The two-time senior All-Ireland-winning boss who led his club to Galway glory as player-manager
But in 2015, they were without a manager and nobody was volunteering for the job. They had failed to emerge from the group stage of the 2014 senior championship, and players were losing hope. A few people were auditioned for the role of manager but none were the right fit.
Cathal Murray, a defender on the team, suddenly became a candidate for the job. His name came up during discussions among some his teammates and they decided to make an approach. Another defender, Eamon Cleary, was selected as their spokesman for the negotiations.
'I think Cathal knew the situation was coming,' Cleary continues.' And I think he nearly wanted us to go to him.'
Murray had been building a steady bank of coaching experience up to that point, having impressed at underage level in the club.
Cleary played on an U10 team that Murray was in charge of, and some of the core players from the 2015 senior outfit had won an U16 county title with him as manager. There was some continuity in the appointment.
'He was willing to take it up. And when you think back now to be a player-manager of a senior team, I don't know how he did it. Unbelievable stuff really.'
Sarsfields players celebrating their 2015 county title victory. Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO / INPHO
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The start of Murray's playing career coincided with those golden years for Sarsfields. After their '93-'94 success, they returned to the final once more during that decade, where Murray made a substitute appearance. Offaly giants Birr denied them a third All-Ireland crown in 1998.
Murray was introduced in the first half of that 1-13 to 0-9 defeat, coming into a team that still contained some Galway greats including Joe Cooney and Michael 'Hopper' McGrath.
When Cleary joined the senior ranks of the club in the 2000s, he became close friends with Murray as well as teammates.
'We would have played a lot together and soldiered a lot.
'He would have played with probably nearly every great hurler that went through Sarsfield's bar, the lads that played in the 1980s.
'And then the current cup of players we have now, like Kevin Cooney and Joseph Cooney, Cathal would have played with them as well. He had a massive career takeout. He was one of our top performers every day we went out.
'The length of his career says a lot about him, how good he was and how well he looked after himself.'
Galway great Joe Cooney playing for Sarsfields. INPHO INPHO
Improvements didn't immediately follow after Cathal took charge. It took time to rinse out the problems that were holding the team back. By Cleary's recollection, winning games in insolation wasn't their issue. Inconsistency was the plague upon their house.
'We weren't able to put a string of results together,' he adds.
Murray's remedy to the matter was to explore the depths of the Sarsfields squad. He blooded in young players, took chances and adopted a group-led approach to their championship campaign. He never relied on the same 17 or 18 players for results.
'How we analysed games, S&C, the whole team he put around him… He had lads doing stats of matches and all these things that we might have been explored in the past, but we had never really done it,' Cleary continues about the professionalism under Murray's watch.
'As the year went on, the players probably started to see this. And that's probably the one thing that he did that got everyone to roll in and say, 'Geez, this is a little bit different here now this year. And we're a little more serious about what we're doing.''
Sarsfields ended the 2015 season as county champions after defeating Craughwell in a replay. Loughrea was the only team that defeated Sarsfields in the competition, clinching a 2-22 to 0-14 win in what was the last round of the group stage.
Sarsfields bounced back with a quarter-final victory over Pádraig Pearses before accounting for Gort to book their place in the final.
Murray started both games of the county final against Craughwell, lining out in the half-backline for the replay which ended 2-10 to 0-14 following goals from Joseph Cooney and Noel Kelly. It was Sarsfields' first county title since 1997, and their seventh in all.
A backroom team which included Francis Madden and Pádraig Earls were Murray's eyes and ears on the sideline while Athenry's John Hardiman was also drafted in to help during the knockout stages.
'He has a brilliant ability of surrounding himself with really good people. He knows what it takes to win.
'He would have had different roles in Sarsfield down through the years with underage teams and with executive committees. And he would be very good at organising. When he commits to something, he commits to it.
'He has a great ability of looking as well into the future. He can see the end goal there.'
Cathal Murray celebrates with the Galway team after winning the 2021 All-Ireland. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
Murry was still hurling at junior level for Sarsfields when he first became manager of the Galway camogie team in 2018. Success has followed him there too as he heads for a fifth senior All-Ireland final later today. Murray has already delivered two of Galway's four senior All-Ireland titles in 2019 and 2021, and will aim for another O'Duffy Cup today to stop Cork's three-in-a-row drive. And when the Tribeswomen were in the 2019 intermediate and senior All-Ireland finals, Murray patrolled the sidelines for both games back-to-back.
