
Five things we learned from the GAA weekend: Connor Gleeson's fingertip touch shows up a glitch in the new rules
A two-pointer becomes a one-pointer
The real problem is the rule, not the consequences.
One of the main talking points
arising from Sunday's Connacht final
was Connor Gleeson's fingertip touch on Ryan O'Donoghue's kick from outside the 45-metre line. Firstly, Gleeson deserves huge credit for his awareness in the midst of what was a frenetic game – and during a period when
Galway
were taking on water – for realising he could limit the damage by getting a touch on the ball.
By doing so a
Mayo
two-pointer became a one-pointer. Magic!
In the aftermath of the game much of the analysis around that incident centred on whether the ball was actually over the crossbar by the time Gleeson got his hand to it.
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But all of that misses the key point ... so to speak.
The main issue here is that O'Donoghue's effort highlighted a glitch in the system, a fly in the ointment, a needless splodge of small print in the rule. If a player has the talent to kick a ball over the bar from outside the 45-metre line, surely the merit of that skill should not be sliced in half because a goalkeeper got a fingertip on the ball as it dropped over the crossbar.
Several members of the Football Review Committee have said their remit is to make the game more exciting, more entertaining – rewarding a player for touching a ball that has been kicked from over 45 metres away doesn't seem commensurate.
Just amend the rule.
If a player kicks a ball over the crossbar from outside the arc then it's worth two points – irrespective of whether an opposition player gets a touch on it.
After all, if a player drills a ball from the 20-metre line and the goalkeeper touches it on its way to the back of the net it doesn't diminish the worth of the goal.
– Gordon Manning
There is life in Limerick's old guard yet
Limerick's Cian Lynch and Dan Morrissey with Michael Kiely of Waterford. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
One of the subplots of the season has been Limerick's gradual but deliberate separation from the team that won their breakthrough All-Ireland in 2018. It was clear after last summer that there needed to be an element of renewal and it was apparent during the league that the material existed for such a plan.
In the opening round against Tipperary, Limerick fielded only eight starters from the 2018 All-Ireland final, the fewest number for any championship match since that All-Ireland. On Saturday against Waterford that number climbed to 10, with Darragh O'Donovan also coming off the bench.
But others are struggling to get a look in. Seamus Flanagan wasn't on the panel for the Tipperary match and didn't come on against Waterford, even though Limerick used five subs; Declan Hannon hasn't been on the panel for either match; Dan Morrissey and Séan Finn started against Waterford, but were unused subs against Tipp.
'I think there'll be a lot of lads that are very disappointed, didn't make the team, didn't make the panel today, that are really going to be pushing hard the next two weeks. So I'm looking forward to seeing that,' said Kiely after the Tipp match.
But it is not a revolution either. Of the young players who have made an impression over the last 12 months only Shane O'Brien and Adam English would appear to be nailed-on starters. Colin Coughlan was given his first start against Tipp, but he is basically the first sub for the half-back line and Fergal O'Connor is the first or second sub for the full-back line, depending on circumstances.
In attack, Aidan O'Connor and Donnacha Ó Dálaigh are still regarded as impact players, in that order.
On Saturday, the old guard ran the show. The blending process will continue.
– Denis Walsh
Mayo need more from their biggest names
Mayo's Aidan O'Shea reacts to a missed chance. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
That Mayo don't have the star power they used to is obvious to everyone. Their problem against Galway though was more that they didn't get enough out of the best they have on offer. They were able to start three players yesterday who have won All Stars in the past – Aidan O'Shea, Ryan O'Donoghue and Mattie Ruane. Each had their own version of an ill-starred afternoon.
To be fair, Ruane had one of his better outings but still, there seemed very little rhyme or reason in the fact that he was the one taking the last-gasp attempt to send the game to extra-time. Every team knows that these incredibly tight games are going to need a late two-pointer but Mayo basically played pass-the-parcel until Ruane found himself free on the right with a very difficult kick. It all seemed so ad hoc. That can't have been the plan, surely.
O'Donoghue finished the game with 0-9, 0-3 of it from play. He scored as much from play against Johnny McGrath yesterday as he had in five previous encounters combined. That said, he and the Mayo management appear to have been spooked by McGrath's record, leading O'Donoghue to play much farther from goal than usual. The Galway defender got up the pitch to win the first-half penalty. Would he have done so had O'Donoghue been playing as an inside forward?
As for O'Shea, it was another day to forget on the biggest stage. Though took his usual amount of punishment and laid on plenty of scoring chances for the players around him, he was either dispossessed or done for overcarrying several times in the first half when Mayo couldn't afford turnovers. He drew a blank on the scoreboard again – that's 14 of his last 15 games against Galway in league and championship where he has failed to score.
