Dublin v Meath: It's the LGFA's day in the sun as Leinster rivals meet in All-Ireland final at Croke Park
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cork coach Kevin Walsh's intentions becoming clear as John Cleary looks to 2026
Kevin Walsh is set to continue coaching the Cork footballers for another season. The former Galway and Sligo boss has worked under manager John Cleary for the past three seasons and all indications are that he will stay in the role for the 2026 campaign, reports. Cleary completed a three-year term with this year's All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final defeat to Dublin having initially taken on the role on a caretaker basis during the 2022 season after incumbent Keith Ricken took ill. He was handed a fresh two-year term last week despite the team failing to kick on having exited at the preliminary quarter-final stage for the second successive season after reaching the last eight in 2023. However, there were some signs of encouragement, particularly in the Munster semi-final against Kerry, which the eventual champions went on to win after extra time, while Cork were in the ascendancy for much of that preliminary quarter-final against Dublin before slipping to a three-point defeat. The acquisition of Walsh was seen as something of a coup for Cleary given how he had progressed Sligo and particularly his native Galway during his spells in as manager in both counties, though the length of the commute has raised questions as to how sustainable it would be for the two-time All-Ireland winning midfielder, whose services would be in demand closer to home. However, it appears as though the management team is remaining largely intact as Cork gear up for another season in Division Two next year. Along with Walsh, Cleary also had Micheál Ó Cróinín, James Loughrey, Barry Corkery and Jim O'Donoghue on the ticket. Meanwhile, there is still no firm indication around whether hurling manager Pat Ryan will continue in the job after the devastating All-Ireland final loss to Tipperary. The 16-point defeat last month officially brought his three-year term to a close though it is believed that there is an appetite among the county board executive to grant him another season if he wants it. This year Ryan guided Cork to their first League title since 1998 and bridged a seven-year gap to their last Munster title, but the season has been largely coloured by their spectacular second half collapse in the All-Ireland final, and whether the Sarsfields man is prepared to soldier on in the wake of that disappointment remains to be seen.
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Wexford GAA take unprecedented step around club championship schedule due to Electric Picnic Festival
Some noses have been put out of joint over it WEXFORD GAA have taken the novel step of instituting a gap week when the Electric Picnic Festival is on. The progressive step was taken on the basis of two primary reasons. 2 This year's edition of the music and arts bonanza will be held from August 29-31 Credit: Getty 2 Round five of the county's hurling championship had originally been slated for that weekend County chairman John Kenny laid both out to the Irish Independent. He noted: "The CCC based it on what went on on that weekend last year. "We had requests coming in from all over the place and everybody wanting to play their matches on a certain day at a certain time. "So we just had the weekend free in the calendar. "Unfortunately, we were out of our inter-county championships earlier than we had hoped this year and we just had the weekend to play with and we said we'd put it in then." Kenny did acknowledge that not every club official was pleased with the measure since there has just been a gap week while the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was on. But the vast majority of players are bound to appreciate not being put in the annual bind of choosing between lining out for their club and attending the Stradbally showpiece. It's a welcome good news story around GAA and the Model County given their hurling team's current plight. County legend Larry O'Gorman fears even darker days could be ahead – with the 1996 All-Ireland hero insisting that even a loss to Kildare would not come as a major shock. As evidenced by their failure to reach this year's All-Ireland series, O'Gorman feels his county have fallen behind Kilkenny, Galway and Dublin in the Leinster pecking order. He said: "Why didn't we qualify? Because them other teams are far greater than us at the moment. Inside Sharlene Mawdsley's 'delicious' yet atypical Tenerife holiday with GAA star boyfriend Mikey Breen 'We're well able to beat them on the big occasion. But when it comes to the crunch, or when it comes to qualifying for a Leinster final or an All-Ireland quarter-final or semi-final, it's a different kettle of fish. "And we haven't produced over the last number of years. That's the reason why we are where we are unfortunately.' ON THE RISE Kildare will enter the Leinster fray in 2026 as Joe McDonagh Cup champions. Backboned by their All-Ireland Under-20 winners of last year, Offaly are on the rise too. On the Faithful, O'Gorman said: "They're a young, fit, eager, hungry team. They've carried it from Under-20 into senior. We're going to be under pressure, to be honest. 'From a Dublin point of view, where they've come from, they're looking further down the field again next year. I think Dublin will be back in the Leinster final. "They'll be back in All-Ireland quarter-finals again next year. That's the level where Dublin are. 'From a Kildare point of view, their progress has risen so quick up the ladder that they can only get better. "Now, have they got the skill levels? Have they got the drive to stay up at that level? Or is this just a pop up and a pop back down? 'But I think Kildare, naturally the club in Naas are producing top-class hurlers but yeah, Kildare are going to be a threat to Wexford as well. "They're great hurlers, but the level we're at, I wouldn't be surprised if Kildare could even beat us."
