Wexford unable to bridge the gap as Kilkenny saunter to Leinster Senior camogie championship success
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Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
John McGrath still in the dark about his topsy-turvy Tipperary form
You'll remember it as the National League game in March between Tipperary and Kilkenny, when four players were sent off. For John McGrath, that Division 1A encounter, which Tipp won, had an entirely different significance. It was exactly 12 months to the day since he'd previously started a competitive game for Tipp and the goal poaching inside forward was desperate to show Liam Cahill something, anything, to turn his head. McGrath scored two points against Kilkenny but was replaced with 20 minutes to go and didn't feature at all in their last two league games, one of which was the final. Closing in on his 31st birthday, and with a couple of seasons of indifferent form behind him, a period punctuated by injuries, he was sailing close to yesterday's man territory. Five months on from that Kilkenny game, Tipp are All-Ireland champions again and McGrath is in the conversation for the Hurler of the Year award. Good luck trying to convince a player who has just found his missing mojo that he might be as well off bowing out on a high now. PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for July in hurling, John McGrath of Tipperary, with his award at PwC offices in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile "After the year that's just gone by, I'd be mad to be going anywhere," smiled McGrath, the PwC Player of the Month for July in hurling. He ended up starting all eight of Tipp's Championship games and returned 7-16, including 2-2 in the final whitewash of Cork. Getting the nod for the Munster opener against Limerick was a surprise at the time but he repaid Cahill's faith with 2-1. "When Liam came to me and said they were going to put me in, I put a huge emphasis on that game then, just for myself," revealed McGrath, who was aware he hadn't started a Championship game since 2023. "I probably made it out in my own head to be a lot bigger than the first round of a Munster championship. Maybe that was just what I needed at the time. I got the opportunity for the frustration I had built up, to let it off and just release it." McGrath still has a lot of unanswered questions about it all. Like why he was jettisoned for those last two league games. "I did okay that day against Kilkenny, without being really threatening, but I did okay," he reckoned. And, generally, why had he suddenly struggled to do things which came so easy earlier on in his career? He was a two-time All-Ireland medallist, from 2016 and 2019, and an All-Star after all. The Achilles injury that he picked up in the summer of 2022 was a serious one and naturally halted his gallop but, if he's honest, a rot had set in even before that. "I've had my head wrecked thinking about stuff like this for a long time," he said. "I remember before Covid kind of started, I felt as good as I ever had. Really, really good. I enjoyed the club campaign when it kicked off that year. I remember then going back to play the inter-county championship later that year and it was like I was carrying two blocks around with me. Just for no apparent reason. "I don't know what you can put it down to. We would have played a lot of club games but it didn't seem to affect other guys to the same extent. The trend kind of continued for a little while that I was still having quite good club campaigns but at times I felt miles off the inter-county stuff, in terms of just being a yard or two slower, chasing everything and I was just constantly under pressure." He still isn't any the wiser about why things went south, before suddenly pivoting and trending northwards again this summer. "I've no real sliding doors moment or any one or two things I could put it down to," he shrugged. "I wish I knew, it would be great." He's back on the club beat now with Loughmore Castleiney, championship games in both hurling and football already under the belt since Tipp's season ended. There'll probably be another All-Star award to pick up shortly. He wasn't sure if he'd see these days again. He is grateful to Cahill, for trusting him as he did when there were other options available for the Limerick game. And for steering Tipp back from the brink generally over the last 12 months or so when the world and his mother were blaming the bainisteoir for apparently training his teams too hard. "It's easy to throw different narratives out when things aren't going well," said McGrath. "I think players and management, everyone just kind of looked inside themselves first and foremost. And everyone came back with the right attitude, that there was no one blaming or second guessing anyone else. We knew we had good people and the right people to fix the wrongs of our performances in the previous few years."
