Latest news with #All-IrelandChampionship
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rory Grugan urges Armagh to push for more despite All-Ireland Championship quarter-final berth already secured
RORY GRUGAN reckons it is 'a bit bizarre' that Armagh are already into the All-Ireland last eight after just two group games. And the veteran captain conceded that 2 Armagh ace Rory Grugan urged his team-mates to kick on in the All-Ireland Championship 2 Armagh beat Dublin on Sunday in the All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 4 clash Grugan was man of the match in But the 34-year-old insists his side cannot relax against He said 'pride' would prevent them taking a backstep and pointed to the fact that they need to push for improvement. Grugan said: 'It's a bit bizarre. We are there with a game to go. It just means we have two weeks to get ready for Galway and see where that takes us. READ MORE ON GAA 'You know you are going to be back in Croke Park in four weeks for a quarter-final, which is where you want to be. 'But we need to improve. Did we hit our targets against Dublin? Not many of them. 'There's things you'd be pleased with, like fighting for break ball and winning scraps and stuff like that. 'But so much of what we did we wouldn't be happy with in terms of both our own possessions and the amount of chances we gave up. There were a lot of chances they missed. Most read in GAA Football 'Dublin could easily have been gone from us in the first half. There's so much we can improve on. That's not the worst way to be going into the next game.' Error-prone Dublin blasted 17 wides in Sunday's five-point loss to the Orchard. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - They also hit the post twice and dropped several attempts short. And Dessie Farrell's men gifted five points to Armagh from technical fouls. Throw in Armagh's own shortcomings and Grugan is glad just to have won without hitting enough of their 'key performance indicators'. He said: 'It was our highest turnover count all season. It's strange in a way to win a game knowing you didn't hit a lot of your KPIs, yet you are still coming out of Croke Park after beating Dublin. 'It's a good thing. It's a bit of a weird feeling but it's obviously a good one.' Grugan said that far from being a dead rubber for Armagh, the Galway game is a chance to chase those improvements. And he pointed to the value of momentum ahead of the quarter-finals. The Ballymacnab man said: 'I don't think at this level that taking a step back or having some sort of mindset of not being bothered about winning a game is a good thing. Momentum is a big thing. 'You have two weeks to Galway and two weeks then to an All-Ireland quarter-final. So we are going to be really going after the Galway game.' Grugan's strong form is a big boost to Armagh ahead of the business end of the campaign. On their All-Ireland win, he said: 'I was 33 at the time. There might be a perception on the outside that you'd walk away. It was honestly the opposite for me — you just wanted to go again."
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Roscommon v Meath LIVE updates from the All-Ireland Football Championship
Roscommon welcome Meath to Dr Hyde Park in a huge match for both counties' ambitions of making the knockout stages of this year's All-Ireland Championship. The Rossies travelled to Salthill with high hopes in this year's Connacht semi-finals, but they were soundly beaten by Galway. And it was a similar story in Killarney last time out as they could not match the scoring power of Kerry. It means that Davy Burke's side desperately need a result against the Royals if they are to keep their Championship hopes alive. For Meath, it has been a rollercoaster month. A famous win over Dublin in the Leinster semi-finals was followed by a gut-wrenching loss to Louth in the decider. But the Royals responded in good style last time out when showing good character to see off Cork in Navan. The match is scheduled for a 6pm throw-in, and you can follow all the action right here on Irish Mirror Sport. With Kerry the firm favourites to win the group, it is a hard call between Meath, Cork and Roscommon for the remaining spots. The momentum is on Meath's side after their victory over Cork last time and they seem to be growing in confidence with every game of late. Matthew Costello was outstanding against the Rebels and has turned into a real leader for the Royals, while the return of Jordan Morris was another boost to the cause. Stay with us for all the action from Dr Hyde Park
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Mairéad O'Brien is Waterford's silent assassin
Ask your general camogie supporter to name a few Waterford players, and the names will trip off the tongue. Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett, Lorraine Bray, Brianna O'Regan. High calibre operators, the first three All-Stars, the latter an annual nominee who somehow is still awaiting the coveted individual recognition. It is no reflection on Mairéad O'Brien's talent or influence that that she seems to fly under the radar. Nor does it bother her one iota. The likelihood is she hasn't spent a millisecond thinking about it. It takes a lot more to knock the almost horizontally laidback Modeligo sharpshooter out of her equilibrium. That makes her a positive addition to any dressing room but her contribution to the Déise cause is far, far more than what she brings in terms of serenity and personality. Like much of what she does, the 22-year-old's feat of concluding the National League as the leading scorer from play in Division 1A with 