Roscommon-Meath draw rollercoaster contest, Down edge Louth
All-Ireland SFC Results
Roscommon 2-15 (2-5-5)
Meath 0-21 (0-5-11)
Down 0-25 (0-4-17)
Louth 0-24 (0-6-12)
THERE WERE two thrilling and high-scoring contests played in Páirc Esler and Dr Hyde Park this evening, and in both cases, it was defenders who came up with the big plays that made all the difference.
In a roller-coaster of a contest in Roscommon, the Rossies started with two early goals but were outscored by a wind-assisted Meath team by 0-12 to 0-4 in the second quarter, meaning they had a five-point lead to chase at the interval.
Thanks to five second-half two-pointers, three of them from the outstanding Enda Smith, they looked like the more likely winners with 10 minutes to play.
But instead, Rúairi Kinsella hit an equaliser, Roscommon missed three excellent chances, and after the hooter sounded, Ben O'Carroll had the goal at his mercy, only for Seán Rafferty to spring out of nowhere to touch the ball away from the diminutive attacker, and prevent a certain winner.
O'Carroll and Diarmuid Murtagh were on the mark with first-quarter goals for the Rossies, both brilliant finishes, but at the other end of the pitch, James Conlon was on fire.
Meath, as they have done in several games this year, controlled a huge amount of possession, and they hit four first-half two-pointers of their own, with Conlon putting his name on one of them and adding three more white flags into the bargain.
Meath started well after half-time with points from Seán Coffey and Eoghan Frayne, but two doubles from Enda Smith, either side of a meek penalty that was easily smothered by Billy Hogan, quickly ate into the lead.
The Royals defended well for most of the second half and prevented Roscommon from raising any white flags, though there were several near misses.
Ciarán Caulfield and Rúairí Kinsella were hugely influential in carrying the ball forward and winding down the clock, and even after Diarmuid Murtagh's free gave Roscommon the lead with 10 minutes to play, they kept their patience and drew level through a clever Kinsella finish, setting the stage for Rafferty to keep their fate in their own hands in advance of their final round clash with Kerry.
In the local derby in Newry, Down had a one-point lead on the last attack, and it was Adam Crimmins who was their hero, blocking down Tommy Durning to preserve their win.
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Pat Havern (0-6), Danny Magill (0-6) and Odhrán Murdock (0-5) all had big nights for the Mourne men, who led by 0-11 to 0-1 after making a sensational start.
Conall McKeever, Conor Grimes and Ryan Burns got scores that left it a bit more manageable at the break, 0-16 to 0-7, and they leaned heavily on two-point kicks in the second period, landing six with the breeze.
A run of them from Sam Mulroy, Craig Lennon and Durnin had it down to a one-score game with just under 10 minutes to play, but Shay Millar and Havern (two) got the points that Down needed to keep their noses in front and set the stage for Crimmins to deliver the match-winning play.
*****
In the Christy Ring Cup final, London ran out 1-27 to 1-24 victors over Derry.
David Devine scored 1-12 for the winners, while Cormac O'Doherty (0-9) and Thomas Brady (1-1) were the main scorers for Derry.
The Nickey Rackard Cup final saw Roscommon defeat Mayo 3-16 to 1-21. Roscommon forward Brendan Mulry hit the match-winning point in this meeting of the Connacht rivals.
Mulry, Sean Canning, and Robbie Fallon raised green flags for Roscommon, while Eoin Delaney scored Mayo's goal.
In the Lory Meagher Cup final, New York triumphed 4-17 to 2-17 against Cavan. David Mangan, Dara Walsh, AJ Willis, and Tomas O'Connor all grabbed goals for New York, while Liam O'Brien and Nicky Kenny found the net for Cavan.
In the Tailteann Cup today, Limerick defeated Westmeath by 0-19 to 0-18 in Portlaoise, while Wicklow saw off Waterford by 3-19 to 0-21 in Wexford.
Laois took down Offaly this evening in Newbridge by 3-18 to 3-16.
