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Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ex-Dublin star gives take on prospect of Ger Brennan succeeding Dessie Farrell
Ger Brennan's name will 'high up on the list' to replace Dessie Farrell whenever he steps aside as Dublin manager, says former teammate Dean Rock. Brennan is fresh from guiding Louth to their first Leinster title since 1957 and they will face Down in Newry tomorrow in their second group game of the All-Ireland series. With a stream of underage talent emerging in Louth after fielding promising minor and under-20 teams this year, Brennan's current job looks quite an attractive prospect in itself in the coming years, but the links to the Dublin post are inevitable given his achievements in the Wee County. Farrell is in his sixth season as Dublin boss and there has been speculation around his position at the conclusion of recent seasons, but when he does decide to step aside, Brennan looks well placed to fill the void. Rock said: 'Ger's a neighbour of mine in Portmarnock here and I bump into him quite a lot. But yeah, he's really enjoying the Louth project up there. 'There's obviously a lot of talented players coming through up in Louth from both the under-17 age groups and the 20s. So look, he might see a huge opportunity there in the coming years. 'I'm sure he'll be there for as long as he wants to be there in many ways. So it just depends what probably excites him and, naturally enough, whenever Dessie was to step away from Dublin, his name will absolutely be high up on the list of guys to step in there. 'And there isn't too many former players that maybe have that experience built up as much as him. So he certainly will be high up on the list. 'But, again, he has a young family, it's a huge, huge commitment, inter-county management and different things like that and who knows, he might spend the majority of his next couple of years up in Louth and really build them towards something bigger than just a Leinster final, who knows?'
Irish Independent
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘We just have to try and pick ourselves very quickly now' – Louth boss Ger Brennan offers no excues for defeat to Monaghan
Louth manager Ger Brennan made no excuses, after watching his Leinster champions' defeat to Monaghan in their All-Ireland series opener.
The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Monaghan overpower Leinster champions Louth as Gabriel Bannigan's men make statement start in All-Ireland series
MONAGHAN manager Gabriel Bannigan felt the full championship intensity of the All-Ireland series as his side saw off Louth by six points in their Group 4 opener at Newbridge. He said: "Proper championship game here today. Super venue, crowd on top of you, and Louth on the crest of a wave. We had to be at the pitch of it straight away — and we were." 2 Monaghan were too much for the Leinster Champions as the coasted past them by six-points on Saturday 2 Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan and Louth manager Ger Brennan after the clash in Newbridge Monaghan laid down a real marker, and the final scoreline arguably flattered the Stephen O'Hanlon gave Monaghan the perfect start with a goal inside two minutes. A jaded Tommy Durnin, formerly of Inniskeen Grattans, delivered a superb diagonal ball to set up Sam Mulroy for Louth's opener, and then followed up himself with their second goal. But Bannigan wasn't impressed by the defending from his side in that first half. READ MORE ON GAA He said: "We were disappointed with the goals they got. They had five scores in the first half — two goals and two two-pointers — and that kept them in the game. They got goals like that in the Leinster final too." He added: "We were three up at half-time. I was disappointed there wasn't a bigger gap to be honest — but we targeted a big third quarter and we got that." Before Ryan Burns' two two-pointers, Micheál Bannigan bookended Monaghan's bursts of scoring. Six unanswered points before the break gave them a 1-11 to 2-5 lead at the interval. Even with Louth off colour, they stayed in touch, but Monaghan's bench and broader squad stood tall. Seven points on the bounce in the second half confirmed their grip on the game. Most read in GAA Football After Mulroy's second goal, Bannigan's side responded with a ruthless streak that sealed the win. Every time Louth threatened, Monaghan answered. Mulroy finally converted a penalty, having missed several frees, but it came too late. Louth couldn't find the sustained momentum they needed. Dara McDonnell and Conor Branigan made an impact off the bench for Louth, but they'll need to find more bite before facing Down in Newry next weekend. Monaghan's own sub Jack McCarron slotted calmly over to stretch the lead further and underline the gulf in class. There was a ragged finish to the match, with black cards for Donal McKenny and Killian Lavelle. Both managers were involved in a sideline clash well before Durnin's late goal. Louth boss Ger Brennan addressed the incident post-match. He said: "We shook hands