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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Darragh Ó Sé: Kerry and Donegal are operating at a level above because everyone knows their role
You think you were disappointed by the All-Ireland semi-finals? Imagine how Pádraic Joyce and Dessie Farrell must feel. I don't think there's any doubt that the two best teams are in the final – Kerry and Donegal have sprinted away from the pack over the past couple of weeks. But Galway and Dublin should be kicking themselves for being beaten by Meath and Tyrone . They both lost fair and square, no question about it. But they both know that they had the winning of those games and made a mess of them. The Dubs did the same against Armagh in the group stages and didn't learn their lesson. These games come down to more than pure footballing ability. They have to be managed properly by the players on the pitch. That's one of the things that really struck me over the weekend. Kerry and Donegal are on a roll and they each have a group of players hitting top form at the right time. But beyond the skills of the game, you're talking about two very mature groups who know what they're trying to achieve at this stage. When I got back from Dublin on Saturday evening, I watched the Kerry game again. And the thing that jumped out at me nearly most of all was Jason Foley's interview with RTÉ at the side of the pitch afterwards. In the space of four or five minutes he talked more sense than the three boys standing next to him had talked in the previous two hours. There was nothing contrived about it, nothing complicated. It was simple, direct and to the point. It told me that there is great clarity in the Kerry dressingroom at the minute, a sense that everybody knows the plan and their role in it. Don't underestimate how important that is. When you're talking about a game that's going a million miles an hour, the messages can't be too complicated. Not everyone in your dressingroom is as quick on the uptake as the others. Every fella can only go at his own pace – a few of us often needed something explained more than once or twice. Tyrone's Eoin McElholm and Kerry's Jason Foley during Saturday's semi-final at Croke Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Donegal are very similar in that regard. Watch them on the pitch – for all the talk about Jim McGuinness, the players are nearly self-policing at this stage. You don't often see them take the wrong shot or play the wrong pass. And if you do, it's followed by one of their team-mates giving them an earful for it. They remind me of Jim Gavin's Dublin team that way. Learn the plan, stick to the plan, execute the plan. That's what wins All-Irelands. Look at the Kerry midfield and you can see it in action. They've been without Diarmuid O'Connor, who started the year as their number one midfielder. They've lost Barry Dan O'Sullivan, who everyone assumed would be in the mix as well. Nobody went into the championship thinking Kerry would be comprehensively winning an All-Ireland semi-final with Joe O'Connor, Mark O'Shea and Sean O'Brien out around the middle. But the three of them have settled into their roles. O'Shea and O'Brien are playing their part. Nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary. They're in there fighting for kickouts, wrestling with the big fellas in the opposition, doing the dirty work. And by doing that, they're freeing O'Connor up and allowing him to have the summer of his life. Joe is a big strong boy. What has impressed me most about him is that he's not one bit shy about being a big strong boy. He knows he's going to take timber when he's tackled but he's bulling into contact anyway. You can see him saying, 'It's going to be you or me here – and it's not going to be me. So either foul me or get out of the way.' The new rules have moved his game to a whole new level. He was always a decent, consistent player at club level, but in the old game you weren't sure how useful he'd be at intercounty. The simple reason for that is that goalkeepers were going short with most of the kickouts so a big fetching midfielder like Joe O'Connor wasn't going to shine. Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton looks on as smoke from a flare billows onto the pitch during Sunday's semi-final against Meath. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho How could he? Winning kickouts is a skill and like any skill it has to be practised. There's two parts of the equation – it's a relationship between the goalkeeper and the midfielder and you have to learn each other's likes and dislikes. What kind of ball to do you prefer? What side? What trajectory? All this stuff has to be worked on to become second nature in the heat of battle. But when 80 per cent of the kickouts were being chipped to the corner-back, who is going to know – or care – if a player like Joe O'Connor is worth having in the team? He might only have three or four sent his way altogether in a game. But now there's more chance for him to practice, more chances for him to shine, more room for him to run into when Kerry have possession. You can see he's loving every minute of it. Donegal are loving the new rules as well. The kickout one is well suited to them with Shaun Patton in goals. I loved what they did for the first kickout of the second half – with the wind behind him, Patton launched a kickout that landed past the Meath 45 and bounced into the arc. Donegal didn't even go and contest it. It was obvious what Patton was doing. He was sending Meath a message. This is how far I can kick the ball with the wind at my back. If you want to press up on me, knock yourself out. But all it will take is one kick over the top and we're in for a goal. Are ye really going to risk it? Donegal have gathered themselves for the run at Sam Maguire and they're operating at a level above. You can say the very same about Kerry. It should make for a hell of a final.