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Irish Times
38 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘I can't sit down': Julie-Ann Russell divides time between basketball, GAA and family after hanging up soccer boots
Julie-Ann Russell has a match tonight. With the basketball season over, the local Gaelic football team has her full attention – once her work for Microsoft is done, her daughter Rosie is fed and her husband Kieran is home. Home being a house they built in Moycullen, a serene part of the world on the way out of Galway city towards Connemara. Soccer did not build this life for Julie-Ann, Kieran and Rosie, because professionalism is still not a possibility for female players living in Ireland. Not when Russell won the first of her 66 caps in 2009, nor when she won the last against Wales in the Euro 2025 playoff defeat at the Aviva Stadium. So much was on the line that December day, including Russell's entire career. READ MORE 'If we won that game, Eileen Gleeson would be running for president,' she said. 'We would all have really good sponsors. It is mad how a result changes everything. What Eileen did was unbelievable. We lose a game and she is gone.' How does a mother, following a four-year hiatus, play such a vital role for the Republic of Ireland? Four months after Rosie was born, Russell ran the 2023 New York marathon in 3 hours, 48 minutes. In Barcelona last March, she clocked 3:25. This suggests that the Russell household was athletics-mad? 'I still have a laugh with my dad (Wally Russell): 'I can't believe you didn't let me do running'. 'There was no time!' he says. 'Every evening I was being brought somewhere. I also did Irish dancing, horse riding, tin whistle. Not just sport. I won cross-country in school and was asked to join the club. But I wasn't let!' John Russell, her big brother, is the Sligo Rovers manager, having made over 300 appearances in the League of Ireland despite being an 'injury-riddled' midfielder. Julie-Ann Russell announced her retirement from football following Ireland's defeat to Wales in a Euro 2025 qualifier playoff. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'I always played soccer with John and I loved it. I could see you could get on an Ireland team and travel. I didn't even know there was an Ireland team in basketball.' The loss to Wales meant that her career ambition to feature at a major tournament in Switzerland this summer fell agonisingly short. But goals against England at Carrow Road last year and victory over France in Páirc Uí Chaoimh made her return an enormous success, despite the lingering pain from how it all ended. 'Oh it was our own fault,' said Russell of Wales' 3-2 victory over two legs. 'We should have put it to bed in the first half at the Aviva. I had a chance - 'keeper made a good save. I probably could have done better. Denise (O'Sullivan) hit the crossbar. If one went in, in the first half, we would have cruised it. 'Going in at half-time I was thinking, 'we are going to do this'. And then, stupid f**king VAR. It wasn't in any other game. It was a handball (by Anna Patten) but nobody saw it.' Wales scored the ensuing penalty. Russell's return to the Ireland squad, all the while furthering her actual career in Microsoft and raising Rosie, borders on the impossible. It was made possible by her outstanding form for Galway United and the 'safe' environment created by Gleeson. Julie-Ann Russell takes a shot during the first leg of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifier playoff against Wales in Cardiff last November. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'Eileen rang to check if I was still interested in playing for Ireland, because obviously my whole life had changed,' she recalls. 'I said I would, but in the back of my head I was thinking, 'will Rosie be able to come with me?'. I'd never been away from her for longer than a day, so I asked if there would be time for Rosie and Kieran to call up. 'Eileen said 'Rosie is coming into camp, no ifs or buts'. I was still sh***ing it going in after four years, but the moment I walked into the hotel, I felt so safe. I just feel that it was handled very poorly — Julie-Ann Russell 'Rosie and Kieran were allowed to bop around the hotel, in for meals, just not at training or team meetings. We had a room to ourselves.' The FAI tend to bring criticism on themselves but that was a progressive move. 'You couldn't ask for more. It brought so much good energy.' In one sense, Russell has paved the way for mothers to play international football but in reality it is unsustainable. 'How did I do it? If I didn't have a full-time job and I was professional while being a mum, that would be totally fine. But I had just started a new role in Microsoft as well.' Two days after returning from maternity leave on July 1st, she sought a two-week break to play international football. 'I was mortified. But they were so supportive. And then I was plastered all over Microsoft!' That's what happens when you score a brilliant goal to beat France in the Páirc. Julie-Ann Russell scored in the victory over France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last July. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'It was definitely the best game I've ever played. [My dad] is from Cork so we had lots of family there. All my Galway United team came down. So it was extra special. I remember the roar of the crowd when the goal went in.' Failure to qualify for Euro 2025 ended the international careers of Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Russell. In one fell swoop, 404 caps' worth of experience was gone. Gleeson and her assistant coach Colin Healy were subsequently replaced by Carla Ward and Alan Mahon. Marc Canham, the FAI's outgoing chief football officer, acted swiftly and the views of senior players, such Russell and Katie McCabe, were not sought. [ Recruiting talent from Ireland's diaspora the key to progress Opens in new window ] [ After the glory and the after-party Tottenham face Postecoglou crunch time Opens in new window ] 'It is a very good idea to ask older, experienced players to know what can be improved or done differently,' said Russell. Asked about how she viewed the decision to replace Gleeson and Healy, she said: 'If I step back, I probably think it was a bit unfair but sport can be cruel and it is a results game. If I was the FAI, I would have kept them because I thought the environment they built was so good.' Russell remains unimpressed by the association's subsequent treatment of Healy and Gleeson. 'Personally, I think it is a mess. It is sad what has happened. They are two great human beings who are very good at their jobs. I just feel that it was handled very poorly.' Julie-Ann Russell is congratulated by Jessica Ziu after scoring for the Republic of Ireland against France in last year's home Euro 2025 qualifier. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Ward tried to convince her to come back for a tilt at reaching the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. 'No, I am done. I want to have more children. I have just turned 34. That was a massive factor in it. I'd be 36, 37 so it isn't realistic as the talent coming through is class.' Ellen is phenomenal. She should be in the Ireland team — Julie-Ann Russell By farming out this talent to foreign clubs, without a central academy system in place, the FAI may risk making the same short-sighted mistakes with the women's game in the 2020s that it made with the men's game in the 1990s. 'If I was 18 or in my early 20s now, I'd go professional because they can train full-time,' said Russell. 'Realistically, that is only abroad. Back in UL, I focused on my career as number one with football second. You had to do that. Long-term it was not sustainable to go football, football, football. One bad injury at 24 and you have no education.' The solution remains the same. 'It is sad but I do think it comes down to money. The standard in Ireland is definitely improving but the standard abroad is as well.' Could the FAI have done more for women's football since the 2023 World Cup? 'I do think that the home-based training sessions should have cracked on. Some girls at under-19s to about 22 have not developed properly and they are in limboland – not yet ready for senior football, but they will be. Those sessions were perfect for them.' The FAI discontinued the sessions, with chief executive David Courell citing costs. Limboland has become the norm; Izzy Atkinson (23) and Abbie Larkin (20) have not kicked on since the World Cup, despite moves to Crystal Place, while the rare talent that is Ellen Molloy returned home from Sheffield United. 'Ellen is phenomenal,' said Russell. 'She should be in the Ireland team. There is a star quality about her. That [knee] injury put her back. If she got really, really fit she'd be unstoppable. I'd have her in any team. 100 per cent.' Ward disagrees. Julie-Ann Russell with her daughter Rosie and Galway United teammates Jenna Slattery and Rola Olusola after victory against Shamrock Rovers in the 2024 All-Island Cup final at Tallaght Stadium. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Anyway, Russell has a match tonight. Quietly, during her second coming with Ireland, she returned to the hardwood for Moycullen. 'I love basketball. It is such a class sport. I took a little break before the Wales game. Told them I couldn't make training. But I played the whole time. Basketball is finished but I am still playing Gaelic. I went back a few weeks ago.' It appears that she is not even remotely retired. 'I can't sit down. I compartmentalised [retirement from soccer] and moved on. Life is so busy. I haven't thought about it. Maybe I will in the future if Rosie plays football. I won't push her – I see kids hating sport when their parents push them.' Did Wally push her and John? 'Not a bit,' she said. 'My mum was like, 'you are doing too much, you'll burn out, look at all the bruises!'.' Soccer had its time with Julie-Ann Russell but her sporting life has many miles to run.
