Brian McLoughlin makes the difference off the bench as Kildare book Tailteann Cup final date with Limerick
Brian McLoughlin changed the course of a dire Tailteann Cup semi-final with his impressive 0-4 contribution off the bench booking Kildare's place in the final.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'That wasn't pretty at all' - Brian Flanagan frank on nature of Kildare win
Kildare manager Brian Flanagan was happy to admit that his side had to resort to winning ugly in their Tailteann Cup semi-final against Fermanagh, but securing a berth in the final was no small feat for a county with a dire record at Croke Park. The Lilywhites recorded just their fourth win in 24 games at HQ as Fermanagh were dispatched on a 1-13 to 0-09 scoreline. A couple of downpours and slippery underfoot conditions conspired to produce an instantly forgettable affair, although Brian McLoughlin's scoring prowess off the bench was a joy to behold. "That wasn't pretty at all," Flanagan freely admitted in his post-match interview with RTÉ Sport. "I don't think the highlights reel will take too long on TV! Probably a hard watch for people, but from our point of view a semi-final is there to be won. "There's obviously a little bit of history on the negative side with Kildare coming to Croker in the last few years and not winning. "Winning was everything today and moving on for three weeks' time and knowing that we won't get away with a performance like that. "But it was enough to win today. It won't be enough in three weeks, but we are delighted to win." "We didn't play well, we were poor on the day, but we found a way to win," Kildare manager Brian Flanagan's candidly admits after overcoming Fermanagh in the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 22, 2025 Kildare's general profligacy in front of the posts is a weakness Flanagan must address before the decider against Limerick, with the manager of the view that nerves got the better of many of his forwards. "Maybe nerves and anxiety got in on a few lads, in terms of pulling the trigger today," he opined. "We did look a little bit apprehensive for a lot of the game. "Obviously Brian McLoughlin comes in and he seemed to kick with a bit of freedom and brought us into the game and brought other lads out of their shell a small bit. "James's goal at the end then just gave us that breathing space, but we didn't really open up until probably the last five to 10 minutes, very tight up to that. "Conditions to be fair, there were a couple of really, really heavy downpours throughout the game and that didn't help but I'm not making excuses. "We didn't play well, we were poor on the day but we found a way to win in the last five or 10 minutes and we move on from it." McLoughlin only entered the fray for Ryan Sinkey in the 44th minute, but finished the match with a personal haul of five points, with his unerring accuracy earning him the man of the match award. "I suppose I was probably a little bit disappointed not to get much game time last week and I put my shoulder to the wheel during the week, just hoping to get called upon at some stage and luckily a few of the shots went over," the sharpshooter said afterwards. "When we lost to Louth, we were obviously very disappointed but Flanno and the lads said we really needed to drive on in this Tailteann Cup and it will be an opportunity to play Sam Maguire next year so it's another step in the right direction and we'll look forward to three weeks' time." Echoing his manager's sentiments that the result rather than performance was paramount, he added: "A lot of things didn't go our way in the first half and I think our kick-outs were a little bit disappointing and we missed a lot.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Kildare and Limerick to battle for Tailteann Cup after wins over Fermanagh and Wicklow
Kildare and Limerick will contest next month's Tailteann Cup final, no great surprise considering they're the two teams yet to taste defeat in the competition. You'd have got good odds on that July 12th final pairing materialising at the three-quarter stages of their respective semi-finals though. Kildare, admittedly, were good value for their 1-13 to 0-9 win over Fermanagh considering they created 32 chances overall, to Fermanagh's 21. But with 55 minutes on the clock, the scores tied at 0-8 apiece, and Kildare having lost their previous five league and championship encounters at Croke Park, nobody wearing white in the 13,960 strong crowd was taking progression for granted. READ MORE Substitute Brian McLoughlin ultimately changed the course of the game with four points in a row to give the Leinster semi-finalists a significant cushion in a low-scoring game. McLoughlin's first two scores were points, followed by a two-pointer, and the Clane man added another point late on. His 0-5 tally matched the 1-2 he scored seven years ago on the same pitch when Kildare won the All-Ireland Under-20 final in 2018. James McGrath glossed the scoreline somewhat with a goal in the 69th minute for Kildare, his third in a row having previously netted against Offaly in the preliminary quarter-final and against Sligo. Tailteann Cup Semi Final, Croke Park, Dublin 22/6/2025 Kildare vs Fermanagh Fermanagh's Darragh McGurn with Kildare's Kevin Feely and Brian Byrne Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon Fermanagh rued their failure to grab a goal, particularly when Kildare's Kevin Feely and Brian Byrne somehow cleared a ball off the line in the 60th minute. But Fermanagh manager Kieran Donnelly acknowledged the best team won with Kildare creating four clear goal chances overall, aside from the one that McGrath converted. They also tallied 14 wides. 