No hint on Louth future from a refective Ger Brennan
Louth manager Ger Brennan was giving nothing away about his future with the county following Sunday's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship preliminary quarter-final 16-point defeat to Donegal in Ballybofey.
With two years done, two Leinster finals and a first Delaney Cup in 68 years, as well as Division Two league status maintained, Brennan has the option of a third year.
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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Crowley and Hurley give Munster the perfect start at Keady-Tassagh
Wins for Shane Crowley and Emma Hurley gave Munster the perfect start to the All-Ireland series at Keady-Tassagh on Saturday. Crowley's power gave him the edge over Tyrone's Eogan McVeigh in the boys U18 final. Twice he led by close to two bowls, but McVeigh rallied strongly in the final third. It was not enough to derail Crowley who is really maturing in his score management. Emma Hurley was tested too by Ellie-May Carr in the girls U18 final. She took a while to stamp her authority on the score, but once she did, she looked awesome at times. Carr kept pressing down to a brilliant purlicue around the last bend, which put Hurley in a sticky spot. She dealt with that with total calm, with two calculated perfect bowls. Crowley's temperament was put under the microscope from the off as his first bowl was called. He didn't flinch, he responded with an equally good effort. McVeigh beat that by three metres, in what would be his only lead. He was too wide with his next two and found himself a bowl down to Crowley's third. Crowley was close to two ahead after his fifth past Twyman's corner. McVeigh brought the lead under a bowl with a brilliant bowl up Gallogly's height. This became the narrative for much of the score, McVeigh knocking the bowl, Crowley raising it again and threatening to push clear. Crowley was almost two in front again after ten over McGeown's height. McVeigh closed the gap and saw it extend, till he finally got serious traction with a great 16th bowl past McKee's wall. He followed with another good bowl to the bridge. Crowley now had just 58m odds facing up the hill towards the line. McVeigh's gains were squandered when he got a poor shot up the hill. Crowley hit back with a monster bowl that beat the line and gave him victory by a bowl of odds. In the girls U18 final, Carr took the battle to Hurley winning the first three shots. Hurley won her first lead with a great fourth shot over McGeown's height. She pushed her lead out to 50m with her next one, but she could not break clear of a very tenacious Carr. She finally gained a big lead with her ninth past Twynam's cottage. Carr was back in it after her bowl past Twynam's corner. Hurley moved up the gears and raised a bowl at the bus stop. Carr made a valiant effort to turn the tide with a beautifully measured purlicue around the last bend. Hurley closed with two perfectly measured bowls, the first out under the hedge to full light, which kept her lead close to a bowl. She then sent a sizzling bowl down the hill past the line to seal it.
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Jack O'Connor in a place in Kerry football where he will be celebrated and not forgotten
ONE OF THE gifts Jarlath Burns has brought to the office of the GAA presidency is his intuition when reading the room. The committee is king in the GAA political world, which inevitably and understandably frames the world view of those who clamber to the top and who, in their big moments always lean on appreciation for the collective ahead of the individual; the county committees, the match officials, the diaspora, the grassroot volunteers and the players. But in an All-Ireland final in which the build-up was dominated by three individuals, Michael Murphy, David Clifford and Jim McGuinness, Burns acknowledged that reality in his presentation speech. He celebrated Murphy as the legend he is who came within a game of even bending time to his will as he sought to write the greatest comeback story ever written. He astutely ducked the challenge of articulating the greatness of Clifford, recognising what those of us in the press box have known for an age, that words are as ill equipped to describe the Fossa genius as zonal defences are in curbing him. And he hailed Jack O'Connor for winning a fifth All-Ireland to remind that the game we had just witnessed had been played out to his blueprint rather that of another great manager – despite McGuinness' repeated and genuine efforts all year to give credit exclusively to his players – who was sold as the one who was in the business of winning matches. Advertisement Kerry manager Jack O'Connor commiserates with Donegal manager Jim McGuinness. