Michael Breen hails teenage Tipperary GAA hero, 19, for ‘blocking out the jeers' and clinching unique All-Ireland treble
The Toomevara clubman tortured Cork with
2
Michael Breen hailed Darragh McCarthy after the All-Ireland final
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
2
McCarthy scored 1-13 as Tipperary beat Cork
Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Breen revealed that he watched McCarthy play games on his phone before the match.
And the youngster took the same calm approach to the high-pressure job of nailing the frees in
Tipp defender Breen said: 'To win finals, you need big moments and big players and they stood up.
'You speak about Darragh there, he's on the field every day for hours on frees and that's no exaggeration.
Read More on GAA
'You could see there today, he was just taking his time.
'He was doing his thing and he was putting the ball over the bar and that was it.
'I know he was getting jeers from the crowd, but he didn't hear it, he just blocked it out.
'Sure he's 19. Like these lads, they're so resilient already in the journey they've come, they lost an under-20 All-Ireland final against Offaly last year and came back, won it this year.
Most read in Sport
'Like even coming up on the bus, he's playing games on his phone, and he's having a laugh. There's no seriousness or uptightness to it.
'And I think the whole camp was that way today, coming up. We just kept talking about enjoying the day, enjoying the moment and you could see that fully come out, I think.'
Liam Cahill speaks to RTE after Tipperary GAA win All-Ireland final
Breen, 31, never knew hurling could be so much fun as Tipp delivered a devastating second half display to outscore Cork by 3-13 to 0-2.
The Ballina man, now a three-time All-Ireland winner, beamed: 'That was a fun second half to play.
'Yeah, this is really sweet. 2016 and '19 were brilliant, but I'd never seen the colour and the excitement around the county.
'We're never too far from the summit, but if there's a few things off, if you're off a yard, you can be the bottom in Munster.
'The supporters again today were unbelievable.
'There was a lot of red, because the red does stand out, but our support has been unbelievable all year. And it will continue to be that way, I think, because the people are behind this team.'
And Breen admits it is the ultimate redemption for a Tipp team who failed to win a championship game last year.
He added: 'Well, I suppose it inspires you from last year's point of view.
'Twelve months ago, we were walking down the street and you're ducking and diving from people because you don't want to have the conversations.
'And all it took was, as Liam said earlier, we had to get into the trenches, we had to get the work done and that was simply it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I'm just gutted for the girls. The game was nearly over at half time'
MEATH MANAGER SHANE McCormack holds his head in his hands before facing the press. The 12-point All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin is hitting home. 'I'm just gutted for the girls, to be honest,' he begins after the 2-16 to 0-10 loss. 'We were always doubted, even at the start of the year before a ball was thrown in, to even get to a quarter-final stage. But we did believe within our circle that we would achieve it. Advertisement 'We (previously) played Dublin three times this year. A 16-point trimming in the league wasn't good so we sat down that week and had a chat among ourselves and we kind of worked on different tactics. And in fairness to the girls with the Leinster campaign, obviously we lost to Dublin in the Leinster final but we were gutted because Dublin got the last eight points without a reply from us. 'So coming into today's game, we knew what was going to happen but the game was nearly over at half time. In fairness to our girls, they battled to the end. I think we were 11 down at half time. In the second half, pretty pleased that we came out of the blocks quick enough. I think we lost the second half by a point. But I'm just gutted for the girls because they're a fantastic bunch.' It's Meath's first All-Ireland senior final defeat in their history. The Royals won their first in 2021, ending Dublin's Drive for Five, and backed it up in 2022. Two consecutive quarter-final defeats to Kerry followed, before they turned the tables and dethroned the 2024 champions in this year's semi-final. That was a huge performance — a stark contrast to today as they trailed by 13 points at one stage in the first half, and failed to score from play until after the restart. Vikki Wall dejected as Dublin celebrate. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO 'Dublin were a little bit hungrier, to be honest,' McCormack continues, rueing 'small margins' like Vikki Wall's spurned goal opportunity when they trailed by one point early doors. 'In the first five or 10 minutes, they hit the blocks running. But there were a few passes that went astray with our girls. Obviously if the goal chances went in, I'm not saying it would have changed the result but we would have been in a different position at half time. It's very hard going in at half time in an All-Ireland final when you're 11 points down. The positive would be for our girls that they came out quick enough there in the second half.' 'When any Dublin team get ahead, they're very hard to claw back,' the former Kildare goalkeeper adds. 'But credit to Dublin today, they're a super team with multiple All-Stars and All-Ireland medal winners. 'We had 16 new girls onto the panel from last year and this year. I think nine girls got their first-ever senior start in an All-Ireland final today, so there are a lot of positives. It is healthy, even with the Under-20s winning the Leinster the other night as well. So it's very positive for Meath ladies football.' ***** Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ireland AM star Eric Roberts shares sweet snaps with son Rían on sun-soaked holiday and fans say he's ‘so like his dad'
