‘I'll be honest, you can't stop him. I don't think you can stop the great players' – Cork boss Pat Ryan on Cian Lynch
Henry Shefflin is the only player to win Hurler of the Year three times but Cian Lynch could match him this summer.
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Irish Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kilkenny v Galway LIVE score updates from the Leinster hurling final
For the ninth time since 2009, Kilkenny and Galway are meeting in the Leinster Hurling final. Galway were welcomed into the Leinster fold in 2009, and they have proven to be Kilkenny's biggest challengers in the provincial championship. But after consecutive victories for Galway in 2017 and 2018, Kilkenny have reasserted their dominance and are seeking a sixth Leinster title in a row. This match has had added spice in recent years, with the frosty handshake between Brian Cody and then-Galway boss Henry Shefflin going down in the annals. And Galway will be hoping that the return of Micheal Donoghue, who guided them to the 2017 All-Ireland title, will be the catalyst for them regaining power in Leinster. The match is scheduled for a 4pm throw-in at Croke Park, and you can follow all the action right here on Irish Mirror Sport. RTE Two will also have live coverage of the game and it can be streamed on the RTE Player. Kilkenny: E. Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; M Carey, R Reid, P Deegan; C Kenny, J Molloy; J Donnelly, A Mullen, B Ryan; S Donnelly, TJ Reid, M Keoghan. Subs: A Tallis, P Moylan, D Blanchfield, S Murphy, K Doyle, Z Bay Hammond, F Mackessy, H Shine, L Hogan, L Connellan, M Murphy. Galway: E Murphy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, F Burke; C Fahy, G Lee, TJ Brennan; S Linnane, David Burke; J Fleming, C Mannion, T Monaghan; C Whelan, B Concannon, K Cooney. Subs: D Walsh, D Morrissey, J Grealish, J Ryan, D Loftus, R Glennon, C Cooney, T Killeen, A Burns, C Molloy, J Flynn. Hello and welcome to live coverage as Kilkenny take on Galway in the Leinster Hurling Final. Hurling fans will be hoping for a similar spectacle to last night's Munster Final but the likelihood of which is incredibly low. In the same way that Limerick were chasing seven Munster titles in a row, Kilkenny have had a stranglehold of this competition and chasing a sixth successive title. Today's game throws in at 4 pm at Croke Park with RTE Two showing live coverage of the game and it is available to stream on the RTE Player. We will have live coverage of the game here on the Irish Mirror.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Hard work and red faces led to Cork's Munster success beating Limerick says manager Pat Ryan
Pat Ryan put his Cork side's Munster triumph down to the hard work that was put in over the weeks building up to the final at the Gaelic Grounds. Cork and Limerick produced a battle for the ages in Saturday's decider with the Rebels coming out on top after the sides could not be separated after extra time, eventually winning via a penalty shootout. The two sides met in the round robin phase of the Munster championship at the same venue on 18 May, and it was a one-sided affair with Limerick cruising to victory with 16 points to spare. And Cork also used the embarrassment of that defeat to help motivate the side ahead of the rematch in Limerick on Saturday evening. "Our fellas really dug in. It took an awful lot of effort over the last three weeks," said Ryan, speaking to RTE Sport after the game. "We were embarrassed when we came up here the last time. We had to get over Waterford (the final round robin game), which was a really tough game. "I knew the lads were going to fight on their backs today." Ryan was full of admiration for his opponents who have won four of the last five All-Ireland titles, while they came into the final off the back of six straight provincial crowns. And he was delighted that his side were able to show their best in the decider, going toe to toe with such an esteemed Limerick unit. "This is a brilliant Limerick team," said Ryan. "Going for seven Munsters in a row. It'll never be done again. "Limerick are a brilliant team. They're going to win ball. The last day, they won ball uncontested. Today, they won ball contested. You just try to put pressure on all over the field. "You're going to win some ball, you're going to lose some ball. Our fellas stuck at it today. Limerick stuck at really well as well. For us to get over the line is huge." Ryan credits the entire panel for their continued commitment which was needed to match Limerick throughout the initial 70 minutes, the 20 minutes of extra time and showing composure and quality to hold their nerve and win the shootout. And he was delighted with the way that they faced up to the challenge of taking on Cian Lynch and company, with the Limerick captain tipped to be crowned hurler of the year for the third time. "They've (the subs) shown great commitment to the group. They weren't starting. Some of them were coming back from injuries which puts you behind in the pecking order. "They never complained, they never waned. They trained hard. And we'd no fear of bringing them on today. "People say, 'go man-mark Lynch' but you're not going to be able to stop them. "What you're trying to do is win battles everywhere and limit their play. "The last day, we didn't get stuck into them. We left them with too much space around the place. "I thought Cian Lynch was excellent in the first half. But Ciaran (Joyce) really stuck at it for the whole game. And after the first half I thought he was on top." Cork have earned safe passage into the semi-finals and can now enjoy an extended break to regroup and plan for two more big games in their quest to secure the title. And the victory, coupled with the performance, will now offer the belief needed to go and challenge for top honours later in the summer. "It just gives you more confidence to go forward," said Ryan. "There's an All-Ireland series, we're in the semi-final.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
