Brennan shows Louth the way to their ‘holy grail'
Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Final
A winner as a player with his club St Vincent's and Dublin, and now a winner as Louth manager, the county's first Leinster Senior Football Championship title for 68 years, Ger Brennan has guided a group of players who had lost the last two finals to Dublin, and showed them the way to their 'holy grail' as some had described it – the Delaney Cup.
'It's surreal and I'm just really thrilled for the lads, the group of players, the amount of work that those guys put in, it's just incredible,' a beaming Brennan told local Louth media pitch side at Croke Park after the game,
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The 42
36 minutes ago
- The 42
'We'll be having a serious conversation': Mistakes and wides frustrate Dublin in loss to Armagh
THE FIRST DAY of June marked an afternoon of Croke Park returns. For Dublin a first run out at the venue in championship 2025, in their fourth game in the competition. For Armagh a first run out at the venue since they grasped Sam Maguire last July and celebrated wildly. It was a happier comeback for one more than the other. Armagh departed last evening with sufficient positives to nourish them on the journey home, for Dublin it was a defeat that left them with plenty to digest. The upshot of their first loss in a group game of this All-Ireland system, their eighth encounter since the format commenced in 2023, is that they cannot top their group this year. A win or a draw against Derry in a fortnight guarantees the extension of their season, but they would then face the prospect of a preliminary quarter-final for the first time, having sailed directly into the last eight in the last two years. Roscommon and Mayo pushed them hard to force draws in the past couple of campaigns, but Dublin had avoided defeat, their in-built resilience never better illustrated than the rousing victory in Pearse Stadium a couple of weeks ago. This proved a step too far. The standard of opposition must be factored in, Dublin's early Leinster exit meant this was the most daunting group they have been placed in. The reigning All-Ireland champions carry that weighty tag for good reason. They demand more of teams. The loss chips away a little more at Dublin's standing. Armagh become the fifth side over the last five seasons to have defeated Dublin in championship and the fourth to have done so in Croke Park, joining Mayo, Kerry, and Galway in the latter category, while Meath's April conquest ended their Leinster dominance. The raft of big names that retired or opted out last winter created difficult gaps to fill, yet more pressing here was the Con O'Callaghan-shaped hole in their attack. An injury incurred against Galway scrubbed Dublin's captain from their plans. Dessie Farrell didn't need the early season club footballer of the year displays for Cuala or the footage from the three points he posted in his 45 minutes on the pitch against Galway, as a reminder of O'Callaghan's talents. Advertisement A frustrated Dessie Farrell. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO 'I think what you're supposed to say in this situation is an opportunity for somebody else,' began the Dublin manager. 'But when you're dealing with somebody like Con, it's definitely a loss. There's no denying that, there's no getting away from that. 'But that's the challenge we faced. We faced it in 2022 when he missed the back end of the championship and we came up short against Kerry in the semi-final. We were prepared for not having him on the pitch today, so it's not as if it was a bolt from the blue. 'But ultimately, I think we missed his leadership out there at different times. 'Obviously, he brings a level of composure and a level of calm that we struggled with at times today.' Dublin's Cormac Costello and Jason Duffy of Armagh. