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RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
They will come back 'sharper' for it - Enda McGinley on Donegal's loss to Tyrone
Three of the four provincial champions were beaten in their first matches of the group stage of the All-Ireland senior football championship, but what impact does this have for the remainder of the season? It's all how they respond says RTÉ pundit Enda McGinley. The likes of Tyrone and Derry have had weeks to rebuild and prepare, which some may see as an advantage, but McGinley thinks that a first-round group defeat allows teams to learn more than winning. "The key thing, every team that gets beat, you learn from your defeats. It's an old cliché, but it is such a true cliché. You learn from your defeats," McGinley said on the RTÉ GAA podcast. Those who scooped wins in their first group games, notably Dublin and Tyrone, were both in a position to bring top-level energy, according to McGinley, after learning from earlier mishaps in their respective provincial championships. "One of the key things a lot of teams are making, the likes of Dublin, the likes of Tyrone, is if you don't bring that top energy level, that real sharpness, you just lose in the modern game. "Dublin then got their ship in order and you don't become better footballers, fitter footballers, et cetera, et cetera, over the gap between those two performances." McGinley's own county, Tyrone, have also seemingly turned it around and bounced back after relegation in the league and an Ulster semi-final loss to Armagh, with a three-point win over provincial champions Donegal. The physiotherapist and pundit felt Tyrone were at the required pitch in Ballybofey and that Donegal can be somewhere similar in their post-loss bounce. "Tyrone were on it," he said. "Donegal just weren't on it in the way that Donegal can be. "So they will learn and they will come back the sharper for it. When you get two top teams absolutely at it, which is what we've seen in the likes of the Ulster final with Donegal, Armagh, then you have a hell of games." McGinley is relishing the later stages of the group aspect of the competition, especially if all teams manage to successfully learn from their defeats but feels Kerry may not have the same experience, having registered their last defeat on March 1 in the league against Mayo. "I think that's what we're heading for come the later stages of these group games," he added. "I think all of these teams, if they get to learn their lessons from defeats, which always hurts, it always changes the mood in the dressing room, always changes the mood in training and you get the benefits from that. "I think Kerry are flying. Hugely strong team. But my gosh, it's hard to replicate what happens inside a team when you get a loss and you really look at yourself critically and you get that sick feeling in your stomach, and you come back the better for it. They're unlikely to experience that until maybe it's too late." McGinley suggests Monaghan are strong favourites to top their section after an opening win against Louth and their history of being underrated will continue, which may be to their advantage. "Monaghan would strong favourites to top the group, but will they get much credit for topping the group? "We'll be all back to our usual patting them on the heads. Aren't you as great with your small resources? "They'll be sitting in the quarter-finals and whoever they play in the quarterfinal will probably be a more vaunted team than them and they'll have got no respect for topping their group. "Monaghan have a lot of strings to their bow and the narrative will suit them just fine." Watch Dublin v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm
RTÉ News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Tailteann-focused Antrim look to build on Corrigan display
Given the build-up for Antrim to the Ulster Football Championship clash with Armagh last month, the feeling was they had to at least deliver a performance, if not a result. After much debate and at one stage the threat of a forfeited fixture, the quarter-final was finally given the green light for Corrigan Park after the long-touted decision to take it to Páirc Esler was met with firm resistance. Former manager and RTÉ Sport analyst Enda McGinley was among those who felt it added unfair pressure on Antrim given the venue debacle, but Andy McEntee's team delivered in spades, giving the All-Ireland champions a bellyful and leading at half-time before the Orchard County's class finally told. For the Saffrons, who will ply their trade in Division 4 next year, it was a display with plenty to build on as they face into a Tailteann Cup campaign. "It was a good performance, we emerged with a lot of credit from that game," captain Dermot McAleese told RTÉ Sport. "We really went at them in the first half, our target was to be brave against them and I think we did that. "We are probably disappointed with how the second half went, I think their strength-in-depth probably told and we aren't playing at that level every week." The issues surrounding Casement Park - it is estimated that it would cost at least £260 million to build the new stadium, but only around £120m