John Kiely has fixed last year's critical error while Cork's old weakness has returned & been ‘a disaster'
LIMERICK are at the gates of seventh heaven — and Cian Lynch is the man who holds the key. If this year's Championship has taught us anything, it is 3 Tipperary legend Michael 'Babs' Keating writes for SunSport 3 John Kiely was right to make Cian Lynch captain for this year So much of what is good about Limerick goes through Lynch. He possesses all the skills that we have ever seen from any hurler, plus a few unseen ones too. Whoever Cork task with shackling the two-time Hurler of the Year, he cannot afford to play the Patrickswell man from behind. His skill level is too high to be disrupted by that kind of challenge. Read More On GAA Above all else, unstinting concentration for 70-plus minutes is required to limit his impact because Lynch only needs a split-second to land a fatal blow. Cork have been left with a monumental task in trying to close the 16-point gap that The reality for Pat Ryan is their style has not evolved enough and they have not been able to cope with the aggression the likes of Limerick can bring on the biggest days. While Cork had their number twice last year, John Kiely must take some of the blame for that. Most read in GAA Hurling That especially goes for the All-Ireland semi-final, when he persisted with Declan Hannon at centre-back for far too long. That was something he would certainly have had regrets over. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - Having said that, even the greatest managers can be guilty of mistakes and Kiely has made more than his fair share of good decisions over the years. Hindsight makes experts of us all. On current form, there are question marks over every member of the Cork forward line. The only doubt about the Limerick attack relates to how Aidan O'Connor will Going into the attack as a new recruit in a Munster final will be a big ask. O'Connor has been named at full-forward, which is somewhat surprising, though Kiely is sure to have ideas on how to shuffle his deck come throw-in. Predicting the Limerick manager's next move has never been easy. Regular readers of this column will know that I did not hold back in my criticism of Patrick Collins when he took over from Anthony Nash in goal for Cork. To his credit, the Ballinhassig man was one of the stars of their run to last year's All-Ireland final. 3 Patrick Collins' puck-outs have been shaky this year However, Collins appears to have returned to his worst habits. His puckouts have been a disaster. At times, the communication and understanding between Cork's goalkeeper and forwards seem to be non-existent. When I played in the half-forward line for Tipperary, I always knew where John O'Donoghue was going to puck the ball. So too did Larry Kiely, Mick Roche and Theo English in the middle of the field. This idea of exchanging a one-two with Séan O'Donoghue and then sending the ball up the field drives me spare. A goalkeeper should know at underage level that forwards want quick deliveries. When a back has time to settle and size up a situation, he will win the ball 80 per cent of the time. The Cork half-forward line must curtail the influence of Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes and Barry Nash. Even if you have to hit him with your a***, you do whatever you can to stop your opponent from gaining possession. If the Limerick half-back line — and their midfield too, for that matter — are given free rein again, Cork may as well stay at home. The Munster champions are perfectly placed here. Aside from the strength of their starting XV, they have subs for every situation. Their bench boasts five All-Stars. WIDER OUTLOOK A defeat this evening will not be the worst thing in the world for Cork as long as there are lessons learned in the event that the teams meet again. With the crowd and the hype and everything else that accompanies it, Croke Park can bring a different dynamic to any match-up. Should the Liam MacCarthy Cup reside on the banks of the Lee by the end of July, you will hear very few Cork fans lamenting a provincial final defeat. If their team's performance hits the 80 per cent mark, they will be happy enough coming back through Charleville tonight. Nevertheless, Limerick will prevail to make it seven Munster titles in succession — a remarkable achievement. LEINSTER LOOK The defending champions should also come out on top again in tomorrow's Leinster final, though Kilkenny's prospects will not be helped by the absence of Eoin Cody. Still, this is the best position that the Cats have been in for some time. Galway are coming into this decider on the back of a deserved win over Dublin. But for 20 minutes of that game, what was conjured up was some of the worst hurling I have ever seen at this level. There has been improvement in Galway since the first-round hammering they took against Kilkenny. Their performance that day bordered on embarrassing. But will there be enough to tip the balance back in their favour? Even with Cody unavailable to Derek Lyng, I am not convinced Galway have what it takes to claim a first Leinster title since 2018 at the expense of a Kilkenny side who have progressed to this stage in second gear.
