Latest news with #All-Irelands
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: The 'massive scramble' for All-Ireland final tickets
It's All-Ireland Football final week as Kerry and Donegal fans gear up for Croke Park on Sunday. RTÉ's GAA Correspondent Marty Morrissey told Behind the Story where all the tickets go – and why it can be so hard to get them. "It is difficult to get tickets, and I understand the frustration and the anger," he told Fran and David. "There's 82,300 tickets to go into Croke Park – that's the capacity crowd. "The two contesting teams roughly get 20,000 tickets each. "All the teams in the finals, despite it happening year after years, are spoilt when it comes to semi-finals because they can get 40,000 each really. "But when it comes All-Ireland finals, there is a process [where] tickets go to every unit of the GAA nationwide and abroad." Marty says ticket allocations quickly add up and the policy of sending tickets to all counties can frustrate fans from the two teams playing in the final. 10,000 tickets in the stadium are also for the corporate and premium sections. "The GAA that I was brought up in didn't have the corporate boxes; this is the world we live in," he said. "For the GAA to survive – or any organisation – it is about money. "I will say that the GAA do one good thing: everything goes back to the clubs." Marty said he believes every GAA fan should get the chance to experience an All-Ireland final once in their lifetime. "You don't have to be from Donegal or Kerry on Sunday to appreciate the pride that comes with even the parade, even the cheer," he said. "I've been lucky in my lifetime to see Clare win a couple of All-Irelands and to see that saffron and blue running out on to the pitch. "To see your neighbours running on to the pitch is truly historical and emotional." You can watch the All-Ireland Football Championship final on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Niall Moran: Cork were inhibited by fear of failure
Former Limerick hurler Niall Moran believes the scar tissue from previous All-Ireland final losses came back to haunt Cork in their under-performance on Sunday. The Munster champions led by six points at the break after an edgy first-half performance but incredibly mustered just 0-02 in a surreal second half capitulation which saw Tipperary canter to a 15-point victory in a fixture in which they had already suffered two double-digit margin losses in 2025. The wretched display has been attributed to both tactical and psychological factors, with Moran saying that Cork reacted poorly to Tipperary's deployment of Bryan O'Mara as a sweeper but arguing that mental baggage from previous All-Ireland final losses were in the mix. "I suppose in the analysis of this game, people are going to either take two approaches. They're going to laud the Tipperary performance and rightly so, or they're going to criticise the Cork performance," Moran said on Game On on RTÉ2fm. "And I think for me, the overall capitulation gave me the sense that Cork, with a half an hour left to go, were looking for the finish line. "That is a consequence sometimes of the scar tissue from losing All-Irelands. And it just seemed, even in the first half, they definitely didn't play with the flow that they had (in previous games). "They were poxxed to be six points up. A drawn game at half time would have been a very, very fair reflection. "People spoke about the sweeper. Cork knew what was happening. They knew that Bryan O'Mara was was flooding one side and it's nearly 101 in terms of coaching there. You're being given a spare man in the full-back line. What you have to do is work it through the lines. "But I think they were completely inhibited after 10 minutes by a fear of failure. No one wanted to take that responsibility of making that big play. "And what I was amazed at in real time, and I don't think it was picked up even last night on the Sunday Game, Cork for a lot of the game actually went five-on-five in their own backs. "In the second half, Eoin Downey had very little cover in front of him. He was forced into a situation where he was forced to play John McGrath from the front. And that left the door open for him to go in the back. "So psychologically, yes, there'll be a big focus on it. But tactically as well, they just got it really wrong against what is essentially a basic tactical concept in today's game." Like many others, Moran highlighted a crucial moment as the opening free of the second half, when Cork's legendary inside forward Patrick Horgan pushed a relatively straightforward free wide of the right hand post. Within ten minutes of that, Tipperary had rattled off 1-05 without reply and the game had been turned on its head. "That Cork team contained seven of the first eight (1-8 on the team) that played in 2021 (against Limerick. "And that doesn't leave you. Like, when you lose big games, that stays with you for a very, very long time. You can try and plaster over it and have good leagues and various semi-finals and quarter-final performances. "But ultimately, until you have to cross that Rubicon to do something that you've never done before, that's only when you know if the scar tissue is healed. "I think the confidence just seeped out of Cork after Hoggie's free. And it's not really fair to put that blame on a guy like Patrick Horgan. "But I suppose the reality is a similar situation occurred last year when they'd a chance to go eight up on Clare. And within 15-20 minutes, Clare had them level. "And again, yesterday, within 10 minutes of that, Cork were in arrears. "Did an element of complacency set in deep, deep down to copper-fasten it? I definitely think so. "And it's very, very hard to guard against that in an amateur or professional environment. And look, I suppose that's what Cork have to pour over." While it's a second successive All-Ireland defeat under the management of Pat Ryan, Moran doesn't believe the Cork manager should walk but suggests that there may need to be a turnover in personnel and a further push towards youth. "What do you do if you're Pat Ryan here now? Do you jump ship? I don't think you jump ship. I think he's done an exceptional job. Their performance was still among the best of any county this year. "Maybe you just probably have to pore through some of your personnel. And maybe there has to be slight changes. "And look, there is a bedrock of youth coming through with success from Cork as well. "And maybe he'll just have to maybe copy that model from Liam Cahill and just say, hey, we need four or five changes here. Thanks very much. You've been brilliant servants. "That process starts now. I just think they have to be public. They have to address it. Let it be open wound for now. "And the sooner you kind of go towards healing, the sooner you get over it."
