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The Irish Sun
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Jack Prendergast insists Waterford already focused on Limerick showdown after stunning Clare at Walsh Park
WATERFORD set their sights on Limerick straight after beating Clare, says Jack Prendergast. The Déise tore the 2 Waterford shocked Clare in the Munster SHC round 2 clash on Sunday 2 Jack Prendergast says Waterford are now fully focused on their clash against Limerick Stephen Bennett starred with 2-8 against the The hosts won their first Munster SHC game since their round 1 victory over Cork a year ago, but Prendergast knows there is no time to celebrate. He said: 'A six-day turnaround is not easy but we're training a long time now so we're fit enough to go week on week. 'This is what you want to be doing, summer's hurling in Walsh Park, it doesn't get any better than this. READ MORE ON GAA 'If people talk about us after this, it doesn't really matter either. It won't make a difference on Saturday when we're playing a team that was going for five-in-a-row. 'We're mad for it obviously but there's four other teams that are mad for it too and unfortunately that alone won't win games, you need to have everything together. 'We'll be looking at next Saturday night the minute we leave here. You never want it to end when it's going well and we'll be looking forward to next Saturday.' Waterford have failed in their last three attempts to get out of the Munster championship and have never emerged from the province in the round-robin system. Most read in GAA Hurling Bennett's display lit up Walsh Park on his 100th appearance for Peter Qualley's men. But Prendergast knows it was a super team performance as Tadhg de Burca pulled the strings from centre-back and stopper Billy Nolan kept a clean sheet. 'That's the clean version' - Watch RTE pundits Anthony Daly & Donal Og Cusack's hilarious reaction to Clare-Cork draw But keeping their feet on the ground is vital if they want to end their misery in Munster and hit the All-Ireland series. The Lismore man said: 'Ah sure look, Stevie in fairness, when you need him he's always there. His ball winning was brilliant, he worked really hard there today and he got some vital scores. 'It's our job around him to give him as much ball as we can and when you give it to him, he'll finish it. 'Our backs really went after their forwards as much as they could, they attacked every ball and it was a real team performance, which is good. 'Yeah there was a lot of preparation put into it of course, we play Clare every year so they know what we do and we know what they do so you can only do so much. 'We really looked at ourselves last week and what we could bring to the table and that was probably the key.'
Irish Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
If hurling is so good, why is it so small?
This is the time of the year when hurling is placed on an altar for worship. Even the agnostic are curious. It is like when Wimbledon is on telly, or The Masters, or the Six Nations, or the World Cup – any World Cup. Everyone's eye is drawn to something shiny. So, the Munster championship was launched to a symphony, the Leinster championship was launched to the sound of brass, and for the next while people will pay attention. The Clare-Cork game on the opening weekend attracted a peak viewership of 388,000 on RTÉ, and a staggering audience share of 42 per cent. For a bank holiday weekend, those numbers were far beyond the norm. But it won't last long. In the Liam MacCarthy Cup 27 matches are stuffed into eight weeks, and then there will be just seven games for the rest of the season. Two of those will be mismatches in the preliminary quarter-finals, and five of them will be played on Saturdays. Ask the Leinster Council about the attractiveness of Saturday matches. And then what? If we have convinced ourselves that this is a Golden Age for the game, what good will come of it beyond a few blissful weeks of spectacular matches and feverish coverage? Does it make anybody want to play in places where nobody ever really wanted to play before? READ MORE 'Complacency is a disease which is more lethal in hurling than in any sport,' wrote Liam Sheedy as chairman of the Hurling 2020 committee, 10 years ago. Wrapped up in that complacency is a streak of self-regard. As a community, hurling people have always felt superior. They like and admire other games but can't see one that compares with hurling. They're right, of course. But sometimes that can be a blinding condition. If hurling is so good, why is it so small? When hurling was booming in the late 1990s what was the dividend for the game apart from the excitement that coursed through the championship? Did it break down any of the GAA's local discrimination? No? Offaly and Galway in action on Saturday. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho People who are immersed in the game are fiercely protective of it. Paudie Butler was appointed national director of hurling 20 years ago and excelled in the role for five years. His engagement with hurlers, or aspiring hurlers, in every corner of the island had a pastoral quality. 'I want every child to have the chance to hurl because they're Irish,' he said to journalist Kieran Shannon in 2015. 