3-04 would have escaped the attention of many. Given Waterford only won two games, it was a notable achievement. It is particularly so when O'Brien is such a team player, powerful in the air and over the sliotar, happy to get down and dirty to supply those around her. But the nose for a goal has been showcased ever since Derek Lyons called her into the senior panel. Despite her youth, she nabbed three goals in the group stages alone as Waterford moved onto a first All-Ireland senior final in 78 years in 2023. That has continued unabated and opposition defences have surely cottoned on now. Today, the Suirsiders get their Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship Group 2 campaign under way against neighbours Kilkenny, who already have a win under their belt, at UPMC Nowlan Park (throw-in 12.30pm) and O'Brien cannot wait. Given she hit the Cats for a brace of goals on the way to defeat in the League in March, Tommy Shefflin and co will definitely be forewarned about her threat but even if they weren't, the likes of Caoimhe Keher Murtagh would inform them. Keher Murtagh was a colleague of O'Brien's as UL won the Ashbourne Cup for a second season on the trot and they were both named in the third level team of the year. Whereas Keher-Murtagh's Rower-Inistioge are a storied, traditional hurling club however, Modeligo used to be focussed entirely on the big ball, with hurleys extremely thin on the ground until very recently. The camogie club was only established in 2011 to field an U12 team and O'Brien has been the core of everything that has been good since, highlighted by her tally of 1-04 as Modeligo defeated Tipperary outfit, Fethard by 2-05 to 0-10 in the Munster junior club final last November. "The first adult team was put out in 2017, we won the junior in 2019 and then, obviously, last year we had a good run of luck," says O'Brien with just a touch of understatement. "As a group, our main aim was to get back to the county final and try and win it. I think we probably bottled a lot of disappointment from the year previous. But to be fair, we used it to our advantage and we went back training that bit earlier, and worked really hard throughout the year. "And once we got out of the county, we were definitely in bonus territory and unknown territory to be honest. The lads involved were great when it came to the big days. They never kind of picked up on the occasion too much. I suppose their main point, is just to go out and enjoy it and work really hard. And that's what happened." The smile breaks out just thinking about the odyssey and what it meant in the small country parish to the west of the county. "It was just unbelievable. We had a few good celebrations. We just enjoyed it. When we were enjoying it, we were just playing well. The whole community was behind us. And in the Munster final, they were definitely a 16th player. We were struggling for scores in the second half and we had phenomenal support that got us over the line." The skipper of that team, Rhona Drohan is vice-captain of the Waterford U23 squad that also includes Mairéad's younger sister Rachel. A rising tide does what it does. It has been a bit of a period of upheaval since the conclusion of the League, with Waterford manager, Jerry Wallace departing and Mick Boland stepping into the plate. Meanwhile, there was the entire skorts discourse, with Waterford playing a brave and central role in the campaign that included the postponement of their Munster final with Cork and ultimately led to the alteration of the rule on kit by a 98% majority that allowed players to choose shorts or skorts on match day. It was a decision hailed by president Brian Molloy as "a historic day for the association". "Yeah, we were definitely delighted. We got the news at training, and we were just about to do our running block. I swear we've never run so fast all year! "It is a massive step. There was an issue with comfort levels but the players was listened to, and the results were pretty significant. And any step forward for keeping younger girls involved is great. "It was frustrating to have the Munster final postponed 16 hours before when all the preparations had been made to optimise our performance. We had been training well and had a good win over Tipp to get there. "There was a change (of manager), but all the rest of the management are still on board. And suppose as a group, we're just driving it forward and just focusing on the championship now. And I think the management team we have currently is phenomenal. The commitment they've shown is as much as the girls'. We're all just kind of working together and pushing forward as a group and trying to get the best out of each other." A former dual operator, O'Brien stepped away from Waterford's ladies football squad this year as she was completing her final year at UL in physio. She has just completed her last placement and is looking forward to getting the professional phase of her life under way, perhaps in the autumn. Everything right now is zoned in on the next couple of months with Waterford camogie. A date with the Stripeywomen ensures that it is no soft launch. "They beat us in the League but we would be looking to improve our performance from then. We got off to a good start but in the second half we didn't maintain it. I don't think we've ever actually beaten them in championship so hopefully we will put that right this time. "We've got quite a competitive group (completed by Galway, Dublin and so it's definitely going to be a challenge to get out of it, but at the end of the day, it's a challenge we're looking forward to as well."