is currently available – gave the Antrim footballers as much media attention as they have received in a long time, but for the players it was simple after making their statement; let the football do the talking and shine a light on their lack of a suitable county ground. "We had to go back it up and deliver a performance and we did that – to a certain degree. After that, it was all outside noise "It probably did create a bit more of a buzz about the county, but it was also about highlighting the fact that we don't have a proper county ground, and haven't had a proper county ground with the absence of Casement. "Antrim Gaels deserve that, Ulster Gaels deserve that, and it was good to see a swell of support for that. I know there was a march on the morning of the game, from Casement and there were thousands at it, so it was a good opportunity to highlight that, the fact we need Casement built." McAleese is among the longest-serving players in the panel, for 12 years he has togged out alongside fellow stalwarts Paddy McBride and Mark Jordan. Aside from a couple of years out, he has been at the coalface for Antrim as they seek progress and the Portglenone clubman is encouraged by the relative stability of the group. "We have a young panel there and we have been able to keep it together in the last few years, there hasn't been a whole lot of chopping and changing or lads leaving the panel, so I suppose it is about nurturing that." There isn't quite the intense outside focus on their Tailteann Cup opener against Westmeath on Sunday as there was pre-Armagh, where the third seeds will also face Limerick and London in Group 4. McAleese is hoping that if things fall right, they could improve on successive semi-final defeats in the competition. "Westmeath have been very unlucky this year, they could have easily been in the top half of Division 2 but ended up relegated. We played them last year, and it was a very close game, they just came out the right side of it. "Everyone starts at zero again, so you just have to take one game at a time and see how we get on."
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Flynn: Louth trajectory must deliver glory in Leinster football final
And so for the first time in 15 years the Leinster football final will not feature Dublin. Meath and Louth will contest this year's decider on 11 May and it was the same two counties that featured in 2010, a game where Joe Sheridan's controversial goal gave the Royals a narrow victory. Now under the stewardship of Robbie Brennan, Meath caused a surprise when getting the better of Dessie Farrell's men in Sunday's provincial semi-final in Portlaoise. And while not wanting to gloat after the Dubs' defeat, Enda McGinley, speaking on The Sunday Game, said: "Dublin will be disappointed with the result tonight but everybody else in the country will be delighted and that's a Tyrone man saying they're delighted with the Meath win." It's not just Meath fans celebrating after the Royals dethroned Dublin in spectacular fashion in the Leinster SFC, according to Enda McGinley 📺 Watch on @rte2 and @rteplayer — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 27, 2025 The Tyrone All-Ireland winner, no doubt echoing the views of many, feels that Dublin are not the force they once were. That said, he gave credit to Meath for they way they closed out the game at Laois Hire O'Moore Park. "Meath were fantastic but Dublin are not the team they were," he remarked. "They obviously lost key men over the winter and their performances have been hit and miss, crucially they have been a hit in Croke Park this year but a miss outside of Croke Park. "I think that fed into Meath believing in themselves this year. We've been used to teams giving Dublin a good fight, maybe in a winning position, and then Dublin grinding it down and seeing it out. There was an air of inevitability and that game felt like that today. Up in the room where we were watching it we were saying 'this isn't the normal Dublin team' and sure enough Meath got the critical scores at the end." Louth and Meath will head into the Leinster SFC final full of belief that they can be crowned provincial champions, but it's the Wee County that Paul Flynn fancies at Croke Park 📺 Watch on @rte2 and @rteplayer — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 27, 2025 Fellow analyst Paul Flynn is now looking forward to the provincial showdown in a fortnight's time and fancies Louth, this after the Wee County saw off Kildare in Sunday's other semi-final. "Meath will probably go in as favourites after toppling the Dubs but if you were to ask me I think Louth will be the fancied team, " he said. "Louth got over the hoodoo when beating Meath in the group stage of the championship in Inniskeen last year. "They have leaders who stepped up today and Craig Lennon got two goals in that game last year. It's so exciting and it's about who can manage the occasion the best. For Louth it's their third Leinster final in a row which is really impressive. It shows their consistency at provincial level and where their trajectory is at. But now there are no more moral victories, they have to go and win it. That's what will be on their minds and they have to manage that occasion."
