Dean Brosnan: 'Cork are the best team in the country, they just need to show it on the big day'
Brosnan, who won Munster SHC medals in 2017 and '18, said for Cork not to perform on Sunday must be 'heartbreaking' for all involved.
'My heart goes out to the lads. I was on the Cork panel for a while and I know the effort that goes into it. They didn't perform on the day, I've been in county finals where that has happened, and it is heartbreaking.
"After everything they have put in, to have that then on the day, it is very tough on them,' said Brosnan, who was representing Glen Rovers at the launch of the Co-Op Superstores Cork PSHC.
While Cork were a tug of Robbie O'Flynn's jersey away from a replay at the end of last year's extra-time decider against Clare, not even the closeness of that game and consequent touching distance of glory will compare to the hurt currently running through the group.
'It is obviously very tough that there was only a puck of a ball in it last year, but just knowing that you performed close to your best does give you that bit of clarity that you are good enough. I feel for them and hopefully they refocus.
'In my eyes, they are the best team in the country, they just need to go and show it on the big day.'
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In attempting to bounce back from Sunday's 15-point hammering, Brosnan gave his own personal experience of a similar scenario.
'It happened to us [Glen Rovers] in 2014. We were beaten 16 points in the county final by Sars. It was heartbreaking. Jesus, I remember sitting at home afterwards, didn't want to go anywhere. And just a year later, we won the county. So it can be done, it is a case of refocusing and building back up.
'The team holiday later in the year and that team bonding will be worth everything to them. They can refocus, rebuild their character, and they'll hopefully come back as strong as ever. Age profile is very good. If I was any of them, I'd be itching to get back next year.'
Another former Cork hurler from the middle of the last decade, John Cronin, said there will be learning from the chastening second-half experience.
'There is no beating around the bush, the next few weeks are going to be tough. But they have given us a great summer. The Munster final, I'll never forget it,' Cronin remarked.
Dean Brosnan, Glen Rovers and Conor Power, Blarney, ahead of the CoOp Superstores 2024 Cork Senior A Hurling Championship Final. Pic: Jim Coughlan.
'The duty we have to them now is we have to pick them up. Sunday was very disappointing, but they'll learn from it and they'll be back on the horse next year no doubt.'
Cronin's 21-year-old Lisgoold clubmate, Diarmuid Healy, was a standout first-half performer against Tipp, shooting three from play, assisting Niall O'Leary's white flag, winning a converted free, and forcing the turnover for Shane Barrett's goal.
Cronin said it was unfortunate that Healy was pulled in response to the sending-off of Eoin Downey.
'Typical old Duds, nothing fazes him. He has a lovely mentality about him. He had a really great first half. It was unfortunate with the sending off, he had to come off to fill a back position, because it was really opening up at the time and Jesus, his legs are unbelievable.'