Irish Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
McGeeney hails 'best system GAA has ever produced' that is set to be scrapped
Kieran McGeeney's one man crusade to save the All-Ireland round robin format is beginning to gather support. The much-maligned system is due to be binned at the end of this season after a GAA Special Congress voted in a new format last February, with an overwhelming majority of 92.8 percent. Ironically, it comes at a team when the format is being widely showered with love by pundits and fans alike. McGeeney's comments came after another thrilling weekend of football where Derry and Galway played out a pulsating draw, Armagh trumped Dublin at Croke Park and Mayo bounced back to shock Tyrone in Omagh. On top of that, Down pipped Louth in a thriller at Newry, while Meath and Roscommon fought out a draw at the Hyde. The main factors for getting rid of the old format were the belief that there were too many games for a tight window and that only four teams were eliminated out of 16 after three rounds of games (24 matches). Another solution would have been to have just two teams qualify out of the four-team groups rather than four, although this may have meant more dead rubbers. In the current system, the carrot of topping the table to claim the one of the four automatic All-Ireland quarter-final places on offer has proved worthwhile with teams seeing the value in it and going after it hard. Having one game less and clear two week breaks between big games appears to have advantaged sides, rather than having a hectic schedule of playing three huge championship matches in 13-15 days. The other criticism of the format was that teams could lose three championship games and still make the last 12, as happened with Derry and Roscommon last year. However, this fails to take into account how competitive Ulster in particular is. The new format still has 16 teams, who qualify in the same fashion - the eight provincial finalists, the highest ranked league finishers, and the Tailteann Cup winners from the year before. Those 16 teams play off against each other in Round 1, with the winners going to Round 2A and the losers going to Round 2B, where those eight losing teams play off against each other. The four Round 2A winners qualify for the quarter-final stage with the Round 2A losers meeting the Round 2B winners in Round 3 (preliminary quarter-final). Once again the lopsided provincial championships determining the top eight seeds corrupts the system, but this seems unlikely to change in the near future. The new system is already used in the Sigerson Cup. McGeeney, though, reckons the current format is the best the GAA has ever had with big games week on week in May and June. And he says you can't look beyond your next fixture: 'That's why I love this system," he says. "You're looking at the next point. 'As you can see there (the Armagh/Dublin game), the way this game is played, the minute we put that ball short, Dublin were hungry to get a score because they know how much it means. We were the same against Derry. 'Again, I think it's why it's the best system that the GAA has ever produced.' McGeeney doesn't believe the system is too hectic and demanding on players and managers and that the preseason builds a robustness in players if it is done properly. 'I think the whole system is better,' he continued. 'I genuinely do. Those week to week (games). It is hard. Again, that was probably the argument for the pre-season. Teams do their own pre-season. 'Those days of flogging players and the stuff that I used to do is long gone, thank God. Your pre-seasons are mapped out to the last degree. 'To have somebody who doesn't even know your players, their medical history or anything else, to tell them what to do, I think plays a big part. 'If you get the pre-season right, that robustness in your players can last. It doesn't guarantee it, but it's no different in any sport, professional or amateur. 'I don't think it's too much. Sometimes when you get extra time in a game and you can be out the following week, that's a lot because you're basically playing two games in that one weekend. 'In general, sometimes you fall foul of it, sometimes you don't. 'The cadence we have is pretty good. I do think the system we have works well. We can't expect every game to be a clinker. 'We can't expect everything to be brilliant. It's no different than when there's Champions League or World Cup rugby. There's going to be rounds and there's going to be games that are poor. 'But I think what we've got is good. In our sport, we have to respect the club level as well. 'At the minute, we seem to have that, although most of the leagues are going on at the minute without a lot of the county players. They're normally back in for the tail end of the league. 'It's an important part of it and into the Championship. I don't know if we need to mess with it that much. I think we've done enough of that. I know it changes again next year, but the cadence is pretty good.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
