Here we go: The eight teams that start the race for Sam Maguire this weekend
Kerry
Group 2: with Roscommon, Meath and Cork
Manager: Jack O'Connor
Captain: Gavin White
Munster championship: Beat Cork by two points in the semi-final before an 11-point win over Clare in the final.
Verdict: Look, they are blessed with the group they are in. Chances are they will breeze into an All-Ireland quarter-final without having faced a single side that togged out in Division 1 in 2025.
Then again, that's been the natural advantage that Kerry have enjoyed for as long as this thing has been going. The difficulty then for Jack O'Connor is judging exactly where they are at. While Donegal came through two top-flight teams to win Ulster, Kerry are uneasy.
Kerry celebrate their Munster final win over Clare. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
They are enjoying the significant improvements in Joe O'Connor and Graham O'Sullivan, while Paul Geaney is in the form of his life. All-Ireland contenders.
Roscommon
Group 2: with Kerry, Meath and Cork
Manager: Davy Burke
Captain: Brian Stack
Connacht championship: Beat London by 19 points in the quarter-final before going down to Galway in the semi-final by nine points.
Verdict: Promotion from Division Two was followed by a meek Connacht exit to Galway. Last year, one win over Cavan brought them a preliminary round appearance, when they travelled to Omagh and beat Tyrone, before a credible loss to Armagh.
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Brian Stack. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
The crunch will come in their home tie in the second round against Cork, before facing Meath in a neutral venue. Another quarter-final appearance is not beyond them but in Davy Burke's third season, they have kept up a level of expectation and performance that outstrips the sum of their parts.
Galway
Group 4: with Dublin, Armagh and Derry
Manager: Padraic Joyce
Captain: Seán Kelly
Connacht championship: Beat Roscommon in the semi-final by nine points before edging Mayo in the final by two.
Galway jubilant after the Connacht final. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Verdict: One of four teams to finish on eight points by the end of the league, only losing out on a final place due to score difference, Galway have been quietly building precisely the way you'd expect Padraic Joyce would have hoped. Even their Connacht title win has been buried under the attention afforded to the Ulster and Leinster finals.
Question marks remain over the fitness of attacking duo Shane Walsh and Damien Comer, a perpetual debate most summers, but their individual or collective loss has been corrected by the ability of reigning Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy to land two-pointers. All-Ireland contenders.
Dublin
Group 4: with Galway, Armagh and Derry
Manager: Dessie Farrell
Captain: Con O'Callaghan
Leinster championship: A nine-point win over Wicklow in the quarter-final before they lost their crown of 15 years with semi-final defeat to Meath by four points.
Verdict: No matter what Dessie Farrell achieved as a manager, you suspect it would never meet full approval as he came in and inherited the squad that Jim Gavin curated. Just keeping things between the ditches was guaranteed to bring a Sam or four.
Question marks now surround Stephen Cluxton and Dessie Farrell. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Well now things are different. Defeat to Meath in Leinster must be seized upon as an opportunity for Farrell. You'd also imagine that the dark hearts of competitive beasts in Stephen Cluxton, Con O'Callaghan, Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler, Davy Byrne, Brian Howard and on and on and on have been stung by the delight the nation took in that day in Portlaoise.
Unquestionably, they are All-Ireland contenders.
Clare
Group 3: with Louth, Monaghan and Down
Manager: Peter Keane
Captain: Eoin Cleary
Munster championship: Qualified for the final by beating Tipperary in the semi-final by six points, but wiped in the final against Kerry by 11 points.
Verdict: The lowest-graded side in the Sam Maguire Cup this year, Clare have the benefit of a home draw in round 1 against a Down side that will fancy their chances also, but essentially they are on a par.
Clare manager Peter Keane. Natasha Barton / INPHO Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO
In what looks to be the most finely-balanced group, Clare will be targeting a win, after successive whitewashes in the 2024 and 2023 group stages.
