Latest news with #HuwLawlor
Irish Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kilkenny v Tipperary: Huw Lawlor relishing semi-final shot at the Premier men
Sunday will only be the second time in his Kilkenny career that Huw Lawlor will face Tipperary in the championship. The first? The 2019 All-Ireland final. He marked Seamus Callanan, who scored 1-2, and the Cats were left way behind on the scoreboard, the first half red card for Richie Hogan helping Tipp to a 3-25 to 0-20 triumph. Quite the baptism. "Yeah, look, obviously it was a tough first year," said Lawlor. "You go in as a defender in your first year, you're going to be challenged in different ways. I took huge learning from that match and every championship match that year." He's asked if Hogan's sending off just before half-time, for a high challenge on Cathal Barrett, was the turning point. Kilkenny had led by five points earlier in the half but Tipp were ahead by the break. "Ah look, it's a long time ago now," sighed Lawlor. "It's hard to process it at the time. It was close enough to half-time, you were just trying to readjust and get ready for the second half but I don't think you have too much time to be over-thinking it, really." The full-back has been a rock for Kilkenny, particularly since the Cody dynasty ended and the Lyng era began. He played soccer as a kid and a bit of Gaelic Football, but his first love won out in the end. "It came with time, you have to give up on them, hurling was the easy winner there," he smiled. And the full-back line was almost always home. "I would have started as a corner-back," said Lawlor. "I was fairly small when I was younger so I was kind of always a corner-back. "Did a bit of experimenting around the half-forward line when I was in sixth year of school I think. But no, I had a defensive mindset, really. It's the same with the club and the county, you're trying to approach it the same way. The jeopardy is still there. "Your focus has to be on the team the whole time, I don't think you're going to get any plaudits in terms of scoring or anything as a some lads are, maybe not me! But it's just trying to help the team the best way, but it's the same approach no matter what level you're playing, I think." The 29-year-old has four Leinster titles under his belt and has won two All Stars. Kilkenny have come close to lifting the MacCarthy Cup. That 2019 defeat was the first of three final appearances in the last six years, and they were losing finalists to the Limerick machine in 2023 and '23. That it's old rivals Tipp in their way of another final appearance adds more spice as Kilkenny try to bring a 10-year wait to an end. "Obviously there were huge battles there in the late 2000s and two great teams went at it, and those Kilkenny players are heroes of ours so just trying to replicate that," Lawlor said. "There's huge history there and there's obviously been massive local excitement there naturally. But look, it's a semi-final there. We want to go and win the game, so nothing's changed there." Last year it was Clare who out-lasted the Cats, who had twice put themselves in a commanding position. "Obviously it was hugely disappointing to lose that game," Lawlor recalled. "We put ourselves in a good position and we didn't finish it off. "It's not easy to watch a team go on and win the All-Ireland when they've beaten you, but we could have no complaints. We didn't finish the job and they won it out. "Every time you lose, it's feeding into something inside you that's driving you on. Probably losing would drive you on a lot more than winning would and we're just trying to put that right." Lawlor has been a clinical dietician in St Luke's Hospital for almost four years, having done a masters in nutrition and dietetics in UCD in 2019. He leaves the sports nutrition end of it to Kilkenny's own dieticians, Marie Power and Eimear Nolan. "If there are any questions from the lads I just tell them they're asking the wrong person, go ask the dietitian, you know," he grinned. "I work on the clinical side in the hospital, sports nutrition would be a separate thing really, and the two girls are experts there, so they're brilliant. There's probably been more of a focus on it now, for sure." He smiles at the mention of Kilkenny great Tommy Walsh eating heavily buttered white bread on the day of games. "It didn't do him any harm, I wouldn't be going against Tommy Walsh, that's for sure," laughed Lawlor. "Obviously you hear stories of what lads were doing back in the day, but it's an important thing - you might be talking about that one percent in terms of making an improvement. "But look, nutrition is a big part of it now and you're just trying to nail it and not leave yourself short on game day. Coming up to a match especially, there's a few things you're wanting to get right just so you can trust your body that it's going to be right on the day to go for 70 plus minutes. "It's definitely a crucial factor and something that we're reminded of all the time. Same with anything, you could say it about your training and your sleep and your nutrition, if you leave one short, you're going to suffer down the line. So it's just something you have to nail all the time." Huw Lawlor was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge in aid of GAA-related charities at Michael Lyng Motors (Ford) in Kilkenny.
