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The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
'We were walking down the street ducking and diving from people'
TIPPERARY DEFENDER MICHAEL Breen says the disappointment of their 2024 season was the inspiration for their All-Ireland triumph on Sunday. Last year, Liam Cahill's side limped out of the championship after a winless run through the Munster round-robin series. Breen, who is now a three-time All-Ireland winner, says the impact of that exit sparked a revival that propelled the county to the summit of hurling in 2025. Advertisement 'It did inspire us,' Breen begins. 'But you know what the narrative is going to be and 12 months ago, we were walking down the street and kind of you're ducking and diving from people because you don't want to have the conversations. 'And all it took was, as Liam said earlier, we'd to get into the trenches, we'd to get the work done and that was simply it. Like we were, we knew where we were last year, put it that way.' It was a remarkable comeback victory for Tipperary who were trailing by six points at half-time, but eventually won by 15. They conceded a goal just before half-time which Breen says 'really woke us up' but he adds that they were happy with their defensive shape at the break and that they 'didn't leave gaping holes' for Cork to exploit. He also paid tribute to the Tipperary forwards who orchestrated their second-half fightback including teen star Darragh McCarthy who finished with 1-13 including a penalty. 'Sure he's 19. Like these lads, they're so resilient already in the journey they've come, they lost an [U20] All-Ireland against Offaly last year. Came back, won it this year. 'Like even coming up on the bus, he's playing games on his phone, and he's having a laugh. There's no seriousness or uptightness to it. 'He's on the field every day for hours on frees and that's no exaggeration. Anybody would tell you he's down, he's practising and you could see there today, he was just taking his time. He was doing his thing and he was putting the ball over the bar and that was it. And I know he was getting jeers from the crowd, but he just, he didn't hear it, he blocked it out.' Breen concluded by reflecting on his previous All-Ireland medals from 2016 and 2019, and said that the support they received this season was particularly noteworthy. 'This is really sweet. 2016-2019, they were brilliant, but I'd never seen the colour and the excitement around the county. And the supporters again today were unbelievable. I said it the last day, and I think I got mocked at, but that support was unbelievable. Related Reads Here's The Sunday Game's Hurling Team of the Year for 2025 Ronan Maher lands All-Ireland hurling final man of the match award Darragh McCarthy: 'If you let it get to you, you're going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed' 'There was a lot of red, because the red does stand out, but our support has been unbelievable all year. And it will continue to be that way, I think, because the people are behind this team.'
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'We produce legendary players, suddenly up pops McCarthy' - Darragh travels full circle in debut season
Fun. Go and have your fun. Even in the grown-ass world of inter-county hurling, a teenager's first priority should always be to have fun. Darragh McCarthy had his fun on the Saturday evening of February 22. Round 4 of the League. Cork the visitors to Semple Stadium. Spring nuggets are forever digested too quickly. The taste on the pallet never holds to April and the serving of the season's main course. The Toomevara teen tormented Cork at length. The 19-year-old had clipped four from play by the 20th minute. Approaching the conclusion of the first half, he was fouled by Ger Millerick. He converted the resultant free for his third placed-ball effort. Into injury-time and he threw over a superb point from underneath the Ryan Stand. His eighth white flag of the half. It was the sole spring fixture where Cork came off second best and it was McCarthy chiefly responsible for such. Read More Tipperary v Cork player ratings: John McGrath enjoys probably his greatest half in a Tipp jersey Rightly or wrongly, this contribution was erased from every Up for the Match preview that took place the country-over last week. Didn't get a nose in. The conversation centred on how Cork had tormented him since and he tormented himself when in the company of red. No flag, a single assist, and a 47th minute withdrawal on the afternoon of the League decider. Three weeks later, Noel McGrath rushed out to him like a father might a devastated son following U12 county final heartbreak. A dawk and a first-minute dismissal. A disaster. The determination to have fun never deserted him. On the bus up from Thurles yesterday morning, he was playing games on his phone and having a laugh with teammates. 