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Okay, it is more likely that Burns just wanted to remind that in a year when football lost its greatest manager how fitting it was that another from up the road in the parish of Waterville had his greatness cemented. It was timely too, because this could be the end for him. O'Connor said as much earlier in the year, pretty much confirmed it in the post final press conference before hiding behind mature reflection the following day to muddy the water around his intentions by suggesting he would take a bit of time over it. That might be genuine; he may have had his head turned by heartfelt pleas from his players on a giddy banquet night in the Burlo to give it one more go or, perhaps more likely, he may not have wanted his imminent departure to steal the thunder of his players glorious present. We have the latter on our betting slip. He has a track record of knowing his own mind, which is why he has left this post twice and returned to it twice. And if Carlsberg did departures this is how it would be, winning four trophies despite only entering three competitions, on the grounds that Kerry are now also the unofficial Ulster champions. He radiated a calmness and satisfaction when it was all over on Sunday evening that was a world away from the man who raged against his team's critics just 28 days earlier. He is 64 now and there is a time when living in a pressure cooker is neither good for man nor mind. Kerry manager Jack O'Connor during the homecoming in Tralee on Monday night. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Those who might think that the demands on managing Kerry are over-egged, a quick yarn which this column witnessed first hand. When Sam Maguire came calling to Caherciveen on the Friday night after the 2009 All-Ireland final win over Cork, heavy rain invited shelter as we waited for the team's arrival. As they finally made their way up the street, we made our way to the doorway of the hostelry where we were joined by another high stool pilot. 'Well, will you look at them there now with the cup and not a word about the All-Ireland that they fucked away last year,' he declared. It is not just the eaten bread that is quickly forgotten, sometimes the bread just baked is too. But O'Connor has not put himself in a place in Kerry football where not only will he not be forgotten, he will be celebrated too. Rightly. There are many attributes that made him the manager he has become, but perhaps the most obvious is a word he likes to use himself, 'cajones.' He has never been afraid to roll the dice. Trace a finger over all his All-Ireland wins and they have been marked by big calls. The introduction of Paul Galvin and Aidan O'Mahony in 2004 providing the raw physical edge that had been exploited up north, going back to the future to put a big man at the edge of the square in the 2006, the reshaping of the spine of his defence in the mid-summer of 2009 by luring Michael McCarthy out of retirement while having to drop Tomas Ó Sé and Gooch Cooper, and, of course, importing a Tyrone coach in Paddy Tally in 2022, which was a poke in the eye to local puritans. This year, he defied a run of critical injuries not by accident but by design, moving Graham O'Sullivan from the full-back line to half-forward became even more valuable as middle options contracted, while the integration of back-up midfielders Sean O'Brien and Mark O'Shea was a masterclass in clarity of coaching and purpose. Related Reads The top 10 moments of the 2025 All-Ireland football championship Where to now for Donegal after a final where they were thoroughly outplayed and outthought? A day of days for Kerry as they complete the Ulster clean sweep Kerry manager Jack O'Connor celebrates the final whistle with Cian O'Connor and Ger O'Mahony. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO His other gift is his nose for management team talent. His recruitment of an athletics coach in Pat Flanagan gave his team of the noughties an explosive edge, the detailing of Eamon Fitzmaurice on video analysis moulded an All-Ireland winning manager and the most insightful pundit to ever be introduced to a microphone in one fell swoop, the introduction of Tally turned the Kerry defence from a leaking sieve into a strong-box. And, then he goes and leaves his best trick for possibly his last one. Working with an entire new management team in a brand new game, he brought in Cian O'Neill – and the desire for Jack to stay will be accentuated by hope that relationship extends to another season – with the focus of returning to a more direct style, providing a different play-book but not necessarily a brand new one. The sight of David Clifford drifting out to the half-forward line last Sunday invited an obvious comparison with James O'Donoghue's selfless role in the 2014 final, when O'Neill was Fitzmaurice's coach. The difference was that the scale of Clifford's talent and rule changes that have left blanket defences wafer thin, meant that this time it was designed to sting and not just stretch. In all of that, O'Connor has left a body of work behind him which has left football's most challenging and irksome constituents with barely a bone to pick. In a land that has made a sport out of doing just that, it may be his greatest validation of all. *****
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
The 2011 All-Ireland winner targetting more success with Dublin
