Latest news with #AllIreland
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Conor McManus: Trusting their process left Donegal playing entirely on Kerry's terms
When you're doing an All-Ireland broadcast, it means being in Croke Park a good few hours early. Sometimes it's possible to pick up bits of information but I don't think I can be overly smart and claim to have spotted anything untoward. When Donegal made the late replacement, it was hardly a big surprise. Jim McGuinness was always going to try and get Caolan McGonagle involved if he was fit but very few were expecting Hugh McFadden to drop out. Before the match, I had remarked that McFadden is a better starter than a sub but the assumption was that Donegal might go with an extra defender. That didn't happen and McGonagle played a fairly orthodox midfield role. Then there was the parade. Donegal broke early and went off but Kerry had war-gamed this and decided to hold formation behind the band until the parade came to a halt. You can fit the result into the parade any way you want so I'm not inclined to draw big conclusions because teams do whatever makes them comfortable. READ MORE From my experience of big matches, it always felt easier to follow the parade until it was finished because that didn't place any demands on a team. If all the prematch activity was hard to read, there was no mistaking the mood Kerry were in. Gavin White burst on to the very first ball, the very first play and galloped right at Donegal before laying it off to Dylan Geaney, who scores. This is all within 14 or 15 seconds of the throw-in and you're just thinking, Kerry mean business here. They started the final in fifth gear in the way they approached the kick-out and the breaking ball. I had been thinking that the first 15 minutes – never mind the first 15 seconds – might be cagey enough, a wee bit of feeling each other out and ease into the game. But Kerry didn't allow Donegal any comfort, any time in possession even in those opening phases. They just railroaded them and made sure from the start that the game would be played on their terms. They were so on top that MOTM could have been given to one of five Kerry players, the two Clifford's, White, whose movement was exceptional, Joe O'Connor and I'd include their keeper, Shane Ryan as well. It was a real team performance. We saw the collective strength against Armagh and the 14-0 in 15 minutes during the second half and then 8-0 against Tyrone in a similar period. In Sunday's final, the push came early and they went from leading by one, 0-4 to 0-3, to 10 minutes later, stretching that out to 0-13 to 0-4. Kerry's David Clifford scores two points despite Brendan McCole of Donegal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho It was hugely impressive and their efficiency was off the charts. By my calculation, they got 1-16 out of 22 shots inside the large D. It was clear that Jack O'Connor and his team had decided they were going after this and not waiting to feel out the opposition. They would impose themselves on the game and see what Donegal had, after that. They were completely facilitated by Jim McGuinness sticking with the zonal defence. Kerry moved fast and never carried into contact. This robbed Donegal of their big tactic and momentum builder, turnover ball and deprived them of the oxygen of a big dispossession when they take the ball off you and break, fast. Turnovers were like hens' teeth and as a result, there was no opportunity to counter-attack at pace. After the early exchanges, Donegal had a decision to make: continue as they were with the zonal defence or push out on to Paudie Clifford. That's difficult for a team as structured as Donegal. They have backed the 'process' all year and didn't panic at half-time against Monaghan when losing by seven. This must have been planned in minute detail. So, are you going to give up on it after a few minutes when it's been your trusted MO all season? Very quickly, we got the answer to that. Donegal were man marking David Clifford and putting a bit of pressure on Seánie O'Shea when he got to the arc area but outside of that, they were going to rely on the zonal defence. There's a point in the game around the 20th minute when Ciarán Thompson goes down injured and Michael Murphy hits the post with a kickable free and you're thinking to yourself, this has the potential to get very messy. To be fair, there's a bit of a revival after this. Michael Langan makes a great catch and Oisín Gallen points. Conor O'Donnell gets one and Murphy steps up, sticks one over the bar and then another. Donegal are easing themselves back into it. It's still not convincing. Even when they had the ball, it was on Kerry's terms and not theirs. Their defence is getting worked cleverly, having to chase quick moving attacks that give up little opportunity for a smart dispossession. All of that defensive movement saps the energy. Michael Murphy is made chase short kick-outs. Kerry were well set up when they didn't have the ball. Donegal just couldn't bend their opponents out of shape. Donegal's Conor O'Donnell dejected after the game. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Thompson was also a big loss. When Monaghan were turning the screw in the quarter-final, his two-pointers kept them going. He was done after 23 minutes at the weekend and Ryan McHugh followed him early in the second half. Whatever chance Donegal had with the two of them on the field, hope was fading in their absence. Although they needed to cut the gap on the scoreboard significantly because Kerry were able to put up scores with hardly any fuss at the other end, Donegal made no sustained effort to shoot two-pointers. Maybe this was also following a process but they had no real experience of trailing a top team by so much. They did though stay in touch with Tyrone and Monaghan by kicking two-pointers. It was hard to understand the reticence. A couple of snatched efforts in the second half appeared to be the sum of it. Kerry on the other hand, having mostly ignored the two-pointers in the early part of the year have become devastating in their use of them. I think it's because when you're playing league football in the mud and rain, it's a completely different experience to kicking the ball in Croke Park with its great surface in the middle of summer. David Clifford showed the value of it before half-time. He had been playing brilliantly moving around with his marker Brendan McCole, taking him off to one side and then another, opening space for others. After the hooter went for half-time, he was moving around while McCole just stayed tight, eyes on him the whole time but like that, he was gone on to a ball from Paudie and kicked a two-pointer. Instead of a five-point deficit at half time, which wouldn't have been bad on the run of play, Donegal were down seven. It was a hammer blow to morale. Why did leave him for those closing seconds one-on-one? Kerry were obviously going to be looking for Clifford to kick the last scoring attempt. Make it difficult and try to force someone else to shoot. In the end, it was the story of the All-Ireland. Donegal were unable to force anything. It was all played on Kerry's terms.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Jack O'Connor resisted urge to quit Kerry in 2024 but now he is at peace with his next move