'There is no seriousness or uptightness,' Mikey Breen said of the corner-forward. 'I think the whole camp was that way coming up, we kept talking about enjoying the day, and you could see that fully come out. It was a fun second-half to play in.' Maybe that was the sole mindset open to McCarthy for this debut All-Ireland final appearance. Two sending-offs in his debut summer. An amount of tears and cross-holding from his banished seat in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the Hogan Stand. His teammates twice left in a hole because of him. Criticism from several corners. If they were his mental lodgings, the 19-year-old kid would have been, in his own post-match words, 'curled up at home in bed' yesterday. Team psychologist Cathal Sheridan kept his focus on the enjoyment. The Cork supporters jeered him right from his very first free on 10 minutes. They grew impatient with his grass tossing and standing over the sliotar and standing back from the sliotar. Darragh McCarthy prepares to strike a free. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile. His ninth and final placed ball effort in injury-time was nailed, the same as the eight before. Those that had earlier jeered were now streaming out onto Jones Road. The kid raised a fist to the stands. He'd had his fun. His fun was not finished. In the subsequent play, he displayed a devastating first touch to control a Breen ground pull. A quick assist to Noel McGrath. The point scored, the master immediately pointed a finger of appreciation in his direction. From consoling him in the first minute at Páirc Uí Chaoimh to celebrating his young genius in the final minute at Croke Park. The full circle travelled. 'To win finals, you need big moments and big players, and they stood up. You could see there today, Darragh was just taking his time. He was doing his thing and he was putting the ball over the bar. I know he was getting jeers from the crowd, but he blocked it out,' said Breen. A kid by birth cert, a man in the eyes of his manager. A man of class, added Liam Cahill, in how he blocked out the noise not just yesterday but all summer. Remember, after all, that Darragh had to sit out their season-on-the-line fixture away to Clare in early May. Had the blue and gold flag fallen there, his self-inflicted absence would not have been spared. Had they fallen two weeks ago against Kilkenny, his carelessness for that second yellow slap on Eoin Murphy would have had him front of the firing line. And so he arrives into this All-Ireland final and from 15 shots, misses just once. At 1-19 to 1-17 11 minutes into the second half, he nails the next 1-3, including a nerveless penalty. A lead of two lengthened to eight. 1-13 in total. 'We produce legendary players like Jason (Forde), Eoin Kelly, and (Seamus) Callanan, and all these. They can't hang around forever. You'd say, where are you going to find the next one and suddenly up pops McCarthy,' said Liam Cahill. '19 years of age, he has now arrived. From a serious club up there in Toomevara. Them fellas would eat you alive. It was never going to be a case of Darragh's character being questioned or doubting himself. "That is the class of this young man and the resilience he has, and he just loves his hurling. And when you love hurling like that, you get your rewards. He got his just rewards today.' Each of the 40 players on the Tipp panel text McCarthy the day after the Cork sending off to keep the head and spirit up. The same inbox will be bursting this morning. A Harty Cup, an All-Ireland U20 medal, and Celtic Cross in the space of 18 months. For context, if needed, his 20th birthday is not for another month. Not since 2013 have we seen a teenager have this much fun on the final day.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Darragh McCarthy ends rollercoaster summer with ascent to Tipperary greatness
Right at the very end, vindication. On hurling's biggest day Darragh McCarthy met the moment, right on the sweet spot of his bas. Red-carded in the opening seconds when these sides met in the Munster SHC at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in April and sent for an early shower on two yellow cards in the All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, there was much focus on McCarthy's temperament in advance of this final. But on a day when so many prematch storylines got jumbled and tossed to the garbage heap of hurling history, the 19-year-old in his maiden season at this level chiselled his name in the annals, his rollercoaster summer ending on an ascent to greatness. In the future, they'll talk about this day. As McCarthy