All-Ireland groups ticking nicely before they wind up and what else we learned from the GAA weekend
Breaks make little difference in competitive All-Ireland series The slight inequality at the heart of the All-Ireland football group stages does not appear to have had a major impact at the weekend. Eight teams started this phase of the championship on the weekend of May 17th/18th and then had a two-week break. They faced opposition who had enjoyed only a one-week interval between their first and second engagements. Only one team, though, managed to harness the time off to overturn a defeat on the opening weekend – Mayo, who won in Omagh on Saturday having lost their first fixture to Cavan. In the now three-year history of the round-robin structure, despite the apparent advantage, only two other teams have in fact managed to lose their first match and use the break to bounce back and win: Kerry in 2023, losing to Mayo and then beating Cork and Tyrone, losing to Galway but recovering to defeat Donegal. All-Ireland champions Armagh have navigated the group stages successfully in each of the three years, including this season and have topped the group again, this time with a week in hand. Manager Kieran McGeeney believes that with proper preseason training, week-on-week matches shouldn't be a problem. READ MORE 'I don't think it's too much. Sometimes when you get the extra time in a game and you can be out the following week, that's a lot because you're basically playing two games in that one weekend. In general, sometimes you fall foul of it, sometimes you don't. 'I do think the system we have works well. We can't expect every game to be a clinker. 'But I think what we've got is good. In our sport, we have to respect the club level as well. At the minute, we seem to have that, although most of the leagues are going on at the minute without a lot of the county players, they're normally back in for the tail end of the league.' McGeeney, who was vocal in supporting the round-robin format, which will change next year again expressed satisfaction with it. 'I don't know if we need to mess with it that much. I think we've done enough of that. I know it changes again next year, but the cadence is pretty good.' – Seán Moran Davitt Neary gets Mayo fans out of their seats Mayo's Davitt Neary. Photograph: Nick Elliott/Inpho Paddy Durcan was the obvious Man of the Match for Mayo on Saturday night against Tyrone. Making his first championship start since they faced Roscommon in April 2024, Durcan scored three points from play and brought every bit of that familiar Paddy Durcan urgency that Mayo have been missing. But for all of Durcan's qualities, it was the display of 22-year-old Davitt Neary off the bench that really got the small band of Mayo diehards in Omagh off their seats. Neary came in off the bench on 52 minutes and proceeded to tear the place to shreds. He only touched the ball half a dozen times after Tyrone had brought the eight-point gap back to a point but each was an event in itself. First, Neary nipped in front of Shea O'Hare at a Tyrone kickout, drawing a free which he took immediately to put Durcan away for a score. Two minutes later, he ran at O'Hare again and drew another free – this time O'Hare got a yellow card and Ryan O'Donoghue iced the free. Next, he tracked O'Hare down the wing, dived on his boot for a block and Mayo got the turnover. To cap it all off, he zipped inside three Tyrone defenders on 63 minutes to draw the penalty that O'Donoghue buried to see Mayo out the gap. It's a bit of a cliche that Mayo are their best Mayo selves when the needle is in the red and the blood is up. But that doesn't make it any less true. And nothing gets them into that state more reliably than a young buck saying to hell with it all and going hell for leather at the opposition. Donegal will have a plan for Neary and it's not likely to be dainty. But it will be fascinating to see what he can bring in their crunch encounter in a fortnight. He won't die wondering, we can be sure of that. – Malachy Clerkin No home comforts for All-Ireland teams Donegal manager Jim McGuinness found the lack of home advantage 'strange'. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Perhaps it's no harm the last round of All-Ireland senior football championship group games will take place at neutral venues, because there has been very little benefit to playing at home in recent weeks. Of the 16 round-robin games so far, only five were won by the home team. There were nine away wins and two draws. The home victors were Kerry (v Roscommon), Meath (v Cork), Armagh (v Derry), Monaghan (v Clare), Down (v Louth). Indeed, of the eight games over the weekend only two were won by the home team – Monaghan and Down. This really is one of those seasons where you can manipulate any stat to argue whatever point takes your fancy, but it is clear that home advantage is only an advantage when the competing teams are at a similar level. Donegal hammered Cavan by 19 points in Breffni Park on Sunday. 'Well, it should be strange,' said Jim McGuinness when asked about the pattern of away victories. 