afterwards," and admitted: "There was a bit of a hangover after the Leinster celebrations in that performance." Monaghan now host Clare in Clones next weekend, with a chance to take control of the group and edge closer to a favourable All-Ireland knockout route. LOUTH 4-08 MONAGHAN 1-23 Scorers Louth: Niall McDonnell; Dan Corcoran, Emmett Carolan, Donal McKenny; Conall McKeever, Daire Nally, Craig Lennon; Bevan Duffy, Tommy Durnin 2-0; Ciaran Downey, Sam Mulroy 2-2 (1-0 pen, 1f), Conor Grimes; Ciaran Keenan, Kieran McArdle, Ryan Burns 0-5 (2 two-pointers, 1f) Subs: Ciaran Byrne 0-1 for Downey (HT), Dara McDonnell for McArdle (HT), Liam Jackson for Corcoran (40), Andy McDonnell for Duffy (42), Conor Branigan for A McDonnell (55) Monaghan: Rory Beggan 0-4 (2 two-pointers); Ryan Wylie, Killian Lavelle, Dylan Byrne; Dessie Ward 0-3, Ryan O'Toole, Kieran Duffy 0-1; Mícheál McCarville, Gary Mohan; Ryan McAnespie, Stephen O'Hanlon 1-3, Conor McCarthy 0-1; Micheál Bannigan 0-6 (1 two-pointer, 1f), Andrew Woods, Stephen Mooney 0-3 Subs: Cian Mulligan for Beggan (blood sub, 26–28), Jack McCarron 0-2 (1f) for McAnespie (45), Ciaran McNulty for Woods (49), Davy Garland for Mooney (59), Darren Hughes for McCarville (64), Karl O'Connell for Ward (69), Jason Irwin for O'Hanlon (70) Referee: Brian Keon (Galway) Up Next Monaghan: vs Clare, Clones, Saturday, May 31 Louth: vs Down, Páirc Esler, Newry, Saturday, May 31
Irish Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Monaghan bring Louth crashing back down to earth in Newbridge
All-Ireland SFC Round One: Louth 4-8 Monaghan 1-23 The slow, crashing sound heard around Newbridge on Saturday evening was nothing more than Louth falling back down to earth. It happens when a team is out a fortnight after winning their first Leinster football title in 68 years, but a wisely drilled and super clinical Monaghan contributed massively to that downfall. That Louth finished within six points in the end certainly gives them reason and hope for their remaining two games against Down and Clare, given they were in danger of being run completely ragged here. Their four goals put some respect on the scoreline, when in reality they were left chasing this game throughout. On a grey, damp evening in Newbridge, Louth's home-from-home, Monaghan promptly took the game to them and never looked back, the excellent Stephen O'Hanlon, one of their eight scorers, rattling the Louth net after two minutes. Although Louth did draw level twice, the last time being on 13 minutes, Monaghan's physicality and ceaseless work-rate eventually wore them down. That physicality never ceased either, both teams finishing with 14 men after Donal McKenny from Louth and then Killian Lavelle were black-carded in the last 10 minutes in separate incidents. READ MORE Louth manager Ger Brennan also got up close and personal with his Monaghan counterpart Gabriel Bannigan in the second half, but insisted afterwards there was nothing untoward in that, and they shook on things afterwards. Brennan did admit there was something of a hangover after their moment of Leinster glory, beating Meath in Croke Park just 13 days ago. 'Well we didn't know until the game started, and now we know,' said Brennan. 'And now it's done, and we have to pick ourselves up and focus on Down in Newry seven days' time. 'The better team won, so credit to Monaghan. We continued to fight, even when things weren't going well, so proud of the lads. 'But we were probably at a four out of 10 today, overall, and again that's just down to the bit of a hangover after the Leinster final, and down to Monaghan too. But ultimately we couldn't get up to the energy levels that we demonstrated before, and once those energy levels are off, everything else can kind of show up. 'We'll just have to pick ourselves up very quickly and go hard again against Down next week.' Louth's Sam Mulroy celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan/Inpho Monaghan's performance was near-complete: Rory Beggan chipped in with two two-point frees, Michael Bannigan adding one from play, the half-back line of Ryan O'Toole, Dessie Ward and Conor McCarthy utterly dominating things too. Stephen Mooney started and scored three from play, Ryan McAnespie also showing his worth off the bench. 'I thought it was an excellent performance' said Bannigan, whose Monaghan team had already pushed Donegal so hard in the Ulster quarter-final. 'Okay, we wouldn't be happy conceding four goals, but Louth are full of confidence. We knew we'd get our fill of it today, but I thought to a man, all over the pitch, I was very happy with them, a proper championship performance. 