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rebel hell: What Cork have to do to end 20 years of hurt
They were booed by their own fans. A season of promise had turned to disaster. No, we aren't talking about Cork here. Well, at least not yet. Instead we are reflecting on how last summer ended for Tipperary - with recrimination, bitterness and a fall-out which lasted throughout the winter. And look at them now. Read more: 'Can you remember a performance that was as bad?' - Sunday Game pundits slam Cork second half 'collapse' Read more: Cork labelled the 'Mayo of hurling' by fans after epic All-Ireland final collapse Cork won't want to. Indeed, after the cancellation of Monday's official homecoming, they don't even want to look at themselves. Yet they must. A summer of soul searching awaits and whether they like it or not, they need to turn to their conquerors for inspiration. Because a year ago Tipperary were in a much worse position than Cork are now. While it helped that they had a quintet of newcomers ready to refresh their panel, Tipp's biggest change wasn't in personnel but in attitude. No longer prepared to be second rate or second best, they became fitter, tougher, more resilient. Cork needs to do that now too as that's three All-Ireland final defeats in five years now. And the first rule of any championship winning team is that before you set about beating everyone else, you have to stop beating yourself. Cork dejected (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) BECOME THE NEXT LIMERICK NOT THE NEW MAYO Cork have now lost five All-Ireland finals since 2005. That's bad. But hurling has known worse famines. Galway, for a start, lost nine finals between their first and second All-Irelands, and a further six between their fourth and fifth Liam MacCarthys. Yet by the time they finally got across the line in 2017, the past ceased to be relevant. A year later Limerick had also learned that lesson when John Kiely rationally downplayed the significance of his county's 45-year wait for an All-Ireland title. "It's a statistic; nothing more, this 45-year business," Kiely said in advance of that year's win over Galway. "You cannot blame these players for things that happened in previous decades. This is a new Limerick team.' And an outstanding one, which went on to win five All-Irelands in six years. So Tipp, Limerick, Galway, and to a lesser extent Clare in 2024, are all examples of how a side can overturn a mental barrier to land the big prize. The trouble is that the more often you lose crunch games, the more often the past is referenced. Ask Mayo's footballers about that. This Cork team is in danger of becoming their hurling brothers. FIND A PLAN B Cork did have a strategy on Sunday. The trouble was they didn't have a back-up one. Whether it was ego, blindness or blandness, the truth is they came up against a team playing a sweeper and were confused by the tactic. How could they have been? Ever since Anthony Daly used Alan Markham as Clare's plus one in the 2004 All-Ireland quarter-final, teams have increasingly played with a seventh defender to nullify their free scoring opponents. That was Tipp's plan on Sunday. It worked. While Cork led by six points at half-time, their management were still duty bound to tinker with their tactics. Why not play with two rather than three inside? Why not build the play with shorter passes rather than persist with going long? And it wasn't just their tactics that were off; their composure and execution were just as bad on a day when their one dimensional approach was shockingly naive. When Plan A failed, Cork's response was to try Plan A. Yes, playing a long ball worked for two years but Brian Hayes was nullified by Ronan Maher on Sunday as Cork scored only two second half points. They had to get Robert Downey receiving more possession, had to show greater fight in 50/50 challenges and had to restrict the number of turnovers which led to Tipp scoring 2-4 in that game-changing third quarter. 'They eventually panicked,' said Brendan Cummins, the former Tipp goalkeeper. A back-up plan would help. Tipperary fans celebrate with the Liam MacCarthy Cup (Image: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo) DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER As well as some harsh truths, there are also some mitigating factors to consider. Yes, Cork lost a game they could have won. But they missed a penalty, saw Seamus Harnedy's shot rebound off the crossbar, had two Hawkeye queries go against them, and had a further three shots rebound off the post. That's 2-5. Not enough to win the game; certainly enough to make the scoreline look respectable. Let's also remember they bounced back from a trimming by Limerick to then beat them in the Munster decider and let's also look at how they then became victims of their Munster final success. Finishing third in Munster aided Tipp's run to an All-Ireland. Firstly, it gave them a three-week break in mid-season; second it provided them with a below-the-radar run to the final. Laois, Galway, Kilkenny provided increasingly tough opposition, battle-hardening Liam Cahill's side for the ultimate test. Cork, in contrast, had just one game's prep after Munster. And that wasn't a game; it was an embarrassment. 