'But I suppose it all depends on the fixtures and who's playing who and everything else.' In other words, a Division One teams should still beat a Division Two team. And so on. The last round of games will be played in neutral venues. The better team should win so, yes? – Gordon Manning Kerry and Cork managers in agreement about new rule Kerry manager Jack O'Connor celebrates after beating Cork. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho There were suitably contrasting emotions between the Kerry and Cork managers after their latest championship clash Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Kerry's ultimately handsome victory, 1-28 to 0-20, puts them on course to make the quarter-finals. They face Meath in their last game, while Cork must battle it out against Roscommon to survive. However, Jack O'Connor and John Cleary were in absolute agreement on one thing. Tipperary referee Derek O'Mahony repeatedly penalised both teams for situations where a player who caught a kickout mark was challenged within four metres of the position from where the mark was made, then chose to play on immediately. Under the new rules, this results in a penalty awarded 50m more advantageous than the place of the original mark, up to the opponents' 13m line. Critically, the player taking the free may choose to take the free from outside the 40m arc, which is worth two points (though the application of this rule would otherwise result in a free from inside the 40m arc). Kerry took advantage of this more than Cork in terms of two-pointed frees, but O'Connor was adamant the rule needs to be reviewed again. 'This was never what the rule was brought in for,' said the Kerry manager. 'They are going to have to tidy this up. Half the time the referee blows the whistle and neither team knows who the free is for. 'How are you supposed to get out of the way if you think the free is for you? This is something that will have to be addressed. It has gone to ridiculous proportions, the ball must have been moved forward by the referee over 10 times today ... A fellah contesting the ball at midfield can't just disappear.' The Cork manager agreed on the contradictory nature of the rule. 'What are they supposed to do? Not go for it?', said Cleary. 'It was on both sides, but I thought we were hit particularly hard on it after half-time. The ball going out the wing, Kerry guy caught it, fellah came down, just stood there because his momentum took him into the player, completely unintentional. 'Surely it has to be intentional. If the player is going for the ball with the intent of trying to win it, and his momentum takes him there, surely the referee can see if it is intentional.' O'Connor had other things to be satisfied about, David Clifford hitting 1-8, including two two-pointers, although Barry Dan O'Sullivan and Paudie Clifford didn't make it to half-time due to injuries. Paul Geaney didn't come out for the second half, and Diarmuid O'Connor didn't make the match day squad. But his biggest grievance was on the player challenge in the kickout mark, and he's certainly not alone in thinking that needs to be looked at again. – Ian O'Riordan Kilkenny's underage performances are a concern Tipperary's Aaron O'Halloran and Kilkenny's Marty Murphy. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho The problem for Kilkenny is not so much that they lost another age-grade All-Ireland final at the weekend; the issue is the throughput of talent to the senior squad. Their heavy defeat to a superb Tipperary team on Saturday means that Kilkenny have now won just one All-Ireland in that grade in the last 17 years and it is over a decade since they won their last minor All-Ireland. That minor victory over Limerick in 2014 showed once again that it is not necessary to win All-Irelands at these grades as long as some talent is harvested. From that Kilkenny squad, though, only Tommy Walsh and Billy Ryan have had extended careers on the senior team, while a handful of others came and went. In contrast, the Limerick team they beat, produced Cian Lynch, Sean Finn, Barry Nash, Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey, Tom Morrissey and a handful of others who won senior All-Irelands as squad players. When Kilkenny beat Limerick to win the under-20 All-Ireland in 2022, it didn't look like a team of stars, and so it has proved. Half a dozen of them have had some exposure at senior level since, none more than Billy Drennan, who is further now from being a championship starter than he was two years ago. From that Limerick group, however, Adam English, Shane O'Brien and Colin Coughlan have all broken through, while Cathal O'Neill would have played in that final if he hadn't already appeared in the senior championship. That rule has since been changed. Of the Tipp team on Saturday, Darragh McCarthy, Sam O'Farrell and Óisin O'Donoghue have already played senior championship with three or four others surely on that path. On the Kilkenny team, though, it didn't look like they had players who will be ready for senior championship any day soon. That's the worry. – Denis Walsh
