax after a very decent showing in Munster, much like two years the last four would represent a decent year's work for Donoghue. Anything less and it will mean that they will have failed in the three biggest tests put down to them in this year's Championship.I would doubt if either side can take out Cork, if that's how it works out, but reaching a semi-final is not to be sniffed have struggled for consistency all year. Two things stand out with them for me - the lack of a goal threat and their inability to get up for every game. Worryingly, their work rate varies from match to they scored six goals against Antrim, but we were a man down and weren't set up as we normally would be they have to come with that bite this time. They had it against Dublin. It wasn't there against Kilkenny until it was too late. Kilkenny, for example, always have that bite. Galway need to find it more often.I feel that they are committing too many bodies back the field too. I can understand that to a degree, but sometimes they only have two in the opposition fairness to Donoghue, this is his first year with a different group to when he last managed Galway. It takes time. Cahill has had three years Tipp side were very hardworking against Limerick and had a massive game in Ennis against Clare which was all the more impressive for the fact that they withstood a fierce second half comeback, dug deep and found a way to win. They showed resilience when things were going against them - something that wasn't too apparent last year. Cahill made some big decisions in the off-season when cutting a couple of regulars from the panel, which can sometimes cause a manager to lose a group. But it appears to have had the opposite work rate and intensity is way up from 2024, especially from the forwards, who are tracking back in numbers but also getting back up the field swiftly. Fitness levels need to be off the charts for Doyle, Michael Breen and Eoghan Connolly have been very solid in the full-back line. Ronan Maher has played a captain's role at centre-back, or wherever he's asked to front, Jason Forde, Darragh McCarthy and Jake Morris are playing really well and, crucially, working extremely McGrath has recaptured some of his old form, which is great to see, and then you have the likes of his brother Noel, Oisin O'Donoghue and Sam O'Farrell coming off the bench, underlining their strength in depth up full-back line of Pádraic Mannion, Daithí Burke and Fintan Burke has been solid too and while Gavin Lee is a very talented hurler, I'm not sure he's holding the middle well enough for Fahy has done ok at wing-back but I feel he'd be a better option at Mannion is a top class forward who will score from anywhere and I'd expect that Tipp will man-mark him. Who that will be, I'm not sure. It won't be Maher, maybe Craig Morgan might be the Galway need Mannion no deeper than the middle of the field. He's too dangerous to be working back in Whelan is a player I've always rated highly but he hasn't hit the levels yet this year. I'd like to see him closer to goal in a two-man inside line alongside Brian Concannon, with Kevin Cooney drifting out. That's an inside line that could wreak serious havoc and supply the goals that Galway are Fleming is a different type of forward with a high workrate and is worth his spot, but Conor Cooney's struggles to break into the side puzzle me. He's a serious forward with goals in him.I expect that the game will be really tight and Tipperary have earned their status as favourites. But I believe that there's a big one in Galway and I'm going to give them the slight course, it could go to extra time and beyond. I only wish they wouldn't resort to penalties to decide the outcome and give the two teams a replay. On paper, Limerick should have way too much for Dublin and while I expect that they'll win, it mightn't be as straightforward as people have improved under new management this year, though they will have been very disappointed with their performance against Galway. They lacked the grunt that day that had been apparent in other games. I expect that it will be back I would imagine that losing their Munster title will have a massive impact on Limerick's attitude. It should fuel their hunger even interesting that the game isn't in a strictly neutral venue, as is normally the case for quarter-finals. Obviously Limerick are taking up the opportunity to play in Croke Park with an eye on an upcoming Park is a massive field with wide open areas and Limerick are so good at working the ball short that they will utilise every pocket of space that is I love about Limerick is how they vary their play. How they use the short ball to get to the half-forward line to take a long range score, or how they can bypass the opposition half-back line, with their ability to win 50-50 ball why I believe it's a smart call to play at Croke Park - it suits their style of Dublin, Paddy Smyth and John Bellew have been good at the back but it's Chris Crummey that makes them we were preparing to play Dublin with Antrim, one of the things that stood out was how much ball goes through Crummey out of defence. He's a solid defender but links up so well with the midfielders and forwards. But a huge aspect of this game is whether Crummey will sit back in the pocket or push forward on Cian Lynch and mark conundrum there is that you can't leave a big space in front of Aaron Gillane no matter how good the defender marking him is but, on the other hand, you can't give a playmaker like Lynch the freedom of the park can hope that a midfielder will drop and pick him up but that's a 50-50 situation; it will only come off some of the time. So Dublin need to pick someone to man-mark him and it's a big call because so much of Limerick's play goes through midfield battle should be interesting. Adam English has brought a lot to Limerick there.I expect Dan Morrissey to pick up the imposing John Hetherton and no better man for the job. Morrissey is an outstanding defender and, if there was a transfer market, he'd be highly sought Dublin forwards will need to work tirelessly to stop Limerick building from the back but, collectively, they'll need to scale new heights just to give themselves a chance Limerick will likely be in an uncompromising mood after the Munster final and should set up a mouth-watering semi-final with Kilkenny.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