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Old foes reunited: Kilkenny's Huw Lawlor aiming to take giant leap towards Liam in clash of titans
Huw Lawlor's debut season for Kilkenny ended in a haze of blue and gold, with strains of Slievenamon bouncing around the stadium and Tipperary leaving Croke Park with the spoils of the season. Tipp were commanding winners of that 2019 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final, 3-25 to 0-20. In Lawlor's maiden campaign with the Kilkenny seniors, his performances were enough to earn him an All Star nomination. But the All-Ireland decider proved a challenging afternoon for all wearing black and amber, as Séamus Callanan captained Tipp to a 14-point victory in a game shaped by Richie Hogan's sending off before the interval. It remains the last time the counties have met in the championship – but that will change at Croke Park this Sunday when they cross hurls at the semi-final stages (4pm throw-in). READ MORE Between 2009 and 2019, the sides contested six All-Ireland SHC finals, one of which went to a replay. Yet Sunday will actually be Tipp's first time playing at GAA headquarters since the 2019 decider. Lawlor didn't win an All Star that season but the 29-year-old has since picked up two accolades and is now widely regarded as one of the top full backs in the game. 'Obviously it was a tough first year; when you go in as a defender in your first year, you're going to be challenged in different ways,' he recalls. 'But I took huge learnings from that match and every championship match that year. Obviously there's huge history there [between the counties] and there's obviously been massive local excitement.' Asked about the lack of championship meetings between the counties since 2019, he says: 'It's funny the way it works out. They were huge battles in the late 2000s between the counties as two great teams went at it. Those Kilkenny players are heroes of ours so we're just trying to replicate that.' Kilkenny have not won an All-Ireland senior hurling title since 2015 and are currently enduring their joint longest spell without an All-Ireland triumph along with the barren decades between 1922-32 and 1947-57. Kilkenny's Huw Lawlor and Mark Rodgers of Clare during the 2024 All-Ireland semi-final. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho The Cats lost to Clare at the semi-final stage 12 months ago – with the Banner progressing to beat Cork in the decider. Having contested the 2022 and 2023 finals, Kilkenny have lost to the eventual champions in the last three years. 'Obviously it was hugely disappointing to lose that game last year,' says Lawlor. 'We probably put ourselves in a good position and we didn't finish it off. 'But every time you lose it's feeding something inside that drives you on. Losing would probably drive you on a lot more than winning and we're just trying to put that right.' Lawlor was at home two weeks ago watching the Dublin- Limerick quarter-final. Had that game gone to form, then the Cats would have been playing John Kiely's side in a semi-final this weekend. But Lawlor says he was not shocked to see the Dubs deliver such a performance . 'I'm not surprised they did well. Obviously we've played them a number of times over the years, they have some brilliant hurlers so I'm not surprised by the performance and huge credit to them, they really brought it on the day. 'A lot of people might have expected Limerick to win but as I said, we were just focusing on ourselves, we were ready to play whoever came down the track for us. 'That result probably emphasised that there's such fine margins in intercounty hurling. If you're not right or you don't perform in the right way on a certain day, anything can happen.' Kilkenny's Leinster final win over Galway last month secured a sixth consecutive Bob O'Keeffe Cup for the Cats, but landing hurling's biggest prize is the main aim of Derek Lyng's side. Lawlor has been working as a dietitian at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny for the last four years but he doesn't take his work with him to the dressingroom. 'No, not at all, we have dietitians and they're brilliant. If there are any questions from the lads, I just tell them they're asking the wrong person. There's clinical dietetics and then there's sports nutrition, which is a different kind of a thing. 'But nutrition is a big part of the game now and you're just trying to nail it and not leave yourself short on game day. 'You could say that about your training and your sleep and your nutrition; if you leave one short you're going to suffer down the line.' Former Kilkenny defender Tommy Walsh has famously talked in the past about his in-season diet, which often included a fry in the morning and a plate of chicken goujons after training. 'I wouldn't be going against Tommy Walsh on it, that's for sure,' smiles Lawlor. 'It didn't do him any harm.' And it's no harm for hurling to have Kilkenny and Tipperary back biting at each other in Croke Park either. *Lawlor was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge. This year's Challenge, in aid of GAA-related charities, takes place at Killarney Golf and Fishing Resort on October 16th and 17th.
