Brennan preparing for the added incentive of facing Louth
Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Final Louth v Meath
The build up to Sunday's Leinster showdown with Louth probably started as soon as the final whistle was blown in O'Moore Park, Portlaoise last Sunday week which signalled the end of Dublin's 14-year reign as Leinster champions.
It wasn't just that Meath were back in a Leinster final, this one had an added incentive, Louth were the opposition and if that didn't whet the appetite then nothing would.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Average Leinster Rugby attendances unveiled as empty Croke Park worries grow
The average attendance for Leinster home fixtures in recent weeks has officially been unveiled, and a half-full Croke Park is a real possibility next weekend. The team's bubble appears to have burst following their Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton, as their quest for a fifth European title came to a disappointing end yet again. Despite being the most consistent team in European Rugby over the last decade plus, Leo Cullen is hoping to avoid a fifth straight season without silverware. They will get their chance to end the drought next weekend when they welcome the Bulls to Croke Park, but there are murmurs that fewer than 40,000 could attend the URC final. Leinster have had strong crowds since retuning to Croke Park 13 months ago, including a sold out URC clash against Munster, but their attendance statistics of late have been worrying. Since that loss to Northampton, Leinster have been playing in front of small crowds at the Aviva Stadium. With their home ground, the RDS, under renovation, Leinster face the daunting task of playing their home games in either the Aviva or Croke Park. The biggest home crowd Leinster have played in front of is their regular season clash against defending champions, attracting 17,654, while their semi-final drew just 15,762, and their average attendance since that loss is a staggering 15,222. Tickets for Saturday's game go on general sale at 10 am on Monday.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Brian Gavin: Injury to Munster final ref underlines need to support officials
The image of Adam English trying to help a cramping Thomas Walsh is one of the abiding images from Saturday's Munster final. It comes only a week after David Gough was forced to pull out of officiating the Down-Louth game with a hamstring problem. I won't say referees are dropping like flies but the pains and bangs they are picking up is a symptom of the scheduling when games are coming so quickly after another. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Cathal Mannion left to plough lonely furrow for disappointing Galway
Cathal Mannion's scoring share stood at 31% coming into Croke Park. Significant, but not immediately suggesting an over-reliance. Skip ahead to the 59th minute of the Leinster final and Mannion found himself carrying an entire county on his back. With no Galway score from play across the preceding 37 minutes, his five frees were their sole, insufficient source of nourishment in the interim. Two of those frees he won himself. His was the sole name on the Galway scoresheet between the 17th and 59th minute. That's 42 minutes of a Leinster final where just one player is finding the target. Conor Whelan foraged and fashioned assists in the opening half, while there was the rare threatening flash from Kevin Cooney when fed early doors. But, on the whole, Galway from midfield up offered Mannion and nothing else. His 0-11 total was two greater than the 1-6 of the 14 other starters combined. Collective abjectness. 'In terms of the way we wanted to play, we just didn't from the start of the game,' said Micheál Donoghue, stating the blindingly obvious. 'They set up with maybe their six dropping off as a sweeper and we really struggled with that. When we pushed up and figured that out, then we started being a bit more dominant in our own half-back line. 'The reliance on Cathal, he showed how important he is again today to us. I think maybe in the first half, we were lorrying it from too far out and Huw Lawlor was dominant. 'The positives, and we have to take the positives out of it, are when we did get it going and working it through the lines, we were better.' Hurling for 11 minutes late on is hardly a positive. Within that, the switch of Cathal Mannion to permanent inside station, Gavin Lee to midfield, Seán Linnane to wing-back, and Cianan Fahy to centre-back might - and should - get a second runout in the All-Ireland quarter-final. A multitude of problems remain. There is no other half-forward ball-winner besides Whelan. Galway didn't win a long puckout until the 19th minute. 22 shots from play in 74 minutes is beyond unacceptable. Galway have not won a championship game at Croke Park since the 2020 Leinster semi-final. Their last nine trips delivered eight defeats and one draw. 'In the build-up, people are saying 'we're back, we're back' and that we have big opportunities. The disappointing thing is when you see what they did do for a 10-12 minute period, that's what we'll try and build on as we move forward,' Donoghue continued. 'The disappointment of today and I suppose the narrative will be that it's probably similar to previous years and previous teams. But look, we know what we have in the squad and we'll try and take the positives out of it as we move forward.' Tipp are their likely quarter-final opponents, as they were in 2020 and '23. Galway won both. 'Look, huge challenge again. We know it's going to be a big task but we still have full faith and trust in the group that we can bounce back.'