stood over a free close to his own 65-metre line and with just two minutes of normal time remaining, the chant started to go up around Croke Park, starting slowly and building towards a crescendo: 'Tipp, Tipp, Tipp.' READ MORE McCarthy unhurriedly went through his routine. He tossed a clump of grass to the wind to check its direction, stepped back, crouched down almost on his hunkers, moved forward again, lift, strike, point. It was his 12th of the afternoon. He would finish the game with 1-13 (1-9 from placed balls). As he struck that free, Patrick Horgan was already sitting on the sideline, his back heavy against the advertising hoardings, his white helmet idling on the ground close by. This was supposed to be Horgan's coronation day. [ Tipperary player ratings: Darragh McCarthy shines on famous day at Croke Park Opens in new window ] Horgan has been 18 seasons down the mine now searching for an All-Ireland medal. He made his championship debut three years after McCarthy was born. At 37, it's hard to know if the top scorer in championship history will have the appetite to continue the dig again next year. Horgan's story of triumphant defiance instead became McCarthy's day of redemption. Hurling can be at once both beautiful and wicked. 'To win finals you need big moments and big players,' said Tipp defender Michael Breen. 'Darragh is on the field every day for hours on frees and that's no exaggeration.' Tipperary's Craig Morgan, Jake Morris and Darragh McCarthy celebrate after the game. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho For all his superb shooting though, McCarthy's willingness to empty himself for the cause epitomised Tipp's second-half comeback. Just before the hour-mark, and with Cork sinking, McCarthy stood big and strong as Damien Cahalane stampeded out with possession. The inevitable collision was clearly going to hurt. The Cork defender had all the momentum but McCarthy had all the daring. He planted his feet and prepared for the impact. Bang. Cahalane got blown for charging, McCarthy fired over the resulting free and Cork were no longer taking on water, their battered hull was already resting on the sea floor. Shortly after the final whistle McCarthy was ushered over to the RTÉ cameras and asked about overcoming his two disciplinary flashpoints in this year's championship. 'It's all a mind game really, if you let it get to you then you are going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed,' he replied. 'I went in for a few chats with Cathal Sheridan [team psychologist] to try and sort the head out. I had to steel the mind and just forget about it. [ The anatomy of a collapse – how Cork managed to lose the second half by 3-14 to 0-2 Opens in new window ] 'But even after the first sending-off against Cork, I'd say the 40 men on the panel texted me the day after. Jake [Morris] got in touch with me the following morning, 'Do you want to meet up for a coffee?' They are all so good.' His wonderfully-executed penalty defied the narrative of a player operating with pressure on his shoulders. McCarthy admitted afterwards that Jason Forde had made efforts to take it but the teenager wasn't for budging. 'Jason was going to have a go, I was like, 'No, this one is mine, Jason'.' For Cahill and his management team, McCarthy's tour de force in this All-Ireland final was also vindication for their belief and faith in the young hurling prodigy. Tipperary's Darragh McCarthy takes on Cork's Niall O'Leary. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'That's the class of the man. We produce legendary players like Jason Forde and Eoin Kelly and Séamus Callanan and all these,' said Cahill. 'And you'd say where are you going to find the next one? And suddenly up pops McCarthy, 19 years of age – he's now arrived on the scene. 'He's from a serious club up there in Toomevara – them fellas up there would eat you alive. So, there was never going to be a case of Darragh's character being questioned or he doubting himself. 'That's the resilience he has. And he just loves his hurling. And when you love hurling like that, you get your rewards – and he got his just rewards today and I'm really happy for him.' [ Tipperary's cannonball run delivers greatest of all prizes Opens in new window ] One of the images of the summer was Noel McGrath rushing from the Tipp dugout to comfort McCarthy as he made his way off the pitch after his early sending off against Cork in April. Fittingly, the last score of Sunday's All-Ireland final was whipped over by McGrath – after taking a neat pass from McCarthy. The rising star to the established icon. 'No better man to pass to than Noel,' smiled McCarthy. 'He thanked me after but I was nearly thanking him, no need to thank me.' Tipperary will thank them both.