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That pattern of effective double-jobbing goes back to his 2015 appointment with the Sarsfields seniors.
'In 2015, no one would have touched us,' Cleary says. 'And all of a sudden, we were able to compete.
'He's a positive person. Cathal didn't come in and say we're going to win a county cup. Cathal came in and said, 'we're going to improve things, lads. We get out of the group and we go from there and we'll keep the ball rolling and we'll see where it takes us.'
'If the [Galway] camogie team is ever wondering about Cathal's belief in them, the fact that he's there, that says it.'
From leading his club to county glory as player-manager, to another All-Ireland tilt with Galway. Croke Park awaits this afternoon.
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The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
‘The first time I ever cut weight, I was 8 years old'
THE PAST 12 months are as close as it gets to downtime for an elite athlete with Olympic aspirations. In Jack Woolley's case, this less hectic period has been badly needed. These days, the Irish taekwondo star is based in Madrid, training in a club with a big group of international athletes. He moved there after finishing in seventh place at the 2024 Paris Games. It was not the medal win he had hoped for, but it was an improvement on the disappointing round-of-16 exit at the Tokyo Olympics. Not that he has been away long enough to feel homesick, however. Woolley was back in Ireland for an extended period earlier this year to compete in the eighth season of RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars. 'I wanted to enjoy the process for what it was,' he tells The 42. 'I didn't want to have another competitive environment. So I think after week three, I was easier on myself, I was allowing myself to make mistakes.' Competing with pro partner Alex Vladimirov, Woolley lost out in the final to fellow Olympian Rhys McClenaghan and Laura Nolan. Woolley calls the experience 'the best thing I've ever done,' adding: 'I had some time to myself. I never was able to do that, especially after Tokyo. Because it was put back a year [due to the pandemic], we only had a three-year gap between Tokyo and Paris, so that flew by.' Previously, taekwondo required its athletes to put in four years of preparation ahead of the Olympics, but it has been shortened to two. For the last 12 months at least, Woolley has been able to 'have a life and look at things outside the sport a little bit more'. He explains: 'Since I was eight years old, my focus has been to get to the Olympics and perform. This was the first time I'm here for myself, and I've seen so much self-growth in the last six to 12 months.' So after Paris, for once, the path ahead was not obvious. 'It was like: 'Okay, if the sport ended tomorrow, what do I have?' And that was the question that you have to start to ask yourself.' Woolley turns 27 next month. He is a young man in most people's eyes, but old for a taekwondo competitor. 'Unfortunately, in my sport, you never really see anybody go past 30,' he says. Consequently, the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are set to be his last hurrah in the sport he has devoted his life to. One aspect he is unlikely to miss is the inherent focus on weight required for an athlete of his calibre. Jack Woolley is consoled by coach Robert Taaffe after the 58kg Repechage at the Paris Olympics. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO Not every single weight class is in the Olympics — it is every second weight class. In Tokyo and Paris, he competed at 58 kilos. He has moved up to 63 now, because '58 was impossible to make'. He continues: 'I haven't made 58 kilos since the Games themselves last year. So I've moved up to 63 and I feel a lot healthier and more comfortable. And this is the path I'm going to take. But there's no 63 in the Olympics, so it's a 10 kilo jump to 68.' This year, he will participate in a couple of events at 63, including the World Championships in October, and test a few at 68, although he has not made a final call on competing at 58 or 68 for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 'I would be considered tall for 58 but not so much at 68, so we're going to see if my game can hold up in the heavier weight class,' he adds. 'I walk around at 65, 66. It wouldn't be necessary to cut weight. 63 is fine, I just eat a little bit cleaner and don't eat after training the night before I make weight. 'But anything lower than 62, I struggle with.' The need to cut weight in combat sports can often create an unhealthy mindset, which has affected Woolley in the past. 'I've spoken about being very self-conscious and struggling with eating disorders and body dysmorphia and stuff like that. I think, unfortunately, that's what comes with weight making sports; we don't fight at our natural weights, and that can be difficult. Advertisement 'Sometimes, for me, it was bringing in weighing scales to school. The first time I ever cut weight, I was eight years old. It's kind of crazy. 