'I have this belief our game is a treasure like the Ardagh Chalice or the language. It's ancient and something unique to ourselves.' Nobody ever disputes the claim that hurling is a national treasure, whether it has safe harbour in your club or not. It is an easy thing to believe. Hurling never wants for flattery or lip service. In 2018 Unesco accepted hurling on to its Representative List of The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and there is a similar list curated by the State. In a long entry on the website, written for the uninitiated, one line has a particular resonance. 'As custodians of hurling, the GAA believes that the best way to preserve the viability of hurling is to ensure that it is played as extensively as possible.' This has been the circular, intractable problem. All gains in areas where the game had no traditional home have been small and against the tide of entrenched local preference. In those places the game has always depended on the energy and endurance of people who often feel isolated and under-resourced. The majesty of the game that half the country has just watched on television never seems to make a difference. While social media lights up with paeans to the spectacle, these people are deadlocked at the bottom of a hill. Martin Fogarty was the national hurling development manager from 2016 to 2021, at which time the position was discontinued. Like Butler, he pounded the roads, offering support and looking for solutions. When Jarlath Burns established a new Hurling Development Committee [HDC], Fogarty agreed to come on board. The GAA's hew head of hurling, Willie Maher. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho From years of hands-on engagement he had an unparalleled knowledge of the clubs in the northern half of the country, from Mayo to Louth, who were trying to nurture the game. When the HDC considered doing a roadshow Fogarty produced a list of 102 clubs, divided them into four regions, and picked a venue that was no more than an hour's drive for everybody invited to attend. He presented a draft itinerary for the meeting, which included 'a motivational speech' by Brian Cody, and an opportunity for every club to outline their challenges to a listening ear. That kind of outreach, though, has obvious limits, and Fogarty was conscious of that too. These clubs have been subject to scoping exercises many times before. During his time as the national hurling development manager, Fogarty was adamant about the need for greater funding. He was certain that the only route to progress was with targeted resourcing of clubs who had a sincere desire to grow the game. By the time he resigned from the HDC last December he saw no evidence of this. In his 1,600-word resignation letter, seen by the Irish News, he accused the HDC of 'going around in circles'. How long has the GAA being going around in circles on this issue? Decades. Willie Maher started as GAA's new head of hurling at the beginning of the month. Unlike Butler and Fogarty, his role will be less 'operational' he said in an interview with John Harrington on and more 'strategic'. 'It's been a listening exercise [so far] and will be for the foreseeable future as regards finding out what's going on and then drilling down into counties. So, what operational plan do you have? Where does hurling fit into that operational plan? How do we hold county boards and county games managers to account in terms of what we've agreed to do from a hurling development perspective? Is it being done or not?' Is it being done or not? The answer to that question has damned the GAA for generations. At least Maher is talking about accountability. That would be a good start.
RTÉ News
24-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Time for Tyrone enigma to deliver on potential
We continue towards the provincial finals at breakneck speed. Myself and Colm Cooper enjoyed our foray into the heart of Munster hurling country for the Clare-Cork game in Ennis. We got to sample the drama from the terrace before making our way to the RTÉ gantry for the second televised game. The locals made a point of sympathising with us for having to analyse football right after the Clare comeback. Naturally, the banter was flowing between the Gooch and the away supporters over the previous evening's close shave in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. If he heard "you were lucky last night, boy!!", he heard it a thousand times. It was probably a sobering weekend overall for the Cork support. After frittering away a glorious opportunity to take down Kerry on Saturday, they were being handed Liam MacCarthy by half-time last Sunday, only to be reeled in over the course of a breathless second half. If I could pinpoint one error the Cork hurlers made last Sunday... only kidding. You won't have to endure any hurling analysis from me. We'll leave that to Dalo and Donal Óg, although they probably had a job composing themselves to go back on the air after full-time. It was a rousing effort from John Cleary's side the night before which has re-invigorated the Munster championship. But coming away from it, their main emotion will surely be regret. Cork had most of the momentum in extra-time and dominated possession but their accuracy let them down in the endgame. They