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The Irish Sun
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘That has to be tidied up' – Jack O'Connor slams ‘ridiculous' new gaelic football rule after Kerry win over Cork
JACK O'CONNOR labelled one of Gaelic football's new rules 'ridiculous' after Kerry saw off Cork. The But both sides were impacted as there were several instances of referee Derek O'Mahoney imposing the penalty on the rule which governs the kickout mark at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. And O'Connor fumed: 'That's going to have to be tidied up. 'I felt all along that was going to cause problems and it is. You can't just disappear. 'Jesus Christ, like, you're battling for a ball. It isn't as if you're cool, calm and collected. You're battling in the middle of a gang of men for the ball and then you're supposed to have a clear head to realise which way the free is going and disappear out of the way.' Read More on GAA Following changes introduced for the 2025 season by the Football Review Committee, the referee can move the ball 50 metres if a player is challenged within four metres of where a mark from a kickout is claimed. While noting he is 'not blaming referees', O'Connor insisted: 'Half the time he blows the whistle and neither team knows who the free is for. How are you supposed to get out of the way if you think the free is your own. 'This is something that has to be addressed because it's gone to ridiculous proportions.' For Cork, the application of the rule proved costly during a second half that saw Kerry punish their indiscretions with two-point frees. Most read in GAA Football Echoing his Kingdom counterpart, Rebels manager John Cleary said: 'You won't make excuses but I thought our lads made a genuine attempt to go for the ball. 'There were some awfully strange decisions there on that. What's a fella supposed to do? Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - 'It was on both sides but I thought we were hit particularly hard on it after half-time. 'Not an excuse, it's just a general comment that the rule has to be looked at.' 1 Referee Derek O'Mahony shows a yellow card to Kerry manager Jack O'Connor Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I just needed a break' – Kerry star David Clifford finds fresh spark in 2025 season
THEY say a change is as good as a rest — but David Clifford reckons that he needed a bit of both this year. Football's 2 David Clifford of Kerry admits that he needed a break after the 2024 season 2 The Kerry star is loving life under the new rules for the 2025 campaign The five-time All-Star has blasted 5-44 in just seven starts since returning later than normal to duty for 2025. And so far in this year's Championship, he is averaging ten points per game — significantly up on his previous best of 6.75 across the summer of 2023. Of course, it is early days yet in the story of the 2025 race for Sam and Group 2 rivals Roscommon will make life more difficult for Clifford tomorrow than Clare did in the Munster final. But the Kingdom's talisman looks virtually unmarkable on current form, having found life under last year's rules 'boring'. Read more on gaa And that is where the rest came in because he felt he badly needed an extended winter break to recharge his nearly-empty battery. Now, he is playing with a smile on his face again and noticeably celebrating scores with even more glee. Speaking at the announcement that SuperValu have renewed their sponsorship of the 'I'd say that was my longest spell off. It was nice to refresh and do other things and go to other things and just be a normal person for a few months. Most read in GAA Football 'It was nice to be able to spend a bit of time doing hard training as well because when you're playing matches, so often the training element of it falls down a small bit because you're just topping yourself up for the games. Louth GAA homecoming in Drogheda after Leinster final win over Meath 'It had been busy. But at the end of the day, they're the times that you look back on as the best times of your career too, coming from getting to the latter stages of the Kerry championship and then going into the Fossa campaigns. 'During it, you know well that they're not going to last, you're not going to be successful every year. So it was trying to realise that and to enjoy it. 'But then there probably comes a time too where the body just needs a bit of a break. Even mentally you just need a bit of a break so it was great to get that.' What Clifford returned to with Kerry in the middle of this year's National League was a brand new game. And in a sport that is now built around quick thinking and score-poaching, the very best forward that there is was always going to benefit. Clifford already has five goals to his name and smiled: 'I was liking the sound of the four points for a goal but that was thrown out fairly fast! 'The big fear around the four-point goal, I suppose, was around, let's say, a Division 1 team plays a Division 4 team. There was a fear a 20-point hammering would turn into a 50-point hammering. 'I think in fairness to the Football Review Committee they have gotten enough flak and they've had to explain their decisions and stand over them. 'I wouldn't like to be seen to be adding to their workload. I think, in fairness, they've done a brilliant job.' With teams now having to keep three forwards high up the pitch at all times, Clifford is operating closer to goal for his county. The 26-year-old said he is covering less distance in games now but is 'more focused on acceleration and deceleration', leading to increased scoring overall. KEY ASPECTS Clifford said: 'When you were growing up, that's the way football was played. 'And even in my first few years as a senior, you probably didn't go back over the halfway line at all to defend. 'That obviously changed a bit with the kind of 15 back and 15 attacking over the past few years. 'Now it's obviously back to the three staying up. 'But there'll still be times where you'll have a corner-back who is raiding forward and you'll have to track him for a lot of that run.' The bad news for Roscommon this weekend is that Clifford will team up again with big brother Paudie. Playmaker Paudie was sent off in the narrow extra-time win over Cork and missed the provincial final rout of the Banner but is available again. Asked if his brother was hard done by for the red card, Clifford said: 'Obviously I'm totally and utterly biased so I don't really have a say. 'I thought it was an awkward tackle alright but look, a yellow would have been OK, I thought.' Another of the team's top men, Seán O'Shea, is back fully firing too after missing the second half of Kerry's successful league campaign with a knee injury. With a number of strong-looking Sam Maguire contenders having emerged, the Kingdom will probably need all three at their peak again if they are to match their 2022 All-Ireland success. Clifford said: 'It's massive to have Seánie back, he was lifting against Clare which was great. Obviously you want to have your best players on the pitch. 'So getting him back, and the things he's able to do for us as a group both on and off the pitch, is just massive. It's great to have him back out there.' Clifford added that injuries have been a frustration for Kerry this year, leaving them constantly chopping and changing. He said: 'It can be a frustration at times because, I won't say you're planning your team but in your own head you would be thinking who would play here and who would play there. 'And then when you don't have everyone it can be a bit tricky.'
