Colm Keys: Ger Brennan never shies away from a challenge but he faces a more uncertain landscape than his Dublin predecessors
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RTÉ News
8 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Faithful hold off the Kingdom in tense Inter decider
The tension of a Glen Dimplex All-Ireland final was evident in what was a defensive and error-ridden battle between Offaly and Kerry, but on a day when an array of forwards that have illuminated the intermediate championship so far were largely kept under lock and key by their markers, Grace Teehan brought the perfect mix of talent and tenacity to drive the midlanders back up to senior championship competition. Teehan registered four points from play and earned three more converted frees, producing her biggest moments in the closing stages when everyone else – on both sides – seemed to have lost the ability to find the target in the face of suffocating defensive play. Had Offaly let it slip, they would have been haunted by their tally of 13 wides and another handful of shots dropped short, though Kerry will look back at the game's most clearcut goal chance midway through the second half as their 'sliding doors' moment. Jackie Horgan's seismic battle with Amy Byrne was one of the defining individual contests throughout the game and the Kingdom stalwart finally shook off the shackles of her Faithful follower before whipping a shot off her left from 12 metres out. Emer Reynolds, who has made the Offaly custodian position her own since getting a chance against Westmeath midway through the Summer, got a strong block and then reacted sharply to put off Amy O'Sullivan from knocking the sliotar into the net from a few metres out. Ellen O'Donoghue took a point from the loose ball that followed but it was Kerry's best chance to take a lead, and instead they were always that point or two adrift, even if Offaly couldn't relax until team captain Orlagh Phelan collected the last long, hopeful Kerry delivery in the sixth minute of stoppage time, the last action before Donnacha O'Callaghan confirmed their win. For the opening six minutes, the Offaly attack looked every bit like the side that scored 12-71 in five games up to the final. Clodagh Leahy split the uprights from the Hogan Stand side of the pitch on the very first attack and difficult positions were to prove no obstacle to her as she also found the target with two frees, one from each touchline. A Patrice Diggin reply was quickly followed by Mairéad Teehan emerging out of heavy traffic at centre forward to split the uprights, but Kerry stemmed the bleeding from there, aided by the midlanders missing the target with their next three attempts. Diggin, Caoimhe Spillane and Niamh Leen got around the breaks on the Offaly puckout and the decision to play just two inside forwards with O'Donoghue coming back to the midfield sector added to Kerry's edge in that crucial battle. Horgan exploited the space that was left close to goal by getting out in to register one point of her own and to win two frees that were converted by Diggin. By the time Leahy struck Offaly's next point from a 45 the momentum had been stripped from the Offaly attack and it was Kerry who continued to enjoy that bit more primary possession, even if they struggled to convert it into clearcut chances at the other end. Two superb Grace Teehan points and another long-range effort from Ellen Regan ensured Offaly held the narrowest of leads at the break, though Amy Byrne and Róisín Kinsella both had to come up with big defensive plays to prevent Amy O'Sullivan and Kate Lynch from adding further scores. The defensive dominance at both ends was turned up to 11 on the dial after half-time when the first eight minutes passed without a score. Aoife Fitzgerald came up with a vital save to parry Mairéad Teehan's goal attempt and Diggin duly levelled the game from a 45 a minute later, but as was the case so many times during this game, when Offaly's need was greatest, Grace Teehan came up with a vital score in reply. A mere 0-2 each was added to the scoreboard over the next 17 minutes, but the last five minutes once again belonged to Teehan as she fired over two points either side of winning a free that Clodagh Leahy pointed to see Offaly home. Offaly: E Reynolds; A Liffey, A Byrne, M King; E Regan 0-01, R Kinsella, O Phelan; C Cleary, S Shanahan; F Dooley, M Teehan 0-01, G Teehan 0-05 1f; C Leahy 0-07 4f 1'45, C Maher, K Pilkington. Subs: F Mulrooney for Maher (33), C Fogarty for King (47), O Kilmartin for Pilkington (50), K Kennedy for Liffey (58), C O'Donovan for Cleary (60) Kerry: A Fitzgerald; M Costello, S Murphy, R McCarthy; R Quinn, N Leen, A Behan; P Diggin 0-08 6f 1'45, C Spillane; AM Leen, K Lynch 0-01, R O'Connor; E O'Donoghue 0-01, J Horgan 0-01, A O'Sullivan.
