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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
From the All-Ireland final straight to Aussie Rules, crazy week ahead for Meath captain Aoibhin Cleary
AOIBHÍN Cleary will move her life to Australia next week — but the only flight on her mind at the moment is the stairs that lead to the Hogan Stand. Preparations are winding down for Aussie Rules side Richmond, who are due to begin their new season just two weeks from tomorrow. Advertisement 2 The 26-year-old has won two All-Irelands with Meath already in 2021 and 2022 2 Cleary made her Meath debut at 16 back in 2016 and has made over 75 appearances since In February, the Melbourne outfit announced Cleary as their first ever Irish recruit. However, the Meath captain was adamant that she had business to tend to at home before taking up the two-year contract. Speaking ahead of Sunday's All-Ireland ladies SFC final against Dublin, she said: 'Before an offer was ever made, I made that quite clear. I had committed to Meath and that wasn't going to change. 'But from the start, they've been brilliant in terms of their support. They've been very supportive, very accommodating and very understanding of the situation. Advertisement Read more on GAA 'They've obviously been wishing me and the Meath team in general the best over the last few weeks. 'They're delighted to see us in the final and stuff so they've been really supportive. I can only say great things about them.' Cleary starred when Meath That loss was then avenged by the Kingdom with back-to-back quarter-final eliminations of the Royals. And Cleary admits that the subsequent depiction of her side as a spent force has been a source of considerable motivation. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football The Donaghmore-Ashbourne half-back said: 'Definitely. I think the belief in our group never wavered and we never thought that. I suppose you would probably hear whispers that maybe that was the case. 'But we knew what we had in the group and in the last two years we haven't really been able to push ourselves to our potential. We knew we always had more to give. David Clifford's son adorably hijacks RTE interview after dad dominates All-Ireland final 'I think our management team, our coaches and the girls, we've all just had a really great belief in each other. It doesn't really matter what's going on outside that.' This year's Brendan Martin Cup race saw Advertisement But this time Shane McCormack's side produced arguably their best display since their last All-Ireland victory to run out 2-12 to 1-9 winners. Cleary recalled: 'It was great. It was nice to finally get the win and not be knocked out by Kerry after them having knocked us out in the last two years. 'There's definitely that bit of hurt that you do carry. It was just nice to put together a performance that was good enough to get over the line that day. It was definitely a really sweet one.' Having already suffered National League and Advertisement Cleary said: 'Obviously there's a huge task ahead before we get our hands on that cup but we're just really excited to be back in this position and to be that step closer. "In the last two years it's been hard being knocked out and then seeing the rest of the Championship progress and not being involved. We definitely had a huge determination to not let that happen again. 'It's just great to still be training over the last few weeks and to still be playing games at this time of the year. There's a lot of girls that weren't involved back in 2021 and '22 who don't have any medals in their pocket yet so it would be great obviously for them as well.' A new challenge will then await Cleary as she joins the growing Irish contingent in the AFLW. Advertisement The 26-year-old added: 'I'll be heading out pretty quickly afterwards. But I'm not looking to next week too much yet. I'm just focusing on Sunday.'
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Meath's Aoibhin Cleary chasing third All-Ireland medal before making AFLW switch
The next three weekends will present significant milestones in the life of Meath ladies football captain Aoibhín Cleary. First up on Sunday is the TG4 All-Ireland senior football final against Dublin and an opportunity to get her hands on the Brendan Martin Cup for a third time. Then, on Sunday week, her partner, Cork dual star Hannah Looney, will line out at Croke Park in the All-Ireland senior camogie final. Fast forward to the following Friday, August 15, and Cleary could very well make her AFLW debut for Richmond in Round 1 of the new season in Australia. Quite where a potential replay of this weekend's All-Ireland football final may fit into all of that remains to be seen. 'We'll definitely cross that bridge when it comes to it,' smiled Cleary. What about the other burning issue, whether she might get Looney to wear a Meath jersey this weekend? 'I reckon I might have a chance, yeah,' she grinned. It is a serious business, of course, trying to win All-Ireland titles and swapping codes to play another sport on the other side of the world, all in such a tight timeframe. Cleary is grateful for the support and experience of Looney. 'Yeah, it is great,' said the 26-year-old former All-Star. 'Obviously we're both very aware of all the emotions and stuff that you'll be going through. It's really exciting this weekend and it's really exciting for her in terms of next weekend as well. 'I suppose it is nice that we can feed off each other that little bit or just understand what each other is feeling at any given time.' Cleary's Meath colleague Vikki Wall will return to Australia for another AFLW season with North Melbourne, the reigning champions. 