'Semi-finals are kind of a day when you just need to win,' said Kildare manager Brian Flanagan. 'As bad as the first half was, we still felt that if we could get one or two things right in the second-half and find our groove moving forward, we'd be okay.' Limerick were in particularly dire straits at the three-quarter mark of their semi-final against Wicklow, trailing by seven points. Oisin McConville's side had dominated the third quarter, turning a one-point half-time deficit into a seven-point lead, 1-16 to 1-9. Three Dean Healy points for Wicklow, along with a goal from Malachy Stone, had propelled the Garden County clear. Oisin McGraynor punched the air in delight after his 50th-minute point left seven in it. But Limerick's response was emphatic and decisive, a blistering 16-minute burst of scoring that yielded 1-9 powering them to a 2-18 to 1-17 win. Rob Childs got the blitzkrieg under way with an unlikely Limerick goal as he dispossessed Wicklow goalkeeper Mark Jackson after a routine catch and kicked to an empty net. Tailteann Cup Semi Final, Croke Park, Dublin 22/6/2025 Wicklow vs Limerick Wicklow's Mark Kenny with Limerick's Iain Corbett Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon At the other end, Limerick goalkeeper Josh Ryan took centre stage with two brilliant long-range frees, amounting to 0-4 for his team while Danny Neville added a point to bring his tally to 1-2. Limerick had earlier taken off prolific forward James Naughton due to an apparent knock. Wicklow's agony was compounded by a wasted penalty kick in the 57th minute, Ryan turning McGraynor's kick on to the post and away to safety. It was Limerick's fifth successive win in the competition, though they will still go into the final as underdogs against this Kildare side which started the summer as favourites. 'They dug really deep when the chips were down,' said Limerick manager Jimmy Lee. 'They showed the resilience and character that I've spoken about all year. Even when the big names went off; James Naughton, Emmett Rigter, Iain Corbett, Paul Maher, the young fellas came in like Tadhg Ó Siochrú and Darragh Murray, Barry Coleman, they were the ones who brought it home in fairness to them.' Tailteann Cup semi-final results: Limerick 2-18 Wicklow 1-16 Kildare 1-13 Fermanagh 0-9
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
'It's our time' says Limerick semi-final hero Josh Ryan
Limerick goalkeeper Josh Ryan hailed their victory over Wicklow in today's Tailteann Cup semi-final as a massive step forward for the county, having overcome a huge personal battle to be part of it. The Treaty came from seven points down to progress to the decider with Kildare next month and are now a win away from entering the All-Ireland Football Championship next year. Man of the match Ryan saved a penalty and also kicked a couple of two-pointers. Speaking after the match, he shared what it means to Limerick GAA and credited his team-mates' resilience and closeness for their success. "It means a lot to to be fair," he told RTÉ Sport. "The football people of Limerick, we haven't given them too many days out. But thankfully, our time has kind of come now and it's about getting to a final and going that next step. "I'm looking forward to a final. We've prepared but have got a lot more preparation to go as well. So we'll take that as it comes. "I think this team has showed a lot of resilience the whole way through the year. We had two losses at the start of the league. And we just stayed resilient. We kept close as a group, there's serious camaraderie within us." Limerick goalkeeper Josh Ryan in the man of the match after his penalty save and two-point kicks helped his side secure their place in the Tailteann Cup final. — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 22, 2025 In 2022 Ryan suffered a serious injury, breaking his tibia in three places, which forced him to take 17 months out of the game to recover. The sacrifices and determination needed was certainly on his mind as the final whistle went. "It looked fairly bleak inside the hospital in Limerick for 12 days lying on my back amd I didn't think I'd see the day again to be honest with you. "Every day we're playing with Limerick, I look at the program and see my name. That's what it means, to see your name on an inter-county panel again is great." Limerick boss Jimmy Lee expressed immense pride at his team's strength of character and the depth of talent on the squad. "The resilience that the boys have shown, even when we were being beaten, [has been a key factor]. "They dug deep. Seeing the big names coming off, the strength and depth in the squad is, and I know I keep saying it, actually phenomenal. "From one to 38 anyone could be on that 26 and there was a time we were fighting for the first 15. "Now we're fighting for the first 26, it's a great complaint. I'm delighted to have it."
