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The 42
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
Kildare crowned Joe McDonagh Cup champions with victory over Laois
Updated at 16.16 Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 Paul Keane reports from Croke Park KILDARE HAVE capped a remarkable 12 months of hurling success with a landmark Joe McDonagh Cup title win, securing their place in the Leinster SHC for the first time since 2004. Brian Dowling's side only won the Christy Ring Cup 12 months ago and, initially at least, would have been happy to simply retain their Joe McDonagh Cup status this term. They even lost their opening group game to Kerry, their ninth defeat from nine games in the competition, but have bounced back in remarkable fashion since then to claim a historic win. Tied at half-time in their first-ever McDonagh Cup final, and fortunate to be level at that stage given the number of chances Laois wasted, Kildare cut loose after the break to beat Laois comfortably for the second time in the competition. Second-half goals from Jack Sheridan and substitute Jack Travers proved crucial, while free-taker David Qualter finished with 13 points on a famous day for the county. But it was a powerful collective performance with centre-back Cian Boran standing out in a strong defence. Kildare, who have already secured Division 1B hurling for 2026, will get an immediate chance to test themselves at the higher level next weekend when they play Dublin in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final. Laois have at least another week to run in their campaign too, with Dublin set to visit Portlaoise in the MacCarthy Cup. Just like the Dublin footballers a week earlier on the same turf, Laois reflected on a first half of squandered chances, which cost them dearly in the end. The half-time stats made for painful reading for them: 11 wides, five point attempts that dropped short and a shot at goal that was saved. Kildare were more efficient when the ball was at the opposite Davin End and started brighter, showing no signs of anticipated nerves. It was their first final at the grade, and they were bidding to return to Leinster championship hurling for the first time since losing to Westmeath 21 years ago. But they were calm and composed and deserved their early 0-4 to 0-2 lead with Sheridan, James Burke and Qualter picking off three terrific points from play. They showed their athleticism in the 18th minute when they snuffed out a Laois goal chance and worked a speedy move up the pitch that ended with a free and a handy Qualter tap over. Free-taker Qualter finished the half with seven points to his credit and was influential in open play too. Kildare retained their two-point lead approaching the half-hour mark when they were 0-9 to 0-7 ahead. But with the Laois wides tally into double figures at that stage, the scoreline flattered the Lilywhites. Three Laois points in a row from James Keyes and free-taker Tomas Keyes amounted to a strong finish to the half from them, levelling it up at 0-11 apiece at the break. And Laois held onto that momentum with their goal coming just seconds after the restart. Paddy Purcell raced clear with the ball from the throw-in, and though his eventual shot off the turf was saved, Ben Conroy came sliding in and bundled it to the net. Advertisement Laois were desperate to kick on from there and to impose themselves on the game, but couldn't. Instead, it was Kildare that reeled off two separate bursts of three points, taking a three-point lead at the hour mark and then killing off Laois with the two goals. Travers grabbed his in the 61st minute, following up on the rebound after Sheridan's initial shot was blocked. Five minutes later, Sheridan netted himself, shrugging off a jersey pull and darting beyond Ryan Mullaney to get a low shot away that hit the net. Kildare sub Muiris Curtin pointed in the 68th minute and punched the air in delight, realising that the job was done at that stage. Kildare scorers: David Qualter 0-13 (0-11f, 