Brendan Cawley to referee All-Ireland SFC final between Kerry and Donegal
The Kildare native was the man in the middle for Kerry's quarter-final victory over Armagh while he also took charge of Donegal's Ulster preliminary round win against Derry.
Last year, the Sarsfields man officiated Donegal's Ulster semi-final victory over Tyrone and their All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway. He was also a linesman and standby referee for the decider between Galway and Armagh.
Meanwhile, Kerry are set to wear their alternative blue jersey for the final.
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Irish Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Liam Cahill and Tipp have previous with upsetting Cork in All-Ireland finals
Strong underdogs in an All-Ireland final against a Cork team that has already wiped the floor with you earlier in the year? Liam Cahill has been here before. Moreover, so have several of his Tipperary players - and a large number from Cork that he will plot against this Sunday. Much like with the senior grade now, in 2018, Cork had gone 20 years without an All-Ireland under-21 title but the overhaul of their underage system was beginning to bear fruit as they romped to the Munster title that year, their first since 2007, beating Tipperary by 13 points in the provincial final. READ MORE: Who will be on RTE commentary duty for Sunday's Cork-Tipperary All-Ireland hurling final? READ MORE: GAA Palestine cancels Ireland trip after visa rejection In the last year of the under-21 grade at inter-county level, however, the four provincial finalists in Munster and Leinster crossed over for the All-Ireland semi-finals. Cork hardened their status as Championship favourites by beating Wexford by 22 points, while Tipperary got past Galway to set up a rematch with them in the All-Ireland final. 'This is one of the best underage teams to come out of Cork and that's well known and well documented,' said Cahill ahead of that final. 'It's very obvious with 10 senior panellists on their starting 15 with the massive exposure that they've got in the last two years, they're really ahead of their time.' On the same afternoon that the late Pope Francis was saying Mass before a rather sparse crowd in the Phoenix Park, Tipp stayed in the game and were level with six minutes to go when Stephen Nolan netted. Cork hit back with points to go one ahead but another goal from Conor Stakelum meant that the 1/5 favourites were beaten. There was probably a bit of 'building them up' in Cahill's pre-match comments, but look at the players from that game that are backboning Cork's senior team now. Niall O'Leary, Mark Coleman, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Tim O'Mahony and Declan Dalton all started the All-Ireland semi-final romp over Dublin earlier this month and that game seven years ago. Robbie O'Flynn, Shane Kingston, both of whom came off the bench against Dublin, and Jack O'Connor, were mainstays in that under-21 side's attack. Ger Millerick, who has plenty of senior experience though has been injured for much of the summer, was an unused sub against Dublin but was introduced in that final seven years ago. So, up to nine of the 17 players that featured for Cork that day could see action again next Sunday. Despite bettering them, Tipp have less. Two players - Eoghan Connolly and Jake Morris - that started that day were on the team that beat Kilkenny in the semi-final, though it would surely have been three but for Dillon Quirke's tragic passing in 2022. Stakelum and Craig Morgan, however, also came off the bench seven years ago and are starting for the seniors now, so that makes four. Goalkeeper Barry Hogan lost his place to Rhys Shelly during the Munster Championship while Brian McGrath was an unused sub against Kilkenny. Tipperary manager Liam Cahill celebrates at the final whistle after beating Cork in the 2018 All-Ireland under-21 final. (Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson) The counties met again in the following year's All-Ireland under-20 final when Tipperary, with Cahill still as manager, crushed Cork by 5-17 to 1-18 in the All-Ireland final having squeezed past them by one in the Munster decider. Five players from that team will likely start on Sunday - Morris, Connolly, Morgan, Bryan O'Mara and Andrew Ormond, while Cork will have Robert Downey, with Millerick and O'Connell set to be on the bench. Those Tipperary defeats were particularly damaging to the Cork psyche at a time when the senior squad was showing no great signs of bridging the gap to 2005 and their famine at underage level went back even further. A turning point came with a pair of under-20 All-Irelands within weeks of each other in 2021, following the Covid-delayed season of 2020, with current senior boss Pat Ryan at the helm. They won another under Ben O'Connor in 2023. Players from those sides have now supplemented the 2018-19 crop, but the way that those under-21/20 campaigns played out means that Cahill and at least a cohort of his players won't be hung up by a 15-point beating that they suffered with 14 men earlier in this Championship, much less the 10-point loss in the League final. They've clipped several of these Cork players' wings against the odds before. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Joe Schmidt's masterplan - how former Ireland boss might attack former apprentice Andy Farrell