Mayo did plenty right yesterday. But they need more from their biggest names.
– Malachy Clerkin
Banquo's ghost still able to receive a handpass
There are more handpasses in this year's championship. Photograph: John McVitty/Inpho
Would it be an exaggeration to describe the Football Review Committee enhancements as having led to a feast of football? Possibly but the consensus is that matches have been easier to watch and more exciting with the two-pointer in particular proving a formidable weapon for teams looking to get back into matches.
One problem, which is proving intractable is the hardy perennial of the handpass. FRC chair Jim Gavin's instincts on this have always been to question the role of the handpass – as Dublin manager, he was critical of the GAA decision to drop an experimental restriction on it, scheduled to be trialled in the 2019 league.
For many people, the handpass is at the heart of all that has been wrong with football but it has proved most resilient down the years, as successive reviews of the game have deemed addressing the matter to be akin to interfering with football's DNA.
The FRC looked carefully at doing something but concluded two things: having initially considered the matter, they felt that restrictions on handpassing might have an unintended consequence for the attacking team close to the opponent's goal. There was also feedback from intercounty referees, who felt a limitation of consecutive passes would be problematic from implementation perspective.
Overall, these issues were sufficient to warn the committee that to proceed with restrictions might be divisive – something the FRC wanted to avoid for fear unpopular recommendations could become speed bumps for other proposals. This was also seen in the case of the four-point goal.
During the league, the amendment of 3v3 to 4v3 was intended to address the overload that led to a team with an attacking goalkeeper having an outfield 12v11 advantage – a remedy that was hoped would also reduce lateral handpassing.
On Friday, the latest progress report on the changes was released and in general was quite happy with the recommendations. The handpass to kickpass ratio however has continued to rise inexorably.
Eugene McGee, chair of the 2012 FRC, warned that the handpass issue would have to be monitored.
'It is not a core part of the game,' he said at the launch of the report in December 2012. 'That is why we are leaving it as it is but we are also putting in a strong recommendation that this be monitored on an annual basis. It can be clinically monitored. If that ratio were to go back to three or four or five to one then definitely the GAA would have to move.'
Last year's championship had a handpass to kick-pass ratio of 3.4:1. This year's regulation league matches saw that rise to 4.0:1. So far in the 2025 championship, according to Friday's report, it's running at 4.2.
Unlike Banquo's ghost, however, the handpass isn't simply a figment of a guilty conscience. Not only has it not gone away – it's continuing to grow.
– Seán Moran
Kerry's eyes fully focused on an All-Ireland final
Kerry manager Jack O'Connor celebrates after the game with Dylan Casey. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Somewhere deep in the DNA of every Kerry footballer there is a physical and spiritual inkling towards the fourth Sunday in September. Those who have any predisposition towards playing in an All-Ireland final were simply born that way.
Now that the GAA's split season has messed up that trait, it has required a rewiring of sorts, one which directs that same physical and spiritual inkling towards high July.
When Jack O'Connor won his first Munster football title as Kerry football manager in 2004 – in his first season in charge – the Munster football final wasn't decided until July 18th. That was a week later than originally scheduled, Kerry requiring a replay before getting past Limerick at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney.
Kerry also beat Mayo in the All-Ireland final that same year, played on September 26th.
Now that O'Connor's seventh Munster football title with Kerry is won and over with by the May bank holiday weekend, his thoughts shift to the All-Ireland series, and the target of another All-Ireland title on July 27th. It is still relatively early days, but so far O'Connor's plan towards peaking at that point in the season appears to be working out just fine.
In 2022, O'Connor's first season in his third coming as Kerry manager, they peaked perfectly, beating Dublin in the semi-final, then Galway in the final; they arguably peaked too soon in 2023, appearing tired in that year's final loss to Dublin; then last year, they didn't seem to peak at all, caught by Armagh in their semi-final when another final seemed to be beckoning.
Kerry go into their All-Ireland series group with Roscommon, Cork and whichever team lose next Sunday's Leinster final. The first thing O'Connor noted after Sunday's win over Clare was his goal of topping that group.
'It's very important,' he said, 'because it's very difficult to play the three weekends in a row at this level because of the intensity of the games and the length of them. They're even longer now with the way the hooter is. We'll be endeavouring to go the direct route for sure.'
More importantly for O'Connor, he has several first-choice players to come back, Paudie Clifford missing Sunday's game through suspension, and Diarmuid O'Connor set to return from injury. 'We'd like to think we have a strong panel this year and the lads that missed out today will be chomping at the bit,' O'Connor added.