had been making hay on the two-pointers earlier on - Brian O'Driscoll becoming a real specialist in that area - but started blazing wides when the game was there for them, not to mention Colm O'Callaghan's gilt-edged goal chance which he dragged wide of the far post. Cleary said afterwards that their fighting spirit had been questioned and they brought an aggression and ferocity in contact that we haven't seen much in the game, of late. Conditions made handling difficult and there was no shortage of turnovers. Paudie Clifford's sending off - a yellow all day long - contributed to Kerry losing control of the game in the fourth quarter. Jack O'Connor is a broken record reminding the media that Cork-Kerry games have been more competitive than most people imagine and he took the opportunity to do so again after the match. It's true that last year's game in Killarney was only three points in the finish but it never felt like a shock was in the offing and Kerry were always in control of that game. Last Saturday evening was an entirely different story. It flagged up a few issues for Kerry, particularly on the defensive end. They gave up a huge number of two-point scoring opportunities and you'd wonder whether their sitting too deep in defence. (In Carrick, Leitrim were happy to give up two-point scoring opportunities to Mayo, correctly guessing that they wouldn't take them - but more on that next week...) Still, Kerry got out of dodge thanks to some brilliance from Joe O'Connor and a gorgeous hand-pass from Gavin White. As Gooch reminded his friends from Cork on Sunday afternoon. D-Day for Tyrone Armagh-Tyrone in the Ulster championship is as close as provincial football gets to the furnace of the Munster hurling championship. It feels like a huge game, especially from Tyrone's perspective. It feels like it's time for them to deliver on their potential after three years of false starts. And they have a big opportunity against an Armagh side who are afflicted with an injury crisis. Tyrone have been the enigma of the championship since their 2021 All-Ireland win - bursting with quality on paper but consistently unreliable in summer-time. Malachy O'Rourke arrived in with a remit to start changing this narrative. I tussled with Malachy's Monaghan teams plenty down the years. They were always hard to break down and brought savage aggression to the contest. The Monaghan lads were always free with the verbals too - reminding you what you'd done, or rather, what you hadn't done (that was probably just the players, in fairness, and not Malachy). When Conor McManus was in his pomp, they would have looked to work the ball to him constantly. With Tyrone, he has a greater array of attacking talent at his disposal. Darragh Canavan is obviously the main man and the focal point, a player with the potential to belong on the same plane as David Clifford and Con O'Callaghan, provided Tyrone feed him with quick ball. Their league form was patchy in places, although they finished in fine fettle only to be somehow relegated on seven points. (You'd assume they'll be back in Division 1 by 2027). They were reasonably sharp the last day but there's a limited amount you can read into that given that Cavan were so poor on the day. The biggest plus for Tyrone is that Kieran McGeary looks to have recovered his 2021 form after three pretty underwhelming seasons. There's plenty of incentive for Armagh too, who are still hankering after their Ulster title since 2008. They've endured so much heartache in their quest for Anglo Celt. But then landing the big one last July surely eased the pain somewhat. Again, their league form was mixed - decent at home, dreadful on the road - but we won't hold that against them in the circumstances. More relevant is their sizable injury list, with Aaron McKay, Oisín Conaty, Paddy Burns, Conor Turbitt, Ben Crealey and Niall Grimley all missing the Armagh. Ciaran Mackin picked up an injury in Corrigan Park. And then of course, Rian O'Neill is sitting out the year altogether. Kieran McGeeney has a deep squad but that is being tested to the max. I've been burned before for doing it but I'm going to tip Tyrone to get over the line and deliver a statement victory. All on the line in Tullamore The seagulls will have Croke Park all to themselves on Leinster semi-final day, for a change. Dublin-Meath is the more glamour tie on paper but Kildare-Louth in Tullamore is the more significant. A straight shootout for the last Sam Maguire slot, with Brian Flanagan's side having the chance to nab their opponents' place in the top tier. Pundits have been lambasting Kildare for years - none more than myself, I suppose - and they would have felt vindicated at half-time against Westmeath in Newbridge. But they showed resolve to dig out a win, albeit with the help of a lucky goal. Nonetheless, it was a very psychologically important win for Kildare after a sloppy finish to the league. Louth did well to cling on in Division 2 in the absence of Sam Mulroy and Ciaran Lennon. Ger Brennan has been unlucky with injuries in 2025 but they've shown plenty of know-how to survive in recent years. As in Clones, it feels more or less like a coin toss. If pushed, I'll side with Louth as the more sure-footed and consistent option. A third Leinster final in a row would be a fair achievement to the note in an age of complete Dublin dominance. As for the Dubs, the scoreline was less ugly for Wicklow in Aughrim than many anticipated. Over the years, they've had a habit of following a slack performance with a ruthless one. Meath ignored all the off-field distraction surrounding the coaching ticket to reel in Offaly in impressive fashion. Victory is probably a bridge too far, though I wouldn't foresee a hammering reminiscent of the Jim Gavin era. A single-digit margin, something in the 5-to-8 point range.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Robert Finnerty leads the charge as Galway blaze past Rossies into Connacht SFC final vs Mayo