0-1 65), Jack Sheridan 1-4, Jack Travers 1-1, Gerry Keegan 0-3, James Burke 0-2, Simon Leacy 0-1, Paul Dolan 0-1, Muiris Curtin 0-1. Laois scorers: Tomas Keyes 0-6 (0-5f), Ben Conroy 1-2, Padraig Delaney 0-2 (0-2f), James Keyes 0-2, Paddy Purcell 0-2, PJ Scully 0-2 (0-1f), Lee Cleere 0-1, Fiachra C Fennell 0-1, James Duggan 0-1. KILDARE 1. Paddy McKenna (Clane) 2. Richy Hogan (Naas) 3. Rian Boran (Naas – Captain) 5. Daniel O'Meara (Maynooth) 7. Paul Dolan (Eire Og Corra Choill) 6. Cian Boran (Naas) 4. Simon Leacy (Naas) 8. Daire Guerin (Naas) 10. Cathal McCabe (Maynooth) 14. Cathal Dowling (Naas) 11. Jack Sheridan (Naas) 12. David Qualter (Maynooth) 13. Darragh Melville (Leixlip) 9. James Burke (Naas) 15. Gerry Keegan (Celbridge) SUBS 17. Jack Travers (Leixlip) for Dowling (59) 21. Muiris Curtin (Moorefield) for McCabe (64) 20. Conn Kehoe (Moorefield) for Melville (69) 19. Liam O'Reilly (Naas) for Dolan (69) 22. Oisin Lynam (Celbridge) for Keegan (72) LAOIS 1. Cathal Dunne (Clough Ballacolla) 8. Fiachra C Fennell (Rosenallis) 19. Jordan Walshe (Clough Ballacolla) 2. Cody Comerford (The Harps) 6. Padraig Delaney (The Harps) 3. Lee Cleere (Clough Ballacolla) 4. Diarmaid Conway (Clough Ballacolla) 10. Aidan Corby (Clough Ballacolla) 21. James Keyes (Coillte Seanchua) 12. Paddy Purcell (Rathdowney Errill) 11. Tomas Keyes (Camross) 9. David Dooley (Rosenallis – Captain) 13. Mark Dowling (Camross) 14. Jer Quinlan (Borris-Kilcotton) 15. Ben Conroy (Sliabh Bladhma) SUBS 23. Aaron Dunphy (Borris-Kilcotton) for Tomas Keyes (54) 17. Padraic Dunne (The Harps) for Comerford (60) 24. James Duggan (The Harps) for Dowling (62) 19. Ryan Mullaney (Castletown) for Walshe (64) 25. PJ Scully (Borris-Kilcotton) for Conroy (66) Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kildare roar to Liam MacCarthy status with convincing victory over Laois
Joe McDonagh Cup final: Kildare 2-26 Laois 1-19 Just 12 months after lifting the Christy Ring Cup, Kildare have remarkably added the Joe McDonagh Cup title and will compete in the Leinster SHC in 2026. Brian Dowling's Lilywhites would have been happy to simply retain their Joe McDonagh Cup status this term, initially at least. They lost their opening group game to Kerry, their ninth defeat from nine games in the competition, but have bounced back in incredible fashion since then to claim a historic win. Tied at half-time in their first ever McDonagh Cup final, and fortunate to be level at that stage given the amount of chances favourites Laois wasted, Kildare cut loose after the break to beat Laois comfortably for the second time in the competition. Second-half goals from Jack Sheridan and substitute Jack Travers proved crucial while free-taker David Qualter finished with 13 points on a famous day for the county. But it was a powerful collective performance with centre-back Cian Boran standing out in a strong defence. Kildare, who have already secured Division 1B hurling for 2026, will get an immediate chance to test themselves at the higher level next weekend when they play Dublin in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final. Laois, who lost last year's Joe McDonagh Cup final too, have at least another week to run in their campaign with Tipperary set to visit Portlaoise in the MacCarthy Cup. Just like the Dublin footballers a week earlier on the same turf, Laois reflected on a first-half of squandered chances which cost them dearly in the end. The half-time stats made for painful reading for them; 11 wides, five point attempts that dropped short and a shot at goal that was saved. Kildare were more efficient when the ball was at the opposite Davin End and started brighter, showing no signs of anticipated nerves. It was their first final at the grade and they were bidding to return to Leinster championship hurling for the first time since losing to Westmeath 21 years ago. But they were calm and composed and deserved their early 0-4 to 0-2 lead with Sheridan, James Burke and Qualter picking off three terrific points from play. They showed their athleticism