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Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Joe Canning: Galway are growing in confidence and if they beat Kilkenny, the crowds will follow
You have to compliment the Leinster Council and Croke Park for giving away 20,000 tickets for underage teams to attend the hurling final on Sunday week. It's a great initiative, and I know a few Galway clubs are already planning on sending up busloads of kids, which can only add to the occasion. It's also a nice boost to the Joe McDonagh final between Kildare and Laois, the Croke Park curtain-raiser, already a big day out for both those teams. I think under-16s should nearly always be free anyway, so it doesn't surprise me those 20,000 tickets are being snapped up fast. At the same time, it's probably not a great sign for a Leinster hurling final between Galway and Kilkenny when you're giving away this many tickets to help fill the stadium. Croke Park was never going to be near its 82,300-capacity, which is why I think they might have been better off moving the game elsewhere, to Tullamore or Portlaoise maybe. Pack the place out, make it something unforgettable. Everybody wants to play in Croke Park, I get that. For me as a player there was nowhere better. But in terms of playing atmosphere, and spectacle, this game might have been better served by a place like Tullamore, halfway between Galway and Kilkenny. I don't think the supporters would have any issue. READ MORE With gentle irony, if they moved the Munster final between Limerick and Cork to Croke Park, they probably would sell the place out. Only you can imagine what the Munster hurling diehards would say about that. As it turns out, they've increased ticket prices for the Munster final at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday week, the €50 stand tickets up €5 on last year. Croke Park can also be an expensive day out, but I'd be hopeful the Galway supporters are starting to get behind their team again. Same with any county, you need some success for that to happen. Limerick have that in spades now, and the Tipperary supporters are also getting behind their team. I think back to last year, when they played Cork in Semple Stadium, and the Tipp supporters were shockingly outnumbered. At home! The crowds will always follow the success, no matter what the sport. Look at Munster rugby. A few years ago, it was impossible to get a ticket for any match in Thomond Park, and now you could nearly rock up on the day and get in. Galway manager Micheál Donoghue. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho For Galway, beating Dublin in Parnell Park last Sunday was a big result on several levels. They'd never beaten them in any championship match in Dublin before. Micheál Donoghue would have been fully aware of that, and I'm glad for the lads to get that monkey off their back. Parnell Park is also tough place for any team to visit. I used to hate going there. The Dublin crowd are in on top of you, and if you're struggling at all that's not pleasant. It's a big enough field, but the wall around makes it feel a lot smaller. Croke Park always feels way bigger than any other pitch, when in fact they're nearly all the same size. Galway ended up topping the group, on scoring difference, and there's no disputing Galway and Kilkenny have been the two best teams in Leinster. Same with Limerick and Cork in Munster. Maybe part of the hard sell on Croke Park is that some people are saying the hurling championship hasn't ignited yet this summer, in Leinster or in Munster. Some of the Munster games didn't live up to the hype, or go right down to the wire. And maybe it wasn't as good as last year. I don't think anyone expected Clare to be out before the last round, but I also think the perception and the reality can quickly change from one game to the next. When Galway lost to Kilkenny in the first round, some people were saying Galway won't go far this year. Now they're back in a Leinster final, and people are giving them a good chance of beating Kilkenny. Before Cork lost heavily to Limerick last Sunday week, they were favourites to win the All-Ireland. Now Limerick are favourites to win the All-Ireland. For three years we played Tipp in All-Ireland semi-finals, and there was one point between us. In 2015 we won by a point, in 2016 we lost by a point, and in 2017 we won by a point. These are the fine margins between winning and losing, when in reality there was nothing between us. Some teams might have put a little more emphasis on the league this year, trying to avoid a drop to Division 1B. Cork were begging for silverware with this team, probably targeted the league, and maybe you're just not seeing the same freshness right now. But fortunes change every year. Kilkenny's Fionan Mackessy shoots at goal. Photograph: Ken Sutton/Inpho Now you do have Kilkenny going for six-in-a-row in Leinster, and Limerick going for seven in Munster. You could question that scenario, where one team dominates, but I don't think anyone could say the Munster and Leinster championships haven't been competitive the last number of years. Two years ago, Galway had the Leinster final won until the last puck of the game, when Cillian Buckley's goal for Kilkenny changed everything. It also changed a lot of people's perspective on Henry Shefflin's term with Galway. If they'd won that, Galway would have made an All-Ireland semi-final, and Kilkenny beat Clare in that semi-final. So potentially Galway could have made an All-Ireland final that year, and people would be saying Shefflin had a great time with Galway. Galway are building confidence again, and if you look back at the opening 20 minutes against Kilkenny the first day, they weren't that bad. They started well, then just fell off for some reason, maybe the forwards stopped working as hard. That has changed the last couple of games. They've switched around some personnel. Daithí Burke coming back is a big plus, Pádraic Mannion moving to corner back, David Burke around midfield, structurally that has suited them better. Conor Whelan is also coming out the field more, then you add in Cathal Mannion, who is in brilliant form, nailing his frees when he has to. Overall, they're just working a lot harder. That's all you can ask for. When you look at this Kilkenny team, pound-for-pound they're still as good as any team out there. Galway will have their hands full, no doubt about it, but if you're a Galway supporter, you'd be hopeful. But for any team to beat Kilkenny, you absolutely have to earn it. No matter where the game is played.