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Darragh McCarthy: 'If you let it get to you, you're going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed'
AT THE START of Darragh McCarthy's on-pitch TV interview after winning the All-Ireland, the teenage forward said words were hard come by. Soon, they were flowing. 'It's unbelievable,' McCarthy began with the RTÉ panel. 'It's some scenes, that's all I've to say. I've not much other words now than that. 'We've been using the word privilege for the last 12 odd months, this is what this is.' Darragh McCarthy joins the #sundaygame panel after Tipperary lit up Croke Park by dismantling Cork in the second half to become All-Ireland champions — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 20, 2025 Advertisement The 19-year-old had just turned in a stunning final display as Tipperary powered past Cork, outscoring them 3-14 to 0-2 in an astonishing second half and winning 3-27 to 1-18. McCarthy finished with 1-13, his goal a well-taken penalty and five of his points haul coming from open play. His composure from placed balls was key after much debate on that side of his game. His fingertips were all over Tipp's win; just one wide registered and the assist for the final score of the day through Noel McGrath capping a brilliant performance. And indeed, a rollercoaster championship campaign, in which he saw two red cards. Asked how he turned it around from the semi-final sending off, McCarthy said: 'It's all a mind game really. If you let it get to you, you're going to be curled up in a ball at home in bed. Listen, Cathal Sheridan (sports psychologist) played a big part in that. I went to him for a few chats to try sort the head out. It's a mind game. You have to steel the mind and just forget about it.' He also hailed his team-mates — and 'favourite hurler of all time' McGrath — for their support. 'They're the best in the world. What they done for me there for the last 12 months, even after the first sending off against Cork, I'd say the 40 men on the panel text me after. 'Jake Morris text me the following morning, 'Here, we'll go for a coffee' or whatever, just to get back around the lads again. They're all just so good. 'What they done for me the last day, they looked after me. Oisin [O'Donoghue], one of my good friends, looked after me with that goal! I have no words for them.' McCarthy (13) is sent off against Kilkenny. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO McCarthy touched on other aspects of his own game in a wide-ranging interview, including the 'freedom' of moving out to the half-forward line from inside, and managing U20 duties with that of the seniors. He is now a 2025 All-Ireland champion in both grades. 'Lads saying we'd be flogged or we might get burnt out. Listen, if you love doing what you're doing, you're not going to get burnt out. I think that's kind of in the head as well, but that was never going to happen with the man management.' Other spiels and stories were shared: Jason Forde trying to take the penalty and McCarthy taking ownership, McGrath thanking him for that late assist . . . But before the celebrations continue, what of that half-time team talk? All positive, he assured. Six down, no stress. Onwards. Related Reads Hell's Kitchen is back for the digital age as Tipp produce Guerilla warfare Stunning Tipperary surge sees them take down Cork and claim All-Ireland hurling glory 'We kind of planned for that. We kind of said during the week, 'Listen, if we're five, six down at half time, we're not going to panic.' 'We know what we're capable of, we've come (back) from worse margins before. 'We said we won't panic, if we play our game that we know we can play, we're capable of beating any team. That was the message at half time: stick to the process, basically.' For both team, and individual. A rollercoaster championship campaign, finished on the highest of highs. *****
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Liam Cahill declares Darragh McCarthy ‘arrived on the scene' after Tipperary GAA starlet's All-Ireland final masterclass
