The character within the Dundalk FC side has become the hallmark of their season
Another three points, job done, move onto the welcome mid-season break, the unbeaten record surviving, and the six point gap at the top of the First Division maintained.
With only UCD visitors to Oriel Park on Friday week to complete the first half of the League, Dundalk are guaranteed to top the standings, remaining firm favourites for a return to the Premier table.
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RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Camogie Championship Round 3: All you need to know
SATURDAY Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 1 Clare v Limerick, Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, 2pm Wexford v Tipperary, Chadwicks Wexford, 4pm Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2 Dublin v Kilkenny, Parnell Park, 2pm Waterford v Derry, Walsh Park, 4pm ONLINE You'll find score updates and match reports on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app. Dublin v Kilkenny live on Camogie Association YouTube channel. RADIO Score updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport. WEATHER Saturday: After a wet start to the day, cloud and rain will gradually clear eastwards leaving a mix of showers and sunny spells for Saturday. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in moderate to fresh and occasionally strong northwest winds. for more go to Group 1 Clare v Limerick Billed in some quarters as a preliminary quarter-final, and while that may be a tad premature, with both teams having beaten Wexford, the winner of the Shannon derby will have a foot and a half in the knockout stages. Clare prevailed by nine points at this venue in the League and are coming into this off a bye after accounting for the Yellowbellies in their opener, while Limerick are playing their third game in a fortnight, having recovered from a 38-point loss to Cork by edging out the Model County. Wexford v Tipperary Tipperary need to get a win on the board after failing to land any sort of blow on Cork in their first game last weekend, having had a bye in the opening round. Wexford are 0 for 2 and given those games were against Clare and Limerick, the counties they would have been perceived to be rivalling for the third knockout berth from this group, they are up against it and must win this to have any chance of advancing. Defeat and they will almost certainly booked for a relegation play-off. Group 2 Dublin v Kilkenny This is a repeat of last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, in which Dublin surprised many by taking down Kilkenny. With the Stripeywomen losing to Waterford on home territory last week, they might be feeling a little bit vulnerable and Dublin will surely smell some blood in the water at Parnell Park. Tommy Shefflin and co will undoubtedly have learned a lot more from the reverse than the facile victory over Derry but with Dublin having had a week off after getting to within six points of Galway and with last year's Croke Park result in mind, this feels like it could go right to the wire. Waterford v Derry These two teams are enjoying very different fortunes at present, with Waterford impressive winners over Kilkenny at UPMC Nowlan Park on their belated competition start last Saturday and Derry, down two-thirds of the team that consolidated senior status last season, on a score difference of -58 points from two outings against Kilkenny and Galway.
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Kerry's Kennedy Cup captain Joe Joy confident the team can live with best of the rest
It's a huge honour for any player, and for Joy it is a proud moment as he steps into the shoes of those who have previously captained Kerry at this level. A proven goal scorer and a natural leader on the pitch, Joy's influence stretches beyond his finishing. He brings energy, voice, and determination to a group that has already enjoyed plenty of success this season. He was front and centre when Kerry lifted the U14 SFAI All-Ireland Trophy earlier this year, scoring goals and being named Man of the Match in the final. The excitement of representing Kerry in such a major competition isn't lost on Joy. From the moment the squad came together, he's been fully committed to the team and now, the focus shifts to the Kennedy Cup, and Joy is relishing the challenge ahead. 'It's great. The legacy of this will be great. And then being captain as well just tops it all off. It would be a great experience to hopefully go far in this as captain and leading on the team like we've done in other games hopefully.' 'I'm more than happy to be in this squad. Any fella would dream of it, whoever has been on the team before. It will be a great experience hopefully. Coming out with the top dogs, it would be great to give everyone a game,' he added. This year's tournament brings a slightly different set-up than last year, with Kerry placed in a four-team group alongside South Belfast, Tipperary South, and North Tipperary. They enter the competition as a second seed, having shown their quality in their Inter-League and national campaign. The draw brought some intrigue, but Joy - speaking before the draw was made - remained confident regardless of the group. 'We'll all be excited to see the draw. I can't see why you can't put any team on their behinds. We could run anyone to the ground once we just keep it up the whole game. 'And we've done this in previous games. Of course, we were unlucky in the first few inter-league games. We were missing players, key players. And it'd be great if we could give everyone a game, and see how we get on.' That belief is backed up by results. Kerry have already shown they can perform under pressure and win when it counts. The All-Ireland Trophy campaign saw them bounce back from a tough group stage to record big wins in the knock-out rounds, including a 3-0 victory in the final at the University of Limerick, the same venue that will host the Kennedy Cup. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Training has helped the team in the build-up, with the players themselves maintaining momentum through local competitions and friendlies. But he believes the group's connection off the pitch will be just as important as anything they do on it. 'Staying the nights there will be great, getting to know people better,' Joy said of the week-long tournament in UL. 'We'd be hoping to do well in it, and coming off the back of doing well in the final, it'd be great to that pressure from the start. And a few early goals in the games, I can't see why any team will keep up with us. 'Playing the games would be the main thing, and just getting to know everyone better before the season's out. We've been here a long time together. We train, and we've just bonded together as a team as well. So it'd be great if we could just bond the extra way and do very well again.' With leadership from the sideline and a talented squad on the pitch, Joy will look to inspire Kerry as they aim to write the next chapter in the county's Kennedy Cup history, and perhaps create more memories to match that unforgettable triumph in 2015.
