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Irish Daily Mirror
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Heartbroken Cork star consoled by toddler son after All-Ireland humiliation
Cork GAA star Declan Dalton was consoled by his young son DJ following today's All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary. Heavy favourites Cork led by six at half-time but could only muster two points in the second-half as the Premier County cruised to victory at Croke Park. Cork's loss will go down as one of the biggest final shocks in recent years. It is now their third final loss since 2021, their fifth since their last win in 2005 and has led many fans to christen them the new Mayo of the GAA. But as the mayhem inside Croke Park died down, photographer Morgan Tracey was on hand to capture one of the shots of the day. It wasn't of Ronan Maher lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup or of the McGrath brothers celebrating another All-Ireland triumph, but a snap of young DJ bringing a smile to his father's face after the most humiliating losses of his career. Cork's Declan Dalton is consoled by his young son DJ Dalton after the game (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) This defeat will take some time to recover from, but as DJ's interaction with his father proves, it is really only a game when all is said and done. Don't try tell that to Cork manager Pat Ryan though. The boss was left massively disappointed by his side's second-half showing and showed no mercy when he spoke to the media at Croke Park. 'Our momentum and our energy was terrible in the second half,' Ryan said. 'They had all the momentum, they had all the energy, they were the crowd that were working the hardest. That's the disappointing thing from our point of view. 'Obviously, it's the second All-Ireland in a row that we've lost. Just really, really disappointed with that second half. We didn't represent ourselves the way we should have represented ourselves. 'Credit to Tipperary. They came up and you could see that they had loads of momentum behind them and they had a lot of good players all over the place."
The Irish Sun
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Watch shocking moment bottle is THROWN at Cork GAA star during heated half-time scenes in All-Ireland hurling final
THIS was the moment a plastic bottle hit Declan Dalton during heated scenes at half-time in the All-Ireland hurling final. The Cork forward was struck by the projectile that appeared to be thrown down from the stands at Croke Park as he was making his way down the tunnel. 1 Declan Dalton was struck by a bottle at half-time in the All-Ireland final Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Dalton and Tipperary's Willie Connors were both yellow carded by referee Liam Gordon for a brief altercation at the interval as tensions boiled over. Moments earlier, Shane Barrett had scored a goal for the Rebels to send them into the break with a 1-16 to 0-13 lead. It added insult to injury for the Premier, who themselves had had a goal ruled out a couple of minutes earlier. They thought that they had reduced the gap to a point when Jason Forde flicked in a long free from full-back Eoghan Connolly. Read More on GAA However, Gordon and his umpires ruled that the Tipperary corner forward had started inside the small square when the ball was hit and the goal was chalked off. Tipperary carried the intensity from the end of the first-half into a ravenous second, as they Five quickfire points at the start of the half brought them back to within a single point. And then John McGrath, a demon for the Cork full-back line, scrambled in a goal to give them a 1-18 to 1-16. Most read in GAA Hurling Tipperary never looked back from there. McGrath was upended by Eoin Downey for a penalty, with the Cork back shown a second yellow card for his sins. Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny The Premier full forward got his second goal to all-but put the game to bed, while goalkeeper Rhys Shelly denied Seamus Harnedy and Conor Lehane (penalty) with two huge saves late on. There were tears of joy at the final whistle, while captain Ronan Maher took the time to The beloved Clonoulty-Rossmore man - who made his senior Tipp debut against Cork - died aged 24 in 2022. And in a moment that brought tears to the eyes of his gaffer, Maher dedicated the victory to his former teammate. He said: "To one player who's no longer with us but is so much a big part of who we are: Dillon Quirke. "We carried your spirit with us every step of the way. "You were in the dressing room, you were on the field of play, you were in our hearts. "We hope we did you and your family proud today."