RTÉ News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Louth and Kildare the main event off Broadway
There may be some eye-catching games on paper this weekend in the football championship, but the most consequential one will take place off Broadway. Meath v Dublin - one of the great GAA rivalries - has lost most of its lustre in the last 15 years, but a neutral venue and a changing of the guard with the Dubs means there appears to be a greater chance of a competitive outing. Up north, the All-Ireland champions Armagh's quest to land provincial honours takes them to Omagh and what promises to be a robust encounter with Tyrone. Losing with honour will suffice for now in both those fixtures, but that won't be the case at 2pm in Tullamore where Louth and Kildare battle for the right to take the 16th and final position in the All-Ireland football championship. Louth, who consolidated their Division 2 status despite a raft of injuries and are bidding for a third Leinster final on the bounce, start as favourites against a Kildare side, who despite achieving promotion from the third tier, lost three of their final four games and only barely got over Westmeath in their Leinster opener. Quite where the Lilywhites are at under Brian Flanagan (pictured below) is difficult to gauge. Speaking on the RTÉ GAA podcast, former Tyrone player Enda McGinley says that while the Tailteann Cup is an important competition for teams at a certain level, for those hovering between it and the All-Ireland series, the motivation can only be to remain in the top 16. "To go down to the Tailteann Cup would feel like a sucker punch for them," he says. "For these two teams, it would certainly be against their long-term project aims, it would be a backwards step." Kildare make two changes in personnel, with Ryan Burke replacing the injured Harry O'Neill, while Ryan Houlihan gets the nod ahead of Kevin Flynn at wing-back. A Leinster final appearance could set them back if it is against a Dublin side in the groove, but victory over Louth is imperative if they are to finally lay some building blocks under new management where a big result would breed confidence among the players. "For teams at a certain point in their development, I don't think the Tailteann Cup is a booby prize at all," McGinley adds. "For Kildare, there is always this sense of them trying to gain momentum. It has been so tough for them to do that. Brian Flanagan is in and got them promotion to Division 2, but even that was done so without any great form. It tailed off where they lost three of their last four games, to their most meaningful opponents, Clare and Offaly (twice). "Against Westmeath, it was brilliant from a resilience point of view, but unconvincing from a form point of view. "You would feel that losing this, while it wouldn't be disastrous to lose to a good Louth team, well respected and probably seen as the second team in Leinster, to go into the Taliteann Cup would have them wondering if they are making any progress. "Sense of progress is key for the Kildare project." Last year Kildare won three from three in their Tailteann Cup group before exiting in in the last eight at the hands of Laois. Former Dublin footballer Paul Flynn takes the view that a return to the same competition would help to put a string of results together. "A run in the Tailteann Cup, whether they want it or not, could be a good thing for them and potentially even going into that and winning it could be the momentum they need," he says. Given Louth were among the final eight teams in last year's shake-up, Tailteann Cup was never part of the dream for Brennan and his charges. The crippling injury list is easing - Tommy Durnin and Craig Lennon came off the bench against Laois - and talisman Sam Mulroy looks set for his return from injury after being included in the starting team. It's a repeat of last year's semi-final, where the Wee County punished a wasteful Kildare to cement their place as the best side in Leinster outside the Dubs. You have to go back more than 100 years for the last time they reeled off three successive provincial final appearances. Flynn takes the view that defeat would be more of a hammer blow to Louth after incremental progress over the last few years. 'Must-win' is a much-hackneyed phrase in sport, but whatever way you slice it up, defeat on Sunday will seriously halt any progress or momentum for Louth or Kildare.