TOP TRIP Ireland AM star Eric Roberts shares sweet snaps with son Rían on sun-soaked holiday and fans say he's 'so like his dad' IRELAND AM star Eric Roberts has left fans gushing after he shared a series of sweet snaps from his family holiday. The Donegal native and his wife Niamh jetted off to Spain with their little one and extended family for a sun-soaked break. Advertisement 3 Eric jetted off to Spain with his family Credit: Instagram 3 The doting dad shared a glimpse inside his holiday Credit: Instagram 3 Fans shared their love for his post Credit: Instagram The happy couple, who welcomed their first child Rían into the world in January, have been sharing glimpses into their life on social media ever since. The TV star took to his Instagram today to share some of the sweet moments from their fun-filled getaway. Eric posted adorable snaps of his eight-month-old son enjoying the trip, along with loved-up photos of himself and Niamh. In one snap, the host looked happy as ever as he held little Rían in his arms while posing alongside his own dad. Advertisement The doting dad also posted a cute mirror selfie with Rían, as well as a heartwarming snap of Niamh and their baby smiling at each other during the flight. Lastly, the dad-of-one shared plenty of the fun family moments they shared while enjoying their holiday. The presenter captioned his post: "A lovely few days away with the family." Fans and friends flocked to the comment section to share their love for his post. Advertisement Carol said: "Gorgeous family." Tina wrote: "So like his dad baby Rían." Eric Roberts reflects on Donegal defeat Farah gushed: "The baby is so cute." Another added: "Happy family picture." Advertisement Before heading off on his holidays last week, Eric reflected on Donegal's defeat at the All-Ireland final and claimed, "we will be back". The Donegal man was working pitchside with BBC Sport for the big game and gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes of his day at Croke Park. Unfortunately for Eric, he had to watch his home county fall short on the biggest day of the GAA calendar, as Kerry secured yet another All-Ireland title. GAME OVER The presenter was on the edge of his seat throughout the game, watching Donegal play catch-up after such a high-octane start by Kerry. Advertisement After the full-time hooter sounded, Eric took to Instagram to reflect on the big day. The TV star shared a series of snaps from his time working at Croke Park. He posted pictures of himself on the pitch before the game and even posed for a snap beside the Sam Maguire cup. But in a subtle nod to the disappointing result for Eric, he ended the post with a short clip of himself looking deflated as the final whistle blew. Advertisement While staying neutral for his presenting duties, the dad-of-one still brought his usual style to the day. He sported a white tee, black trousers and a bright orange jacket paired with white trainers.
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'They were awesome' - Cora Staunton and Bríd Stack on Dubs glory
Dublin produced a ferociously hungry performance to ease past Meath in Sunday's TG4 All-Ireland SFC final. The departure of manager Mick Bohan last November led some to speculate whether this might be a year of transition for the Dubs. Instead, joint-managers Paul Casey and Derek Murray led them to glory, the side peaking when it mattered most to lift the Brendan Martin Cup. Reflecting on the decider, former Mayo star Cora Staunton and seven-time Cork All Star Bríd Stack said Meath could have no complaints. "I don't think (Dublin) ever went away," said Staunton. "Maybe the hurt from 2021, when Meath stopped them from winning five in a row... obviously they won again in 2023, but today they were just awesome. "Meath couldn't match their intensity, their athleticism. Their first-half performance in particular was brilliant. The game was over at half-time. While we wanted it to be a good spectacle, it was over. Dublin were just immense. "Their big players - the likes of Carla Rowe, Orlagh Nolan, Kate Sullivan - dominated up front and their defence were very dominant. Deserving winners. And it was great to see Hannah Tyrrell go out on a high after a wonderful career." Stack concurred. She was particularly impressed with Dublin's energy, the constant running with and without the ball that had Meath all at sea. "You just couldn't fault the fluidity of their movement - the link play, the level of fitness was absolutely just on show from start to finish," said Stack. "I suppose the intent was the biggest thing. "It was the team that felt a bit of hurt I suppose last year, bowing out to Galway. They came back with a massive will and a massive intent. They did that from start to finish. "All their big players stepped up."