The Irish Sun
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Louth dig deep to crush Kildare dreams and march into historic Leinster final
BOTH Louth and Kildare knew this was important. But since this game finished 20 minutes before the seismic meeting of 2 Louth saw off Kildare to seal a Leinster final place against Meath at Croke Park 2 The Wee County will hope to end a 68-year provincial drought in the Leinster final Kildare owned the ball and controlled the game for long stretches in Tullamore, but when it came to the big moments, Louth seized the day. Six Kildare goal chances unconverted stacks up very poorly alongside Conall McKeever's palmed finish. Sam Mulroy's pair of doubles to erode Kildare's early lead and Tommy Durnin's booming kick from 50 metres that sent the Wee County through to a third consecutive Louth chief Ger Brennan said: 'After this game, you're either going to Croke Park or you're going to, with the greatest respect, Fraher Field in Waterford for the Tailteann Cup.' read more on gaa Little did he realise that his native Dublin were about to lose their first Leinster SFC game in 15 years — and suddenly the end of a 68-year provincial title drought is on the cards for the Wee men. For Brian Flanagan and Kildare, it must feel like a wilderness. The Lilywhites boss moaned: 'We wanted to be in a Leinster final in two weeks. 'We wanted to be in Sam Maguire for the rest of the summer, but it's not to be. Perhaps that's part of the development of this group and if that is the case then so be it.' The first 15 minutes could not have gone any better for Kildare. Most read in GAA Football Kevin Feely lorded midfield. Alex Beirne and Darragh Kirwan were a twin threat along the spine of the attack, converting eight out of nine chances, and the Lilywhites were full value for their 0-8 to 0-2 lead. Wee County supremo Brennan conceded that their opponents dominated possession. RTE pundit Peter Canavan angers fans after leaving notable county out of his 'big four' All-Ireland contenders But he reasoned: 'Ultimately, the one statistic that matters is the scoreboard. 'We managed to take more chances than them today.' In the second quarter, that was particularly relevant. Craig Lennon, making his first start since round two of the league, laid the foundations for his man-of-the-match performance. Mulroy found the target for two orange flags — one 55-metre free and another precision kick under pressure — while Kildare squandered goal chances. Kirwan fisted one over when so much more was on offer, then Ryan Sinkey shot too early and allowed Niall McDonnell to make the first of two crucial saves. On the stroke of half-time, Lennon timed his layoff perfectly to Kieran McArdle, who drew the keeper and squared the ball for McKeever to finish. Brennan said the 1-11 to 0-10 score at the interval flattered Louth. The third quarter was more of the same, with three points apiece scored. Kildare, however, had more of the ball but could not finish. That was until Beirne, Colm Dalton and Brian McLoughlin all scored in a run of four in a row — with more missed goal chances in between. Asked if he had been contemplating extra-time at this stage, Brennan replied: 'I wasn't. I was contemplating probably going home with our tails between our legs, because we were struggling to get out of our defence.' But again, with the pressure on, the Wee County stood tall. Lennon broke Kildare's scoring run before Durnin sent a high kick over the crossbar. Flanagan said his side's focus must now switch to the Tailteann Cup. He said: 'We're there now and we have to accept that we deserve to be there. And it is a competition that we will be taking seriously.' No confirmation was needed from Brennan that Louth will be taking their next game seriously — the biggest match any of his players have faced. LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny 0-1; C McKeever 1-0, P Lynch, C Lennon 0-4; T Durnin 0-2, 1tp, P Mathews; A McDonnell, C Downey, C Grimes; K McArdle 0-1, S Mulroy 0-7, 1f, 1tp, 1tpf, R Burns 0-3. Subs: D McDonnell for Mathews 41 mins, D McKeown for Burns 58, E Carolan for Campbell 58, L Jackson for A McDonnell 60, C Branigan for Grimes 67. KILDARE: C Burke; B Byrne, M Dempsey, R Burke 0-1; J McGrath, D Hyland, T Gill; K Feely 0-1, C Bolton 0-1; C Dalton 0-2, A Beirne 0-6, 2f, B McCormack; R Sinkey 0-1, D Kirwan 0-5, 1f, B McLoughlin 0-1. Subs: C Hagney for Bolton h-t, N Kelly for McCormack 44 mins, J Hyland for Sinkey 54, R Houlihan for Gill 65, K Flynn for McGrath 70. REFEREE: B Griffin (Kerry).