ROBERT FINNERTY knew Galway had to bring their 'A' game after watching Cork give Kerry the fright of their lives. 2 Robert Finnerty starred for Galway in their Connacht SFC semi-final win over Roscommon 2 Robert Finnerty and Galway now face Mayo in the Connacht final But the Rebels had other ideas - and produced an astounding performance to send the game to extra-time. Joe O'Connor's A stunned Finnerty watched on as he geared up for Roscommon's Connacht semi-final visit to Pearse Stadium on Sunday. Cork's performance proved READ MORE ON GAA He was worried before the game, but his display surged them into another provincial showpiece against arch-rivals Mayo. He said: 'Yeah, of course. I was watching Cork and Kerry on Saturday night, seeing Cork kind of shock Kerry, I was like 'we really need to be on our game tomorrow.' 'No doubt those Roscommon lads were watching that game thinking 'we hope we do this tomorrow to Galway, go win that game.' 'Roscommon always fancy themselves against us. We've seen that. They have beaten Galway over the years a lot of those players in big championship games. Most read in GAA Football 'They've gone close. Look, we didn't take our eye off the ball at all. Obviously, we wanted to win the game, which we did thankfully. It is nice to get a performance as well. 'That is where we want to be. Roscommon and Mayo are both tough opposition. There was only a point in it last year, a massive game so we are probably looking at something similar again.' 'That's the clean version' - Watch RTE pundits Anthony Daly & Donal Og Cusack's hilarious reaction to Clare-Cork draw Finnerty lit up Damien Comer was held in reserve until the second half after sitting out the bulk of their NFL campaign with a groin injury. But the rest of Joyce's team soared to banish the Rossies in style, as reigning Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy fired 0-5 from midfield - including two two-pointers. The St. James' man and John Maher lorded the middle as Matthew Tierney scored 1-3, and Finnerty gushed at their displays to set up a Connacht final showdown with Mayo at MacHale Park on May 4th. He said: 'I always go out and try to give my biggest performance. Some days you will be hot, some days not so much. 'Some days even when I am with Shane and Damo inside, you might be the one on fire or whatever, it takes turns. A lot of playing inside is about having relationships with people on the ball. 'When you have someone and you know where they are going to kick it, they know your movement, that is massive. We obviously don't have to learn that from scratch. 'I thought Matthew Tierney was unbelievable, that took a lot of heat off me. The midfielders were class. I was looking out in awe at some of their catches. The way they caught those balls was unbelievable. 'Paul's two pointers were massive. We saw that last year, he was kicking long range for fun but there weren't two points to be rewarded for it. "That shows how good he is at them when he is willing to take them when they are low-percentage. 'We were down a few bodies. I think the squad we have at the minute is massive. It's on the next person to step up every time. Lads who got the chance did that as well which is great.' CLASS CLUB Finnerty is at the core of SIX Salthill-Knocknacarra stars in Joyce's squad as they chase four Connacht SFC titles in a row next month - and a first All-Ireland since 2001. Maher, Daniel O'Flaherty, Cathal Sweeney and Tomo Culhane fly the flag along with new boy Matthew Thompson. Thompson was a promising underage soccer star at Salthill Devon and Galway United before concentrating on GAA. He skippered Galway's under-20's last year before making his SFC debut against New York, and kept his jersey for Sunday;s clash. Thompson, 20, repaid Joyce's faith with a stellar display and Finnerty beamed at his clubmate's progression on the big stage. He said: 'It is savage. Obviously, John, I grew up playing with John underage, that is one thing but then having Daniel, Cathal, Matthew and Tomo as well, it is unbelievable. "Six of us from the club, it is unheard of really. Special times for the club. 'Matthew actually played a lot of soccer growing up. He always had the makings of a serious footballer but he went with soccer for a long time. 'Then I think when he came back to play with us in Salthill, it was just about getting as many games into him as possible. 'Everyone in the club knew he had serious quality. He was always going to come through. 'The last two years he has been unbelievable for our senior team and the under-20's. Now he is getting his chance, he is really taking it.'