LIAM CAHILL hailed Darragh McCarthy for catapulting himself into the Tipperary Hall of Fame. The 19-year-old Toomevara thunderbolt capped a dream debut senior season by 2 Liam Cahill hailed Darragh McCarthy Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile 2 Darragh McCarthy scored 1-13 in the All-Ireland final Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile The Premier have a reputation for producing young stars and won All-Ireland minor crowns in 2022 and 2024 before Still, his temperament was questioned this season when his boss gave him his shot on the big stage. He was But Cahill kept faith in his star talent and that was rewarded as he fired Tipp to their first Liam MacCarthy since 2019 thanks to a Read More on GAA The manager said: 'That's the class of the man. We produce legendary players like Jason Forde and Eoin Kelly and Séamie Callanan and all these. 'And some of them can't be hanging around forever and you'll say, 'Where are you going to find the next one?' 'Suddenly, up pops McCarthy, 19 years of age — he's now arrived on the scene. From a serious club in Toomevara. Those fellas up there would eat you alive. 'So, there was never going to be a case of Darragh's character being questioned or him doubting himself. Most read in GAA Hurling 'That's the class of this young man and the resilience he has. And he just loves his hurling. And when you love hurling like that, you get your rewards. And he got his just reward today and I'm really, really happy for him.' Tipp had their resilience questioned 14 months ago when they bowed out of the Championship without winning a game. Finishing bottom of the Munster SHC was a sickener for their management and players. Liam Cahill speaks to RTE after Tipperary GAA win All-Ireland final But then came a stunning rise from the ashes. Cahill revealed they had to go back to basics and earn the trust of the Tipp public all over again. And his players did just that to storm to their 29th crown. The Premier won SIX Championship games in a row to go all the way, stunning the hot-favourite Rebels who only managed TWO POINTS in the entire second half. On their recovery, Cahill explained: 'It was about bringing back a bit of identity to our play — 2024, we just didn't contest for the jersey the way we should have. 'I'm not going to go there after today because for me it's in the past now. We started at a very low base, all of us, management, the whole support team, players. 'And we just started to go game by game, bit by bit and suddenly these younger players really started to integrate into the more seasoned players. 'Suddenly you had serious options and then the momentum of our Under-20s winning the All-Ireland, it starts to take off. 'I'm just very, very fortunate to be from Tipperary and to have the talented group of players that were there. 'OK, they're a little bit off of maybe their maturity and we did always say that was a three-year-plus plan. 'But these players, when they get belief and confidence in them, they mushroom into really good players. 'Again, it's just testament to the ruthless mindset of the players as they gathered momentum.' REBELS WITH A CAUSE And as his players partied in the dressing room, Cahill was already thinking of next season. Cork, on the other hand, their long and painful wait for glory goes on. The Rebels were everyone's front runners to prevail and were on course to end their 20-year famine when Shane Barrett's goal put them six ahead at half-time. But it all fell apart for them after the restart when John McGrath netted twice either side of McCarthy's penalty, which saw Cork go down to 14 when Eoin Downey collected a second yellow. Cahill felt for counterpart Pat Ryan given the pressure to deliver and knows the Rebels will be back. The Tipp chief said: 'We've arrived now. It's easy to be the hunter going after teams and now it's going to turn to us into being the hunted — so it's going to see a different side to management, our prep and our mindset going into next year. 'To be fair to Cork, all week, I can only imagine what it has been like for Pat and his management team and everybody to try and manage that expectation. It's huge. 'Cork have been superb all year, league champions, Munster champions, bringing massive crowds back to the stands. 'As I said to Pat after, I wish it was anybody bar him that I was shaking hands with today because he's put so much into it. He's after having a difficult year as well, personally. But I know that Cork team will be back and I know that Cork will have their day in the sun soon. 'We're just proud that it wasn't today and that Tipp thankfully got over the line. We never had it won. Looking at the watch, 55, 60 minutes, 'Would it just get to 70 minutes, please, as soon as possible'. 'But anyway, we're here, really proud to be associated with this group of players. Really proud to have been given the honour to bring through this crop. 'It's been a tough road but just immensely proud of everybody involved, the whole collective. 'Fortune favours the brave and our hurlers were really brave today.'