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Deadly and dithery Cork make Munster final
For Nicky English, the last weekend of hurling's provincial round robins proved to be a bit on the underwhelming side , not helped by two of the games being dead rubbers. He was, though, impressed by Galway, but he still has his doubts about Cork. Did their performance against Waterford 'answer the file of queries raised by the disintegration in Limerick? No, absolutely not'. Cork were, writes Denis Walsh, 'slick and sloppy and deadly and dithery' , in keeping with 'their bipolar performances in the championship' thus far, but job done, they're through to the Munster final where they'll get another crack at Limerick. They'll need to work on their accuracy, though. ' The scores we missed were brutal, for want of a better word ,' as their manager Pat Ryan put it after the game. An understrength Limerick lost to Clare, but it was too little too late for the All-Ireland champions , they were already out, but Galway booked their slot in the Leinster final , Seán Moran at Parnell Park to see them pick up their first away win against Dublin in the championship. Up next for Galway is Kilkenny who lost to Wexford in one of those dead rubbers , while Offaly retained their Leinster SHC status with a jittery win over Antrim. In football, Monaghan brought newly crowned Leinster champions Louth crashing back down to earth in Newbridge, while Donegal had their bubble burst by Tyrone in Ballybofey. Armagh eased some of the pain of their Ulster final defeat by getting the better of Derry, while Meath bounced back too from their Leinster final loss by beating Cork in Navan. And on the women's side, Galway and Kerry retained their provincial titles with victories over Mayo and Waterford, respectively. READ MORE In soccer, Ken Early reflects on the Premier League campaign just ended . So much for it being 'the season of the underdog' – 'in the end the top five had a reassuringly familiar composition: two American-owned sports-groups, two clubs owned by Gulf states, and whatever the hell Chelsea are.' We also look back on how the Irish fared on 'a weekend marked by joy for some and heartbreak for others', no one experiencing more joy than Katie McCabe after Arsenal's Champions League triumph over Barcelona . In rugby, Gerry Thornley reports on Bordeaux Bègles' Champions Cup triumph over Northampton Saints, hearing from their assistant coach Noel McNamara after the game, his CV looking 'increasingly impressive'. Declan Kelly has a heck of a CV too: 'From Tipp to Salford via Wall Street.' Denis Walsh traces his remarkable career, the latest chapter his involvement in Salford City , the League Two side that was famously owned by Manchester United's Class of '92. TV Watch : Tennis fans will be in heaven, it's French Open time, TNT Sports bringing an entire 13 hours of coverage from Roland Garros today (from 10am). In the afternoon, TG4 has horse racing from Ballinrobe (4.15pm) and later, they have highlights from the GAA weekend (8pm).