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The glaring statistics of 18 wides and four shots dropped short, one of those striking the upright, illustrated a Dublin problem that O'Callaghan's presence would help solve. On a wider level the game maintained a jarring trend for Dublin this season, they have been outscored on two-pointers in their four championship matches to date. Armagh won that contest 5-3 here, and the overall figure reads 15-7 against Dublin. That is a new rule to adjust to, sticking rigidly to the 4 v 3 setups in either half of the pitch is another. Dublin breached that on three occasions in a rapid-fire sequence in the third quarter, coughing up easy chances from frees in front of Hill 16 for Rory Grugan to tap over. Farrell's frustration with that shortcoming was clearly evident. 'Look it, it just shouldn't be happening. Whether they're marginal calls or not, we shouldn't be putting ourselves in that position. 'Definitely, it's a conversation that was being had earlier in the league, and everyone was learning and trying to adapt at that stage. 'At this point in time, it should be embedded. Whatever about getting caught on one because of the ebb and flow of the game, but to get it done for three and then we'd a breach on the technical, the fielding on the mark in the first half as well, which cost us another two points. 'That's just not good enough. We'll be having a serious conversation about that.' Armagh's Oisin Conaty with Dublin's Theo Clancy. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO Dublin had looked sharp and energetic at the start, Niall Scully's raking deliveries benefiting Paddy Small and Cormac Costello, an inside forward pair that seemed set to cause havoc on the evidence of the first quarter. The scores dried up afterwards as Dublin's accuracy fell apart. There was an anxiety to their shot selection in opting for two-point attempts as they chased the game, and their dogged persistence in chasing Armagh couldn't close that five-point deficit. His counterpart Kieran McGeeney wasn't happy with Armagh's goal conversion ratio, Stephen Cluxton's shot-stopping a striking facet of the opening half. 'I'd say now we'll have fun in the video session, honestly.' But it was hard to conceal the sense of satisfaction at seeing his Armagh charges top their group for their third year in a row, the latest table-topping feat achieved with a round to spare. McGeeney is wary of facing Galway – 'still one of the top three or four teams in the country' – next time out, even if Armagh are already qualified. 'They'll be smarting, because they know how good they are. If you go soft to that, you'll both lose players, and you can lose a whole lot of other things as well.' But the manner in which his team have once again parked Ulster final heartbreak is admirable, albeit the tale of the entire 2024 season provided them with the wisdom of the bigger picture. 'I know all the players wanted to win that Ulster final. They still want to win one, but they still know that in sport it's always about the big prize. That's what you're pushing for the whole time. Once it's over, you realise you're still in the race that you started.' Related Reads Here is the Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final draw following today's action Armagh impress in victory over Dublin to ensure top group spot Ruthless Donegal put Cavan to the sword in 19-point win He wasn't inclined to be drawn into talk of whether the 2025 Armagh version is superior to last year's offering, but in the form of Ross McQuillan, Jarly Óg Burns, and Darragh McMullan, there is no shortage of encouragement. Armagh's Rory Grugan with Dublin's Killian McGinnis and Sean Bugler. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO And man-of-the-match Rory Grugan drew special praise. 'I think Rory's one of the best players I've ever seen. He's outstanding, has been for us for years. You always look at it from a different perspective. You see it from the inside out rather from the outside in. It's another good performance from him.' Farrell knew what his Dublin team would collide with. The consequence will sharpen their minds, Dublin have now lost two games in a championship season for only the second time in 21 years. 'Today was always going to be a massive test for us, a huge, huge challenge. They're a very, very talented and well-drilled team. 'There's huge learning, I think. The challenge is how quickly we can embrace that. We're into knockout football at this stage and that was always coming. 'Maybe two weeks earlier than we would have liked. But that possibility was always there. Derry is going to be formidable opposition.'
