Latest news with #FootballeroftheYear
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Emotional' Kerry star leads homecoming celebrations from HIS pub that he compares to ‘New Year's Eve'
DINGLE was the setting for Tuesday's celebrations as Kerry's All-Ireland winners continue to revel in reclaiming Sam Maguire. Monday's initial homecoming 8 Paul Geaney owns a pub in Dingle Credit: @geaneysbar 8 He mentioned how supporters had answered David Clifford's Croke Park rallying cry after they beat Cavan Credit: @geaneysbar 8 Captain Gavin White further hailed the impact fans made in their knockout round wins Credit: @geaneysbar 8 Joe O'Connor will probably be behind only David Clifford for Footballer of the Year Credit: @geaneysbar Paul Geaney owns a pub in the coastal town and summed up the merry occasion they savoured every minute of across the evening. The now three-time All-Ireland winner hailed: "We're out in Dingle tonight. A few weeks ago David asked ye all to come out and back and ye did." As the camera panned over the whole street the 34-year-old went on to compare it to New Year's Eve such was the turn-out. He added: "This is unbelievable to be a part of. It's probably the best we've ever seen for Kerry and emotional but we're enjoying every minute of it." Read More On GAA The instance he referenced about talisman David Clifford imploring their supporters to make a mockery of the stereotypical image of the county's fanbase being a bit lazier than the likes of Armagh or Tyrone came Looking ahead to returning to Croke Park for another year, the 26-year-old outlined: 'I'd like to call for our supporters to get behind us. I'm not sure they realise the impact they can have on us in Croke Park. "When we hear that Kerry crowd behind you it's worth five and six points to you in a game.' So it proved as while their 2024 semi-final saw their followers vastly outnumbered by those in orange, there was a noticeably bigger Kerry presence among the crowd as they exacted revenge on Armagh. Most read in GAA Football That improved connection was evident in further wins against Ulster opposition. Tyrone in the semis and then Donegal on Sunday failed to stop them from reaching the summit of Gaelic football for a record-extending 39th time. Paudie Clifford teases David over childhood nickname during hilarious RTE interview after All-Ireland heroics The question mark hanging over their 2026 tilt for number 40 is whether Jack 0'Connor can be tempted to stick around for another year. He's given mixed messages since he led them to the promised land for the fifth time as it's clear he's not going to make any rash decisions. Immediately post-match he said: 'I think I was on record earlier in the year that it would probably be my last hurrah, do you know, so. I don't want to be telling ye lads before I tell anyone else. 'There's a lot more people down the corridor. Look, we'll do that in due course. There's no hurry. 8 Star defender Tom O'Sullivan missed the decider through injury Credit: @geaneysbar 8 This was the picturesque scene outside Geaney's pub Credit: @geaneysbar 8 There was a trad music-heavy parade through the streets Credit: @geaneysbar 8 With musicians carrying on the playing of tunes inside Geaney's establishment Credit: @geaneysbar 'I was going out the door Thursday evening with the bag and my mrs took a picture of me going out the gate. 'I have a fair idea that will be up on the wall as my last hurrah. I'd say now she'll be firm on that one.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
'Teko Modise sent shivers down our spines,' says Zungu as AmaZulu announce youthful strategy alongside new signings
Sandile Zungu, president of AmaZulu, Arthur Zwane, head coach and his coaching team with the new players and management during the Betway Premiership Fan Experience in Durban. | BackpagePix A blunt critique from Teko Modise has triggered a major shift at AmaZulu, with the club unveiling a youthful strategy and fresh signings ahead of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season. During the official launch held in Durban on Tuesday, club president Sandile Zungu admitted that Modise's searing analysis of Usuthu's struggles last season was a turning point. The former Bafana Bafana midfielder labelled AmaZulu a 'retirement home' and criticised their continued pursuit of players well past their peak. The two-time Footballer of the Year, speaking as a football analyst, accused AmaZulu of becoming a destination for fading talent instead of focusing on building a competitive, youthful team that can grow together. 'We took what he said to heart,' Zungu said. 'He said we had become a dumping ground for players who have failed in their careers and we took that to heart, we were not angry but we thought maybe he has a point.'