Down
Group 3: with Louth, Monaghan and Clare
Manager: Conor Laverty
Down manager Conor Laverty. John McVitty / INPHO John McVitty / INPHO / INPHO
Captain: Pierce Laverty
Ulster championship: Lucky to snatch a win over Fermanagh by two points before bowing out at the semi-final to Donegal by six.
Verdict: Last year's Tailteann Cup winners will be seen as the weakest side in the Sam Maguire Cup. Relegated to Division 3 this spring, they had to stage a complete smash and grab to beat Fermanagh in Ulster.
That doesn't mean that they cannot get out of their group. Manager Conor Laverty knows that he cannot afford any more backward momentum in his third year and their away trip to Clare becomes vital this weekend. Getting out of the group would be an achievement.
Mayo
Group 1: with Donegal, Tyrone and Cavan
Manager: Kevin McStay
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Captain: Stephen Coen
Connacht championship: Beat Sligo by three points in the quarter-final, Leitrim in the semi-final by seven, and were nipped in the final against Galway by two.
Mayo rue a miss. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Verdict: Do Mayo's wides count for more than any other county in Ireland when they lose a tight game? Certainly, they seem to form the start, middle and end of every analysis as Paul Towey's trio and ultimately Matthew Ruane's buzzer-beater all went wide in the Connacht final.
Despite that blow, they have shown up well in parts of this year, though continue to pay for their lack of tactical sophistication. While it is true that styles make fights, Mayo's habit of windmilling all the puff out of themselves makes for defeat. They are not contenders for Sam, but they could offrail one that are.
Cavan
Group 1: with Donegal, Mayo and Tyrone
Manager: Raymond Galligan
Captain: Padraig Faulkner and Ciaran Brady
Ulster championship: Defeated by Tyrone in the quarter-final by seven points.
Verdict: There's no easy way to put this, but for Cavan to get a win in this group would represent a fair shock.
Oisin Kiernan after a defeat. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Another of the four teams to finish on eight points in Division 2 of the league, their defeat to Tyrone in the Ulster championship felt as inevitable as it did flat, with just 6,700 attending, a figure down from 10,000 the previous year.
Runners-up in the first Tailteann Cup final of 2022, they only got up to Sam Maguire level in 2024, and lost all three games against Dublin, Mayo and Roscommon. It could happen again.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
The joy of six - Limerick's Munster final triumphs
Limerick stand on the brink of another feat never achieved before in Munster hurling – seven senior titles in a row. That would rival the provincial milestone of Brian Cody's great Kilkenny team of 2005-2011, another side who won four consecutive All-Irelands. The Cats go for a third Leinster six-in-a-row against Galway tomorrow. Six had never been achieved in Munster until last year either; today's opponents Cork managed five twice, from 1975-79 and 1982-86. Let us remind you just how John Kiely's men went from Munster rarely men to the brink of a magnificent seven. 2019 Limerick 2-26 Tipperary 2-14 The Treaty had missed out on the provincial decider in 2018 but third in the inaugural round-robin was enough for a place in the knockout stages and they went all the way, pipping Galway in a thrilling final for their first All-Ireland SHC triumph in 43 years. The defence didn't start too well, with defeat to Cork in the Gaelic Grounds, but huge wins over Waterford (20 points) and Clare (18) meant they were all but through ahead of facing Tipp in the final round. Seamus Callanan's goal was the difference as the Premier ran out 1-22 to 0-21 winners to finish with a 100% record (the only time it has been done) in the group and eight points. However, Limerick had rested key men like Declan Hannon, Hurler of the Year Cian Lynch and Gearóid Hegarty, while Tipp lost Patrick 'Bonner' Maher (cruciate ligament) and Cathal Barrett to injuries