West reawakes: Tipp greats English and Fox delight at division's revival
Last year, it seemed West Tipperary hurling had hit a nadir when no senior final took place for the first time in living memory. There was no opposition for Clonoulty-Rossmore, winners of the eight previous divisional senior titles. It had been hoped a combination of lower-grade clubs in the region would come together to form a team, but there was no interest. Cashel King Cormacs, who they had beaten comprehensively in the 2023 final, later went onto win the county's intermediate crown and will present Clonoulty-Rossmore with a challenge this year. However, the break in a storied competition going back nearly 100 years was a sad one. Tales about the thousands who flocked to the west matches are legendary but not to younger generations who - conditioned by the demise of the competition - believe them to be tall. 'Thank God Cashel have become senior to make a competition of West Tipperary this year because it had been desperate the last few years,' says Tipperary great Pat Fox of Éire Óg-Annacarty. 'For five years, Clonoulty and Éire Óg were playing in one game, the final, which was unbelievable really. We couldn't imagine that from our time when we had eight or nine senior teams in West Tipperary hurling, which was fantastic and the crowds were huge. Emigration would have played its part in the decline. We've been starved, to be honest.' Tipperary's Eoghan Connolly contests possession with Robbie Cotter and Brian Hayes of Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Fox's great partner Nicky English agrees. 'The drop in numbers and less clubs has been a massive factor. There have been several amalgamations like my own Lattin-Cullen with Aherlow. 'I'm not sure it has anything to do with how other sports are faring in the area. You have St Michael's soccer club doing well in Tipp town but there just haven't been the numbers in the rural areas.' Between 1987 and '91, a club from the west featured in four of the five senior Tipperary finals, winning three of them. Since then, only Clonoulty-Rossmore (1997 and 2018) have lifted the Dan Breen Cup. Inter-county-wise, that period in the late 1980s was as much a halcyon one for the region as Fox, Bonnar and English lit up the county's full-forward line and another four West Tipp men populated three other lines in the 1989 All-Ireland winning team. From seven in that Babs Keating team, the west's proportion had diminished to zero in 2010 when Liam Sheedy matched English's achievement of bringing back the Liam MacCarthy Cup to Tipperary for the first time in nine years. Defender Conor O'Brien from Fox's club came off the bench to ensure they weren't left out but there was no west man who saw action in the 2016 final success and like O'Brien Ger Browne was a used substitute three years later. However, there are fires being lit around Cashel, Dundrum and Tipperary town again. In Limerick on Saturday, there will be four west men in Liam Cahill's squad – Robert Doyle (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Eoghan Connolly and Oisín O'Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs) and Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers). A third of the recent All-Ireland U20 winning team under Brendan Cummins hail from the division – Eoin Horgan and Adam Daly (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams), Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers), Conor Martin (Cappawhite) and O'Donoghue. Also on the bench was David Ryan, brother of senior panellist Johnny, who was an All-Ireland winning minor last year with his club-mate Adam Ryan and Darragh O'Hora from Solohead. 'When we won the U21 All-Ireland in '81, there was Johnny Farrell in goals, (Pat) Fox was corner-back, Mark McGrath, Ger O'Neill, Austin Buckley and myself from West Tipp,' recalls English. 'Then you had the '82 All-Ireland minor winning team that had the likes of John Kennedy, Colm Bonnar and John Leamy, so it's taken a long time to come around again. The West Tipp representation was borne out of those teams and a 1980 minor team, which was unusual at the time. The signs are positive once more.' The first Harty Cup success in their history, Cashel Community College's achievement against Thurles CBS two years pointed to foundations being laid for the future. Ten of the starters including Daly and O'Donoghue were from West Tipperary clubs. Hours before he is involved against Galway on Saturday, O'Donoghue's younger brother Cormac and first cousin Jamesie will be part of the Cashel King Cormacs team representing the county in the Féile in Ferns, Co Wexford. Cashel publican Fox never expects what happened in his playing days to be repeated but to have a healthier local involvement is huge. 'That was the height of it, I'd imagine. We never saw anything like that and it probably won't be the same again unless something drastic happens but there are some green shoots. Young Connolly, O'Donoghue and Doyle are giving us something to cheer about and that's all you want.' GOING WEST From a record seven players on Tipperary's All-Ireland SHC winning team of 1989, including the entire full-forward line, the west division's numbers dwindled in subsequent victorious seasons. However, there are four on Saturday's match-day panel, two starting against Galway, with the prospect of more: 2019 0. Used substitute: Ger Browne (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams/Cashel King Cormacs). 2016 0 2010 0. Used substitute Conor O'Brien (Éire Óg-Annacarty-Donohill). 2001 3 – Thomas Costello (Cappawhite); Eugene O'Neill (same); Declan Ryan (Clonoulty-Rossmore). 1991 6 - Conal Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Colm Bonnar (same); Declan Ryan; Pat Fox (Éire Óg-Annacarty); Cormac Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs); Nicky English (Lattin-Cullen). 1989 7 – Conal Bonnar; John Kennedy (Clonoulty-Rossmore); Colm Bonnar; Declan Ryan; Pat Fox; Cormac Bonnar; Nicky English. Used substitute: Joe Hayes (Clonoulty-Rossmore).