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Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Donegal's greatest strength can be their biggest weakness
THERE'S been some amount written and spoken about the All-Ireland football final - and we haven't reached Sunday yet! A common thread running through many discussions, sometimes from people who have never played or managed in one much less won it, that All-Ireland final day is different. It absolutely is, but many of the principles that apply to winning any match also apply on the biggest day. The team that works hardest, makes the best decisions in possession and has the greatest number of players playing to their potential will generally win. That final one can be the hardest one to achieve, because of the enormity of the occasion. It is every player's dream to play in an All-Ireland final and sometimes that can result in them freezing. Victims of this paralysis often speak afterwards of how the game simply passed them by. Having the experience of having played in them previously counts. Ultimately it is a game of football to be won, by constantly doing the simple things well. Kerry have an advantage here. Emphasising this very point, Jack O'Connor spoke this week about the importance of being able to think on their feet, for both players and management during an All-Ireland final. So much thought, visualisation and preparation goes into this game that it can be taken for granted that every angle is covered. It rarely is. There is always some curveball to think through. Some are controllable, more aren't. Think back to last Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final. Uniquely, the pre-game formalities went on for longer than scheduled. At one stage Pat Ryan could be seen glancing anxiously at his watch wondering about this delay. An unnecessary annoyance. The parade, a significant part of the occasion, was considerably shortened as a result. All of this, while not ideal, was not a controllable. Management have to trust the players to navigate through those twists. Many of them probably didn't even notice. What was a controllable was how the Cork management and players reacted to Liam Cahill's surprise move of playing with a sweeper. This is one of the many things they will wrestle with for the winter. Speaking of the parade, it will be interesting to see if Donegal break prematurely Sunday as they did in the semi-final. If they do will Kerry remain in place and go around in front of the Hill, often the most enjoyable and memorable part of the parade? This final is a clash of styles. Whoever wins will provide a template for certain coaches up and down the country for the foreseeable. Donegal will look to limit David Clifford's influence while not obsessing over him. As Kevin Cassidy mentioned on the RTÉ podcast this week, Jim McGuinness may accept that David will score a certain amount and they may well to try to negate the rest of the Kerry attack using their zonal system. They will plan that he can't win the game on his own and will try to make sure that the rest don't do enough to make up the difference. From a Kerry perspective they will have to get a lot right, the norm to win a final. Everyone will have to play well, they will need to tie down the Michaels (Murphy and Langan) and the O'Donnells (Shane and Conor) and they will need to get an impact from the bench, including springing a marker for Patrick McBrearty when he is introduced. To win, the Munster champions will also have to excel in attacking against Donegal's zone, defending their runners and breaking even on Shaun Patton's kickouts. Donegal's greatest strength so far can be their biggest weakness - in my opinion. Their zonal defensive setup has worked so far, getting them to an All-Ireland final and winning Ulster. I have long felt it won't win Sam, and I am about to get my answer, one way or the other. They have conceded an average of 19 points per game in the championship (2.5 less than Kerry). They sit deep, marking normally one, and sometimes a second danger man while everyone swaps between opponents on or close to the ball. Ryan McHugh and Eoghan Bán Gallagher sit in and mind the 'D'. Caolan McConagle prior to his injury can also fulfill this role, which he may do again to free up McHugh to possibly track Paudie Clifford in a similar job to the one he did on Rory Grugan in the Ulster final. Joe O'Connor is one of the Kerry players who can punch holes in an opposition defence. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile These twin sweepers are the players that will sprint to the danger and double up to force turnovers. As a team they thrive on these. It energises their supporters as they hare up the field in search of scores. They are mesmerising to watch in full flow. They have got goals from these situations where they are going from turnover to score in between 15 and 20 seconds. Finnbarr Roarty's goal against Cavan and Ciarán Moore's major against Meath are great examples. For Kerry to win they will have to avoid these turnovers, but do it without blunting their attacking edge. They need to avoid being conservative and pedestrian and attack with pace, while being patient. Patience at pace. For Kerry to pull that zone apart, there are a number of considerations. Chief among them will be decision-making in possession. Where that zone thrives is when players take the ball into contact or when a player receives a sloppy pass. The Donegal boys are expertly drilled on this and pounce on their quarry to force those precious turnovers at the most opportune time - when their opponent is in a vulnerable position. Generally this season, when faced with a deep sitting team, Kerry have favoured setting the spare bodies up outside the defensive shield and punching holes when they can. Gavin White, Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Joe O'Connor are especially effective at this. Use this again but don't rely solely on it. Flood the full forward line and create space for those runners to break into and shoot. Alternatively, to mix it up they can push those outside bodies further up the pitch, inside the two point arc to engage the Donegal backs and the create more one-on-ones. Occupy and rob them of their sweepers. Force Donegal's host of converted half forwards to defend. Play through the zone with accuracy and in the direction they are facing. Set up a two-point shooter outside and when the Donegal defence collapses in to deal with a threat feed it back out to that shooter. Monaghan did exactly this to good effect in the first half of their quarter final encounter. Furthermore, Kerry can set up two-point shooters outside the arc and entice the Donegal defence towards them. If they are given space as against Armagh, shoot. If they push too aggressively is there a pop pass inside to set up a possible goal chance, which will be required to win? Use David Clifford when possible but don't force it his way when it's not on. In short, be ruthlessly efficient through a variety of methods. Be a nightmare to defend against. Kerry have the quality but can they execute accurately under pressure? An extension of that area is Donegal's awesome counter-attacking running game. The simple thing for Kerry to do is to rob them of turnovers and the momentum that generates by killing the ball. Armagh limited them to four points from turnovers in the Ulster final because of their efficiency, getting off 42 shots from 47 attacks. Against Meath, Donegal scored 1-5 from turnovers, with the Royals getting 31 shots from 43 attacks. Three of those shots dropped short, a cardinal sin against the Ulster champions. Their huge spread of scorers (generally ten plus players score for them) in part comes from those counter attacks. Reduce those and you reduce that challenging scoring spread. Tyrone were quite effective at exactly this, limiting Donegal to nine scorers, in the one game they have lost in championship this year. The second part of that turnover scenario is that when they do occur Kerry have to react instantly. It is a code red situation, with all hands to the pump. Track runners and get back in shape. Delay their attack and slow them down. If necessary give away a point but never a goal. Speaking of slowing Donegal down, when they do enter established 11 v 11 attacks they are excellent at opening up the right opportunity. They constantly run angles and wrap around each other to make sure they are probing while not over-committing. They wait for the opposition to switch off and pounce. The simple answer - harder at a human level - for the Kerry defence is never switch off, especially against this quality of opposition on the biggest day. Finally we come to Shaun Patton's kickout which will, as always, be a concern for Kerry. As well as his accuracy and distance, his unique trajectory off a couple of steps is a formidable weapon. This is his first All-Ireland though, and he has come under pressure in big games in the past. Kerry will need to press it when they can, after frees and established attacks, as giving kickouts up to Donegal is akin to giving a shot away, most of the time. When pressing they will be hyper-aware of the long one over the top and flick ons. They were extremely alert on this against Niall Morgan in the semi-final. Mark O'Shea competed manfully in the air and as soon as the ball was kicked, Joe O'Connor, Gavin White and others sprinted from their zones and anticipated the destination of the flick on. The Kingdom defenders will have to be ready for Michael Murphy's late move from the top of the traditional 'D' for this kickout and be ready to disrupt him on the ground and in the air. Up to this point they haven't used it as often as one would expect, but they may on Sunday. Similarly, the number of balls kicked into Murphy in the full forward line could be counted on one hand so far in championship but we may see an attempted 2012 reprise early in the match. All of this is only scratching the surface of what the teams have prepared for and what they are planning for. My wish for both sets of players is that they play to their potential and perform on one of the most special days of their sporting lives. Two great groups of players going at it will make for a fascinating contest, and a potentially cracking final, particularly the second half. We may need a second day to separate them, but Kerry to prevail. Eventually.
