Latest news with #Hetherton
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Dublin LGFA star Niamh Hetherton ‘delighted' for brother John after historic year for the siblings
Niamh Hetherton also reveals that before Christmas she didn't think Dublin would win the All-Ireland FAMILY AFFAIR Dublin LGFA star Niamh Hetherton 'delighted' for brother John after historic year for the siblings NIAMH Hetherton is thrilled with her family's fortunes this year. Hetherton won her fourth All-Ireland ladies football medal with Dublin last Sunday against Meath, scoring a goal in the 2-16 to 0-10 Croke Park romp. Advertisement 2 Niamh played a crucial role in Dublin's seventh Brendan Martin Cup win 2 John Hetherton came on at half-time in the Dubs' historic semi-final win over Limerick And older brother John, 33, hit the net when the Sky Blue hurlers stunned Limerick in June to reach a first All-Ireland SHC semi-final since 2013 — when Hetherton's dad Ciarán was a selector under Anthony Daly. Niamh is digesting a dream year in the Hetherton house and hoping her brother can go again with St Vincent's and Niall Ó Ceallacháin's men ahead of the birth of his third child. She said: 'John wasn't on the panel for the last two years or something, but he's had great club seasons, so I was delighted for him. 'He's expecting another baby at Christmas, so I'm not sure. He might get a bit busy with three kids. He's 33, he'll be going out to training for a break!' Advertisement Dublin's ladies capped their own stunning season with a seventh All-Ireland title and a second Martin Cup in three years. Paul Casey and Derek Murray stood up when five-time All-Ireland-winning boss Mick Bohan quit last year and Hetherton toasted one of their sweetest victories yet. The Clontarf ace, 24, said: 'This one was a little bit extra special. "Before Christmas there were 12 of us at a gym session and we didn't think we'd actually get here, but it was brilliant. Advertisement 'The atmosphere, we got a performance on the day, which is what we've been looking for all year.' NIAMH HETHERTON was speaking at the launch of the Beko Club Champion, an initiative to reward Leinster GAA club heroes who go above and beyond to help their local community and club. Visit
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin goalscoring hero 'wasn't expecting' All-Ireland glory to come this year
Niamh Hetherton has admitted that Dublin's All-Ireland success last Sunday came ahead of schedule. Albeit only two years since the Brendan Martin Cup last resided in the capital, there had been much change in the interim, most significantly with long-serving manager Mick Bohan's departure after last year's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat at the hands of Galway. Add in the fact that a number of key players had clocked high mileage along with a spate of injuries across the season, and Dublin very much defied the odds to claim this All-Ireland, which culminated in a comprehensive win over Meath last Sunday. 'I think this one was a little bit extra special,' said Hetherton, who now has four titles to her name. 'I think before Christmas there was 12 of us at a gym session and we were like, oh, we didn't think we'd actually get here. 'But it was brilliant. The atmosphere, I think we got a performance on the day which is kind of what we've been looking for all year. We haven't really put a full performance together but to get it on the biggest day of the year is obviously what you want. 'We were obviously so disappointed after last year. Nobody goes out to lose a quarter-final. But you just have to learn from that and I think we did. I think there was probably girls who had come into the team in 2023 and just thought winning was a done thing. 'So we probably learned more from our loss than we would from our win. But I think everybody just came back with that extra bit of hunger this year and thankfully it paid off.' After Bohan's departure, Dublin opted to appoint Paul Casey and Derek Murray as joint managers and the transition proved seamless. 'Mick was unbelievable,' Hetherton acknowledged. 'I think for the game, outside of Dublin even, I think he did a lot of work behind the scenes. I probably wasn't expecting it to come this year, but the group of players, they're hungry for medals and everybody wants to win. That's definitely stood to us.' Last Sunday's final was never really a going concern, with Hetherton's spectacular goal approaching half-time effectively putting the game out of Meath's reach. 'Yeah, it was great. I keep looking back and everyone keeps sending it on to me. I don't know what I was thinking. No, it was great. Thankfully it went in.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Dublin's first-half storm, Meath regret, and what next after one-sided All-Ireland final?
