Latest news with #DessieDolan
The 42
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
More Mayo heartbreak - 'They'll rue that loss to Cavan. That one is going to hurt for a long time'
MAYO WERE KNOCKED out of the All-Ireland senior football championship in dramatic circumstances yesterday. A last-gasp Donegal winner sealed their fate after the Green and Red thought they had saved their summer through Fergal Boland's equaliser. But Ciarán Moore had the final say just after the hooter, securing victory for Donegal and sending Cavan through to the preliminary quarter-finals instead. Advertisement The Breffni stunned Mayo in their group opener at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park last month, and while the Westerners bounced back with victory against Tyrone, they lost out on head to head and now exit the championship in mid June. 'They'll look back to that game in Cavan. It's another heartbreak for Mayo,' former Dublin footballer Ciarán Whelan told RTÉ's The Sunday Game last night. 'You can't fault their desire, their effort, their intensity, the hunger they brought to the game. They really tried to unsettle Donegal in how they play. They brought it to a game of chaos, but ultimately, if you're playing with a wind in the Hyde and you have eight shots from play in the first half and you don't have two-point scorers, ultimately that came back to bite them and that's been their problem. 'They give everything for the jersey. You can't fault the players, the passion they give is fantastic, but they just haven't been good enough. 'And still, they were there. It was small margins near the very end. It definitely wasn't Donegal's best performance, but it was because of the way Mayo played and the pressure they put on out the field. 'Listen, it's heartbreak for them and they'll rue that loss to Cavan. That one is going to hurt for a long time.' Another championship ends for Mayo with stinging regrets and lingering frustrations. Ciaran Whelan and Dessie Dolan reflect on their shortcomings #RTEgaa #TheSundayGame — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 15, 2025 Former Westmeath forward Dessie Dolan also reflected on 'a tough time' for the county on the programme, after typically rollercoaster 2025. 'It is very disappointing, and very disappointing for Kevin McStay because the level of preparation that goes into a team, the sense of occasion today… we're being spoilt by the football. Mayo were still in the championship with five seconds to go. 'You have to feel extremely sorry for Mayo. In fairness to the players, after the Cavan defeat, they went up to Omagh and bet Tyrone and then put a performance like that on today, which was incredible, to the bitter end. Related Reads 'The most logical venue' - CCCC chief responds to McGuinness criticism Dublin to face Cork: here is the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final draw 'You'd feel very sorry for them. Cavan's display today probably wasn't at the level you'd expect either. It's a tough time for Kevin McStay and Stephen Rochford, the players and management team, because I think they're extremely well prepared.'
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
RTÉ GAA Podcast: Louth have their day in the sun, Clare's All-Ireland defence in tatters
Dessie Dolan joins Jacqui Hurley and Rory O'Neill to look back on a bountiful provincial weekend for Donegal and Louth. The celebrations will continue into this week, especially in the Wee County, but the All-Ireland race is only just beginning. The battle for the Liam MacCarthy is very unlikely to include defending champions Clare, after the Banner were beaten by Tipperary at the weekend. Shane McGrath joins to look at that game, and wonders if the Dublin hurlers might finally be about to ditch the bridesmaids tag in Leinster. Watch The Saturday Game this weekend from 9.40pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Dolan: Meath victory can herald new dawn for Leinster
It's a new day in Leinster football – and Meath may be poised to become the team of the future after their massive win over perennial champions Dublin last Sunday, according to former Westmeath ace Dessie Dolan. Dublin had annexed every Leinster crown since 2011, but there will be a fresh name on the Delaney Cup in 2025 as the Royal County's famous win over their long-time tormentors saw them set up a provincial decider with Louth, who nudged out Kildare in Tullamore in their own semi-final. Dublin's up-and-down league form along with the high-profile retirements of many of their six-in-a-row golden generation had suggested the Boys in Blue may be vulnerable this term. And their neighbours smelled blood. Dolan feels Sunday's seismic shock could signal a new dawn for the much maligned province – and Meath are the side to follow. "You're looking at Meath going 'they've quality all over the pitch, they've very good finishers, they've big men around the middle'. It looks, all of a sudden, like the landscape is changing very quickly in Leinster," Dolan told the RTÉ GAA podcast. "Meath now look, realistically, like a team that are going to be around for a while and are going to be competing at the top level." With Dublin's stranglehold on the competition beginning to feel interminable, Robbie Brennan's side's win felt like a victory for all of Leinster also-rans. Dolan feels Sunday's result will have positive repercussions throughout the province. "All of a sudden, everybody has got a shot in the arm. Leinster is wide open again - there's life in it, there's opportunity there," Dolan beamed. "Brian Flanagan will do a good job in Kildare. Louth are improving, Westmeath, competing at that level. "Meath had that doggedness to win and resilience. And that kind of left them for the last 10 years – but Jesus, last Sunday, it was back big time."
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
RTÉ GAA Podcast: Meath resuscitate Leinster Championship, Waterford enter Munster conversation
Dessie Dolan joins Jacqui Hurley and Rory O'Neill to reflect on one of the shocks of the decade, as Meath downed the Dubs. Armagh and Donegal, meanwhile, have set up a repeat Ulster final but can the All-Ireland champions finally get over the provincial line? Speaking of All-Ireland champions, Waterford inflicted a surprise loss on the hurling ones - Clare - while Cork annihilated Tipperary, with Shane McGrath joining to discuss that and more. There were wins for Galway and Kilkenny in Leinster, but the most significant one might have been at Parnell Park where Dublin - with some big calls going their way - over came Wexford.