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Irish presidential hopeful leads star-studded turnout at Hurling for Cancer Research fundraising match
GAA stars weren't the only sports figures who got involved BEST GAME Irish presidential hopeful leads star-studded turnout at Hurling for Cancer Research fundraising match PRESIDENTIAL hopeful Sean Kelly was among many famous faces attending the Hurling for Cancer Research fundraising match on Monday. The annual charity match was held at Carlow's Netwatch Cullen Park in front of a bumper crowd in aid of the Irish Cancer Society. 4 Munster MEP Kelly is of course also a former president of the GAA 4 Kilkenny stars past and present Walter Walsh, TJ Reid and Eoin Cody lined out for Jim Bolger's Stars Credit: Sportsfile Advertisement 4 Managerial icons Brian Cody and John Kiely were in opposition just like days gone by Credit: Sportsfile 4 Paul Townend was one of the horse racing stars to aid his support Credit: Sportsfile TJ Reid helped Jim Bolger's Stars win the annual game as it rained goals all evening. Managed by Limerick boss John Kiely and Wexford legend Liam Griffin, the Kilkenny veteran and his side beat an equally stacked Davy Russell's Best line-up — for whom Clare's Peter Duggan looked hot — 14-10 to 8-13. Advertisement The enjoyable spectacle saw current and former hurling stars and figures from other sports line out for the racing pair's teams. Bolger's side led 8-7 to 4-7 at half-time. Russell's crew, coached by All-Ireland-winning Tipperary chief Liam Cahill and Kilkenny icon Brian Cody, played their part in a cracking night for a great cause. At the time of writing over €14,000 has been raised with donations still welcome through its idonate page here. Kelly, 73, is set to vie with Heather Humphreys for the Fine Gael nomination for November's presidential election. Advertisement The party were forced to pick another runner after first choice candidate Mairead McGuinness withdrew due to a medical condition. Ireland South MEP Kelly had previously expressed an interest in running for the Aras but stood down to clear the way for former European Commissioner McGuinness. The Kerry native reaffirmed his interest in representing the party in the election when McGuinness withdrew – leaving him on a collision course with Humphreys. The former Social Protection Minister is understood to be the preferred candidate by the party leadership having left politics ahead of the last general election in a shock decision. Henry Shefflin among GAA stars at Oasis gigs where Man City tradition made its Croke Park debut Speaking to RTE's Morning Ireland today, Kelly announced his decision to seek the party's nomination and said "circumstances have changed". Advertisement In a statement, he said: "With Mairead having to withdraw, that changed the position – we needed a candidate.' 'I'm delighted and enthusiastic about the prospect of running for president of Ireland." He added: "As someone who has devoted my life to serving communities across Ireland, as a teacher, as president of the GAA, and for the past 16 years as MEP for Ireland South, I am confident that I can represent the country with integrity, inclusiveness, and a commitment to our communities. "To be entrusted with that honour would be the greatest privilege of my life." ALL CHANGED Speaking to Northern Sound radio this morning, Humphreys confirmed she has "decided to go for it" as she put herself forward for the party's contest to select a presidential candidate. Advertisement The former Minister for Social Protection said everything has changed following McGuinness' decision to withdraw from the race. The Fine Gael National Executive last night held a meeting to discuss the party's plan for the election, with the party agreeing to reopen the nomination process. Nominations for the party's presidential candidate reopen at midday today and will close at midday on September 2.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Smiles trump scores as Hurling for Cancer Research match draws big crowd to Carlow
Hurling for Cancer Research: Jim Bolger's Stars 9-25 Davy Russell's Best 8-14 Long before the Killeshin Pipe Band led the pre-match parade, the main stand in Netwatch Cullen Park was already wedged. They were packed in on the terraces too for an evening of hurling, entertainment and, most importantly, fundraising in the fight against a common enemy. Joe Canning summed up the remarkable machine that the Hurling for Cancer charity game has become when he told the crowd in an interview that he was late because of the traffic around Carlow Town. Jim Bolger's Stars won the game although, truth be told, nobody seemed too bothered. Not even the Stars themselves. Their official tally of 9-25 was actually way off. The scoreboard couldn't go into double figures for goals so three points were added on instead for the last few goals. And even at that, whoever was working the machine failed to include the very last of those goals, scored in garbage time by former Kilkenny star Walter Walsh. A lax approach was obvious enough after the very first play. Lee Chin whipped a pass across the pitch to TJ Reid who appeared to split the posts routinely enough but with the umpires appearing to forget their duties, no flag was raised. So no score stood. Tipperary great Brendan Cummins, fresh from his battle with Annaverna Mountain in the All-Ireland Poc Fada final, defied his birth certificate again. In the first 10 minutes, the 50-year-old pulled off five different goal saves, thwarting the efforts of Adam Screeney, Dublin dual star Con O'Callaghan, Rory O'Connor and TJ Reid. Each of the saves got a giant cheer. Aidan McCarthy came on for Jim Bolger's All-Stars and scored their sixth goal, prompting Marty Morrissey and Anthony Daly on the live stadium commentary to suggest that he might use it as a springboard to a county return in 2026. Fingers will remain crossed in Clare. Not even the promise of a free night in a Liam Griffin-owned hotel for the Man of the Match prompted any great increase in intensity. Rather, it was an evening for tricks and skills, overhead pulls and ground strikes. Bolger's crew hit the interval with a 8-7 to 4-7 advantage. Despite what the official scoreline suggested at the end of the game, the players in yellow added another seven goals before full-time. Those goals came from the hurls of Offaly duo Brian Duignan and Brian Carroll, who struck a brace of goals apiece, Kilkenny great Eddie Brennan, Reid and Walsh. Commentator Aisling O'Reilly showed her skills with 1-1 for Davy Russell's Best. Dublin brothers Brian and Ronan Hayes also struck goals for the reds while Sean Carroll reeled off a hat-trick of late points for them. It was an evening when smiles were more important than scores though and the players and various celebrities hung around on the field afterwards to sign autographs and pose for selfies. For once on a GAA pitch, it turned out that everyone was a winner.