Since leaving these shores in 2019, Joe Schmidt has twice coached against Ireland. Not just his ex-employers, but his former proteges: Andy Farrell, Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and even new-ish coach Johnny Sexton have all been shaped by their time with Joe. On both occasions, Schmidt bloodied Irish noses. And then some in the case of the All Blacks – with Schmidt as an assistant – knocking Ireland out of the 2023 World Cup. Last November, with Genial Joe in charge, Australia gave Ireland an almighty scare, Gus McCarthy's late maul try avoiding an upset. Pointing to the master outwitting his former apprentices is an overly simple narrative. Inevitably, though, there are common tactical threads in both displays from the Schmidt-coached teams. Farrell now has a different squad of players at his disposal, even if plenty of Irish are still involved. Yet his rugby philosophy, along with what we've seen from the Australian Super Rugby sides, may offer clues for how Schmidt might plan another crack at his former number two. READ MORE Kicking Test matches decided by the best kicking strategies? Yes, it's neither the most novel nor sexy analysis, but it's too important to omit. When coming up against Ireland, Schmidt's teams had better days out when putting boot to ball. When New Zealand beat Ireland at the World Cup, they had a lower kick-to-pass ratio (meaning they kicked more frequently). It wasn't even close, Ireland kicking once for every 16 passes, the All Blacks once for every four. Last November, Schmidt's Australia kicked once for every five passes compared to Ireland's figure of one for every 11. Australia were keen to utilise Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii's aerial threat early on in their game with Ireland last year. In that clash in Dublin, the first Wallabies try came from using their not-so-secret weapon, the 6ft 5in Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii. On first phase, inside the Ireland half, Australia went to the air. Aukuso-Suaalii won it back inside the 22, beating Hugo Keenan and Robbie Henshaw. Australia scored moments later. In their three worst displays of the tour – against Argentina, the Waratahs and Brumbies – the Lions have been outkicked. In Dublin and Canberra, Marcus Smith was targeted ruthlessly, while expected Test starters James Lowe and Tommy Freeman also struggled to claim possession under pressure from Brumbies chasers. What, if anything, can be done to fix the imbalance given the laws banning kick escorts? Set-piece What has been the other common denominator in poor Irish displays of recent years? The set-piece. It's all well and good worrying about Farrell's famed phase-play attack, the simplest way of stopping it is at source; shut down their entry points into the game. Both against New Zealand in 2023 and Australia 2024, Ireland were held to an 87 per cent lineout success rate. We all remember the series of scrum penalties given against Andrew Porter by Wayne Barnes in that World Cup quarter-final. New Zealand's scrum coach that day was Mike Cron. Guess who Schmidt took with him to become Australia's scrum specialist? Assistant coach Mike Cron looks on during a New Zealand Black Ferns training session. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty In a way, Cron also wrote the rules on scrummaging. Before his All Blacks role, he worked for World Rugby, coaching referees on how to officiate the frontrow battle. Before the tour, Lions scrum coach John Fogarty was asked about Cron's influence, especially with the number of Irish frontrows – Porter included – now wearing red. 'He's a huge advantage,' said Fogarty. 'He'll have an intimate knowledge of us, he worked with the Six Nations coaches pre the last World Cup. He'll know the players, know us as coaches, he's a huge get for them.' Was Cron able to use his knowledge of both the referee and the Irish scrum to isolate Porter in that quarter-final? 'Who knows, let's just blame Wayne Barnes,' said Fogarty with a nervous smile. Target the playmakers Former Leinster analyst Brett Igoe posted a clip to social media after the Brumbies game. Their scrumhalf, Ryan Lonergan, had a specific job in defence; rush up to disrupt Finn Russell. Farrell's phased attack relies on the first receiver making a good passing decision to get outside the initial wave of defence. Often on a one-man crusade, Lonergan would rush out of the line, not to hit Finn Russell, Bundee Aki or whoever took the first pass, but to get into their peripheral vision. This often forced a delayed decision, preventing the playmaker from picking the right pass which can often be out the back of a decoy. Momentum was stalled. Going to see can I guess the Schmidt and Wallabies GamePlan. - Did the Brumbies reveal part of it yesterday. 