that were put them out of the final rematch. And the Green Machine showed their true strength back on home turf, recovering from an early Callanan goal to hit one of their own through Peter Casey (1-05) and lead 1-11 to 0-09 at the interval, having played against the wind. Limerick dominated their opponents after the break, replying to John McGrath's goal with one of their own from Kyle Hayes (1-02) as part of an unanswered run of 1-06. Hegarty (0-03) and Tom Morrissey (0-04) were also big contributors from play. Declan Hannon, one of just four survivors from the county's previous victory in 2013 - itself a first in 17 years - lifted the cup, which they added to that year's league trophy to complete the set. Tipp were to have the last laugh however, regaining Liam MacCarthy after Limerick slipped up against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-finals. 2020 Limerick 0-25 Waterford 0-21 Over 500 days passed between that first Munster triumph and the second. For a while, it looked like Covid-19 might put paid to hurling altogether, but instead the format reverted to knockout/back door, behind locked doors. Limerick were again relatively comfortable winners over both Clare (also counting as the league final) and Tipperary before meeting Waterford, provincial finalists in their first year under Tipp native Liam Cahill. The Déise had beaten Cork by four points despite conceding a late goal to Patrick Horgan, and put it up to the champions at an empty Semple Stadium. The sides were level five times in a first half Limerick shaded by 0-14 to 0-11 and the challengers briefly inched ahead before the water break (remember those?) as Stephen Bennett (0-12, 9fs) led the charge. But Hegarty, Graeme Mulcahy and Seamus Flanagan all contributed to the traditional strong finish as Limerick retained the Munster crown for the first time since 1981. They won all 13 games they played that year, including handing Waterford a much heavier beating – 0-30 to 0-19 – in an All-Ireland final played at an eerie Croke Park two weeks before Christmas. 2021 Limerick 2-29 Tipperary 3-21 An extraordinary Limerick comeback in this second half and it's summed up here by this Kyle Hayes effort. Watch now on @rte2 or highlights on #sundaygame from 9.30pm — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 18, 2021 This final was arguably the most interesting, for a number of reasons. Or a number of numbers. 35: the highest number of points Limerick scored in any of the six finals. 30: the highest total they conceded. 10: the half-time deficit they overturned. 2: the number of red cards they escaped, according to Jackie Tyrrell. Tipp started like a train at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, goals from Jake Morris and John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer sending them scorching into a 10-point lead at the break, 2-16 to 0-12. The scores were still level two minutes in the second half when 30th-minute sub Aaron Gillane was fouled by Cathal Barrett but swung his hurl back into the defender after the referee had blown the whistle. Paud O'Dwyer seemed to be looking straight at the incident but somehow deemed it only worthy of a yellow card. It's hard to imagine the epic comeback that followed would have happened with 14 men, and they could have finished without another when Flanagan went in high with the hurl on Ronan Maher, though less obviously and late on. Gillane scored 0-06 (4fs), a total matched by Tom Morrissey (1f). Limerick scored the first three points of the half before Flanagan's goal - from a blocked Gillane shot - really got things going and the holders were already ahead by the second water break. In the 56th minute, Hayes took off on a memorable run for their second, game-settling goal. Tipp lost an All-Ireland quarter-final shootout to Waterford, which proved the last game of Liam Sheedy's second spell in charge. Limerick beat the Déise by eight points in the semi-final before hammering Cork on a record 3-32 to 1-22 scoreline in the decider. 