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Darragh Ó Sé on the Kerry team: Profiling the 15 men bidding to win the Kingdom's 39th Sam Maguire
1. Shane Ryan Age : 29 Club : Rathmore Debut : 2019 v Cork Struggled in the early part of the season with the new rules, especially around the kickout. But he has been transformed as the championship heated up. Brilliant against Armagh , very good against Tyrone . Revelling in the new rules now. READ MORE 2. Paul Murphy Age : 33 Club : Rathmore Debut : 2014 v Clare Kerry's Mr Dependable. Found the going a little tough early on against Tyrone but grew into the game. Won't be frightened of a final as he was man of the match against Donegal in 2014. 3. Jason Foley Kerry's Jason Foley blocks down a shot from Eoin McElholm of Tyrone during the All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Age : 29 Club : Ballydonoghue Debut : 2018 v Clare Probably Kerry's most under-rated defender. Gets all the tougher jobs because he's fast enough to stay with any forward. The last couple of games against Tyrone and Armagh have been among his best in a Kerry jersey. 4. Dylan Casey Age: 24 Club: Austin Stacks Debut: 2022 v Limerick One of the newer players and still has to convince everyone he's up to it. There's a sense of people waiting for him to be caught out but he hasn't been yet. That ability to prove people wrong is very admirable in my estimation. 5. Brian Ó Beaglaoich Age: 29 Club: An Ghaeltacht Debut: 2016 v Clare Last year was his best in a Kerry jersey and he's raised it even further this year. Brings a raw aggression and puts opposition teams on the back foot. Attacks with purpose from wing back and well able to pop a point. 6. Mike Breen Age: 27 Club: Beaufort Debut: 2021 v Clare Another guy who might feel like he is on probation with some of the supporters. Solid on the ball, rarely makes a mistake but probably still not fully proven. Excellent against Tyrone and a very smart footballer. 7. Gavin White Gavin White's performances have been consistently high-calibre. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Age: 28 Club: Dr Crokes Debut: 2018 v Clare Playing a captain's role. Has been one of Kerry's best players in Croke Park this year, capping off a brilliant season. Even when Kerry haven't played well this year, he has hardly made a mistake. 8. Seán O'Brien Age: 23 Club: Beaufort Debut: 2024 v Cork Dropped in at the deep end out of necessity because of Kerry's injuries but found his feet and hasn't looked out of place. Similar to Mark O'Shea, he fills in around the middle, fights for kickouts and doesn't try to do too much. 9. Mark O'Shea Age: 27 Club: Dr Crokes Debut: 2025 v Clare Does his job with no fuss and no extravagance. Came in against Cork and settled things down. Has taken his chance with Diarmuid O'Connor out. Brave, tough, knows his limitations. A great team player. 10. Joe O'Connor Age: 25 Club: Austin Stacks Debut: 2022 v Cork Outstanding for Kerry all year, even back as far as the league. Really stood up against Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but reached new heights against Armagh and Tyrone too. O'Connor has caught fire this season and is one of the main inspirations behind Kerry's resurgence. 11. Seán O'Shea Kerry's Seán O'Shea is capable of reeling off several scores if Donegal fail to deal with him. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Age: 27 Club: Kenmare Shamrocks Debut: 2018 v Clare Has had a super year. The highlight was the game against Armagh, where he shot the lights out and showed how dangerous he is if you back off him. Kicks left and right, hardly ever misses a free. Someone Donegal need more than one marker for. 12. Graham O'Sullivan Age: 27 Club: Dromid Pearses Debut: 2019 v Mayo Has spent the year being a bit of a square peg in a round hole at wing forward but you can see him growing into the role. Has an excellent attitude, gets in and wins breaks and forages for the ball in that middle third. Could probably back himself a bit more in front of the posts. 13. David Clifford Age: 26 Club: Fossa Debut: 2018 v Clare What can you say? He's judged on standards way above everybody else. Everyone can see his skill and talent but his attitude is superb as well. You can see he has taken to the new rules and is enjoying everybody knowing how dangerous he is. A player for the ages. 14. Paudie Clifford Paudie Clifford celebrates scoring a point against Tyrone in the All-Irleand semi-final. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Age: 27 Club: Fossa Debut: 2020 v Cork His injury came at a bad time and it was no coincidence that Kerry's form dipped so badly when he was away. If his brother is Kerry's most important player, he's a close enough second. So clever on the ball. 15. Dylan Geaney Age: 24 Club: Dingle Debut: 2024 v Meath Very smart player, very streetwise. Can be lethal in front of goal and would have been cross with himself for his miss against Tyrone. Has been around for a few years but settled into the team now. Substitutes Potentially, there's a lot of firepower on the Kerry bench. If Paul Geaney and Tom O'Sullivan are fit for the last 20 minutes, they're great additions. Killian Spillane and Tony Brosnan can be a bit hit-and-miss. Evan Looney has been very good in his first year. Management Jack O'Connor, Aodán Mac Gearailt, James Costello, Cian O'Neill. This is Jack's eighth final so there's going to be nothing that surprises him. He knows more than anybody that these chances are so rare and so valuable. By his own admission, this year has been tougher emotionally and mentally than any before. Needs to win this one.