'Dublin were brutal against Cork which meant it was brutal preparation from a Cork point of view for the final,' said Donal Og Cusack on The Sunday Game. Perhaps Cork's fans are better to forgive than forget. DON'T PANIC - NO ONE OUT THERE IS SCARY This All-Ireland has come too soon for Tipp to start a Cody or Kiely type dynasty. Instead the hunters must learn how to deal with being hunted. Ask Clare how that feels. So Tipp won't provide frightening opposition for Cork next year. Nor Limerick, losers to Dublin, Cork and Clare this year, as well as to Cork last summer. Then there is Kilkenny, whose better players are on their last legs. Galway were average this year. Waterford have been average every year since 2020. So this isn't the time for Cork to press the panic button. After all they did that on Sunday and look where it got them.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'There was nobody talking about winning All-Irelands' - Class of 2016 revel in Tipperary's rags to riches transformation
This time last year a third All-Ireland medal seemed a far-fetched dream. But that is what Tipperary's Michael Breen, Jason Forde, Seamus Kennedy, captain Ronan Maher and John McGrath have today. Kennedy played the last 20 minutes of yesterday's All-Ireland final victory over Cork, coming on shortly before now four-time winner Noel McGrath, and the others all started, making key contributions to a sensational 15-point win. "The resilience of this man," said manager Liam Cahill of Forde (who scored two points from play) afterwards. "He's like a good wine, he gets better with age. Breen gave an exhibition today and Noel comes on, Seamus Kennedy, John McGrath, they're just different class." How did a team that finished bottom in Munster last year - with just a single point from drawing with Waterford - get back on top so quickly? "It's a number of things," says Forde, 31, who reveals he sat down with Cahill to discuss the future after a rough 2024 in which he lost his role as free-taker. "We were so hurt after last year. Tipp is obviously such a mad hurling county. I remember meeting Jake Morris a couple of weeks after and you're nearly ashamed to show your face around because of the manner in which we went out. "When I met Liam, I just said we couldn't leave things like that, the year that we had. Having played for Tipp for 13 seasons and winning All-Irelands, to leave it on that note, it just wouldn't have felt right. "And you could see the younger players that were coming. This is Liam's third year with this group of players. We are after finding exceptional young players, three players in Darragh [McCarthy], Sam [O'Farrell] and Oisin [O'Donoghue] that we didn't have last year. "We just went back to the grindstone, we trained really, really hard. We've been finishing all the games really strong and I put that down to work our S&Cs have done with us. When it comes down to the last ten minutes, we back that we have the legs, the boys coming off the bench to finish the job as well. "We said as a group all year, there's nobody going to come and save us. We had to go back and put in the work and drag ourselves up out of it and thank God we did." Having performed well to draw with Limerick on the opening day in April, Tipp imploded after McCarthy's early red card against Cork. That meant they went to All-Ireland champions Clare needing a first Munster win in 10 attempts to keep their hopes of progression alive. They got it, McGrath and Andrew Ormond (in his breakthrough performance) scoring two goals each in a 4-18 to 2-21 victory that sparked a run of six to glory. "Munster is so tight and hard to get out of, you are targeting every game," says Forde. "But that Clare game, the Tipp crowd came out that day and cheered us off the bus. We were starting to reconnect with the support. "Ennis is a really tough place to go, the All-Ireland champions. That game was in the melting pot with five minutes to go, a couple of big scores from Eoghan Connolly and Seán Keneally off the bench and a few others got us over the line. But I think after that game we could see that the team was starting to open up, we knew if we got a result against Waterford, that would get us out of Munster." Two-goal hero John McGrath was lost for words in trying to describe the level Tipperary found in the second half as they won the All-Ireland title. — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 20, 2025 Tipp have been described as the ultimate confidence county and their results in finals seem to back that up. When they win, they win big. Nine points to spare over Kilkenny in 2016 and 14 in '19. Some 15 over Cork yesterday, outscoring them 3-14 to 0-02 in the second half. John McGrath scored 1-03 and 0-03 in the victories over the Cats and 2-02 yesterday, in