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Jim Crawford backs Ireland U21 starlet to ‘take hype in his stride' as he reveals ‘his family's experienced it before'
JIM CRAWFORD backed Cathal O'Sullivan to block out the noise by making some of his own with the Republic of Ireland U21s. The Cork City starlet is one of three League of Ireland players to have earned their first call-ups into Crawford's panel for today's friendly against 2 Cathal O'Sullivan is one of the rising stars of the League of Ireland Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Jim Crawford backed him to take the hype in stride Credit: Manu Reino/Sportsfile That will be followed by another friendly against next Tuesday. O'Sullivan is joined by And the Ireland U21 boss praised the trio for making a seamless transition, saying: 'They haven't looked out of place. 'I had a conversation with Cathal saying that last year, when he was playing in the First Division, I thought he was outstanding. Read More on Ireland MNT 'And then, when they got promoted, I said, great, he has that taste now of being in a league winning team. 'He's been excellent. He really has. He's exciting crowds and I'm looking forward to seeing him play for us in this window. 'Cory was someone so young, playing with the top team in the league and looking comfortable. 'He plays with a maturity and a know-how that merits his inclusion. Most read in Football 'Warren's been having a great year. He knows that he's at a stage that will help him develop even more.' O'Sullivan has been the talk of the Watch Robbie Brady aim hilarious dig at Ireland teammates after winning Player of the Year award The 18-year-old scored seven goals in 28 appearances as the Leesiders won the First Division in 2024 and has played 14 times in the Premier Division this season. While City are second from bottom, O'Sullivan's reputations has continued to blossom. The winger visited After Meanwhile, City teammate – and ex-Preston North End star - Seani Maguire argued he is Crawford revealed that the youngster's brother spent time at family handled that experience will serve O'Sullivan well. GOOD STOCK He added: 'I've seen it with players where players would lose the run of themselves with all the external stuff coming from social media or from other people around the game. 'He's played some big games for Cork and he's been excellent, he really has, so I would suggest that he'll just take it in a stride. 'His brother played with Aston Villa. I think he was there for a year, he was saying. 'The family have experienced somebody at that level that goes away to England and tries to forge a career in the game.' Crawford also confirmed that Man Utd prospect Jacob Devaney will make his Ireland U21 debut in this window. The Yorkshire-born midfielder got his first call-up having previously played for the U19s. The 17-year-old is among the smattering of first-timers that also includes Killian Barrett, Cian Dillon – who was drafted in after injuries to Mason Melia and Jack Moorehouse – and the aforementioned League of Ireland trio. And Crawford said: 'Jacob's come in and he's trained well. He had to step out for one of our sessions. It was just to modify his load. 'The beauty with him, he can play as that holding midfielder and he can play as a full-back too, which is always a strength for a player as well in international football . 'He's come in and again, another player who hasn't looked out of place. 'He's a fantastic personality and he's a credit to his family because he's come in and it could have been quite daunting for him to come into a 21s camp. 'He's come in and he's been excellent, he really has, so he's definitely looking forward to putting on the green jersey .'