'I think me and Vikki will definitely look to go together if we can,' said the Donaghmore-Ashbourne player, eyeing next week's travel plans. Wall is a proven AFLW performer, while Cleary will be dipping her toe in the pond for the first time. She has been trying to balance her All-Ireland preparations with becoming more accustomed to the oval ball. 'I've been consistent over the last few months,' she said of AFLW training. 'Dad has been great out in the garden with me, kicking and trying to get to grips with some of the skills and stuff. Richmond as well have been great. 'We've had a lot of online communication and calls and stuff, so I've just been tipping away as much as I can. Obviously the full focus has been here, with Meath, but you still have to be tipping away at some of the AFLW stuff in the background as well, so that I'm a bit prepared heading over.' Repeating the 2021 final defeat of Dublin and clinching a third All-Ireland medal would be a nice way to sign off on the LGFA season. Truth be told, Meath weren't thinking about All-Irelands and Championship glory back in spring, particularly when they went through a shaky spell in the league, losing three of their seven games. 'We had ups and downs,' said Cleary, referencing their Leinster final defeat to Dublin. 'We had some good performances and some very disappointing ones. But I think even after all those losses, the belief never wavered. 'You just had to take a step back and really reflect and be like, 'What do we need to fix here?' I think the work ethic and the culture that we do have in the group is brilliant. 'Everyone really just put their heads down and worked on what we all needed to work on and fixed what we needed to fix. 'I think, over the year, we've eventually gotten to be more consistent in our performances. We were very up and down in the league. Same again in Leinster. Whereas I think over the last few weeks, we have been that bit more consistent, which has been very rewarding. 'It's definitely something we're going to have to take up another notch again now going into an All-Ireland final.'
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Meath captain Aoibhín Cleary's full focus on All-Ireland glory before trip Down Under
Aoibhín Cleary will be off to Australia next week but she's determined to complete another sporting journey first – leading Meath back up the steps of the Hogan Stand on All-Ireland final day. Cleary (Richmond) is one of several players involved in Sunday's TG4 All-Ireland women's SFC final between Meath and Dublin who will be flying out for the start of the AFLW season on August 14th – including Vikki Wall (North Melbourne), Eilish O'Dowd (GWS) and Sinéad Goldrick (Melbourne). They have already missed most of the preseason Down Under but the agreement was always to travel whenever their championship campaigns ended. Meath and Dublin, it turned out, would take their seasons all the way to the final day, setting up a repeat of the 2021 All-Ireland final. Meath came from nowhere that season, or the intermediate championship to be exact, to win the senior title just nine months after gaining promotion to the top tier, causing one of the biggest shocks in the history of the women's game as they beat five-in-a-row chasing Dublin. The Royals backed up that incredible triumph by retaining the Brendan Martin Cup in 2022, beating Kerry in the final. And while they have generally remained a competitive outfit in the years since, there was a growing feeling that Meath's golden period had come and gone. But that view didn't stand up to scrutiny in the Meath dressingroom. 'I think the belief in our group never wavered and we never thought that,' says Cleary, who was appointed captain in January. 'I suppose you would probably hear whispers that maybe [people thought] that was the case, but we knew what we had in the group. I think in the last two years we haven't really been able to push ourselves to our potential. Meath celebrate with the Brendan Martin Cup after the 2022 All-Ireland final. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'We knew we always had more to give and even this year as well, I think our management team, our coaches and the girls, we've all just had a really great belief in each other. 'From winning it in 2021 and 2022 and then getting knocked out in the quarter-final in 2023 and 2024, it is tough. It's hard to see the rest of the championship progress and not be involved in it, so you're definitely carrying that bit of hurt. 'There was a huge determination to not let that happen again this year.' Beating 2024 champions Kerry in the semi-final a fortnight ago felt like a statement victory for the Royals. 'It was probably the first time we've put in a full 60-minute performance. The hunger and the desire from all the girls on the pitch was brilliant.' Dublin will no doubt try to use the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat as fuel for their fire this Sunday but that 1-11 to 0-12 win remains a landmark result for Meath football. 'It meant a lot to us and to so many people – our families, our partners, our friends and to the whole county,' remembers Cleary. 'It was coming out of Covid and I think a lot of people said it really lifted their spirits. It meant the world to us to know that we could have that impact. But I suppose at the minute we're not looking back on that too much or paying any heed to what's happened in the past, we're just focusing on this.' Aoibhín Cleary in action for Meath against Kerry's Niamh Carmody during the All-Ireland semi-final. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Meath will have some support coming from Leeside at the weekend, too. Cleary's partner is Cork camogie player Hannah Looney – who herself is preparing for the All-Ireland senior camogie final against Galway at Croke Park on August 10th. 