addition to winning the penalty converted by McCarthy. Good going for an almost 31-year-old who didn't start a championship game for almost three years after rupturing his Achilles' tendon against Clare in 2022. "There were a few years there it wasn't going for me but you don't just throw in the towel," he told RTÉ Sport. "I love playing this, I love being a part of this. You keep plugging away as long as you can. "I was lucky enough we were still going with the club so I didn't see Clonakenny but by all accounts savage work was done. Even into January, February, training was so intense. "We just really went back to basics. Built a real squad unity, a real belief as the year went on. Everyone was out on their feet there at the end but lads were still throwing everything in the way just to get over the line. "That second half was 'Oh my God'. "It's a long way we have come. We were long gone this time 12 months ago. It's hard to describe what exactly changed. It's not one single magic thing. The talent was always there, it was just about fine-tuning it and we have gone from strength to strength as the year has gone on." "Can we a bit of pride back in the jersey?" They were eliminated 14 months ago, to be precise. "We're never too far away from the summit," insisted Breen. "But if you're off a yard, you can be the bottom in Munster. "Our hurling is never an issue in Tipperary. Maybe the lungs and the legs, when we got them right this year, it did improve our game so much. But you could see it all come together in that second half today. "We spoke about minding the ball, we spoke about running it and working it out well. That's the way we train all year, and last year, these are things we tried to do, but just didn't execute. So to fully execute in an All-Ireland final [is very pleasing]. "I think the goal before half-time really woke us up. We had been playing reasonably well. But that second half, we just attacked everything. And we came up trumps. "This is really sweet. 2016 and '19, they were brilliant, but I'd never seen the colour and the excitement around the county [this week]. And the supporters again today were unbelievable." Did they really believe they could turn things around so dramatically? "When I met Liam you got a really good sense that there was going to be no stone left unturned to get the team back," says Forde. "You need a bit of luck in these situations too. There was nobody talking about winning All-Irelands. Can we get this team [going] and get a bit of pride back in the jersey, get out of Munster and maybe reconnect with the Tipperary supporters?
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Jason Forde: 'I said to Liam we couldn't leave things the way they were'
Ace attacker Jason Forde said he never contemplated walking away from the Tipperary set-up following their dismal record in last year's championship. The Silvermines club man wanted to put pride back in the jersey. 'After the season finishes you're meeting a lot of people and they're wondering if you're going back. People are nearly writing you off. 'I said to Liam (Cahill) we couldn't leave things the way they were. Having played with Tipp for 13 seasons and won All-Irelands to leave on that note wouldn't have been right. 'You could see the glimmer of hope with the younger players that were coming. There was no one talking about winning All-Irelands, it was about getting pride back in the jersey.' That the transformation came about in such a short space of time is attributed to a number of factors he said. 'This is Liam's third year with this group of players. And the couple of younger lads we are after finding, exceptional players in Darragh (McCarthy), Sam (O'Farrell) and Oisín (O'Donoghue) that we didn't have last year. 'We just went back to the grindstone and we trained really, really hard. We've been finishing the games really strong and we put that down to the work our S&C has done. When it comes down to the last 10 minutes we have the legs. The boys coming off the bench finish the job as well. 'We were so hurt after last year. Tipp is obviously such a mad hurling county and a lot of us are living close to the big towns and meeting people. I remember meeting Jake Morris a couple of weeks afterwards and you're nearly ashamed walking around after the manner we went out. 'We said as a group all year there is nobody going to come and save us. We had to go back and put in the work and drag ourselves out of it. And Thank God we did.' The day they put four first-half goals past Clare in the Munster championship to emerge 4-18 to 2-21 winners was a day he felt the Tipp public were starting to get behind them. 'Munster is so tight, that Clare game and the Tipp crowd cheering us into the stadium. We were starting to reconnect with the supporters. To go down to Ennis, it is a really tough place to go to the All-Ireland champions. That game was in the melting pot with five minutes to go. A couple of big scores got us over the line. After that game things were starting to open up.'