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Football championship weekend: All you need to know
SATURDAY 26 APRIL Ulster SFC semi-final Armagh v Tyrone, Clones, 4.45pm SUNDAY 27 APRIL Leinster SFC semi-finals Kildare v Louth, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm Dublin v Meath, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 4pm Ulster SFC semi-final Donegal v Down, Clones, 3pm ONLINE Live blogs each day with RTÉ Sport and RTÉ News app TV Live coverage of Donegal v Down live on BBC2 NI. GAA+ will stream Saturday's clash of Tyrone and Armagh in Ulster as well as both Leinster semi-finals the following day, Kildare v Louth and Dublin v Meath. Highlights of the weekend's action on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. RADIO Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport. Also live updates on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta's Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae. WEATHER Saturday: The mist and fog will generally clear on Saturday morning to leave a mainly dry, bright day with good spells of sunshine with a few isolated showers. Mild overall with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in light to moderate south to southwest winds. Sunday: Likely to be cloudy for a time with some scattered showers. It'll be a breezy day with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty south to southwest winds. For more go to Hankering for the noughties The meeting of Armagh and Tyrone this weekend conjures up memories of one of the great rivalries in Gaelic football. With the gripping nature of the contests and the fact they were such big games in the calendar, it is easy to forget that at its peak, it lasted four years (2002-05), spanned six memorable games and resulted in maiden All-Ireland success for both. Tyrone edged the rivalry by ending the decade with three Celtic Crosses, but there was rarely little between the sides as the most gifted and ferocious competitiors of their generation duked it out. Gripping games, though former Tyrone player Enda McGinley concedes rewatching the game is a reminder of the evolvement of the sport. "It was before the era of controlled possession, so looking back on the games now, it seems like kamikaze football," he said earlier this week. Could a decent hitout in Clones reignite the flames of this rivalry? Certainly the ingredients are there. While the powerhouses Kerry (2022) and Dublin (2023) reinforced the idea of the traditional two in football, those successes were bookended by unlikely teams - at the start of the respective seasons at least - walking up the Hogan Stand, the Red Hands prevailing in 2021 and Kieran McGeeney's side upsetting the odds last year. The Orchard County will be wary that Tyrone's dismal defence of Sam Maguire - it was Armagh who put them out of their misery in the qualifiers - did little to dispel the notion that they won that All-Ireland against the head. Few backed the team to make it back-to-back, their implosion fuel to the critics who suggested it was one of the weakest teams to land top honours in recent history. Armagh now are following a similar path, keen to prove last year was no flash in the pan. With Rian O'Neill remaining outside the panel and a sizeable injury list, McGeeney could only call on five starters from last year's All-Ireland triumph over Galway for the Ulster quarter-final win over Antrim. It has allowed others stake claims with the manager name-checking the scoring contribution of three of his four championship debutants last time out, with Tomás McCormack, Calum O'Neill (the first Belleek man to play championship for Armagh) and Darragh McMullan working the scoreboard operator at Corrigan Park. Have Down another upset in them? "Down are crafty. Down have a team full of ball players. So many notes taken on them." The words of Donegal manager Jim McGuinness in relation to the build-up to the 2012 Ulster final. The Tir Chonaill men would make it back-to-back provincial titles for the first time en route to landing Sam Maguire while Down's barren run would continue to an 18th season at least. That wait has moved beyond three decades. McGuinness's thoughts back then may not hold quite so true now, aside from the obsessive note-taking. That particular Down side were two years on from going within a whisker of an All-Ireland title. Earlier that spring just missed out on a Division 1 final with Dan Gordon, Mark Poland, Danny Hughes, Benny Coulter and current manager Conor Laverty leading the way. The current crop will battle it out in the third tier in 2026, three wins from seven in Division 2 not enough to avoid the drop. That disappointment looked set to be compounded by a championship defeat to Fermanagh as the Erne men led by seven points with eight minutes left on the clock. Inspired by midfielder Daniel McGuinness, who raised a flag of all three colours, Pat Havern and Ryan McEvoy, the Mourne men rallied for a superb win. Unless we see a