Irish Examiner
8 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Talk of Cork three-in-a-row had Galway 'riled up'
Ailish O'Reilly said the talk of Cork winning a third consecutive All-Ireland camogie title was a major motivating factor for Galway in their victory over the Rebels in Sunday's final. The game had a thrilling finish, one which saw Orlaith Cahalane bring Cork level with a late goal and then Carrie Dolan nail a winning free for Galway from near the touchline. "That is sweet," O'Reilly told RTÉ. "When they got the goal and to respond the way Carrie did, shows a lot about this team after we were written off so much. All we heard all week was the three-in-a row, the three-in-a-row. "We were there to take it off them. I think we proved a lot of people wrong. It suited us down to the ground. All the talk was about Cork. It felt like we were just coming up to show up and they were just going to be handed the trophy. "We were so riled up, to be honest. We kept it ourselves the last week, but God, this one is sweet. Unreal." Galway full-forward Ailish O'Reilly speaks to Valerie as the Tribeswomen celebrate their All-Ireland triumph Watch on @rte2 and @rteplayer #SundayGame — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 10, 2025 The victory sealed a fifth ever All-Ireland title for Galway. O'Reilly has been involved in four of those victories. She contributed two points to her side's 1-14 total in Sunday's final. "When we won in '21, maybe myself... I didn't have a great year, the last year or two," she said. "To do this, to help the team, maybe in the way that I did, but most importantly, it's a team victory. I could not be prouder of all the girls out there. To Cathal and all the management team, it's for them. It's to show any team that anything can happen on the final. Block out all the noise, block out all the comments. !I am just so happy. I can't wait to get to my family and friends. I know my granny's at home watching, so this is for her. And yeah, looking forward to celebrating."
Extra.ie
8 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Neil McManus shares thoughts on Cork's half-time debacle
The second-half of this year's All-Ireland hurling final will forever live in the heads of Cork players and fans as they wonder how did it all go so wrong. The Rebels were leading Tipperary by 1-16 to 0-13 when half-time rolled around but Pat Ryan's side endured a shocking second-half where they managed to only score two points and fell to a 3-27 to 1-18 defeat. Nobody expected the second-half to be so poor from Cork and many have speculated since what happened at the break that tore the side up completely. Neil McManus at the Marie Keating Foundation event. Pic: Andres Poveda While appearing at the Marie Keating Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic on Thursday, former Antrim hurler and television pundit Neil McManus shared his thoughts on Cork's mindset leaving the dressing room and how it all went so downhill. He said: 'It's really hard to know. What I can say from looking in from the outside, whenever you're positioned right on the pitch doing the punditry, you really get a feel for the physicality. 'You might not be able to have the aerial view which allows you to unpick the game tactically, but from the physicality point of view, it was all coming from Tipperary. Tipp ran riot in the second-half. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 'They were winning the physical stakes. They were so aggressive and they wore Cork down. 'My question would be did Cork concentrate a bit too much on the tie? 'Rather than thinking 'we have to win the battle here before this game of hurling even breaks out'. Cork players huddle before the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Cork and Tipperary. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 'You felt for them because not only myself but every paper, every TV station that I watched or read had backed Cork because they had been the best team in Ireland up until that point. 'But you only get crowned as being the best in Ireland if you win that game and you can say it's the best ambush ever but Tipperary are All-Ireland champions and that'll be stinging with Cork now.' It was the first time the sides had met in the final and Cork will not want to relive it. In the first-half, it had been a pretty even battle, the difference being Tipperary's nine wides to Cork's five. However, the second half was just astonishingly one-way traffic. Tipperary dominated possession, hitting 1-05 before Cork managed a point and another 2-05 before they got their second, and last score of the game, in the 66th minute. Rebels star Eoin Downey was also shown a second yellow card for fouling John McGrath with 15 minutes left, which only made matters worse. Although on the other side of the country, McManus went on to share some hope for the future of Antrim hurling. He remarked that their under-19 and 20 sides are looking 'very strong' but a problem still exists with the minor and under-16 sides that lack the strength needed to compete with the big guns. Antrim were relegated from the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship this year after a poor season. McManus is hoping that with enough young stars coming through the ranks, they will be able to rise back up as quick as they possibly can.