When asked if he had any fear players might get a bit complacent at this point, given the ease with which they got past Clare, O'Connor referenced the late Bobby Knight, the famed college basketball coach with Indiana University.
'I'll tell you now the best way to keep fellas feet on the ground, there were four or five fellas who missed out today, and they'll all be training next week. Bobby Knight said long ago, if a fella thinks his arse is going to be on the seat, that will focus his mind pretty quick.'
For now at least, Kerry's minds appear perfectly focused on high July.
– Ian O'Riordan

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RTÉ News
44 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Battling Ireland fall to defeat against world No 1 Netherlands
Netherlands 2-0 Ireland Ireland fell to a 2-0 loss against world No 1 and Olympic champions the Netherlands in Amstelveen on Wednesday at they resumed their FIH Pro League season. Ireland played well for large spells, fashioning some good opportunities. However, the Dutch showed their ruthlessness streak to nick two goals that swung things in their favour, albeit they enjoyed the rub of the green for both. The Netherlands threatened from the off, with defender Lee Cole called into action almost immediately to clear the ball off the line. Ireland responded well, holding possession and managing to progress into the Dutch final third, with Ben Walker making his way into the circle, followed by a blocked shot from Alistair Empey. Thierry Brinkman thought he had broken the deadlock with a reverse stick shot but Ireland immediately opted to refer for backstick, which the video umpire agreed with chalking the goal off. Early Dutch pressure in the second quarter again forced Ireland onto the back foot, but Ireland continued to ask questions of their vaunted opponents, with incisive runs from Fearghus Gibson and Daragh Walsh providing chances. However, a controversial penalty corner for the Netherlands offered them a chance to open the scoring, which Luke Dommershuijzen dispatched to score his first senior goal. Ireland started the second half brightly. Positive play it the final third lead to a shot from Lee Cole inside the first minute, but his strike was deemed to be dangerous, and the Netherlands were given a free out. Patience in possession for Ireland continued to pay dividends, as Matthew Nelson attacked the circle and was unlucky to not get an outcome. The Netherlands, however, showed their goalscoring prowess to double their lead from their first chance of the second half, Steijn van Heijningen deflecting the ball into the net with the deftest of touches. They found a higher gear in the final quarter, though Ireland battled to the end. Ultimately the Dutch closed it out to extend their lead at the top of the nine-country FIH Pro League table to seven points. England are second, ahead of Belgium on goal difference. Ireland are bottom with one point from nine matches to date. Ireland will play the Netherlands in Amstelveen again tomorrow at 7pm.

The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
Minimal change in low-key squad announcement for Ireland's US summer tests
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Eight players were listed by the FAI as unavailable, four of them long-term injury absentees in Jamie Finn, Jess Ziu, Lily Agg and Tara O'Hanlon. Heather Payne and Leanne Kiernan had both been ruled out of the last camp, while Aoife Mannion joined the captain as the other name: the Manchester United defender played the first half of the Türkiye game, but didn't feature against Slovenia as her load — and a quad knock — was managed. Aside from the now-retired Louise Quinn, Shelbourne's Aoibheann Clancy was the only other player from the last squad not included following a recent bereavement. 'The WNT players and staff send their condolences to midfielder Aoibheann Clancy following the passing of her mother, Siobhan. She is being given the time to deal with this difficult period and has the full support of the WNT squad,' read the press release. Advertisement Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson (centre) return to the squad. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Ellen Molloy, Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson were the three headline inclusions. Molloy and Nolan receive their first call-ups under Ward. Molloy has been impressing in the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division since returning to Wexford, and now gets a fresh opportunity with Ireland. The 21-year-old midfielder was a regular under Vera Pauw, before an ACL injury interrupted her rise. A move to Championship outfit Sheffield United followed, and Molloy won her first senior cap since 2022 in last October's Euro 2025 playoff semi-final against Georgia. Another injury followed, she left Sheffield in January after four months due to personal reasons, and has been thriving amid home comforts. Nolan is back in the fold for the first time since late 2023 under Eileen Gleeson, having last played for Ireland in the pre-World Cup friendlies against the US. It's a full circle moment for the Crystal Palace defender, who has see-sawed between fine form and injury in recent times. 'Hayley has been unlucky to miss out on being included in recent squads, simply because we have a lot of competition for places at centre-back,' said Ward. 