IT WAS LATE last November when Mick Bohan announced he was stepping down as Dublin manager after five All-Ireland titles in eight years. The departure came as somewhat of a surprise for Paul Casey, the 2011 All-Ireland winner who had been the team's defence coach since 2018. Now joint manager with Derek Murray, and preparing for tomorrow's All-Ireland final against Meath, Casey recalls how they took charge. 'We had met numerous times after last year, and Mick seemed at one stage that he was all set to go again, and he had his backroom team in place. There were probably a couple of things going on with himself, and he obviously felt that he needed to step away. 'We had a chat amongst ourselves. We knew the county board would open up the position for anybody that wanted to apply to it. We spoke to a couple of the members of the backroom team that we would have been keeping on for continuity and put our names forward. We went through the process with the county board, and here we are.' While admitting the appointment 'probably happened later in the year than we would have liked' — it was confirmed the week before Christmas — Casey details a smooth transition. And a 'good partnership' with Murray, who he previously shared coaching duties with. The Lucan Sarsfields-Round Towers clubmen have known each other some time, and Casey would have suggested to Bohan to bring him into the set-up in 2022. Advertisement A couple of years later, they're a joint management double act, following in the footsteps of Kerry All-Ireland winning duo Declan Quill and Darragh Long. 'I remember Declan Quill sending me a message last year, 'Look what we are after starting now,'' Casey laughs. 'I think we work well together, and I think we know how each other works, and we know what each other's strengths are. There are very little discussions about who should do what.' Casey celebrating All-Ireland glory in 2011. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Casey didn't always have managerial ambitions, but he is enjoying the 'full-on' job. 'No, I loved doing my role under Mick and working predominantly with the defence, but I think I was only one member of a large backroom team there, and it's still very much the same thing. There's a couple of extra things that you obviously have to take on, and make sure everybody on the management team are happy as well. But myself and Derek are able to share a load in terms of that, and still doing lots on the field. 'I probably wouldn't have thought of it. I never would have envisaged myself staying on after Mick, but I suppose the time of year it was and knowing that there was still a lot of quality players within the group, it would have been awful to see those players maybe step away if there was going to be a completely new change as well.' Two they are particularly glad to have on board are Hannah Tyrrell and Sinéad Goldrick. Tyrrell has shared her plans to retire after tomorrow's decider, the 34-year-old set to bring the curtain down on a remarkable, three-sport career. The goalkeeper-turned-forward has starred at the highest level in Gaelic football, soccer and rugby, and has All-Ireland, FAI Cup and Six Nations medals in her back pocket. Goldrick, 35, is a four-time All-Ireland winner, eight-time All-Star, and AFLW Premiership champion. A pact was made Down Under as Tyrrell holidayed; last year's All-Ireland quarter-final disappointment and Goldrick missing the 2023 win two contributing factors. 'When Hannah was in Australia, they met each other and spent a couple of days together, and Hannah told her, 'I'll come back if you're coming back,' or else vice versa, and I think they both saw there was another year in them,' Casey reveals. Casey and Murray met Tyrrell upon her return, and the rest is history, with a colossal 8-33 scored in this championship campaign. 'We're lucky in this country, we have many, many great sportswomen, but she's up there with them to have done it at soccer, rugby, and to be still doing it at 35 years of age, with a child at home, is a testament to her commitment to anything she applies herself to.' Sinéad Goldrick on the charge against Meath. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO 'Goldie is such a leader,' he adds. 'You look at some of the player profiles of the younger generation now, where they ask who their sporting heroes were growing up, and there's Sinéad Aherne, Sinéad Goldrick . . . 'We forget sometimes with Goldie that she's that age, and some of these kids probably were only in nurseries when she was starting her career, but she's fantastic and she sets standards in training. She's always demanding the best out of everybody, and more so out of herself.' The 2021 final, in which Meath ended Dublin's Drive for Five and won their first All-Ireland, has been referenced plenty this week. Casey concedes the Royals 'caught us on the hop possibly' but doesn't see it as 'any motivating factor'. Related Reads 'I was trending number one in Ireland on Twitter ahead of Rashford and Coldplay!' Leading Meath, AFLW adventure, and a couple chasing All-Ireland glory As both a player and coach, the All-Ireland final memories are plentiful. 'There's no better place to play football,' he smiles, looking out on the Croke Park turf. At 43, his club career has come to an end. 'I played a bit of junior football last year, but the body is telling me no now. I just don't have time, so watching on. 'Even it's funny, you're still watching some of the games in the men's championship and you're saying I didn't know that rule was in place because you're so engrossed in the ladies game now.' Casey was glued to last weekend's men's decider between Kerry and Donegal at home, however, his Kingdom roots strong with his father, Michael, hailing from Portmagee. 'Somebody text me on Sunday evening and said Dylan Casey is some fourth, fifth, sixth cousin of mine! 'It probably wasn't the best game but I just thought Kerry brought their A game to Croke Park and on the day that really mattered and in fairness to Jack O'Connor, to win five All-Irelands is a massive achievement but to come back and do it in three different tenures is superb.' *****