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Lee Chin stars as Wexford stun Kilkenny to end Leinster SHC campaign on a high
LEE CHIN'S 1-13 masterclass saw Wexford end their Leinster Championship campaign on a high with a seven-point win over Kilkenny at Chadwicks Wexford Park. Wexford gave their supporters something to cheer about after a difficult provincial run, while Kilkenny - already through to the final - made wholesale changes ahead of their showdown with Galway in two weeks. Advertisement 2 Lee Chin starred with 1-13 for Wexford in the win over Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon 2 Kilkenny made wholesale changes for the clash ahead of their match against Galway in two weeks As a result, the Cats never led in the game and manager Derek Lyng admitted the display left him a little disappointed. He said: 'We gave a lot of lads a chance, but at the same time we were absolutely coming here to put in a performance and get the win, so we're disappointed with that. "But the focus now switches to a Leinster Final and we've a big two weeks ahead.' He added: 'Wexford had a gale-force wind behind them in the first half, so they gained a bit of momentum. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA "But I actually thought we played quite well in the first half - we missed a couple of chances that would have brought us closer, and that would have been important going in at half-time.' He continued: 'The goal at the start of the second half then opened up the gap a bit more. To their credit, our lads kept going, but it was too late to make a difference at that stage.' Wexford were full value for their 0-12 to 0-5 half-time lead, with Chin leading the charge. Rory O'Connor's goal four minutes after the restart put further daylight between the sides. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Comment Kilkenny, with TJ Reid and Cian Kenny battling hard, did try to claw back the margin — but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Chin struck for goal ten minutes from time. Reid did find the net for Kilkenny in stoppage time, having earlier seen close-range frees blocked on the line, but the damage had already been done. RTE pundit Joe Canning urges GAA to make huge change for Leinster hurling final as fans 'totally agree' Wexford finished with seven points to spare in a well-deserved win. WEXFORD: Advertisement M Fanning; C Molloy, S Donohoe (0-1), C Foley; E Ryan, D Reck, D Carley; C Hearne (0-1), C Byrne Dunbar; J O'Connor (0-1), L Chin (1-13, 9f), R O'Connor (1-1); K Foley, M Dwyer (0-1), C Byrne. Subs: N Murphy for Reck (30), C Dunbar for Dwyer (50), C McDonald (0-1) for Byrne (55), D Codd for J O'Connor (67), C McGuckin for Molloy (69). KILKENNY: E Murphy; P Connellan, P Moylan, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, A Mullen (0-1), Z Bay Hammond; K Doyle (0-1), P McDonald; L Connellan (0-2), C Kenny (0-3), F Mackessy (0-1); B Drennan (0-1), TJ Reid (1-4, 2f, 2 65s), O Wall. Advertisement Subs: S Donnelly (0-1) for McDonald (44), G Dunne for Wall (49), R Reid (0-1) for Bay Hammond (59), N Shortall for Drennan (66), S Staunton for Mullen (68). Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin)
BreakingNews.ie
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Meath's Matthew Costello happy to see return of excitment to Leinster championship
Meath forward Matthew Costello says he is happy to see the return of excitement to the provincial championships, despite Meath's defeat to Louth in the Leinster final. In the shock of the season so far, Meath ended Dublin's long-standing dominance in the province with a historic win over their rivals in the semi-final in Portlaoise. Advertisement It was the first time Dublin had failed to win Leinster since 2010, when they were also knocked out by Meath. In a thrilling encounter on Sunday, the Royal County came up short against Louth, who claimed their first Leinster title since 1957. Still, Costello took the positives from a day that featured an incredible atmosphere at Croke Park. 'It was an amazing experience. If the result had gone our way, it would probably have been the best sporting day of your life,' said Costello. 'It just wasn't to be. Even the parade before the game was like nothing I had ever experienced, and I'm not sure if I'll get to experience something like that again. Advertisement 'Both sets of fans really gave their all, and it was brilliant to be a part of. 'This year, getting our semi-final into Portlaoise was a great thing. You're basically able to pack out a stadium – the atmosphere that day was brilliant. 'It depends on what the future holds, but maybe we can get 60,000 people in for the Leinster quarter and semi-finals in the future.' Dublin's dominance in recent years had often been used as a stick to beat the provincial championships with, as they routinely ran out comprehensive winners in front of sparse crowds. Advertisement Meath's win over Dublin is one of several games that has brought renewed spark to the provinces – something Costello is pleased to see. 'It's a great thing. The game maybe needed a bit of a spark to get the provincial championships going again. 'When they're so one-sided for so long, people do lose interest. Looking ahead, we just want the provincial championships to be as competitive as possible and in front of as many fans as possible.' In an entertaining and closely fought game, Meath led for spells and were ahead with seven minutes remaining, thanks to Costello's goal. Advertisement However, Louth finished the stronger side, scoring the decisive points and keeping possession in the final moments. For Costello, Sunday's experience was one Meath can learn from. 'I think it was important for us to witness a crowd like that and experience that sort of occasion. If you're going to go anywhere in the sport, you've got to be able to deal with 60,000 or 70,000 people in Croke Park, and that should stand to us in the future. 'It's vital that we get these experiences. You learn more from a loss than from a win, which is hard to say now and hard to take – but we've got to believe it will stand to us. Advertisement 'There are going to be tough days and tough times, but we keep moving forward.' Meath won't have much time to feel sorry for themselves as they face Cork on May 24th in a group that also includes Kerry and Roscommon. 'To be honest, I know it's difficult now because of the magnitude of Sunday, but we're well used to this. 'It's a very tough group – there's no easy draw at this stage of the competition. Everyone feels like they can beat each other. 'Full focus is on Cork for now, but we know we've got tough battles ahead in the group as well.'