'The Shooting 9'??? - Lonergan went hard after the 2nd pass - intercept/disruption of the multi phase attack system. Will Schmidt do the same? — Brett Igoe (@brettruganalyst) Was Schmidt asking Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham to trial a tactic to disrupt Russell? The move certainly harked back to what Australia did to Jamison Gibson-Park in November. Then, Schmidt often sent forwards crashing through the lineout to disrupt the scrumhalf's passing service. That, combined with a malfunctioning set-piece more generally, led to Ireland becoming conservative, throwing to the front and relying on the other forwards to block the Aussie runners. Gibson-Park was ultimately better protected, but passing from the front of the lineout, as opposed to the back, diminished both his options and his influence. Might Schmidt combine the two on Saturday, sending forwards to get in Gibson-Park's face and his own scrumhalf to disrupt Russell? Breakdown Plenty of analysis of this tour has focused on the breakdown. With good reason. Schmidt-coached sides love to go after Farrell's teams on the floor. When New Zealand beat Ireland at the World Cup, backrows Sam Cane and Ardie Savea won four turnovers between them. Aussie openside Fraser McReight had the same number alone last November. In Australia, Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble was memorable for his four turnovers against the Lions as much as his flowing moustache. Brumbies backrow Luke Reimer won two turnovers in his half an hour off the bench. Charlie Gamble of the Waratahs celebrates scoring a try during the tour match against the Lions. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Critics have pointed to the Lions' support runners running past their ball-carrying team-mate in anticipation of an offload. They are then out of position to hit the ruck once a pass fails to materialise, leaving the carrier exposed. There have also been many turnovers after line breaks. Ground has been made, but carriers have distanced themselves from support. The Lions are still averaging a healthy 10 line breaks per match on tour but are coughing up at least three breakdown turnovers per match. Interestingly, while on Sky punditry duty, Ronan O'Gara pointed the finger not at the support players missing rucks, but, using his French attitude, said the carrier should be brave enough to throw the offload. Don't give the defence an opportunity to jackal. But as the tour has gone on, the Lions have become more conservative with their offloading. The Argentina game saw them throw 15 (plenty were ill-judged and went to deck in Dublin), then 23 and 13 in their first two games in Australia. The next three games saw just seven, eight and five offloads respectively. The trend suggests O'Gara's 'keep ball alive' philosophy won't see the light of day in the Test series. Which means the Lions need to find another way of better resourcing breakdowns. First phase structure In both 2023 and 2024, Schmidt set up his backline with his best tackler targeting Caelan Doris, knowing Ireland would look to their dominant carrier on first phase. His best defensive jackal threat was not far behind, swooping for a breakdown turnover. It worked to devastating effect, halting both Andrew Goodman's strong set-piece attack while doing psychological damage to Ireland's breakdown. In 2023, Sam Cane lined up Doris time and again off lineout ball. Ardie Savea waited next to him, winning the race to the breakdown even with plenty of Irish clearers in the vicinity. In 2024, swap out Cane for Rob Valetini and Savea for McReight. His defensive physicality is one of the main reasons why Australia are desperate for Valetini to prove his fitness for Saturday. Rob Valetini tackles Caelan Doris on first phase. Fraser McReight holds off the initial collision, waiting for the right time to swoop for the turnover. Both players have marked Doris, knowing he is Ireland's best carrier in this situation. Rob Valetini and Fraser McReight combine to tackle and then turn the ball over during a Caelan Doris carry. This is not a novel defensive set-up. But it still had success. One solution is to demand better accuracy from those close to whoever carries in midfield. Or, the Lions can operate more full-man lineouts, dragging backrow forwards into the set-piece. If they then make the first carry in the wide channel, instead of midfield, they attack wings and outside centres who, normally, are not as proficient at the breakdown. Goodman has constructed some wide attacks on this tour, Duhan van der Merwe's third try against the AUNZ XV a prominent example. The Lions sucked in forwards with a maul, before pulling the trigger against a backline lacking cover from the backrow. It's a HAT-TRICK of tries for Duhan van der Merwe! 🦁 — Sky Sports (@SkySports)
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Pat Ryan's family life beyond GAA from brave cancer battle to tragic death of brother who ‘lit up the room'