Irish Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork v Tipperary: Puckout tactics, key battles, and what it will take to win All-Ireland final
The two most recent meetings between Cork and Tipperary paint similar pictures. In the League final, Cork delivered a commanding performance, winning 3-24 to 0-23, built on superior shot conversion and puckout strategy. The Munster Championship clash was more one-sided again, finishing 4-27 to 0-24, although the contest was skewed by the pre-throw-in red card to Darragh McCarthy – a blow that disrupted Tipp's structure and momentum from the outset. Despite the different contexts, Cork's consistency has stood out across both games – particularly their efficiency from puckouts, discipline in possession, and ruthless finishing in front of goal. Form of Hayes, Dalton & Barrett: Central to Cork's direct threat Cork's passing network vs Dublin. Passing weight refers to the frequency of that pass occurring The most telling feature of the passing network from the Dublin game (above) is how Brian Hayes and Declan Dalton served as the primary targets for progression. Brian Hayes, with 5-8 so far in this year's championship, is clearly the focal point of Cork's attack, receiving high-volume, high-weight passes – particularly from his 'keeper Patrick Collins and Darragh Fitzgibbon in midfield. Declan Dalton provides a second powerful outlet, often pulling to the left channel to win primary possession. He covered and retreated well on the Dublin puckouts and picked up breaks which created a platform for the Cork attack. Shane Barrett's role is also pivotal to Cork's puckout success. He regularly made sharp decoy runs and ran support loops into traditional puckout zones (45–65m), dragging markers out of position and opening lanes for Hayes or Dalton to receive clean ball. Cork's full forwards stay inside, leaving space for their half forward to receive long puckouts from Patrick Collins This Hayes-Dalton-Barrett trio operated as a fluid attacking triangle, combining power, pace, and support running, giving Cork multiple ways to unlock the Dublin defence. Ronan Maher vs Brian Hayes A pivotal battle. Hayes has been a revelation this season, and has been involved in 20 of the 35 Cork goals this year (10 goals, 10 assists) not just scoring, but in the way he links play and drags defenders out of position. Maher's capacity to man-mark and his overall defensive prowess will be thoroughly tested. If Hayes wins primary possession and breaks ball for Cork runners in the middle third, Cork's inside forwards will benefit hugely. Below we see Dan Morrissey pinning Brian Hayes during a Munster Championship puckout – targeting Hayes's catching and hurling arm while attacking the ball at its highest point. Dan Morrissey breaking up the Cork puckout by wrapping up Brian Hayes outside the referee's eyeline Once the physical contest is engaged, the key becomes defensive structure – and Limerick excel in this moment, providing strong cover and positioning around the breaking ball. Limerick got players to surround the high ball quickly and win breaks from Cork's puckouts Bryan O'Mara vs Declan Dalton O'Mara's positioning will be critical in managing Tipp's puckout threat. Dalton often drifts deep to contest or pick up the breaks from long puckouts, creating a dilemma for his marker. Does O'Mara push up and follow, hoping to win the break and maintain pressure? Or does he sit deeper and more central, to provide a puckout option for Shelly, as we saw with the second goal versus Kilkenny below? It's a classic risk-reward scenario. Push high to win the break and Tipp can launch an attack; get caught too far forward and Cork suddenly have space to exploit in behind, with runners like Fitzgibbon and O'Mahony. O'Mara's decisions in these moments could shape the rhythm of Tipp's defensive performance. Dublin's Conor Donohoe followed Dalton, and Collins exploited the space left in behind The midfield duel – Where the game could swing Willie Connors and Conor Stakelum will probably line out against Darragh Fitzgibbon and Tim O'Mahony in midfield, where Cork seem to have the edge. Fitzgibbon's athleticism and O'Mahony's distribution are crucial in Cork's build-up. Below we see O'Mahony's movement for Collins's restart that led to Connolly's goal against Dublin. Decoy runs from the Cork forward line gave space for midfielders like O'Mahony to win puckouts and start attacks, as was the case for this Connolly goal. Notice how Cork overload one side of the pitch Both Tipp men must track religiously and get goalside quickly when possession turns over. Failure to do so could open central lanes that Cork love to exploit with late runners. It's either sprint five yards or get goalside of your man – do neither, and it'll be a long afternoon. Tipperary can't afford for their midfielders to be lax tracking late runners, as Cork specialise in these attacks Tipp's restarts Rhys Shelly's puckout strategy is one of Tipperary's most important weapons. He strikes a fine balance between short, mid-range and long deliveries, making it extremely difficult for opposition teams – and even analysts – to identify consistent patterns. His one-step puckout causes problems: the quick trigger limits time for defensive set-ups and disguises his intended target. Shelly can ping accurate passes to the wings, float balls into space behind midfield, or deliver short to his half-backs under pressure. That unpredictability forces teams to second-guess their press and gives Tipp forwards a real advantage in timing their runs. Below we see him finding O'Mara over TJ Reid's head. Will this stop Dalton offering cover to his half-back line? Shelly's short restarts were used as a platform for attacks. Here, Bryan O'Mara receives the puckout to start a goalscoring move by Tipp The next puckout he hits is an 80-yard puckout behind Deegan to Ormond who identifies the space – and where there is space there is danger, particularly in Croke Park. Shelly's long-range puckouts can also be used to find Tipp's key forwards quickly Comes down to both inside lines Tipperary's inside line is higher-scoring, but Cork's looks the more lethal. Tipp's trio of Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath and Jason Forde have averaged 18 points per game across seven matches, while Cork's Horgan, Hayes and Connolly have averaged 17 in six. Tipp may have more volume, but Cork's attack carries greater efficiency and goal threat. [ All-Ireland hurling final: Throw-in time, where to watch, story so far Opens in new window ] Tipp's game intelligence was central to their dismantling of Kilkenny, driven by the sharp instincts of their inside forwards. So far in this year's championship, McGrath (5-14) and Forde (3-14) have led the scoring charge, with McCarthy offering energy and movement around them. McGrath gave Huw Lawlor a torrid time – using double movements, delayed runs and smart rotation to constantly unbalance Kilkenny's full-back line. A game rich with narratives awaits. Whether it's Cork's explosive structure or Tipp's hunger for redemption, this final could come down to moments of discipline, key matchups, and who displays the greatest composure and control going down the home stretch. Jeffrey Lynskey managed Galway to three All-Ireland minor hurling titles. He is also a former Galway under-20 manager and is currently an MSc student in Sports Performance Analysis at Setu Carlow.