'We have kept an eye on her at club level, I've spoken with her managers and also had conversations with her. So we are excited to bring Hayley in and give her a chance.' There notable change is in defence, in the absence of first-choice full-backs McCabe and Mannion. Atkinson gets the nod as another left-sided option alongside Megan Campbell and Chloe Mustaki, while right-back is an area in which Ireland currently lack choice. Mannion appeared to nail down the position through the Nations League, though is naturally a centre-back. Jessie Stapleton deputised against Slovenia and will most likely have to do so again without injured duo Payne and Finn, but Nolan's versatility could also be useful. Expect huge competition at centre-half: there's a spot up for grabs for the first leg against Belgium with Anna Patten suspended, and no shortage of contenders. The rest of the squad runs along the same lines as the last, with no change in the goalkeeping department and Molloy added to a midfield selection spearheaded by Denise O'Sullivan, who will be stand-in captain. 'Ellen is a player who we have been tracking closely,' said Ward. 'She has done well for Wexford over the last two months and has been on the longlist for our squads, so we needed an opportunity to take a closer look at her in our environment and this is it. 'We know how talented Ellen is but it's how she can adapt that to international level is what we need to look at. I watched her when she was with Sheffield United and we've been watching her at Wexford, so we want to see how she gets on during this camp.' There's also continuity in attack, all who featured in the last window returning. New recruit Erin Healy is recalled, and could win her first cap in her country of birth. Atkinson is actually listed as a forward. The 23-year-old Dubliner gets a fresh international opportunity following her departure from Crystal Palace. She was in Ward's first squad where 'tough love' was offered after falling 'out of favour' at Palace, but was left out thereafter. Related Reads Recalls and absentees as Ireland squad named for US friendlies Have expectations been set too high for Ireland after mixed Nations League group? Like Molloy and Nolan, the 2023 World Cup bolter will be looking to get back in the picture. Ireland head coach Carla Ward. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Further experimentation with new faces, like younger and domestic talent, may have been hoped for in some quarters, but Ward sticks with pretty settled squad as the Belgium play-off looms large. 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Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Ireland battle hard against Netherlands but fall to controversial defeat to world's number one side
The hosts threatened early, forcing Ireland into defensive action within minutes. Lee Cole was alert to clear off the line from a dangerous opening attack. Ireland responded confidently, settling into possession and advancing into the Dutch final third. Ben Walker made a probing run into the circle, followed by a blocked effort from Alistair Empey. Ireland continued to control much of the play, but when the Dutch broke through, goalkeeper Jaime Carr made a sharp save to keep the game level. Thierry Brinkman thought he had opened the scoring with a reverse stick strike, but Ireland wisely referred the play for a backstick — and the video umpire agreed. The first quarter ended scoreless, with Ireland very much in the contest. The second quarter saw the Dutch apply early pressure once more, but Ireland remained resolute. Luke Madeley showcased composure and skill in breaking the Dutch press, initiating an attack that ended with Empey drawing a foul and earning Ireland their first penalty corner. Madeley's drag flick was well charged down by the Dutch defence. Ireland continued to trouble the hosts with clever runs from Fearghus Gibson and Daragh Walsh, but it was the Netherlands who broke the deadlock — and in contentious fashion. Awarded a debatable penalty corner, Luke Dommershuijzen converted to score his first senior international goal. Just before half-time, the Netherlands pushed for a second, but Matthew Nelson's brave block ensured the score remained 1-0 at the break. Ireland began the second half with renewed intensity. Lee Cole struck inside the opening minute, but the effort was ruled dangerous, giving the Dutch a free out. Nelson continued to ask questions of the Dutch defence with a strong run into the circle, though no outcome followed. Despite Ireland's encouraging play, the Netherlands showed their clinical edge. From their first real chance of the half, Steijn van Heijningen applied a delicate deflection to double the lead. Ireland kept their heads up and quickly earned another penalty corner, but once again the Dutch defence held firm. A well-worked move shortly after was also snuffed out. As the third quarter drew to a close, the Netherlands won a series of penalty corners, but Ireland's defensive unit stood tall, denying them on three successive attempts to keep the margin at two goals. In the final quarter, the Dutch gained more control, generating several shots, all of which Carr handled expertly. Ireland's persistence was rewarded with a third penalty corner, won by Empey, but Cole's effort was blocked and cleared. A late Dutch corner inside the final five minutes prompted one last save from Carr, who was excellent throughout. The final whistle confirmed a 2-0 win for the Netherlands, who extend their lead at the top of the FIH Pro League table to seven points. Ireland, however, will take heart from a composed, competitive performance against the best side in the world. The two teams meet again tomorrow, June 12 at 7.00pm in Amstelveen. The match will be broadcast live on the TG4 Player.