2022 Limerick 1-29 Clare 0-29 The first and probably the best final of the trilogy was a relentless slugfest in the rain in Thurles. Clare were, and still are, chasing their first Munster since 1998 and were prepared to fight fire with fire. Tony Kelly hit seven first-half points but a Hegarty goal had it level at half-time – 1-11 to 0-14. Nobody led by more than two points over the initial 73 and a half minutes but the Banner needed a sublime sideline cut from Kelly (0-13, six from play) to force extra-time. Limerick seemed to have the fresher legs in the additional periods, Flanagan finishing with a superb eight points, as Hannon fittingly became the first captain to lift the Mick Mackey Cup. Clare fought back in their All-Ireland quarter-final against Wexford but were blown away in the semi-final by Kilkenny. The Cats gave Limerick, who had edged a war of attrition with Galway, their closest All-Ireland final of the Kiely era, which they won by just two points 1-31 to 2-26. 2023 Limerick 1-23 Clare 1-22 Aaron Gillane is the start of this Munster final. Huge moment for Limerick as they move in front. ⌨️Updates: 📺Watch: #sundaygame — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 11, 2023 Clare had raised hopes that Limerick were mortal after all when edging their round-robin encounter by a point at the Gaelic Grounds – the Treaty's first championship defeat in almost four years. So they were happy to play the provincial rematch on Limerick's home turf rather than travel to the much further afield neutral venue of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Things looked to be going to plan for the challengers at half-time as a Mark Rodgers goal had them 1-11 to 0-11 ahead. But, as so often, Limerick upped the intensity in the second half and Gillane (1-11, 8fs) took over. Clare surprisingly left Cian Nolan, already on a yellow card, on the danger man and his 44th-minute goal put them back in front. The hosts scored five in a row after Kelly had levelled and though the Banner pushed all the way, they could never draw level. The game finished in high drama, referee Liam Gordon playing on after a premature pitch invasion before controversially denying Clare a last-gasp free that could have forced extra-time. Hannon again lifted the trophy as Limerick became just the second county to win five Munster titles in succession and first since Cork in 1986. Clare gave a better account of themselves in the All-Ireland series, thumping Dublin in the quarters before a narrower semi-final loss to Kilkenny. Limerick were more comfortable winners over Galway this time, despite a difficult start, and produced one of the most sensational half hours of hurling ever seen in the final as they overturned a five-point deficit to thrash Kilkenny by nine and seal four in a row. 2024 Limerick 1-26 Clare 1-20 'Our first-half performance against the breeze was exceptional... we always found a way to get those extra couple of scores' John Kiely reflects on another Munster crown for Limerick 📺 Watch on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer 📱Updates — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 9, 2024 The record-breaking sixth triumph proved the easiest since the first. Limerick had beaten Clare in the group stages but only after the Banner imploded, having been nine points up by the 52nd minute. Surely revenge, and that long-awaited provincial title, were in store. They wouldn't make the same mistake with the venue anyway, we were heading back to Thurles. Different stadium, same outcome. A Peter Duggan goal levelled the game just before half-time, 1-10 to 0-13, but once again Limerick lifted it in the second half, Hegarty's opportunistic 46th-minute goal easing them into a lead Clare never cut to more than four points. Six Munsters in a row for a county that had won just one of the previous 22, taking them to 25 overall. There was a twist in the tale though. Clare finally got the better of Kilkenny in a semi-final and Cork stunned the champions, ending their drive for a first All-Ireland five-in-a-row. The Banner then edged a classic extra-time final by a single point.