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Sean Cavanagh takes cheeky dig at Jim McGuinness and Donegal
Sean Cavanagh took a cheeky dig at Jim McGuinness and Donegal over the weekend. McGuinness' men moved to the top of Group 1 in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship following a 3-26 to 1-13 victory over Cavan away from home on Sunday. However, all four teams in the group are level on two points and it's all to play for in the final round of games. Down also went top of Group 3 on Saturday as they ran out winners by 0-25 to 0-24 against Louth and it was in praising the Mourne Men that Cavanagh took aim at McGuinness and Donegal. The Tyrone legend told RTE: "You mention tradition there. The last ten years really, since you boys (Donegal) ruined it for everyone and played your defensive football, it's been hard to watch. "At times Down have been hard to watch. I sat and talked with a microphone that it doesn't suit the culture of Down football. I grew up in the early 90s watching the Down attacking teams, there was the Down in the 60s, they were all built on brilliant attacking football. "Now that the game has moved back towards that style of attacking football, they seem to be playing better. It suits them as a county." Meanwhile, McGuinness said a duty of care to his players led to his sideline row with Cavan boss Raymond Galligan. "We weren't happy with some of the things that were going on, on the pitch," he stated. "We had two transitional moments and both of them were stopped for head injuries, so we were getting annoyed with that. "We had [referee] Sean Hurson on the sideline in the second-half and you can have a really good conversation with him. In the first half we weren't happy with a lot of the things that were going on and we were bringing it to attention, but we were being blanked. "So sometimes you have to deal with it yourself and that's what we did. This is football and these things do happen. "My duty of care is to my players and if I feel my players are being taken advantage of in any way or not getting a fair shake in any way, then it's up to me to do something about it and deal with that. That's what I did."
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Kieran McGeeney rues missed goal chances but happy that Armagh topped group
Kieran McGeeney felt both his Armagh side and Dublin failed to hit the heights in their clash at Croke Park, while also lamenting the number of goal chances spurned by the All-Ireland SFC champions. A five-point win at GAA HQ ensured the Ulster county's progression through to the quarter-finals of this year's race for Sam Maguire, with the Dubs now needing to avoid defeat in their final-round encounter against Derry to ensure that they remain involved. It was a deserved win for Armagh, this despite the 17 wides that Dessie Farrell's side chalked up and their 4/3 breaches. For McGeeney, he felt his side could have made a greater indent on the scoreboard by way of raising green flags. Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he summed up the clash by saying: "Both teams weren't at their best." On the failure to put the ball past Stephen Cluxton, he said: "We missed a lot of goal chances in the first half and they missed a lot of chances overall. "There wouldn't have been much in it if they had their shooting boots on. We had four one-on-ones with Stephen and got nothing out of it and I think they got three points from our 12-point chances. Look, it was great to win the game and we top the group, so that's a big thing for us." That said, the Orchard County boss was less than impressed by what he witnessed. Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney sees plenty of room for improvement with his side's performance, despite their five point victory over Dublin at Croke Park, a win that sends them into the to All-Ireland quarter-finals. #RTEGAA #TheSundayGame — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 He added: "You can see the pace of Dublin when they go on the attack and they are frightening when they go through that middle part. We were happy with some parts but if we are to progress any further we will need a big improvement. "We did a lot of good stuff but at this level you have to take those chances. Cluxton is a top keeper but we made it easy for them and I'm sure Dessie is in there giving them loads for missing those point chances." His opposite number also lamented his side's accuracy in front of the posts, Farrell commenting: "It was disappointing in that I thought we prepared well but we were sloppy out there. Shooting efficiency cost us dearly and we had a couple of those technical breaches as well, which was very unlike us. "That cost us five points and you won't get way with that against a team like Armagh. At this stage we have to stay on script and keep driving on; it's about development, growth, taking the lessons, and continuing to build for ourselves. There are ups and downs along the way. Today wasn't a good day and we're into knockout football now." Dublin boss Dessie Farrell was left to rue wayward shooting and technical infringements as his side suffered a five point defeat to Armagh at Croke Park. #RTEGAA #TheSundayGame — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 1, 2025 What will frustrate Farrell even more was that his troops started brightly but could not regain the initiative when Armagh got on top after the 20-minute mark in the opening half. "The first quarter was really good and we looked very sharp and very clinical. We then lost our way and we'll try and unpack that from a mental perspective as well as everything else. "That second quarter before half-time was costly, we were constantly chasing and though at times were getting a foothold, getting at their kickout which was very difficult to do. "That was giving us a bit of momentum but we could not convert off that and had a lot of bad wides, coupled with poor decision-making. "Shot selection in the last quarter could have had us closer but ultimately it didn't happen for us because we didn't perform the way we would have wanted to."