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Larry O'Gorman fears Joe McDonagh future may await Wexford
Wexford great Larry O'Gorman reckons things could get worse for his county before they get better, acknowledging that relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup remains a possibility. The Model County only missed out on qualification for the All-Ireland series this year on scoring difference to Dublin and were just two points off a Leinster final spot. Former Hurler of the Year O'Gorman noted too that it was a 'blunder by the referee' in their narrow provincial group defeat to Dublin - a goal was awarded to the Dubs in error - that 'cost us the game'. But the 1996 All-Ireland winner said the bigger picture is that the county isn't producing enough high quality young players and is suffering from a relatively poor standard in the local club championship. Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Beko Club Champion, O'Gorman painted a gloomy picture for his county. "I said it last year that we could end up in the Joe McDonagh," said O'Gorman, who hasn't changed his opinion and is concerned by the progress being made by Offaly and McDonagh Cup winners Kildare. "Kildare are going to be a threat to Wexford as well. They're great hurlers. At the level we're at, I wouldn't be surprised if Kildare could even beat us." It'll be 30 years in 2026 since Wexford's last All-Ireland win though an anniversary MacCarthy Cup success seems unlikely, even if talisman Lee Chin has signed up again. Asked if things could get worse for Wexford, O'Gorman nodded. "I think we're heading that road," said the Faythe Harriers man. "We have the likes of Dee O'Keeffe, Liam Og McGovern, Matthew O'Hanlon who have retired. We have Lee Chin, probably one of our best hurlers for decades, we have Liam Ryan, Mark Fanning. These lads are getting on as well, they are 32, 33 years of age. "The younger generation are coming in but there's a big gap between them. They haven't really gelled together yet. They're not really hurling well as a unit." O'Gorman's suggestion is that Wexford go back to basics and put an increased emphasis on producing underage talent. "I was involved in 2014, 2015, 2016, maybe 2017 as well with Wexford underage," said O'Gorman. "I looked at a programme the other day, from 2015, out of 64 players, there was only two of them playing (senior in 2025) for Wexford. We've only Richie Lawlor and Conor Foley. There's another lad, in the extended panel, Tomas 'Tucker' Kinsella, that's all that have come through. "In Kilkenny, you have to serve your time as a senior hurler. In Wexford, we had three or four or five lads that came off the U-20 team with Keith Rossitter and they were put in straight away. But they were green going in, didn't of them didn't even play as senior hurlers for their club. It was their first year probably ever playing senior hurling for their club as well. So it's a big step up. "It takes a lot of effort, a lot of commitment and you can't expect the likes of Lee Chin and a few other lads to pull them along because they'll get tired pulling them along. You need good, top quality young lads coming through and, at the moment, we have good players. But to be at the level of Cork, Limerick and Tipperary, we'll have to be at a higher level, higher quality." O'Gorman said he'd love Wexford to appoint a figure like Anthony Daly to head up a major, long-term investment in underage hurling. "It could be a five-year plan, or a 10-year plan, and I think that's the only way it can work for Wexford," he said. Wexford did enjoy a golden period under Davy Fitzgerald, winning the 2019 Leinster title. O'Gorman said he's still haunted by their failure to beat Tipperary in that season's All-Ireland semi-final. As for the overall championship structure, he believes it should be tweaked to allow the fourth placed teams in Leinster and Munster - Wexford and Clare this year - to advance to the All-Ireland series, instead of the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists. "No disrespect to Laois or Kildare - they had their All-Ireland (final) the previous week and then they get an opportunity to come out to play in the All-Ireland qualifiers. It's no disrespect to them but I do think the likes of Clare, Waterford, whoever, Wexford, I think they should get another bite at the cherry." *For more information on the Beko Club Champion see