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I still very much have the grá for it. People say it's a sacrifice, but it's a choice'
IT IS ALMOST 11 years since Caoimhe Costelloe conducted her first feature interview with this writer. Signposted for superstardom, she had just turned 18, already had All-Ireland intermediate and minor medals in her pocket and was looking forward to making her debut in what is now the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie championship. What's more, her Leaving Cert results had provided the Adare tyro with the points she needed to get into the teacher training college, Mary I. What strikes you reading that On The Ball article back, and a few more from the next four or seasons, is the incredible maturity of the Adare teenager, the obvious leadership skills and the fierce ambition. She was in it to win it. Now, ten days removed from her 29th birthday, and remarkably, having played in every championship game since – she didn't start once ten years ago due to a broken thumb but came on – Costelloe grins ruefully when considering her veteran status. 'You kind of think you're still the youngest in your head, but I think I'm like third or fourth eldest now,' says Costelloe. 'Some days I feel it, I definitely think I've abused my body now, a few aches! 'When I look at some of the girls that have got injured down through the years, I've been lucky touch wood. I broke my thumb in 2015 for the first round of the championship. I came on as a sub, I think that's the only championship match I didn't start so I have been lucky that way.' There were some All-Ireland quarter-finals along the way but largely, it's been more anguish and despair than exultation and joy. Inconsistency has pockmarked what the Shannonsiders have done and many of the historic minor-winning outfit of 2014 that came through and offered great hope for the future are no longer involved. Costelloe remains though and admits that her mindset is very different now to when she was interested only in winning senior All-Irelands with Limerick. But one thing, the core element, has never changed. Advertisement In action against Waterford's Bevan Bowdren last year. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO 'I think maybe time has made me a realist. At 17, I was probably confident that we could push on and, challenge for an All-Ireland, because underage, we've done that. But I probably, at that time, didn't anticipate how much it takes and how many things just need to fall into place for that to happen. 'But, I still very much have the grá for it, you know? I love going training, I love meeting new girls that come into our panel, and seeing the progress in them over a little while. 'Obviously, I would love to have challenged a bit more. And we probably had teams that were capable of challenging a bit more, but the grá hasn't gone away… I enjoy the company that the girls give. And it's nice sometimes, that younger generation has maybe a different attitude maybe to what I had, and they're a little bit more carefree. And I love watching that. 'People say it's a sacrifice, but it's a choice. I love challenging myself against the very best. I love going training and then challenging myself to try and get better. And you're looking at your stats and you're watching the video, and you're like, 'How much more could I have done in this situation?'' This latter element, this ability to measure contribution and improvement is one of the major changes in the world of inter-county camogie in the past decade. 'When I first came on the panel in 2013, we didn't have an S&C coach. There was no video analysis. It was a case of, 'Go out and win your own ball.' When I reflect back, I think how far we have come as a group and as a sport. Like, before, I remember being told at 13 or 14, that any ball inside the four white lines is a good ball. You'd get crucified if you went and did that now!' Much is altered but, life is still good. She began teaching in her alma mater, Our Lady's Abbey Girls NS and remains there. That means she is still living at home. Adare won a Munster junior title in 2022, which meant the world. Costelloe was nominated for an All-Star that year too. And she has had a ball immersing herself in the experience of being a devoted supporter of the hurlers, who changed the face of Limerick GAA forever in recent years, captained for all of that time until this year by her clubmate, Declan Hannon. 'I'm a Limerick fan first and foremost. I have loved going to Croke Park and seeing the boys succeed the way they have. And the family memories that we've created because of it.' The Limerick hurlers celebrate after last year's Munster final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO By the time John Kiely's mob bid for a seventh straight Munster title this evening, Costelloe and her teammates will know exactly where they stand with regard to the Glen Dimplex Championship, because their Group 1 derby with Clare at Biomet Zimmer Páirc Chíosóg this afternoon [throw-in 2pm] is to all intents and purposes, a knockout game. They have both beaten Wexford, and with all-conquering Cork and last year's Division 1A League champions Tipperary also in the group, the consensus is that it is between this pair for the third knockout spot though a Wexford defeat of Tipperary at Chadwicks Wexford Park [4pm] would launch a couple of cats among the pigeons. Clare had a bye last week after winning their opener, while Limerick are playing their third game in a fortnight. They recovered from a chastening 38-point defeat by Cork in the first round, to edge out Wexford by a goal last week at Mick Neville Park. But Joe Quaid had the team very focused on the games that would matter in this period and there was no damage done by that initial hammering. With Costelloe scoring eight points, her clubmate Sophie O'Callaghan dominant in the middle, Laura Southern grabbing the goal and goalie Sarah Gillane making a great save, Limerick delivered. There is a good vibe around. It was Quaid that called Costelloe into the panel in 2013 while the current lead coach, Willie Banks, was a coach of the minor-winning squad the following season. It feels like things have gone the full circle for Costelloe. Certainly, there is no mistaking the excitement she feels ahead of a big game. 'We knew that the two games against Wexford and Claire were going to be huge. And I'm sure they were thinking the exact same thing. We and Clare know each other going back a long, long way now at this stage. It's great that this is probably a preliminary quarter-final in many ways. It's gonna be pure shoulder to the wheel for as long as we can and hopefully that will get us over the line.'