Irish Examiner
13 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Controversy continues over Galway rally rescheduling in busy October calendar
The saga surrounding the Galway International Rally that was postponed last February due to the damage caused by Storm Éowyn took another twist this week, further to the Galway Motor Club's request to run a mini stage rally (six stage/one day) event on October 12th next. It appears that the Motor Sport Council took an e-vote on the matter last Tuesday night but due to objections and other issues, the MSC will discuss the matter further when they meet in person next Tuesday night. As reported in the Irish Examiner in recent weeks, senior MI and Galway Motor Club officials discussed the matter with the latter, then holding a club meeting. It's not clear how the decision was made to apply for the mini stage event, that, in reality, is - given the change - in effect a new event. MI had previously informed GMC that any single-day event (at that time understood to be a multi-stage event) would not have international status. Some clubs, particularly those that could be affected by the latest move actually knew nothing about the Galway plan. Two Cork clubs have events on either side of the October 12 date. The Cork '20' Rally, the final round of the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is fixed for October 4/5 and the Fastnet Rally, the final counter in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, is scheduled for October 26. In addition, the Laois Rallysprint is slated for October 18. Even with the adoption of the biennial calendar, it is obvious that October is already a congested month. The Irish Examiner understands that the Munster Car Club (organisers of the Cork '20') had already made their concerns known to those at the top echelon of Motorsport Ireland while the Skibbereen and District Car Club weren't even aware of the issue until after e-vote, although they have since objected to the event being given the green light. So, where's or what's the missing link? Is it unreasonable to suggest that Motorsport Ireland are still keen to have GMC host an event so as to lessen the impact of the financial losses from February? Is an additional rally at this time of the year respectful to the other clubs hosting events? Are GMC going to be refunded the monies already paid to MI if they don't host an event? A point worth considering (that seems to occur annually after the Donegal International Rally) is that entry numbers are already dropping off. Last Sunday, the Sligo Rally didn't attract a capacity entry and the same is true for Sunday's Imokilly Rally. It's not rocket science to suggest that an additional event is only going to further reduce entries on the remaining rallies. It's time for someone to take a stance, but the question is, who? Meanwhile, the number one decals mean a lot to Killarney driver Rob Duggan (Ford Escort). Indeed, it's the principal reason that he is contesting Sunday's CDE Components Imokilly Rally that is based in Midleton in east Cork. "It will be the first time that I have the #1 decals on the door, I've never had that before, it's an honour and that's really why I'm going down there," Duggan said. Armagh's Jason Black (Toyota Starlet) is the only other driver in the top ten from the event two years ago where Duggan took a start-to-finish victory. He added: "Yes, new faces this time but it doesn't diminish the challenge. I'm hearing that the stages are very fast and James Stafford (Darrian T90 GTR) will go hard and it will be a tough job to stay in front of him." The format (two stages repeated three times) is something that suits many competitors and is less pressurised than multi-stage rallies. Others on the entry are Monaghan's David Moffett (Toyota Starlet), Cavan's Johno Doogan (Ford Escort), Black and Cavan's Gary Kiernan (Ford Escort). Ladysbridge driver Cian Walsh in the Tom Randles Ford Escort is the top local entry. Limerick's Ed O'Callaghan (Ford Escort) could be re-seeded from the No. 14 spot. The first stage is at 10.03am.