Jack O'Connor contemplated stepping down as Kerry manager at the end of last season. He admits the All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Armagh last year, followed by the break-up of his management team, led to him giving serious consideration to walking away. 'I did certainly, yeah,' he says. 'Around this time last year we suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Armagh in a game that we appeared to be in control of. Then I had my whole management broken up, so I had to try and put the management together while I was dealing with the personal heartbreak of losing an All-Ireland semi-final. 'That can be a tough and lonely place to be when you're trying to do that, so right from this time last year I found the going tough and there were times when I felt like packing it up. READ MORE 'I'm glad I stuck with it and saw the year out because we got the reward on Sunday. But it was a tough year.' O'Connor lost selectors Mike Quirke, Diarmuid Murphy and Paddy Tally during the off-season. Tally only left in November to take on the role of Derry senior football manager. The return of Cian O'Neill to the Kerry management team was seen as a boost but O'Connor had to find several other new selectors and eventually completed a backroom team that included Aodán Mac Gearailt, Pa McCarthy and James Costello. And O'Connor says the encouragement of the players persuaded him to remain in charge for 2025. 'I would have been conversing with some of the players and they would have said to hang in there. It's tough going when you lose your management team, lads that you soldier with and that you trust and confide in. 'Then you have to try and gel with a new management team. That can be tough at times. As it turned out, the lads have been brilliant. Cian, James, Aodán and Pa were absolutely brilliant. I'm not sure I can put myself through that stuff again because when you reach a certain age, your priorities change a bit — Jack O'Connor 'They brought real freshness and real new ideas to the setup. I think the players relished that.' O'Connor's current term is now up. He has indicated several times since Sunday's All-Ireland final win against Donegal that there might be a new man on the sideline for the Kingdom next year. The 64-year-old has made no definitive public declaration, but all of the soundings since the weekend suggest O'Connor is unlikely to return – although Kerry county board officials will probably try to convince him to stay on. He rejected suggestions that he might be sending out mixed messages. 'No, it's not like that at all,' said O'Connor. 'It isn't like I'm playing hard to get at all. I'm a long old time at this thing now, lads. I found last year particularly tough, I have to say, and I'm not sure I can put myself through that stuff again because when you reach a certain age, your priorities change a bit. [ Kerry were on a tried and tested path to Sam Maguire that escaped the attention of everyone Opens in new window ] 'There are a lot of other things I like doing. I like playing a bit of golf, I like spending time with my grandson, Jack, who's mad for golf as well. 'I live in a nice part of the country and I enjoy being out in nature and going out at my old homestead in Dromid. Stuff like that. We'll see, I'll leave it settle for a couple of weeks.' O'Connor's emotional outburst after Kerry's quarter-final win over Armagh in June appeared to be the moment the pressure valve was released as the Kerry manager hit back at criticism of the team. Kerry football manager Jack O'Connor had to put a new backroom team in place ahead of 2025. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'Ah, it wasn't about me personally. It was just that we were putting in an incredible effort but on the back of one bad day out we were getting written off and disrespected,' he adds. 'Sometimes you just get p**sed off with that because the people who are doing the criticising are most of the time hurlers on the ditch who don't put in the same effort themselves with teams. 'I'm normally not like that. You've listened to me a long time; I normally give stock answers at these press briefings. But I had reached a point where I was just up to my tonsils with it. I had a bit of a rant and sure there is no harm at times to leave off a bit of steam.' For O'Connor, watching his side set the tempo and dominate Sunday's game from the off was incredibly satisfying. 'What pleased me was that on the biggest day of the year, we had probably our best performance. And what pleased me was the way that the lads took the game to Donegal from the off. 'I think Gavin White winning the breaking ball from the throw-in, driving on, slipping it to Dylan Geaney, a young forward in his first All-Ireland kicking a great score off his left foot, that's the start you want. There was a lot of good stuff happening in that move.' Whether or not O'Connor will be on the Kerry sideline next year, he hopes most of the trial rules will now be kept on a permanent basis. However, his support of the various changes is not universal. 'By and large, they've got an awful lot right,' he says. 'I'm still not convinced about handing the ball back, though. I think dropping the ball on the ground where the foul occurs is a good enough show of respect.' As for respect, there was some criticism of Donegal for breaking early from the pre-match parade prior to Sunday's final. O'Connor says Kerry had planned to complete the parade behind the Artane Band, irrespective of what Donegal decided to do. 'We spoke about it on Thursday night, that regardless of what happened, we were going to finish the parade. That's what we did. I know Donegal broke a bit early, but sure that's their business. We can only deal with our side of it.'