Irish Times
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Dessie Farrell had the players' back and he was repaid with unlikely 2023 All-Ireland win
It wasn't long after the final whistle last Saturday evening at Croke Park , as we made for home, that word broke about Dessie Farrell's decision to step down as Dublin manager. I hadn't played underage for Dublin with Dessie in charge, so my first experience of him as a manager was in 2020 when he replaced Jim Gavin . We were the five-in-a-row All-Ireland football champions at the time and in many ways, it seemed a very attractive managerial position. Yet replacing Jim while also trying to keep a team with so much success hungry for more was, in other ways, a thankless and tricky task. But Dessie accepted that challenge. I discovered fairly quickly that he had a huge amount of empathy for players and as a result, you wanted to give your very best for him. READ MORE He didn't have an easy introduction to the role. 2020 was a difficult time for everybody because of Covid. On the sporting front, it made building relationships very challenging for any new manager. We played Tyrone in the league at the end of that February, but then the season stopped until that winter; our next game didn't take place until October. So I'd imagine it was a difficult transition for him. When the season did resume, thankfully we held our form and did manage to retain the Sam Maguire, making it six in-a-row. But I think the 2023 success was particularly sweet for Dessie because 2021 and 2022 had proved to be a rocky period for us. There had been a bit of turmoil because we failed to make it to the All-Ireland final in either of those years and in 2022 we were relegated to Division Two of the National League. We were at something of a crossroads at the end of 2022 and we all knew the following season was going to determine the path the group would travel. The fact that 2023 ended with Sam Maguire back in the cabinet was huge for both the players and the management. Dessie Farrell celebrates after Dublin beat Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland SFC final at Croke Park. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho There's a deep-rooted connection between Dessie and all those players now because of that season, even the lads who wouldn't have played for him at underage. That All-Ireland win was hugely satisfying. And we achieved it together, united as a group. He wanted us all to put our eggs in the basket for a massive push at winning the All-Ireland in 2023 , a case of bringing everybody back together for one last charge towards the mountain-top. It worked out, but there were no guarantees. That win really meant a lot to Dessie and the players. His six years in charge obviously didn't end the way he would have liked – leaving with another All-Ireland title would have been the dream but Dublin just couldn't find their rhythm this season. Still, there are players in that Dublin dressingroom Dessie has worked with since they were kids and he has helped them to win All-Irelands at underage and adult level. He has shaped so many of their playing careers since they were teenagers, but he also shaped the men they have become. Dessie has been a terrific servant for Dublin and I'm sure he'll be involved in the GAA in the years to come, whether that's with underage teams or going back in at the top. I can't imagine we've seen the last of him on the sideline. As for Dublin, I just don't think they reached their potential this season. More than anything they'll be disappointed with their inconsistency from game to game. They just didn't find a groove or hit a run of momentum. Some performances were good, others were below par – that was the flow of their entire season. I don't know if the FRC rules had an impact or perhaps it took the squad a bit longer to gel because of the influx of new players. They had some issues with injuries to key players too. All in all, it was a stuttering kind of season. The win over Galway in Salthill was something of an exception as it suggested they had hit form just as the business end of the season had arrived. What followed was a flat display against Armagh. The varying performances between those two games summed up the nature of Dublin's entire campaign. I know for all the players and management in that dressingroom, that lack of consistency would have been incredibly frustrating because they would have put in the same amount of effort as they've always done, the same application, trained just as hard. For whatever reason, it just didn't come together for them. It was a similar story last year, so the challenge now is for the new management team to help the group with that consistency piece. There will obviously be some changes to the panel – fresh faces, new voices – but I don't think we will see a raft of retirements. Because with a new manager will come new opportunities. Dessie Farrell looks on during his last match in charge of Dublin. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho There are still plenty of good players in Dublin and I genuinely believe that group is capable of challenging for All-Ireland titles. It's just a case of getting the consistency right and developing their own tactical game plan under the new manager. There are lots of areas that can be looked at. For instance, Dublin were bottom of the pile in terms of two-point scorers when it came to the quarter-finalists. In only one championship game did Dublin score more two-pointers than their opponents. And it played a telling part in their defeat last weekend, with Tyrone scoring five and Dublin finishing the game with none. Dublin obviously had their own philosophy on that element of the game but it's probably an area the new management will examine, to try generate and execute more two-point opportunities. Ger Brennan has been strongly linked with the position after his achievements with Louth, but whoever gets the gig is inheriting a strong squad. Despite what some might think, it's still a very attractive project – Dublin won't be far away from challenging for All-Irelands over the coming years. It's just about getting the best out of the older lads for the next couple of seasons, developing the younger players within the panel and then trying to find a gem or two out there from the club scene. The curtain has come down on Dessie's term but it's somebody else's opportunity now. Teams also tend to get a bounce from a new manager and while the disappointment might still be raw from last week's defeat to Tyrone, there is much for Dublin fans to look forward to in 2026. This season might be over. But it's not the end of the road.
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ciarán Murphy: Football's best forwards are being rewarded for their genius and it's a joy to behold
There were many words spoken in Croke Park last weekend. Dessie Farrell said goodbye with the grace befitting the biggest job in the GAA. Jack O'Connor revealed himself to be an avid reader of Darragh Ó Sé's Irish Times column . But the most enlightening quote of them all came from Meath manager Robbie Brennan discussing Jordan Morris, his mercurial corner-forward who tormented Galway in the third of the weekend's All-Ireland football quarter-finals. 'As I keep saying, there's a touch of genius about Jordan . . . He is impossible to mark at times, literally impossible to mark. Other times you can have a little turnover, but they're what we call creative turnovers, aren't they? You're allowed to have them when you're that type of player.' There has been a surfeit of jargon injected into the bloodstream of Gaelic football over the years, but 'creative turnover' is just a beautiful, evocative phrase. It is the 'shrug shoulders' emoji brought to life in a sporting context. READ MORE Brennan reckons you're allowed have them when you're that type of player. But let's face it, you haven't been allowed them in a very long time in Gaelic football. And there has been no such thing as a 'little turnover' in the last 10 years. Morris was unstoppable last Sunday, a fly in the ear of the Galway defence for the entire game. It takes some testicular fortitude to hit 1-6 after missing your first three shots on goal. The game is about players like Jordan Morris, if it's about anything. And the game has been given back to players like him. Tyrone's Eoin McElholm holds possession against Ciarán Kilkenny of Dublin. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Eoin McElholm burning Ciarán Kilkenny on the outside and kicking a score in the last 10 minutes of Dublin v Tyrone has already been pointed out in these pages as an abiding memory of the four games last weekend. But the quarter-finals were all defined by moments of outstanding enterprise and invention – whether that was Michael Langan's thunderous shot against Monaghan, Morris's match-winning turnover for his goal or Seán O'Shea's wondrous display of outside shooting. Players now have the room to try things. When Morris sells a dummy, he's through on goal, not running head-first into two more defenders. When Langan takes the ball at speed, he just needs to beat one defender to get a goal-scoring opportunity, not four. If you have the conviction to take on your man, there's space in behind him. We don't want it to be easy for the best forwards, we just want to reward them for their creativity. And that is what the game is now doing. They were all, at various stages, consumed by the glorious uncertainty of the kickout. Shaun Patton's struggles in the first half against Monaghan didn't cost Donegal this time, but the three remaining teams will have been watching closely. It was a total systems failure. Ethan Rafferty's woes against Kerry were well documented, but Shane Ryan was the only one of the two to concede a goal, and that from a short kickout that went awry. Morris's goal against Galway could hardly be blamed on Conor Gleeson, but Johnny McGrath was stripped of the ball after he had gathered possession deep inside his own 45 running away from any of his teammates. Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty is tackled by Dylan Geaney of Kerry. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho The kickout is now a bewilderingly pressurised situation, like standing on the 18th tee at Augusta 30 times in every game. Some goalies look like they've been preparing their whole lives for this moment, while others look decidedly less comfortable. In situations where you feel over-matched, it's easy to launch it out long and make it someone else's problem. In those situations, the high fielders are rewarded for winning 50/50s, but the game also rewards the keepers who force the short ones and maintain possession for their team. Bravery is incentivised everywhere. Watching the wonderful RTÉ documentary Hell For Leather over the last few weeks, you'd have been forgiven for wondering how the great players of the past would fare in the 21st century. It used to be an impossible question to answer – how to compare eras. But now we can watch Kerry v Armagh from last year and Kerry v Armagh from this year and it's like a different sport. We have all probably wondered since he started his intercounty career how David Clifford would have gotten on in a different era. Now, all of a sudden, we know (7 goals, 44 points and counting). There are straws in the wind worth noting. The death of a dominant Dublin is not as important to a revitalised game as the new rules, but it would also be foolish to discount the absence of an over-dog from this year's championship. The key to how the game has flourished has been the Football Review Committee's flexibility. If they saw something that clearly wasn't working this year, they were able to fix it on the fly. After this winter, that won't be possible. That will present challenges. But try picking the All Star forward line right now. Michael Murphy, the Cliffords, Seán O'Shea, Darren McCurry, Rob Finnerty, Shane Walsh, Con O'Callaghan, Ciarán Kilkenny, Jordan Morris, Mathew Costello, Pat Havern, Micheál Bannigan, Ruairi Kinsella, Rory Grugan, Oisín Conaty. They've all given us moments of magic, as well as a few creative turnovers. But the game is theirs again. And that means it is ours, too.
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dublin job is Ger Brennan's to turn down, while Gavin Devlin is well placed to land Louth role
It's the season of travelling funfairs and unnaturally pink candy floss – but the GAA's intercounty managerial merry-go-round has also whirled to life earlier than expected. The All-Ireland hurling semi-finals will take centre stage this weekend, but it has been a busy week in football comings and goings. Ger Brennan's Louth departure emerged just three days after Dessie Farrell vacated his managerial position in Dublin . In the space of just over two weeks, six senior intercounty managers have either stepped away from their roles or got shoved out the dressingroom door. They are Tony McEntee (Sligo), Kevin McStay (Mayo), Andy McEntee (Antrim), Davy Burke (Roscommon), Farrell (Dublin) and Brennan ( Louth ). Some of the departures were not unexpected but others have left counties dealing with a far stickier situation than a handful of spun sugar. READ MORE Brennan's surprise decision to call time on his tenure in Louth is the standout exit. For this week at least. Last week it was Mayo's call to plough on without Kevin McStay . It wasn't so much Mayo's decision to move on without McStay, but the lack of compassion in how they relieved him of his responsibilities. The Mayo County Board received plenty of kickback over the tone of their statement and, no doubt, they have been the ones relieved this week to see the managerial spotlight move to Dublin, Louth and elsewhere. Still, it seems lessons were learned from the Mayo-McStay break-up because it has been noticeable that subsequent managerial exits have been accompanied by glowing, almost overtly fawning farewell salutes to departing bosses. Mayo County Board has been criticised for a lack of compassion in the way it parted company with Kevin McStay. Photograph: Evan