'And now, in these last 12 months, knowing that I don't need to go back to 58, and if I do, it's not right now. So I'm trying to develop a healthier relationship with my body and my eating. 'Being here in Spain, I think it helps quite a lot, because we're training twice a day. I need fuel for performance, not cutting weight so consistently like in previous years. 'Also, the eating times here are structured around training sessions. They eat dinner quite late, and I've just noticed a big shift in my energy. I've not gained a lot of weight. I'm not uncomfortable with how I look. 'Sometimes I can look in the mirror. I can be too heavy for myself, but five minutes later, I can look in the mirror and be skinny. It messes with your head, the sport. 'Sometimes I look at these heavier guys and think: 'I wish I looked like that.' Then, it's a catch-22 because when I do put on the weight, I look at the 58s and I'm like: 'I wish I looked like that.' 'But I'm adapting to it. And I'm in a much better position than I was this time last year.' Being an elite athlete is a constant battle to evolve and improve. Documentaries and books, such as 'The Inner Game of Tennis' by W Timothy Gallwey, have helped the Dubliner better understand himself. 'It's all about managing your mindset and not being so critical of yourself. It's something I've needed, because when I make a mistake, I kind of shut down, whereas I need to see the positives of how to fix it, focus on myself and who's in front of me. Because often, you can have exterior pressure. You look at the crowd, scoreboards, the refs and stuff like that. That's something I have struggled with. 'So a lot of our training now is based on focus and staying in ourselves, in the moment, and not getting panicked when something doesn't go our way.' Woolley has been paying increasing attention to areas of psychology and mental health of late. Not long after the Tokyo Olympics, he was the victim of a vicious, random assault in Dublin city centre that left him hospitalised. Reaching Paris in 2024 was particularly taxing. The qualification system began before the Tokyo Games had even started. You qualify through ranking and pick up points by medalling at various competitions along the way, and the top six advance automatically. 'So we were trying our best and going to every competition possible, travelling the world, trying to block this person from getting medals, even though I had got my points,' he recalls. 'It was all very technical, mathematical, crazy.' So in 2023, Woolley competed in no fewer than 22 competitions. 'And that was 19 weight cuts. And people see these mad weight cuts online with MMA fighters. And it's like that in our sport. 'To do it 19 times, I was cutting seven kilos for every competition. 'And to do 19 of them in a year, two or three a month, sometimes, it just got very overwhelming. 'And then when I didn't qualify automatically and had to go through the qualifiers, especially then with the assault that had happened, everything just kind of built up.' As a top-level athlete, Woolley became proficient at 'shutting things out'. If something entered his mind that did not relate to competing and winning medals, he tried to push it aside. 'I think I did that way too much,' he says. 'I never addressed a lot of the issues that I was having with the weight, with the assault, with losing at the Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of pressure on me, and then when I didn't get in through ranking, it hit me like a wave. I was having panic attacks, suffering badly with my anxiety. I was waking up in the morning, not wanting to go to training. 'I had a habit of just dragging myself there, because if I wanted to go to Paris, then I needed to qualify through the event that was on in March 2024, so those treatments were very difficult, and I managed to qualify. 'It wasn't like a switch that I flicked that I was able to be alright again. It was an ongoing process. 'I think after the Games in Paris, I was able to step back and deal with that. Unfortunately, it happened at a pretty bad time, six months out from the Olympics. But I'm one of those people who don't want to have any regrets. I don't want to think 'what if' or anything like that.' Woolley is aiming to qualify for a third successive Olympics in Los Angeles. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo There is a video of the moment Woolley qualified for the Paris Olympics. He drops to the floor, and the sense of relief is palpable. He wanted to prove that reaching Tokyo was no fluke, having also narrowly missed out on Rio as a 17-year-old. 'I know it's doable, but it did take a lot to get there, a lot of psych work, meeting with people to talk about how I'm feeling. I was checking in with somebody every day to make sure I was focused and not getting distracted by anything, and just solely on the game, and that's what I did. 'Even in the lead up to Paris, once I had qualified, nothing changed. I still had the same focus to put in the best performance possible. 