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Fermanagh shooting suspect (42) dies in hospital
Ian Rutledge (42) passed away at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast as a result of gun wounds The only suspect in the murder investigation into the fatal shootings of a mother and her two children in Co Fermanagh has died. Ian Rutledge (42) passed away at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast as a result of gun wounds. He was married to Vanessa Whyte (45) and was the father of her two children, James (14) and Sara (13). Vanessa and Sara were found dead in their Maguiresbridge home last Wednesday morning. James was taken to the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, but died from his injuries later that day. Ian Rutledge Mr Rutledge had been critical care since the shooting. A PSNI statement issued on Monday evening said: 'The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed that a fourth person has now died following a shooting incident in Maguiresbridge.' The statement added: 'Ian Rutledge was taken to hospital on Wednesday 23 July, where he remained in a serious condition. He passed away this evening, 28 July.' Detectives have reiterated their appeal for anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Sources had previously said Rutledge had been experiencing depression and that his vision was deteriorating due to an underlying illness. It is understood that Rutledge had returned to live at the family home in Maguiresbridge, having previously moved out following the end of a relationship several years earlier. It is understood the 999 emergency call from the Drummeer Road residence on Wednesday morning was made from the phone of 13-year-old Sara. Police have not yet confirmed who made the call, as the line remained silent during the emergency communication shortly before 8am. However, the call handler was able to hear activity in the background, prompting the alert. Attempts to return the call went unanswered. Emergency services arrived at the house shortly before 8.30am. Police described the scene inside the house as 'harrowing'. A vigil for Vanessa, Sara and James is taking place in Armagh at 6pm on Monday evening. On Friday, at Maguiresbridge Primary School, which James and Sara were both previous pupils of, a vigil was also held for the three deceased family members. A special prayer service also took place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield, Co Clare – Ms Whyte's home village - on Sunday evening at 7pm. Books of condolences have been opened at both the church and at Maguiresbridge Primary School. Earlier on Sunday, a minute's silence was held for Vanessa, Sara and James, just moments before throw-in at the All Ireland senior football final between the Donegal and Kerry men's teams. Text on the screen at Croke Park read: 'Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha' – which translates from Irish into English as: 'May their souls be seated on God's right hand.'
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Health
- Sunday World
Kerry footballers bring Sam Maguire to sick kids in Temple Street
Children's Health Foundation welcomed the All Ireland football champions Kerry to Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street. Cody Sheehy (14) from Ballinahinch Co Tipperary with Sam Maguire Cup and player Paul Murphy. Photo by Andres Poveda. Children's Health Foundation welcomed the All Ireland football champions Kerry to Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street. Pictured are CHI Temple Street Staff and Chloe Garrell (10) from Walkinstown, Co Dublin with players Diarmuid O'Connor, Paul Murphy, Killian Spillane, Gavin White and Tadhg Morley. Photo by Andres Poveda. Amy Lilly (4) is pictured with Sam Maguire and player Paul Murphy as Children's Health Foundation welcomed the All Ireland football champions Kerry to Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street. Photo by Andres Poveda. Children's Health Foundation welcomed the All Ireland football champions Kerry to Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street. Chloe Garrell (10) from Walkinstown, Co Dublin is pictured with players Diarmuid O'Connor, Paul Murphy, Killian Spillane, Gavin White and Tadhg Morley. Photo by Andres Poveda. Saoirse McDonagh (10) from Liscannor Co Clare is pictured with Sam Maguire as Children's Health Foundation welcomed the All Ireland football champions Kerry to Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street. Photo by Andres Poveda.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Pictures: Hundreds of fans welcome All-Ireland champions Kerry home
Homecoming celebrations are underway for Kerry's All-Ireland Senior Football champions. They won by 1-26 to 0-19 points against Donegal in Sunday's All-Ireland final. Advertisement Tralee was the first to host homecoming celebrations from 6.15pm, before the open-top bus travelled to Killarney for 8.30pm. Hundreds of delighted fans turned out to welcome the Kerry footballers home with the Sam Maguire Cup. The Kingdom have been parading through the county this evening after winning their 39th All-Ireland Senior football title. The official homecoming event will take place at Fitzgerald Stadium from 9pm. Graham O'Sullivan, Tadhg Morley and Gavin White arrive back to Tralee with the Sam Maguire trophy. Photo: Ben Brady/Inpho The victorious Kerry team arrive back to Tralee with the Sam Maguire. Photo: Ben Brady/Inpho Dylan Casey poses for a picture with fans as he arrives back to Tralee with the Sam Maguire trophy. Photo: Ben Brady/Inpho