Irish Examiner
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Late bloomer Huw Lawlor in hurler of the year form
You wouldn't know it by his size and stature – about 14 stone and 6ft2in – or the way he has commanded the air in the centre of Kilkenny's defence in the Leinster championship but Huw Lawlor was small for his age as a boy. 'When he was nine or 10 or 11 years of age, he was tiny,' Kilkenny great Tommy Walsh told Off The Ball listeners on Leinster final day last month. 'He was like Messi. That's how small he was.' Lawlor isn't going to deny the truth. Photographs of him from his Kilkenny CBS days provide some proof that he was a late bloomer. 'I would have started as a corner-back, I suppose. I was fairly small when I was younger so I was always kind of corner-back. Did a bit of experimenting around the half-forward line when I was in sixth year of school I think. But no, I had a defensive mindset, really.' The 29-year-old is considered Kilkenny's best hurler this season (Billy Ryan and Mikey Carey aren't too far behind). It's Walsh's relief Lawlor is a better defender because he acts and thinks like a smaller hurler. The player himself doesn't believe his role is one that generates much acclaim. "I think your focus has to be on the team the whole time,' he says of his position. 'I don't think you're going to get any plaudits in terms of scoring or anything as a full-back... well, some lads are, maybe not me!' Lawlor wouldn't be aware of the chatter about him being a hurler of the year contender because he blocks out the commentary. He watched the All-Ireland quarter-finals but 'turned it off after the final whistle goes.' Galway's Fintan Burke has spoken of muting the TV when the analysis is done and Lawlor thinks along the same lines. 'I think it's important not to let too much outside noise kind of impact you. "Obviously, there's loads of narratives out there, different people talking about different things, but we're just trying to focus on our hurling and I suppose listening to the lads in our own bubble is the most important thing.' As a dietitian in St Luke's Hospital coming on four years, Lawlor is living proof of how nutrition matters although he leaves the work inside the camp to Marie Power and Eimear Nolan as his area of expertise is clinical dietetics. 'If there are any questions from the lads, I just tell them they're asking the wrong person, go ask the dietitian, you know,' he says before adding, 'Obviously, you hear stories of what lads were doing back in the day or whatever, but I think it's an important thing, you might be talking about the 1% thing in terms of making an improvement. "But look, nutrition is a big part of it now and you're just trying to nail it and not leave yourself short on game day. Coming up to a match especially, there's a few things you're wanting to get right just so you can trust your body that it's going to be right on the day to go for 70-plus minutes. "It's definitely a crucial factor and something that we're reminded of all the time. Same with anything, you could say it about your training and your sleep and your nutrition, if you leave one short, you're going to suffer down the line. So it's just something you have to nail all the time.' Sunday is Lawlor and Kilkenny's first championship crack at Tipperary since the 2019 All-Ireland final where the O'Loughlin Gaels man in his debut year was given the job of shadowing their captain Seamus Callanan, who had scored a goal in all of his county's SHC matches to that point. Although Callanan was scoreless in the first half, he found the net three minutes into the new half. 'Obviously, it was a tough first year,' Lawlor recalls. 'You go in as a defender in your first year, you're going to be challenged in different ways. I took huge learning from that match and every championship match that year.' Huw Lawlor was promoting the launch of the Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge that took place in Michael Lyng Motors, Co Kilkenny. This year's Challenge for GAA clubs takes place in Killarney Golf and Fishing Club on October 16 and 17.
The Irish Sun
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Gaelic football is getting all the love while All-Ireland hurling semi-finalists shutting up shop from media limelight
FOOTBALL is getting all the love ahead of a dream weekend of All- Ireland SFC quarter-finals. But as of last night, none of the hurling semi-finalists had opened their doors to the media ahead of their own big weekend on July 5 and 6. Advertisement Tipperary told SunSport they have shut up shop ahead of their The Kilkenny camp had also gone silent until yesterday when defender Huw Lawlor spoke to the press at an All-Ireland golf classic event. Cork booked their place in the last four after their And the same goes for gallant Dublin, who Advertisement Read More on GAA GAA president Jarlath Burns lamented the lack of media engagement before last year's hurling semi-finals. And as of now, the same thing is happening again. Come on, lads — don't be shy, embrace the limelight. It's not doing football any harm. 1 There has been media silence among the All-Ireland hurling semi-finalists Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Advertisement
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Huw Lawlor: TJ Reid's attitude and professionalism an example for Kilkenny players
Huw Lawlor has hailed the longevity of TJ Reid as the 37-year-old claimed his 14th Leinster SHC medal on Sunday. The seven-time All-Ireland winner and seven-time All Star was only second to Lawlor as Kilkenny's best player in the victory over Galway and the defender was generous in his praise for the elder stateman of the team. 'Sure, he's a class apart, you know what I mean? You can forget about his age or whatever. The example he sets there in terms of work-rate and stuff like that, it's phenomenal, so it is. 'He's such a professional in terms of the way he sets up and the way he goes at it. He's a super player, his attitude and his work rate is top class, and I think that's what drives it on for him.' Two-time All Star Lawlor himself is playing some of the best hurling of his career as much as he is keen to play it down. 'Look, that kind of thing comes in fits and starts, I suppose. You can go through in form and out of form and stuff. 'We're just trying to get through the 70 minutes in the full-back line and try and stop them scoring, and if we can set up our own scores as well, then we'll be happy enough.' It might have seemed like a fade-out by Kilkenny but Lawlor had anticipated Galway would have a period of dominance and it manifested itself in an unanswered 1-6 towards the end of the game before The Cats settled themselves to seal the win. 'I suppose for that 55 minutes we probably choked the game and we controlled it well. Look, they were always going to get a purple patch at some stage and we were trying to limit that, but I thought the boys worked very hard all throughout. 'It's something that's happened to us before and we probably need to manage the game a little bit better from that point of view. But look, we got the scores and we got the kind of few interceptions that we needed to get over the line there.' You won't hear the 29-year-old complaining about the four-week gap to their July 6 All-Ireland semi-final being too long. 'Four weeks now to get the bodies right and get loads of training in. It's been a very busy six, seven, eight weeks there so it's a good chance to get training and for different lads to try get on to the team.'