RTÉ News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Teams: Declan Dalton and Rob Downey start for Cork
Captain Rob Downey and Declan Dalton return to the starting line-up as Cork have announced their team to face Dublin in this Saturday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final. Pat Ryan's team contains three changes from the side that eventually saw off Limerick on penalties in last month's memorable Munster decider. The experienced Seamus Harnedy and wing-back Cormac O'Brien are both ruled out with injury - hamstring and quad respectively. Declan Dalton, injured for the latter stages of the Munster championship, replaces Harnedy in the half-forward line, while Rob Downey slots in at centre-back, Ciaran Joyce shifting across the wing back spot. In the full-back line, Niall O'Leary replaces the veteran corner-back Damien Cahalane, who is among the substitutes. Ger Millerick has returned from injury and also included in the match-day squad. Tommy O'Connell, Conor Lehane and Shane Kingston, all of whom made a big impression coming off the bench at the TUS Gaelic Grounds, are again named among the replacements. Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O'Leary, Eoin Downey, Sean O'Donoghue; Ciarán Joyce, Rob Downey , Mark Coleman; Tim O'Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Declan Dalton; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.
Irish Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Munster Hurling Final ticket update as Limerick and Cork to go at it again
Munster GAA have released a ticket update for the Limerick/Cork provincial hurling decider on Saturday week, and it's not good news for the casual fan. The Gaelic Grounds tie is almost certain to sellout as Cork go into the lion's den again, having been hammered by 16 points by Limerick at the same venue eight days ago. That tie attracted a bumper sellout crowd of 42, 477 for the group stage meeting and the same is expected in 12 days time. It's hard to believe that this is Cork's first Munster Hurling Final appearance in seven years (2018), while this historymaking Limerick side go for the province's first ever seven-in-a-row. Limerick won their recent meeting 3-26 to 1-16 to qualify for the Munster Final. This allowed them to rest key players in their weekend dead rubber defeat by Clare. Cork had to defeat Waterford at Pairc Ui Chaoimh over the weekend to stay alive in the Championship - and they did that on a 2-25 to 1-22 scoreline, despite hitting 17 wides. The Rebels were without injured skipper Robert Downey, while Declan Dalton and Niall O'Leary also missed the game due to injury. They're all in a race against time to prove their fitness for the rematch with John Kiely's all conquering side. Ger Mellerick, Cormac O'Brien and Seamus Harnedy all came into the Cork side at the weekend, showing the depth they have, while Diarmuid Healy impressed off the bench. The winner of the Munster Final will go straight through to the All-Ireland semi-final, with the loser going into the quarter-finals. It's a game that has got fans excited as the hurling world waits to see if a Cork side, which defeated Limerick twice in last year's Championship, can muster a response to their recent mauling. But getting a ticket to see this one could prove tricky. Munster GAA released the following statement: 'Due to the high demand, tickets for the Munster Senior Hurling Final on Saturday June 7 at 6pm in the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick will be distributed through the participating County Boards only. 'Season ticket holders from Limerick and Cork will receive their tickets through the normal channels. There will be no public sale of tickets via Ticketmaster, Centra or Supervalu outlets.'