1. Dublin's first-half storm Niamh Hetherton rifled into the Canal End goal in the 22nd minute to move Dublin 2-8 to 0-2 ahead. They turned over Robyn Bulger's kick out, Éilish O'Dowd carried at pace and Hetherton side-stepped Mary Kate Lynch before sending a rocket into the roof of the net. Two minutes later, Dublin secured their biggest lead of the game, Kate Sullivan's latest effort confirmed by HawkEye and putting them 13 points clear. Dublin targetted a fast start, and executed it to perfection. They had 1-3 on the board before Meath opened their account in the 10th minute, Nicole Owens raising their other green flag. They hit an unanswered 1-5 between Emma Duggan's second free in the 13th minute and her third in the 26th. By the time Hetherton wheeled away after after her goal — almost immediately after seeing one chalked off — all six of Dublin's forwards had scored from play. They were fast, furious and direct, picking Meath off time and time again on the counter and taking 11 of 14 scoring chances in the opening half. Hannah Tyrrell, Carla Rowe and Kate Sullivan finished with a combined 0-13, Sullivan's four points coming from play and some of Rowe's efforts dazzling. The platform for this success was laid in a first-half blitz. 2. Orlagh Nolan brilliance and the last to quit Several times on TG4′s commentary, Brian Tyers referred to Orlagh Nolan having 'saoirse an páirc'. Like Paudie Clifford in Kerry's win over Donegal last week, Nolan got on a world of ball and enjoyed the freedom of the pitch. On her first start since returning from an ACL injury, she finished with the Player of the Match award and a fourth All-Ireland medal. Having impressed through a semi-final cameo, the two-time All-Star got the nod for the injured Caoimhe O'Connor. Nolan was hugely influential again, scoring a point and orchestrating much of Dublin's attacking play from the half-forward line as she hugged the left sideline and made darting runs. Advertisement She was involved in the build-up to both goals; more so defensively for Owens' as she gathered a fisted clearance from goalkeeper Abby Shiels and kick-passed it on, while she fed O'Dowd for Hetherton's. Nolan in action against Marion Farrelly. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO The former Women's National League soccer player was a composed, controlled presence on the ball, often using one hand to solo and the other to dictate with her head always up. After registering Dublin's first wide in the 17th minute, she made no mistake with her next effort from a similar position just afterwards. As confirmed to The 42 by the brilliant X account Gaelic Statsman, Nolan had around 26 possessions between kick outs won, scores assisted, turnovers and general ownership of the ball. 'I just wanted to hold wide and hopefully drag people out and create the space in there for the guys,' Nolan told TG4 afterwards. 'I don't know, maybe they gave me a bit too much time on the ball and then I was able to cut in. 'That's the thing about our forwards: if one of us is having a bad day, the next person will step up.' They all did on Sunday, in an ultimate team performance. Defensive stalwarts Sinéad Goldrick, Leah Caffrey and Martha Byrne were others to encapsulate the words printed on a team flag behind the scenes: 'The last to quit. Always.' 3. Meath regret in one-sided contest The lack of a contest and one-sided nature of the game is an obvious talking point. It kept with the trend of this year's All-Ireland finals to date, with Tipperary, Kerry and Dublin all winning easily. It made for another rather disappointing ladies football final too, games generally put to bed at half time in recent years. Dublin's scoreboard dominance doesn't tell the full story of Sunday's first half. Meath were incredibly wasteful, converting just four of 10 scoring opportunities and seeing several other attacks break down. They had more possession in the opening half (56% versus 44%) but were sloppy and made uncharacteristic mistakes. While Dublin were direct and often used width well, Meath were ponderous in possession and repeatedly tried, and failed, to go down the middle. The Dubs were masterfully cynical, Meath were one-dimensional and couldn't get their intensity levels. Emma Duggan dejected. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO Emma Duggan's frees were their only source of scoring in the first half, their first from play not arriving until five minutes after the restart amidst five unanswered points either side of the break. Interestingly, Meath actually outscored Dublin 0-8 to 0-7 from that Hawkeye-confirmed point in the 24th minute. While Duggan and Vikki Wall will rue poor shooting and decision making, they had their moments. Goalkeeper Robyn Murray was a real bright spark, and Aoibhín Cleary and Ciara Smyth grew into the game. The regrets from their first All-Ireland defeat will linger. 4. A festival of football at Croke Park The 42 stumbled across a colourful scene on the way to Croke Park on Sunday afternoon. A group of young Dublin fans – primary school kids, perhaps a team – congregated for a picture at The Five Lamps. As they hung onto the city landmark, they spotted a Meath family, and began booing in unison. 'Up the Dubs, up the Dubs,' they chanted as the Royal kids took shelter behind their parents. They were all part of the 48,089 attendance at HQ, a healthy turnout on a Bank Holiday Sunday amidst a costly condensed season. The crowd fell short of the 2019 record of 56,114, but was a notable increase on last year's 30,340. The proximity of Dublin and Meath helps of course. There was a good atmosphere in the stadium, the sea of blue, green and gold, broken up by flashes of red, yellow, white and blue. In a much more exciting intermediate final, Tyrone beat Laois 2-16 to 1-13 to lift the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup. Goals in either half from Aoife Horisk and Katie Rose Muldoon powered the Red Hand to promotion after a one-point loss to Leitrim last year. Kate Flood in full flow. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO Earlier in the day, Louth defeated Antrim 0-13 to 1-8 to win the All-Ireland junior championship. Kate Flood was the scoring hero with 0-4 before announcing her inter-county retirement, the talismanic forward and one-season AFLW star bringing the curtain down on a 15-year senior career. More would follow her into the sunset. Related Reads 'I was in a really bad way' - Dublin's goalscoring star bows out a five-time All-Ireland winner 'I'm just gutted for the girls. The game was nearly over at half time' - Meath boss McCormack 'She's given everything. This is a cherry on the top' - Dublin's retiring multi-sport star 5. What next? Hannah Tyrrell and Nicole Owens confirmed their retirements on the Croke Park turf after Dublin's win. A fitting stage to call it a day after glittering careers. Tyrrell and Goldrick shared a beer in the middle of the pitch when just the lawn mowers remained, two Irish sporting legends savouring the moment. Goldrick, at 35, is set for another AFLW season with Melbourne, but must be weighing up her inter-county future after winning her fifth All-Ireland title. Byrne, Caffrey, Rowe and Nolan are all over 30: similarly, they are at the peak of the powers, but have serious miles on the clock. Wall is the big name in focus for Meath, the multi-sport star recently signing a new, three-year deal with North Melbourne. Her AFLW commitments could again limit her inter-county involvement going forward. Captain Aoibhín Cleary is also Australia bound. Sub goalkeeper Monica McGuirk and former captains Shauna Ennis and Máire O'Shaughnessy are the only panellists over 30, and Shane McCormack was already looking to a 'positive' future on Sunday. Paul Casey and Derek Murray's side is also littered with young talent. Dublin may not dominate like before in a more open championship, Kerry and Galway among many who will be gunning for glory in 2026. Between now and then, the rules are sure to remain in the spotlight. *****
RTÉ News
21-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Dublin earn famous win over Limerick to book All-Ireland SHC semi-final spot