'Hopefully now, with a better environment and better headspace going into LA, I'm able to walk away with a medal.' Nowadays, he can put more focus on the sport itself, rather than 'having to train in a load of jackets to try to lose weight and sweat. Sometimes, you're just so focused on what the scales say that you don't pay too much attention to the tactical side of things. But the fact that I don't need to stress about that, it's been really good and [there have been] fewer competitions and just focusing more on training, which is something I've never really had before.' **** 'I can wear both my medals and my identity with pride.' Irish taekwondo Olympian Jack Woolley shares why representation isn't just about visibility, it's a victory, both on and off the mat.#Pride | #Pride2025 I @Irishtaekwondo I @TeamIreland I @worldtaekwondo — The Olympic Games (@Olympics) June 20, 2025 Outside of sport, too, Woolley feels happy. He recently got engaged to Dave, a personal trainer, whom he met in 2021, although the wedding will likely have to wait until after LA. The Irish star also recently teamed up with the Olympics to produce a video (see above) in which Woolley declares he is 'proud' to be a gay man. Woolley came out when he was 15, and while he has not hidden his sexuality since becoming a public figure, he says 'sometimes I find it uncomfortable to talk about' and often felt 'there was no point in talking about it'. He adds, 'Sometimes the personal life isn't well received by the sporting community.' Earlier this year, when Woolley posted news of his engagement to Dave, the Tallaght native was taken aback by the ignorant responses he received. 'There was a big increase in homophobia online, just comments and DMs. I've seen messages from people before they knew. It was like: 'You're my role model, can you give me a shout out, blah, blah, blah, we love you and your style.' 'And then they see I'm in a same sex relationship, I get a load of abuse off them. 'One minute, you're telling me I'm your role model. And now, I'm getting this abuse off you. 'I can just press block and that's the end of it for me. But that's just the way I was brought up. I'm a bit more thick-skinned. A lot of people might struggle with stuff like that, so if I'm able to raise awareness and put my name out there, and show the good and the negative side of being a gay athlete, it might help others in the future.' Woolley says 'nobody cared' when he came out in secondary school nearly 12 years ago, but he has had to deal with abuse in sport. 'I can say it doesn't affect me, but sometimes it does. You never know who's going to be at these competitions or who you're going to bump into. 'I've seen competitors that are going to be at your competition commenting on stuff like this, telling me to get out of the sport, I'm not welcome in the sport and everything like that. 'In 2022, I was walking into the ring against an opponent, and his supporters were shouting slurs at me. That was the first time I had it in person. 'I could have gone one of two ways. I could have panicked and lost that match, or I could have done what I did, and I laughed at them. I won the match, and then I just laughed at them again and walked off. 'But it can be tough. I'm able to act one way, but as I'm sitting at home and thinking about it, it can be quite difficult, because nobody else has to experience that.' In this climate, with homophobia particularly prominent on various social media platforms, Woolley can understand why some athletes and others might be reluctant to speak openly about their sexuality. 'I've had a good few DMs from people who are struggling, especially since being so open about it on national TV [during Dancing with the Stars]. 'Even talking about how I met my fiancé and his struggles — because I came out at 15, he didn't come out until he was 35. So that's two completely different stories. 'I do have his permission, but we do talk about it. And if people are struggling, I have no problem chatting with them, seeing how it fits into their lives. 'I think everybody's different. It'd be wrong of me to turn around and tell everybody: 'Oh yeah, come out. It's great.' I don't know other people's situations. 'It's not my job to do that, and I'm not going to sit around all day. But if I can help them on an individual basis — it's not something I can say for everybody — but do what's best for you is the most important thing, talk to somebody, find somebody you're comfortable speaking to, whether they even understand, or it's just to get it off your chest.' Whether it's dealing with homophobic hatred or coping with the intense pressure of a big taekwondo event, for Woolley, this past year has been all about being better equipped at handling his emotions in fraught circumstances. 'There was a saying my coach said to me the other day, and I'm trying to remember the exact words. ''You can't control the storm, but you can control how you act within it,' or something like that. It's just stuck with me. I can't control what's going on, but I can control how I react.'