CORK manager Pat Ryan has had to overcome adversity at various times throughout his life. The 48-year-old will be 5 Pat Ryan will lead Cork in the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 5 He won the 1999 All-Ireland with Cork 5 He lost his brother Pat in February Credit: Sportsfile 5 Cork manager Pat Ryan with his wife, Trish, and children, Aisling, aged 14, Cian, aged 10 and Daniel, aged 17, after the All-Ireland semi-final in 2024 Cork meet Tipperary in Sunday's final in their second straight decider, having The players will be guided by the leadership of their resilient manager, who has experience personal adversity and His life experiences have informed his ability to galvanise his Here, SunSport takes a look at the man behind the bainisteoir bib. Read More on Cork GAA How old is Pat Ryan? Pat Ryan was born on July 23, 1976, making him 48 years of age. Indeed, the All-Ireland final will com just three days before his 49th birthday, making potential victory the perfect present. Originally from Glanmire in County Cork, he played club hurling with Sarsfields with whom he won two county championships. The former midfielder carried this pedigree into his club management career, leading Sarsfields to Cork hurling titles in 2012 and 2014. Most read in GAA Hurling Ryan also boasts a decorated inter-county playing career, winning the 1999 All-Ireland title, as well as two Munster championships, Having served as coach under Kieran Kingston when the Rebels won a provincial title in 2017, Ryan was appointed manager in 2022. In 2024, he guided them to the All-Ireland final, famously beating five-in-a-row chasing Limerick in the semis only to fall to Clare in the decider. In 2025, Cork won their first national league title since 1996 and went on to once again beat the Treaty on penalties to win the Munster SHC. Does he have a family? Pat Ryan is married to wife Trish and the couple have three kids - daughter Aisling, 15, and sons Daniel, 18, and Cian, 11. They were by his side at What does he do for a living? While known best for his exploits as Cork boss, Ryan also works for pharmaceutical giant Cancer battle In 2018, Pat Ryan's world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid At the time, he was being courted for the vacant But it remained a shock that focused his mind on the bigger picture. He said: 'It was a shock at the time. People thought the reason I pulled out of the Waterford job was because I got sick. It wasn't. "But it was lucky that I had pulled out because they would have announced my appointment on the Friday or Saturday, and I went in for tests on the following Tuesday or Wednesday. "I would have had to pull out of the job then. I was lucky in that way. 'I was out of commission then. I was out of work for a good bit. You get chemo first of all to start to kill it, and then you have to find the right tablets. "The first tablet didn't work for me. The second tablet, my liver was failing on it. Came off that, went on another one for 18 months and got fluid around my heart and lung out of that one. 'There's a picture of me when I got the U-20 job [in 2020]. I didn't know that I had fluid around my heart and lung at the time and I have a big, huge red head on me, all blotchy, and my hair is actually white. "My hair is grey anyway, but it was white. It was the tablets caused all that. 'My health situation is very good now. We found the right medication. I'm grand. "My numbers are very good. I'm in kind of what you'd call remission. It's a very mild form [of the disease]. It doesn't affect my life in any way now.' Brother's Death Tragedy visited the family in February when Ray Ryan, beloved brother of Cork gaffer Pat, His local club led the tributes , with Ryan having been part of Sarsfields teams that won county titles in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. After helping Sarsfields to the 2008 county honours, Ryan joined the Cork senior hurling panel in the absence of the existing panel that withdrew their services. He remained part of the panel when they returned and made his championship debut in the 2010 Munster semi-final win over Limerick. His funeral took place at St. Joseph's Church in Springhill, at which his brother 5 Ray Ryan, Cork, in action against Shane McNaughton, Antrim Credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE Pat explained: 'I was manager at the time and we were playing our great rivals and friends Erin's Own. "Ray was playing at centre-back, as he had to be in those days. I told Ray that if we conceded no goal, we would win the match. "He was to sit in front of the full-back line. That was grand anyway, the fella he was on got four or five points, but we won the match. 'We were back in the club anyway afterwards and Ray was getting a desperate slagging from the lads about the four or five points. "He came over to me and said, 'I'm getting roasted over here after your crazy idea.' I just said, 'didn't we win?' "He smiled and said, 'That is all that matters,' and off he went. "Ray was willing to do anything to win for the club. He always wanted to be good to Sars and Glanmire, and that is what Ray was. "To play with Ray on so many great days was, and always will be, the greatest achievement in my GAA lifetime. "We were so proud to play together, represent the jersey , come home to see our father in the club afterwards and have a few pints.'