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Low-key O'Brien an ace in the Déise pack
Ask your general camogie supporter to name Waterford players and names will trip off the tongue. Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett, Lorraine Bray, Brianna O'Regan. High calibre operators, the first three All-Stars, the latter an annual nominee somehow still awaiting the coveted individual recognition. It is no reflection on Mairéad O'Brien's talent or influence that she seems to fly under the radar. Nor does it bother her one iota. It takes a lot more to knock the laidback Modeligo sharpshooter out of her equilibrium. The 22-year-old's feat of concluding the National League as the leading scorer from play in Division 1A with 3-4 escaped the attention of many. Given Waterford only won two games, it was a notable achievement. It is particularly so when O'Brien is such a team player, powerful in the air and over the sliotar, happy to get down and dirty to supply those around her. But the nose for a goal has been showcased ever since Derek Lyons called her into the senior panel. Despite her youth, she nabbed three goals in the group stages alone as Waterford moved onto a first All-Ireland senior final in 78 years in 2023. That knack has continued unabated. Today, the Suirsiders get their Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship Group 2 campaign under way against neighbours Kilkenny, who already have a win under their belt, at UPMC Nowlan Park (12.30pm) and O'Brien cannot wait. She hit the Cats for a brace of goals on the way to defeat in the League in March, so Tommy Shefflin and co will be forewarned about her threat. Even if they weren't, the likes of Caoimhe Keher Murtagh would inform them. Keher Murtagh was a colleague of O'Brien's as UL retained the Ashbourne Cup and both were named in the third level team of the year. It has been a period of upheaval for Waterford since the conclusion of the League, with manager Jerry Wallace departing and Mick Boland stepping in. There was the entire skorts discourse, with Waterford playing a brave and central role in the campaign that included the postponement of their Munster final with Cork and ultimately led to the alteration of the rule. "We were definitely delighted," says O'Brien. "We got the news at training, and we were just about to do our running block. I swear we've never run so fast all year! 'It is a massive step. There was an issue with comfort levels but the players was listened to, and the results were pretty significant. And any step forward for keeping younger girls involved is great. 'It was frustrating to have the Munster final postponed 16 hours before when all the preparations had been made to optimise our performance. We had been training well and had a good win over Tipp to get there. 'There was a change (of manager), but all the rest of the management are still on board. And suppose as a group, we're just driving it forward and just focusing on the championship now. And I think the management team we have currently is phenomenal. "The commitment they've shown is as much as the girls'. We're all just kind of working together and pushing forward as a group and trying to get the best out of each other.' A former dual operator, O'Brien stepped away from Waterford's ladies football squad this year as she was completing her final year at UL in physio. She is looking forward to getting the professional phase of her life under way, perhaps in the autumn. Everything right now is zoned in on Waterford camogie and this date with the Stripeywomen. 'They beat us in the League but we would be looking to improve our performance from then. We got off to a good start but in the second half we didn't maintain it. I don't think we've ever actually beaten them in championship so hopefully we will put that right this time. 'We've got quite a competitive group (completed by Galway, Dublin and so it's definitely going to be a challenge to get out of it, but at the end of the day, it's a challenge we're looking forward to as well.'
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Camogie Championship Round 2: All you need to know
SATURDAY All-Ireland Championship Group 1 Limerick v Wexford, Mick Neville Park Rathkeale, 4pm Tipperary v Cork, The Ragg, 4pm All-Ireland Championship Group 2 Kilkenny v Waterford, UPMC Nowlan Park, 12.30pm Derry v Galway, Owenbeg, 2pm TV Tipperary v Cork will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel ONLINE You'll find score updates and match reports on RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ News app. RADIO Score updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport. WEATHER Saturday: A band of showery rain will spread from the west through the morning and afternoon. The rain will clear into the Irish Sea, with sunshine and a scattering of showers following, some heavy in the northwest, with the chance of thunder. Highest temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees in moderate to fresh southwest winds, veering westerly. For more go to Group 1 Limerick v Wexford This is a must-win affair for both counties, who were defeated in their opening outings. Limerick were never in it against Cork and had a day to forget while Wexford were edged out by Clare in a game that was considered critical in terms of making the quarter-finals. Both these teams will still harbour ambitions in that regard but a second reverse here would have them focusing on the other end of the table and avoiding the trapdoor to intermediate in 2026. Tipperary v Cork Cork sauntered to a 38-point victory over Limerick but The Ragg is a different venue to Páirc Uí Rinn and with all due respect to the Shannonsiders, Tipperary are a different calibre of opposition. Last year's league champions get their campaign under way after sitting out the first round with a vociferous home crowd certain to be in their corner, and should provide the three-in-a-row chasing Rebels with exactly the type of examination Ger Manley would want before we reach the knockout stages. Group 2 Kilkenny v Waterford Kilkenny posted a 26-point win away to Derry last weekend and have been making incremental improvements since the beginning of the season under new manager Tommy Shefflin and skipper Katie Power in her 18th season in black and amber. Waterford have yet to overcome their neighbours at championship level since returning to the top tier and they too have a new manager, with coach Mick Boland stepping into the fray after Jerry Wallace departed following the league. The Déise are desperate to return to the All-Ireland final after reaching the 2023 decider and victory on enemy territory in their first outing of the 2025 championship would represent a huge boost. Derry v Galway, Owenbeg Traditionally slow starters, Galway will be pleased to have opened their campaign with victory over Dublin. Without any provincial action, it was a first outing since the disappointing defeat in the Division 1A league final. Retaining their senior status with a degree of comfort was a fine achievement for Derry in 2024, but they have lost nearly two-thirds of the starting team since and suffered a heavy loss in Owenbeg to Kilkenny last Saturday. Their crunch games are probably yet to come but last year's All-Ireland finalists cannot afford to treat the Oak Leafers lightly.