Dublin have pulled off a win for the ages at Croke Park, dumping All-Ireland SHC favourites Limerick out of the Championship with a performance just about nobody predicted. Two goals midway through the second-half, which arrived within seconds of each other, from substitute John Hetherton and Cian O'Sullivan, put the Dubs in a winning position. And the 12/1 long shots held on for a famous win, their biggest since the 2013 Championship when they won the Leinster title and went on to contest their last All-Ireland semi-final. The win was all the more unlikely because Niall Ó Ceallacháin's side lost captain Chris Crummey after just 15 minutes for a high tackle on Gearóid Hegarty that drew a straight red card. Powerful Hetherton's half-time introduction was certainly significant as he scored a goal and played a big role in the other one. But Dublin had heroes all around from the field, from Man of the Match Conor Burke, who sniped five points after being recalled to the team, to free-taker Seán Currie who scored nine points to brothers Ronan and Brian Hayes, as well as former football star Conor McHugh. Dublin will play Cork or Kilkenny in an All-Ireland semi-final but Limerick's season is over, their exit from the Championship one of the great shocks of modern Championship hurling. The red card looked like a game changer but it ultimately threw Limerick off their stride far more than Dublin. Limerick were 0-07 to 0-05 ahead when Crummey drove hard across Hegarty and appeared to catch him with an arm across the faceguard. Hegarty's head certainly shot back as if clear contact had been made and referee Liam Gordon was certain it was a straight red card offence. At half-time, Dublin manager Ó Ceallacháin argued the toss with Gordon while the teams were heading in and was booked for his protests. Still, Dublin were in a surprisingly healthy position at that stage, leading by 0-15 to 0-12 despite the reduced personnel. Dublin scored four of the next five points immediately after the red card, Currie with four of those, including two from frees as Limerick got a little ragged and cynical. Aidan O'Connor and Aaron Gillane scored two excellent points for Dublin in the first-half. O'Connor used his skill to jink away from the Dublin defence for his score and Gillane snatched an arrowed Cian Lynch pass from the air for his one. But the genius moments were fleeting from a generational team who struggled to muster the same energy and intensity as 14-man Dublin. The beaten Munster finalists looked a little weary and fatigued, despite Dublin having played just last weekend, and were glad that the Dubs blasted nine first-half wides and dropped two more attempts short. Bringing on Hetherton at half-time was a clear move by the Dublin management to offer a new dimension in attack. The St Vincent's man immediately made his mark, using his hulking frame and aerial prowess to snatch a ball from the air. It came to nothing but it was a forewarning for Limerick. The Shannonsiders, to their credit, dominated the first 15 minutes of the second-half with Adam English and O'Connor sniping some excellent scores. They led by a point in the 51st minute, 0-19 to 0-18, but then came those two Dublin goals. Hetherton displayed his full skill set for the first of them, swivelling after a lay-off by O'Sullivan and blasting to the far top corner of Nickie Quaid's net. A minute later, Hetherton rose up for a high ball and the ball broke kindly off for him for O'Sullivan to sweep up and slam to the net. Limerick looked stunned. So did the Dublin supporters who were streaming in early for the Dublin footballers' clash with Cork later on. Leading now by 2-18 to 0-19, it was Dublin's game to lose. Many probably still thought they would and Limerick certainly threw the kitchen sink at it late on, bringing on Peter Casey and Shane O'Brien to try to wrestle the game back in their direction. Gillane finished up with nine points and there were late scores from Casey and the industrious English but Dublin picked off enough scores to remain just about in the clear. There was late drama when, with three in it, Diarmaid Byrnes went for goal with a free but the shot was blocked by a scrum of Dublin defenders and Hetherton, who else, came thundering out with the ball in his hand. Dublin: Seán Brennan; John Bellew, Paddy Smyth, Conor McHugh; Paddy Doyle, Chris Crummey (0-01), Andrew Dunphy; Conor Burke (0-05), Brian Hayes (0-02); Rian McBride (0-02), Fergal Whitely (0-01), Cian O'Sullivan (1-01); Seán Currie (0-09, 0-05f), Ronan Hayes (0-03), Diarmaid O'Dulaing. Subs: John Hetherton (1-00) for O Dulaing h/t, Darragh power for Whitely 52, Donal Burke for McBride 64, Colin Currie for Ronan Hayes 69, David Lucey for McHugh 75. Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Sean Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes, Kyle Hayes, Barry Nash (0-01); Adam English (0-05), William O'Donoghue; Gearóid Hegarty (0-04), Cian Lynch (0-02), Tom Morrissey (0-02); Aaron Gillane (0-09, 0-06f, 0-01 65), Aidan O'Connor (0-03), David Reidy.