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I was thankful that we got out with a point': Red card in rearview mirror as Barrett leads Cork into battle
HAVING BEGUN THE Munster senior hurling championship on a low note, Cork attacker Shane Barrett could yet end it by captaining the winning side in the final. If the Rebels are to win a provincial title for the first time in seven years, it will be Robert Downey lifting the Mick Mackey Cup in the Mick Mackey Stand but, as the Glen Rovers man has been limited to a place on the substitutes' bench due to a hamstring injury, his vice-captain will lead the side out. For 24-year-old Barrett, it was an honour to be asked by manager Pat Ryan but, equally, something he has tried to take in his step. 'Pat said it to me at the end of year review, would I be interested,' he says. 'I asked him who the captain was going to be, but he wouldn't tell me – I had a bit of an inkling and then I found out it was Rob. It is an honour to be asked especially when Rob was going to be captain. 'It is a nice honour but hopefully I won't have to do it too many more times this year and Rob will be back. Advertisement 'When I get the chance to do it, you are not really thinking about it at the moment but afterwards you reflect on it and it is a nice thing.' Reflection of the less-nice kind was required after the Blarney man's red card against Clare at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg in the first round of fixtures. 'Look, I suppose it happened,' he says, 'and I was thankful that we got out of Ennis with a point. 'If we had lost up there, we would have been under a lot more pressure and I would have been feeling a lot worse but once we got a point and Tipp and Limerick also drew, no team was worse off. 'It cost us a point in Ennis and very regretful but we weren't any worse off than when we got up there. Pat had said beforehand that he would have taken a point against the All-Ireland champions.' Barrett tries to escape the attention of Limerick's Will O'Donoghue. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO The indiscretion meant a watching brief in Cork's next game, the routine victory over a Tipperary side that were themselves reduced to 14 men after Darragh McCarthy's first-minute dismissal. 'It was my own doing, so I couldn't really give out to anyone else,' Barrett says. 'I probably hadn't watched a game like that in ages, so it was an experience I hadn't got since I was about 18. I didn't think of it much before the game but at the game it was horrible, but the lads were brilliant on the day and put the game to bed in the first half. 'So, I enjoyed the second half.' While the second half of the 16-point defeat to Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds three weeks ago was better than the first period, nobody in red was enjoying it. However, there wasn't any dwelling on it, either, given the need to respond a week later against Waterford. For Cork, the Monday gym sessions bring as much mental as physical benefit. 'That is the case,' Barrett says, 'especially when you have the back-to-back games and say you have been playing on the Sunday. 'You come in on the Monday and completely park that game. In our case it was Waterford this week, so you don't have time to be dwelling – you are just fully focused, about being back around the lads and getting our work done, getting ready for training on Tuesday and the match at the weekend.' And, given the chance to avenge that earlier defeat, where does Barrett identify the major areas for improvement? Related Reads 'It was a whole new world for me': Limerick-Cork Munster final memories 50 years on 'That narrative has been debunked now' - Limerick boss hits back at end of an era talk Pat Ryan: 'Some of our own people writing off Limerick. Are they off their game?' 'Everything, really,' he says. There wasn't anything we could have taken as a positive, they blew us completely out of the water. We had no answer for them whatsoever. 'I think we improved on a lot of things against Waterford, that weren't there in the Gaelic Grounds, but we just had no answer for them up there. 'Limerick are an unbelievable team. You just have to respect what they've done over the last seven, eight years. They're an unbelievable unit, a well-oiled machine. They know each other inside out. 'It's about weathering the tough moments against them, and trying to impose your own gameplan on them.'