Irish Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dublin hurler Seán Currie: ‘We have no interest in coming second or third'
It has already been quite the year for Seán Currie but the club All-Ireland winner hopes there will be even more hurling silverware brought back to the capital before the end of the 2025 season. Currie was a key player for Na Fianna last January when they made history by winning the All-Ireland club senior hurling title for the first time. Niall Ó Ceallacháin was the Na Fianna manager during that incredible journey and six days later he was back in Croke Park wearing the Dublin bainisteoir's bib at the outset of his new role with the capital's hurlers. Five months on and while Dublin missed out on promotion in the league, they are now just one win away from booking a place in this year's Leinster final. They face Galway on Sunday in what is effectively a playoff to meet Kilkenny in the provincial decider. READ MORE Ó Ceallacháin is joined in the Dublin dressingroom by several of Na Fianna's All-Ireland winning players – including brothers Seán Currie (25) and older brother Colin (27), Conor McHugh, AJ Murphy and Dónal Burke. 'It was definitely the best moment of my career winning that All-Ireland,' recalls Seán Currie. He is Dublin's top scorer in this year's championship and in all four of their games so far Currie has been the team's leading marksman. He has registered a tally of 3-38 and is the second-highest scorer in the Leinster SHC after Lee Chin. Currie's average of just under 12 points per game has been a key factor in Dublin's push for a Leinster final spot. Sean Currie of Na Fianna celebrates scoring a goal against Kilcormac-Killoughey in Croke Park in November 2024. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Dublin lost last year's provincial final badly to Kilkenny, ending up 16 points adrift of the Cats at the final whistle. Dublin's most recent Leinster triumph was in 2013. Before that you have to go back to 1961, but Currie insists the current crop believe they can lift the Bob O'Keeffe Cup. 'Yes, 100 per cent, that's why we are here,' adds Currie. 'We have no interest in coming second or third, we definitely have that belief we can go further than we did last year. 'We were disappointed with the performance when we did get to the final last year so we are focused on making amends for that and improving as we go on.' [ Billy Ryan goal saves Kilkenny from Dublin second-half resurgence Opens in new window ] But there is no getting away from a perception Dublin have failed to deliver on their potential for much of the last decade. 'Definitely we have underperformed. I think where we want to be is competing for Leinster championships, competing for All-Ireland championships and I guess the reality is we haven't been doing that over the last few years,' says Currie. 'But when you look at the group of players we have, I definitely think we are capable of going to that next level and that's our aim.' Ó Ceallacháin is Dublin's first home-grown manager since Pat Gilroy, who had a one-year stint in 2018. In between there have been two Galway men at the helm: Mattie Kenny from 2019-22 and Micheál Donoghue from 2023-24. Dublin's Chris Crummey attempts to block a shot from Luke Hogan of Kilkenny at Nowlan Park last Sunday. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho However, Currie feels it is up to the hurlers on the field more than the coaches on the sideline to drive the team forward. 'It really comes down to the players, 95 to 99 per cent of our performance comes down to players; there is only that small extra couple of per cent that managers add. 'But do I think Niall has probably added that couple of per cent this year, small tactical tweaks that make a difference. The players enjoy playing for him. 'He is a really good manager – obviously, I had him for five years with Na Fianna. He definitely took Na Fianna to the next level from where we were, he brought us on year on year.' Last week's loss to Kilkenny was Dublin's first in this year's championship – following wins over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim. No matter how Sunday's game in Parnell Park goes, Dublin are guaranteed a place in the knockout stages of the All-Ireland but a Leinster final is the target right now. 'We probably weren't playing at the right level in the early stages of the league,' says Currie. 'But we have continued to make a lot of improvements as the year has gone on.' Sunday will tell if those improvements have been enough.