significant improvement – the closing stages aside – it's hard to see anything other than the Ulster holders marching on. An embarrassment of riches up front, an athletic midfield and some pacey and attack-minded defenders such as Finbarr Roarty, Ciarán Moore, Peadar Mogan (0-05 between them against Monaghan) means the eight-point spread seems about right. While Donegal are bidding for a 12th Ulster final in 15 seasons, and their record against Down is impressive – four wins from last five games with an average winning margin of 13 points – their last championship clash should serve against complacency, if that is even possible with McGuinness at the helm. Two years ago goals from Liam Kerr and Pat Havern sent Down on their way to victory at Pairc Esler against a Donegal side reeling from Division 1 relegation, managerial upheaval and apparent player apathy. McGuinness returned for a second stint in charge of his native county four months later. Will Leinster remain a piece of cake for Dublin? A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges. One of the most accomplished American minds, Benjamin Franklin, is attributed with that quote, and it could be used with the Dublin footballers in mind. The icing has come off if you will, the likes of James McCarthy, Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion, Jack McCaffrey exiting stage left since last year's championship, but will Leinster remain a piece of cake fo the boys in blue? Dessie Farrell drafted in 16 new faces during the league. Solid if not spectacular was the early verdict, though the laboured win over Wicklow in Aughrim has whispers of an end to provincial domination – they are bidding for 15-in-a-row in Leinster- growing louder. Peter Canavan is of the opinion that the presence of Con O'Callaghan alone means the Delaney Cup will remain in the capital, but more will be needed from those around him if they are to go deep into the All-Ireland race. Question marks regarding goalkeeper and midfield persist, though the return of John Small and Davey Byrne is a huge boon. Sean Bugler is in the form of his Dublin career while Greg McEneaney has nailed down his place in the starting XV. Meath will, perhaps for the first time since their famous 2010 upset of the Dubs, enter the game with ambitions of more than simply keeping the score down. Whether they have the tools to deliver another shock remains to be seen, but the manner of the performance against Carlow was encouraging with Ruairi Kinsella, Eoghan Frayne and Matthew Costello to the fore for the Royals. Meath's tallies 1-30 and 1-25 against Carlow and Offaly respectively indicate that there is potential to cause a Dublin defence that wasn't exactly watertight last time out problems. For all the optimism, it still pits a Division 1 side against a middling Division 2 outfit, with 16 points between the sides last year. Since 2013, the average winning margin hs stood at a touch over 13 points. Whatever about a shock, a competitive match would be a plus and the surroundings of Laois Hire O'Moore Park can only create a better atmosphere rather than a souless Croke Park. All-Ireland place up for grabs By the time the Dubs and Meath throw in at Portlaoise, we will know the identity of the 16th and final team to compete in this year's All-Ireland championship, with Louth v Kildare the first of the provincial semi-finals on Sunday. The Wee County won the corresponding fixture 12 months ago and are bidding for a third successive final appearance, something they last achieved in 1914. Louth manager Ger Brennan will be pleased that their Division 2 status was retained despite a lengthy injury list. What will have given more food for thought was the indifferent display against Laois last time out. Goals from Ryan Burns and Ciarán Byrne (above) saw them through, but it was a performance to be filed in the 'room for improvement' folder. The possibility of talisman Sam Mulroy returning to action - he has been named at full-forward but one can never be certain of the starting personnel - would be a huge shot in the arm for their chances. It's just three years since the Lilywhites dished out a 16-point trimming to Saturday's opponents, but even last year's defeat as a reference point for Kildare is tricky. Eight of the 20 who lined out in Croke Park last April have departed the panel and another six unlikely to start. Brian Flanagan saw a mixed bag of results early season, with expectations low heading into their quarter-final against Westmeath. Under the cosh in the opening half, they found a resilience that has not always been apparent in recent seasons to dig out a morale-boosting two-point victory. Kevin Feely and Callum Bolton are looking to build a strong partnership in the middle of the field, while Ben McCormack and Alex Beirne were central to the second-half turnaround against Westmeath. Tommy Gill and Niall Kelly impressed off the bench and Flanagan will have to plan without Harry O'Neill who picked up a nasty injury.