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘My voice is gone' – Listen to ecstatic Radio Kerry commentary of David Clifford's best All-Ireland final moments
DAVID Clifford was a joy to watch on Sunday and Radio Kerry's commentary was almost as enjoyable to listen to. The Fossa phenom may not have been on the ball much for he was deadly accurate in making his touches county as Advertisement 2 Tim Moynihan embodies why local commentary is so often the best form of the art Credit: @radiokerrysport 2 Clifford scored three two-pointers to help fire them to their 39th crown Radio Kerry have released a near five-minute highlights package of their commentary duo Tim Moynihan and Ambrose O'Donovan calling the action from The whole video flies by with our personal favourite line describing the Kingdom's frenzied press being akin to "like wasps on cowdung". A close second is him branding the 26-year-old a mixture of a ballerina and a warrior owing to his balance as he rapidly sidestepped two despairing Donegal men before firing over with his right foot. There's also a nice additional bit of colour provided by Moynihan noting that Clifford's two-pointer on the cusp of half-time left Off the Ball double-act Paddy Andrews and Advertisement Read More On GAA For as much as the soon to be three-time Footballer of the Year was in God mode on the pitch, there was an amusing example of him still Paudie Clifford may have to look up to make eye contact with David but he very much lives up to the older brother stereotype. The older Clifford is the more verbose of the two and drove most of their Burlington Hotel interview Some of the highlights included him noting that they were on the same teams growing up despite the age gap as their community of Fossa is so small that playing numbers were often tight. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football The playmaker also joked about his 76 possessions over the course of Harking back to the widely lauded Football Review Committee, he quipped: "Jim Gavin and Eamon Fitzmaurice probably didn't envision me soloing the ball on the spot about 100 times when they drew up the new rules!" Paudie Clifford teases David over childhood nickname during hilarious RTE interview after All-Ireland heroics The best moment, however, was a classic case of a big brother slagging his younger sibling. Asked if they'd always had an innate on-pitch chemistry, Paudie shot back: "The chemistry wasn't great now, we fought every day for about two years straight! Advertisement "Mom was just sick of of dealing with David crying every two minutes. They actually used to call him 'Watery eyes' because he used to cry so much! So that was the chemistry now." AT THE RIGHT PITCH While Paudie was all smiles and in relaxed form by that stage of the day, his immediate post-match interview He vented: "I suppose as a team, we would feel disrespected because we were in three of the last four All-Irelands and we've won two of them now. "And to be called a one-man team when I see myself some of the work that our lads put in… Advertisement 'Like, Joe O'Connor, the turnovers, winning balls, scoring, Jason Foley, Brian Ó Beaglaioch, Gavin White – I'm only naming a few. I see the work that they put in every day. 'To be called a one-man team then, it's nearly like it's disrespectful. It's kind of personal. I suppose that's the angle we were coming from. 'We were close against Armagh last year and we'd be our own worst critics as well. We admitted that we've under-performed definitely as a team over some of the years. 'But I suppose with the work we put in and the players we have there, for them things to be said, it's not nice to hear it." Advertisement
The South African
2 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Sundowns preparing Lucas Ribeiro goodbye?
Mamelodi Sundowns have not sold their top player since Percy Tau to Brighton and Hove Albion in July 2018. After a staggering 21 goals and 14 assists for Lucas Ribeiro last season, including the winning Goal of the tournament at the FIFA Club World Cup, Ribeiro is a wanted man. According to the newest reports, the 26-year-old Brazilian has left Sundowns' preseason camp in Rustenburg to prepare for his departure. Transfer news: Orlando Pirates' decisions on 22 players Mamelodi Sundowns star Lucas Ribeiro rues a miss against Orlando Pirates in the Betway Premiership. Image: Sowetan According to FARPost, Ribeiro stopped training with Kabo Yellow to focus on his pending transfer deal, with the Brazilian club said to be the favourites. Full details: Orlando Pirates' first match this week 'They [Sundowns] returned to Chloorkop last Monday and left for Rustenburg two days later,' FARPost reported. 'On Saturday, Ribeiro, who is a contender for the Footballer of the Year award, left the camp. ' FARPost can confirm that Ribeiro requested to leave camp with negotiations for his potential transfer at an advanced stage. Sundowns' options in the number 10 role if Rebeiro leaves: Note: Jayden Adams and Siphelele Mkhulise can play as 10s but are primarily central midfielders. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kerry hero on how injury helped make him Footballer of the Year contender
Kerry hero Joe O'Connor says that his cruciate nightmare helped to make him into a Footballer of the Year contender. Although David Clifford appears to be a shoo in for the biggest individual honour in the game after another virtuoso display in the All-Ireland final win over Donegal, O'Connor will likely join him as a nominee for the award after a series of barnstorming displays as Kerry took their 39th title. It's been a long road for the 26-year-old, however, as a knee injury sustained while on club duty in early 2022 left him chasing his tail for much of that season as Kerry won the All-Ireland, while a cruciate ligament rupture in September of that year ruled him out for 2023. He reflected: 'The positive was that I had a year to work on my physique and work-ons, like my sprinting and stuff like that. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that if I'd been playing game after game. 'So I tried to do that with the S&Cs and the physios, just really went after those work-ons to come back in way better shape. I probably did come back in better shape. I was more mobile. It ended up that way, yeah.' O'Connor actually lifted the Sam Maguire Cup with Seán O'Shea as captain in 2022, an honour he enjoyed by virtue of his club Austin Stacks being county champions, but he was only a bit-part player at the time. 'It was about two minutes I'd say off the bench and that was just my role at the time and obviously getting to be a starter and probably a bit more of an impact. So it's always what I wanted. I wanted to be a starter and try to be a big player. 'It was a tricky enough year probably being captain and getting token minutes and getting probably five or six minutes off the bench and it was just a weird enough position for me, but I always kind of knew that I wanted to, I wasn't happy with that and I wanted to break in, and I just felt like I wouldn't stop until I would be a starter.' He rounded off a dream season by crashing in the game's only goal late on against Donegal, roofing his finish after learning from his wastefulness against Tyrone in the semi-final. 'Yeah, I actually was getting a good few goal chances and I had to work on it because in the Tyrone game I was ballooning them over the bar and stuff, so I actually worked on it for the last few weeks and chatting a good bit to the 'keepers and stuff. 'But a rush of blood really, I just had a pop. It was a class feeling into the Hill and just the way the game was probably over at that stage as well, it was very special and the crowd was lifting, so it was class.'