Logan/Inpho Roscommon praised Burke for his 'effort, dedication and commitment' while Louth said Brennan would 'always hold a special place in the Louth GAA family, and our doors will forever remain open to him'. There are likely to be more vacancies arising over the coming weeks with, among others, uncertainty over the futures of Pádraic Joyce in Galway and Oisín McConville in Wicklow. [ Malachy Clerkin: Mayo's decision to oust Kevin McStay was fair enough but the way they did it was foul Opens in new window ] Indeed, while Kerry delivered a tour de force at Croke Park on Sunday to silence many of their doubters, it is far from certain that Jack O'Connor will still be at the helm for the start of the 2026 campaign – irrespective of how the next few weeks play out. As for those who recently left managerial positions, Tony McEntee has been one of the names already linked with the vacancy in Mayo while Brennan is the standout frontrunner to succeed Farrell in Dublin. Indeed, some bookmakers have suspended betting on who will be the next Dublin boss. Prior to Brennan's departure from Louth, former Dublin player and coach Declan Darcy was also viewed as a potential successor to Farrell, as was ex-Dubs women's football manager Mick Bohan. But it appears the gig is for Brennan to turn down now. As for the position Brennan left behind, Louth are likely to stay in-house or at the very least, relatively local. Gavin Devlin, who coached the senior team during Mickey Harte's tenure in the county, is working as Louth's director of underage football development and is considered a strong candidate to succeed Brennan. The Wee County could also look to current under-20 manager Fergal Reel who guided Louth to a Leinster title and an All-Ireland final appearance at that grade this year. Either way, the merry-go-round is spinning once again. It'll be going all summer long, and probably beyond.
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kerry play follow the leader to topple Armagh
What stood out more than anything for Darragh Ó Sé during 'a brilliant weekend of football' was leadership. 'It's a hard thing to define,' he writes, 'but you know it when you see it.' And he saw it in spades from the victors, not least from the 'exceptional' David Clifford , during Kerry's win over Armagh. Seán O'Shea, Mark O'Shea and Seán O'Brien shone too, the rest of the team playing 'follow the leader', and that was that, Armagh were out. Kerry's 'masterclass' may, says Seán Moran, make them All-Ireland favourites now , but, as he quotes Kieran McGeeney, 'it's always the final chapter when it comes to sport that determines the content of the book'. Performance analyst Paul O'Brien takes us through that 15-minute 'masterclass' that saw Kerry score 0-14 without reply. It was, he says, 'astonishing' that they reached the 30-point mark as early as the 56th minute when Clifford hit a two-pointer. 'Game over.' It was season over for Dublin on Saturday when they lost to Tyrone, Dessie Farrell stepping down after. Who'll succeed him? Well, Ger Brennan is now at a loose end after leaving his Louth job at the end of a season that saw him lead the county to its first Leinster title since 1957. Gordon Manning fills you in. READ MORE And ahead of this weekend's hurling semi-finals, Gordon talks to Cork's Niall O'Leary about their meeting on Saturday with Dublin, 'the most prolific goalscoring teams left in the competition', and he hears from Kilkenny's Huw Lawlor about coming up against Tipperary on Sunday. In rugby, Gordon D'Arcy looks at how the Lions are shaping up in the approach to their first meeting with Australia, while Robert Kitson goes through the five main selection decisions Andy Farrell has to make . Back in this neck of the woods, Ireland set off today for Tbilisi where they play Georgia on Saturday , John O'Sullivan hearing from defence coach Denis Leamy in advance of the game, while Louise Lawless talks to Lynne Cantwell, the IRFU's first head of women's strategy , about her vision for the women's game in Ireland. And Leinster will meet La Rochelle for the seventh time in six seasons after Tuesday's Champions Cup draw put them in the same group, and among Munster's opponents will be old foes Castres. Johnny Watterson brings you all the details, including how Connacht and Ulster fared in the draw for the Challenge Cup. TV Watch: The Lions play the second game of their Australian tour this morning, Queensland Reds their opponents in Brisbane (Sky Sports Action, 11am). Coverage of Wimbledon continues through the day on BBC1 and BBC2, and this afternoon the women of Iceland and Finland get Euro 2025 under way (RTÉ 2 and UTV, 5pm), before hosts Switzerland play Norway (RTÉ 2 and BBC 1, 8pm).