'It was great to get off to the good start, we knew Louth would come back in the second half. We've a threat coming from all over the pitch, the men who came in as well. So very happy with how the squad is shaping up. Clare will come all guns blazing next Sunday, and that was a tough, tough game, so we have to get out bodies right for next weekend.' Louth finished with nine wides, another measure of their shortcomings, and without two second half goals – a penalty by Sam Mulroy on 53 minutes, and a second goal by Tommy Durnin two minutes from time – the damage would have been a lot worse. Monaghan started with glaring intent, holding up possession from the throw-in and moving the ball steadily around, before O'Hanlon moved into position after two minutes – firing at goal from close range. Niall McDonnell did well to get a block on it, but couldn't prevent the ball from spilling into the net. Mulroy's opening free came off the upright, and Louth also looked a little nervy Mulroy. however soon made amends after six minutes, fetching a peach of a pass from Tommy Durnin, turning and burying his shot past Rory Beggan. Still Monaghan were enjoying the greater spread of possession. Beggan stepped up for a two-point free on 10 minutes, O'Hanlon swifty adding his first from play. Louth's Sam Mulroy in challenged by Monaghan's Micheal McCarville. Photograph: Ciaran Culligan/Inpho Louth responded again on 13 minutes, Ciaran Downey's shot at goal coming off the post, Durnin racing in for the rebound, and with that the Leinster champions were level. Then they didn't score again for the next 15 minutes. In the meantime, Monaghan hit six unanswered points, including two in succession from the lively Mooney, a fine score from O'Toole, and three from Michael Bannigan, including a free. Several of Louth's efforts during that period were just off target, before Ryan Burns ended their wait for a score on 28 minutes with a mighty two-pointer, much to the delight of the Louth fans. Indeed Burns looked impressed himself, and repeated his magic two minutes later to bring Louth's tally to 2-5. One more before the break by Ward brought Monaghan to 1-11, giving them a three-point cushion at the break. When they hit the first four points of the second half, Monaghan looked to be coasting, Louth's first point of the half not coming until the 48th minute, thanks to Ciaran Byrne. When Conor Grimes was pulled down on 53 minutes, and Mulroy converted brilliantly from the penalty, the gap was back to six, but that's as close as they got as Monaghan simply reinforced their superiority from there. For Louth, Emmet Carolan and Dan Corcoran replaced the injured Dermot Campbell and Peter Lynch in the defence, and the hope is they might be back for next weekend. Louth may need everything they've got to regain that winning momentum. LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, E Carolan, D McKenny; C McKeever, D Corcoran, C Lennon; T Durnin (2-0-0), C Keenan; B Duffy, C Downey, C Grimes; K McArdle, S Mulroy (2-0-2, 1-0 pen, 1f), R Burns (0-2-1, 1f). Subs: C Byrne (0-0-1) for Downey, D McDonnell for McArdle (both h-t), L Jackson for Corcoran (39 mins), A McDonnell for Duffy (43), C Branigan for McDonnell (55, inj). MONAGHAN: R Beggan (0-2-1, 2tpf, 1f); R Wylie, K Duffy, D Byrne; R O'Toole (0-0-1), D Ward (0-0-3), C McCarthy (0-0-1); M McCarville, G Mohan; S O'Hanlon (1-0-3), M Bannigan (0-1-4, 1f), R McAnespie; K Lavelle, A Woods, S Mooney (0-0-3). Subs: J McCarron (0-0-1, 1f) for McAnespie (45 mins), C McNulty for Woods (49), D Garland for Mooney (58), D Hughes for McCarville (64), K O'Connell for Ward (68), J Irwin for O'Hanlon (69). Referee: B Cawley (Kildare).
Irish Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Louth v Monaghan LIVE score updates from All-Ireland football clash
Louth take on Monaghan this afternoon in the opening game of their All-Ireland journey. Today's game throws in at 4.45pm, with Newbridge the venue for the contest. The game is not being shown on TV, but it is being streamed live on GAA+. However, the best place to keep up to date with the action as it unfolds is in our live blog below. Louth come into this one on an unimaginable high. Just thirteen days ago, they edged past Meath in an epic Leinster final to win the Delaney Cup for the first time in 68 years. They face a Monaghan side that know all about big wins in the Championship. Over the past decade or so, the Farney have stopped many a teams momentum and they will be gunning to silence the Wee County this evening and move one step closer to an All-Ireland quarter-final. Team news to follow below. Louth have had a fortnight to get their heads around achieving a lifetime's dream in landing a first Leinster title since 1957. Ger Brennan will need all his managerial qualities to get their heads right here after what is bound to have been a hectic fortnight. Monaghan will have a plan for Louth wing back Craig Lennon, who scored a goal and set up another in the Leinster final, but man marking players out the field is harder in the new game. The Farney men press relentlessly with Andy Moran shouting the orders, but this may be dangerous against All Star Lennon, who can cut holes as well as anyone in the country. Monaghan pushed Donegal hard in the Ulster quarter-final and will have their eyes on topping the group. Ryan McAnespie, Conor McCarthy and Dessie Ward give them serious drive and scoring power from the middle third. They also the pace of Stephen O'Hanlon and the scoring power of Jack McCarron to bring in off the bench for two pointers.