The 42
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Dublin smash four goals past Kildare to keep Leinster 12-in-a-row bid on course
Dublin 4-12 Kildare 1-5 Daire Walsh reports from St Conleth's Park NIAMH HETHERTON, CAOIMHE O'Connor, Chloe Darby and Niamh Crowley all shook the net at Cedral St Conleth's Park on Sunday afternoon as a 12-in-a-row chasing Dublin qualified for the TG4 Leinster SFC final on 11 May with a commanding victory over Kildare. After Hetherton edged Dublin in front with a second minute point, her inside partner Hannah Tyrrell found the target moments later to double their lead in the Newbridge venue. Kildare recorded a 1-8 to 0-8 win when the two sides met in Division 1 of this year's Lidl National Football League and the Lilies squeezed in front when a speculative strike from Aoife Rattigan drifted into the Dublin net on seven minutes. Pat Sullivan's hosts established another slender lead when Alannah Prizeman cancelled out a Tyrrell point, but the Jackies were back in the ascendancy after Hetherton (whose brother John registered 2-3 for the Dublin hurlers in their Leinster senior championship triumph over Wexford on Saturday) poked home for a 13th minute goal. While Sophie McIntyre moved the visitors three clear with a fine point, Kildare were back on level terms thanks to unanswered contributions from Prizeman (two) and Roisin Byrne. Yet before Hetherton added to her haul with a white flag effort, O'Connor rattled the net on 28 minutes to propel Dublin towards a 2-5 to 1-4 interval cushion. Advertisement This handed the Jackies momentum heading into the second period and after another Hetherton single increased their advantage on the restart, the increasingly-prominent Darby kicked three points on the bounce to move the defending champions firmly into the driving seat. Pobal Parnell star Darby was then on hand to fire home for a third Dublin goal in the 41st minute and while Prizeman finally enhanced Kildare's tally in response to a Tyrrell score, Hetherton brought her personal tally up to 1-4 with a point on the run just past the third-quarter mark. Dublin's joint managers Paul Casey and Derek Murray used the closing stages of this contest as an opportunity to examine their reserve options and with Crowley helping herself to a spectacular 1-1 salvo off the bench, Dublin comfortably advanced to a provincial decider in Croke Park against either Kildare or Meath who clash in Newbridge next weekend. Meanwhile in the Connacht SFC, Leitrim pushed Mayo to the pin of their collar upon their return to the senior ranks, but 14 wides cost them dearly in Swinford. Mayo's 2-11 to 1-11 victory largely came down to their trusted talismanic forward Sinead Walsh, who finished with a personal tally of 1-4. Scorers for Dublin: N Hetherton 1-4, C Darby 1-3 (0-1f), N Crowley 1-1, C O'Connor 1-0, H Tyrrell 0-3 (1f), S McIntyre 0-1. Scorers for Kildare: A Prizeman 0-4 (3f), A Rattigan 1-0, R Byrne 0-1. DUBLIN: A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, N Donlon; A Curran, L Magee, A Kane; É O'Dowd, G Kós; C O'Connor, C Darby, A Timothy; H Tyrrell, N Hetherton, S McIntyre. Subs: N Crowley for McIntyre (47), H Leahy for Kane (51), J Egan for Tyrrell (53), A Nyhan for Kós (56), S Birnie for Hetherton (58). KILDARE: M Hulgraine; R Sargent, L Lenehan, E Wheeler; M Doherty, L Dunlea, M Aspel; C Sullivan, G Wheeler; C Wheeler, L Shaw, N Dooley; A Rattigan, A Prizeman, R Byrne. Subs: S Galvin for G Wheeler (h-t), C Moran for Sullivan (34), A Murnane for Dooley (40), E Dowling for Rattigan (45), L Gilbert for E Wheeler (49). Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow). Scorers for Mayo: S Walsh 1-4 (2f), S Lally 1-0, E Murray 0-2, A McDonnell, A Deveroux, N Mooney, A Gough (pen), L Hanley 0-1 each. Scorers for Leitrim: M Devaney 1-4 (2f), A Clancy 0-4 (3f), C Owens, M Guckian (f), V Egan 0-1 each. MAYO: J Gawalkiewicz; L Wallace, N O'Malley, C Durkin; D Caldwell (capt.), E Brennan, S El Massry; H Reape, S Lally; R Jordan, N Mooney, A McDonnell; E Murray, S Walsh, A Devereux. Subs: L Hanley for N Mooney (37), K Sullivan for R Jordan (46), A Gough for A Devereux (49), L Hanley for A McDonnell (51), C Whyte for S Lally (57), S McNulty for E Murray (60). LEITRIM: M Guckian, M Murphy, C Tyrell, J Maye; S Reynolds, C Owens, R McIntyre; N Tighe, C Dolan; A Quinn, V Egan, A Clancy; L Fox , M Devaney, L O'Dowd. Subs: E Shanley for C Dolan (44), S Ward for A Quinn (48), S Quinn for L Fox (52), L Tivnan for M Murphy (58). Additional reporting by Stephen Grealis