'It's great. Obviously we're both very aware of all the emotions and stuff that you'll be going through. It's really exciting this weekend and it's really exciting for her next weekend as well. 'I suppose it is nice that we can feed off each other that little bit or just understand what each other are feeling at any given time.' Cleary has been juggling her Gaelic football commitments with gaining familiarity with the oval ball ahead of the upcoming AFLW season. 'Dad has been great out in the garden with me, kicking and trying to get to grips with some of the skills and stuff. Richmond have been great as well, we've had a lot of online communication and calls. 'I think over the last few weeks full focus has really been here with Meath, and obviously it's a quick turnaround even between the semi-final and final, it's only two weeks, so full focus has just been on that. 'Obviously from Richmond's perspective it would have been nice for me to be out and training a bit earlier, but they also recognise the value of having the season we're having will bring to me as a player. 'They definitely do see both sides and understand how beneficial it is to be involved in a team that's now back in an All-Ireland final.' TG4 All-Ireland finals, Croke Park, Sunday: Junior: Antrim v Louth, 11.45am Intermediate: Laois v Tyrone, 1.45pm Senior: Dublin v Meath, 4.15pm
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Bringing home the Brendan Martin Cup would cap an amazing year for Australia-bound Meath captain Aoibhin Cleary
It has been a memorable year so far for Meath captain Aoibhín Cleary who is hoping that the crowning glory arrives next Sunday and she gets the opportunity to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand to accept the Brendan Martin Cup following the All-Ireland decider against Dublin. Appointed captain at the start of the campaign was a richly deserved award for the dashing Donaghmore/Ashbourne wing back, but it got even better after that as AFLW club Richmond came knocking on her door.
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Sarah Wall hails Meath's belief after stunning All-Ireland semi-final win over Kerry
MEATH backs were against the Wall but they thrived as underdogs against Kerry, according their star defender. Player of the match Sarah Wall insisted her Royals knew they had the work done to carry them to a stunning victory over reigning TG4 All-Ireland champions Kerry in Tullamore on Saturday. Advertisement 2 Sarah Wall of Meath hailed her team-mates after the win over Kerry 2 Meath now face Dublin in the All-Ireland final after the semi-final triumph Wall beamed: 'I just can't put into words the amount of hard work the team has put in this year. 'We've been underdogs the entire time, but we just said, 'Not today, it's our day'. We said we had to bring it from the start. "I think we all stood up and I'm so proud of everyone. We always just said, 'If we're under any struggle or anything, we have to find a way'. That was it. 'We just put that out from the start.' Advertisement read more on gaa They will now face She roared: 'Honestly, I cannot wait. From day one we said, 'We're going up the Hogan Stand steps'. That was said from day one. 'It was just unbelievable belief from day one and it has just gone through the entire team.' The sides were deadlocked at 0-3 apiece when Meath rocked the champions after 18 minutes thanks to Kerrie Cole's cut-in from the right that allowed her to smash an unstoppable shot into the net via the bar. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football That helped Meath lead by 1-5 to 0-6 at the interval but the Kingdom turned the game on its head when Danielle O'Leary bagged a superb goal within two minutes of the resumption. However, Meath did not panic and squeezed back into the ascendancy with points from Emma Duggan and Aoibhín Cleary. Síofra O'Shea and Caoimhe Evans split the uprights for Kerry in a tense third quarter. Those scores arrived either side of an expertly taken Meath goal by marauding defender Wall — whose sister Vikki got through a lot of hard work for the Royals — after 40 minutes. Advertisement Ciara Smyth and influential Kingdom ace O'Shea traded points in the second half. But Meath struck a telling blow when former team captain Shauna Ennis and current skipper Aoibhín Cleary registered quick-fire scores to leave their side four ahead inside the closing ten minutes. The influential Duggan added a two-point salvo to wrap up the win as the Royals — Brendan Martin Cup champions in 2021 and 2022 — advanced to an All-Ireland final showdown with neighbours Dublin. Defeated Kingdom boss Mark Bourke admitted: 'I thought the hungrier team won and I thought that was the only difference. Advertisement "Two quick-fire goals by them, so fair dues to them for that and deserved winners. "I think we played 16 games and lost three. Most counties would take that all day. 'You've a National League title, you've a Munster title, you have an All-Ireland semi-final place on a very competitive day. Girls put everything on the line, that is all you can ask for. Someone has to lose. 'This is why we do it. We do it every year like this, you don't expect to win every year. Advertisement 'Only two teams can go to the final out of 12 in the senior, that's how hard it is. Kerry were lucky that they got to the last three finals, so maybe it is someone else's turn now.' SCORERS — Meath: E Duggan 0-5, 4f; S Wall 1-0, K Cole 1-0, A Cleary 0-2, M Farrelly 0-2, C Smyth 0-2, S Ennis 0-1. Kerry: S O'Shea 0-5, 4f; D O'Leary 1-0, N Ní Chonchúir 0-2, A Galvin 0-1, C Evans 0-1.