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
Who were the best players in the 2025 ladies football championship?
Hannah Tyrrell Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO In the closing minutes of Dublin's All-Ireland final win over Meath, Tyrrell limped off the pitch to a standing ovation. The three-sport legend had flagged her retirement in the build-up to the game: An ACL injury — as confirmed on the RTÉ GAA Podcast this week — was a disappointment in an otherwise fairytale finish. Turning 35 today, Tyrrell bows out a two-time All-Ireland winner and as the top scorer in the 2025 championship. She hit 6-28 in the All-Ireland series – 8-39 (5 penalties, 20 frees) including the Leinster championship — to land the ZuCar Golden Boot award. Advertisement The goalkeeper-turned-forward produced a big final performance, with five points, three from play. Her semi-final showing was special too, the Player of the Match forcing extra time with a nerveless free kick. Scoring aside, her work-rate, experience and leadership has been key for Dublin. A third All-Star is nailed on, could a first Player of the Year award follow? Kate Sullivan Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO While Tyrrell took most of the headlines, Kate Sullivan was another of Dublin's leading scorers in the championship. She finished with 5-15, all from play — the eighth highest overall, and second from play to Waterford's Lauren McGregor. Sullivan was one of Dublin's standout stars in the final, clipping 0-4 and causing serious problems for the Meath defence. The St Sylvester's speedster had other big moments en route to her fifth All-Ireland medal, none more so than her last-second equaliser against Waterford. The 25-year-old surely has her first All-Star sewn up after an impressive season in which she has matured and assumed greater responsibility. An all-round top forward, Sullivan will be many people's pick for Player of the Year. Defensive stalwarts Leah Caffrey and Sinéad Goldrick, and midfield powerhouse Éilish O'Dowd, are among other Dublin players you could make a case for. Carla Rowe was excellent when available, but the captain missed a chunk of action due to injury. Vikki Wall Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO While the 2025 Player of the Year should come from Dublin, the award has gone to a non All-Ireland champion in the last three years. 2022 winner Niamh McLaughlin hailed from semi-finalists Donegal, while 2023 and 2024 victors, Kerry great Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Nicola Ward of Galway, were from the beaten finalists. Wall was one of Meath's best players this year, her season-long availability key as the Royals returned to their first final since 2022. The team's undoubted spiritual leader, her versatility, power and pace was instrumental, while she chipped in with 2-11 (4 frees) as their second highest scorer behind Emma Duggan. Related Reads Dublin's first-half storm, Meath regret, and what next after one-sided All-Ireland final? 'She's given everything. This is a cherry on the top' - Dublin's retiring multi-sport star Dublin dominate Meath to win second All-Ireland in three years Duggan and young goalkeeper Robyn Murray were other bright sparks for Meath, but Wall was their difference maker. The 2021 Footballer of the Year is now set to resume her AFLW career with Premiership champions North Melbourne, having also had a stint with the Irish rugby sevens team in recent years. Who else caught your eye during the 2025 ladies football championship? Let us know in the comments section below. *****
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Cork's left-wing policy proving fruitful in three-in-a-row bid
Saoirse McCarthy and Laura Hayes directly scored or assisted half of Cork's semi-final total to reach this afternoon's All-Ireland senior camogie decider. Cork's left wing is the most feared in the country with both players set to play a huge role as their team bid for a first three-in-a-row since 1972. Hayes at left half-back, and McCarthy, ahead of her at left half-forward, shared 62 involvements over the 60 minutes of Cork's 1-21 to 1-11 win over Waterford two weeks ago. They were involved in most of the good things their team did - scoring, creating, breaking lines, carrying hard into space, passing long and short, battling for possession and tackling back. Inspiring all around them from the left flank, even as Cork struggled in the first half, they alone scored or assisted 0-07 of 0-09. Over the entire contest, they accounted for 0-12 in scores and direct assists - scoring eight points between them and with four more assisted - as well as one of them having an involvement in a further four points. In total, the left-wing duo were involved in 24 scoring chances as their team reached a fifth consecutive All-Ireland final.