in the 18th minute when they snuffed out a Laois goal chance and worked a speedy move up the pitch that ended with a free and a handy Qualter tap over. Free-taker Qualter finished the half with seven points to his credit and was influential in open play too. Kildare retained their two-point lead approaching the half-hour mark when they were 0-9 to 0-7 ahead. But with the Laois wides tally into double figures at that stage, the scoreline flattered the Lilywhites. Three Laois points in a row from James Keyes and free-taker Tomas Keyes amounted to a strong finish to the half from them, levelling it up at 0-11 apiece at the break. And Laois held onto that momentum with their goal coming just seconds after the restart. Paddy Purcell raced clear with the ball from the throw-in and though his eventual shot off the turf was saved, Ben Conroy came sliding in and bundled it to the net. Laois were desperate to kick on from there and to impose themselves on the game but couldn't. Instead, it was Kildare that reeled off two separate bursts of three points, taking a three-point lead at the hour mark and then killing off Laois with the two goals. Travers grabbed his in the 61st minute, following up on the rebound after Sheridan's initial shot was blocked. Five minutes later, Sheridan netted himself, shrugging off a jersey pull and darting beyond Ryan Mullaney to get a low shot away that hit the net. Kildare sub Muiris Curtin pointed in the 68th minute and punched the air in delight, realising that the job was done at that stage. Scorers for Kildare David Qualter 0-13 (0-11f, 0-1 65), Jack Sheridan 1-4, Jack Travers 1-1, Gerry Keegan 0-3, James Burke 0-2, Simon Leacy 0-1, Paul Dolan 0-1, Muiris Curtin 0-1. Scorers for Laois: Tomas Keyes 0-6 (0-5f), Ben Conroy 1-2, Padraig Delaney 0-2 (0-2f), James Keyes 0-2, Paddy Purcell 0-2, PJ Scully 0-2 (0-1f), Lee Cleere 0-1, Fiachra C Fennell 0-1, James Duggan 0-1. KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Richy Hogan, Rian Boran, Daniel O'Meara; Paul Dolan, Cian Boran, Simon Leacy; Daire Guerin, Cathal McCabe; Cathal Dowling, Jack Sheridan, David Qualter; Darragh Melville, James Burke, Gerry Keegan. Subs: Jack Travers for Dowling 59, Muiris Curtin for McCabe 64, Conn Kehoe for Melville 69, Liam O'Reilly for Dolan 69, Oisin Lynam for Keegan 72. LAOIS: Cathal Dunne; Fiachra C Fennell, Jordan Walshe, Cody Comerford; Padraig Delaney, Lee Cleere, Diarmaid Conway; Aidan Corby, James Keyes; Paddy Purcell, Tomas Keyes, David Dooley; Mark Dowling, Jer Quinlan, Ben Conroy. Subs: Aaron Dunphy for Tomas Keyes 54, Padraic Dunne for Comerford 60, James Duggan for Dowling 62, Ryan Mullaney for Walsh 64, PJ Scully for Conroy 66. Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Enda McEvoy: Overflying Kyle Hayes, asphyxiating Cian Lynch in traffic on Cork must-do list
AS befits one of the savviest people on the planet, Richie Hogan's autobiography Whatever It Takes, published last year, is two cuts above the usual fare. MacCarthy Cup haute cuisine as opposed to intermediate club pabulum. Not a shock. After all, this is a former teenage world champion handballer, the possessor of a masters in business administration and a chap who six months before the Leaving Cert took up history as an eighth honours subject – well, why not? - and got an A1. Also in his younger days he wrote to the Bishop of Ossory, and then – well, again, why not? – to the big man in Rome, imploring them to redraw the parish boundaries in Kilkenny so he could hurl for Bennettsbridge. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Donoghue's Galway on 'a really good trajectory' as they book Leinster SHC final spot
Leinster SHC: Galway 0-29 Dublin 3-15 For a fuller understanding of just how deserving Galway were of their first ever Championship win over Dublin in the capital, disregard the scoreline. It suggests a tighter game than this was. Consider that Micheal Donoghue's visiting side were 12 points to the good with 63 minutes on the clock and you'll be closer to the reality. It was supposed to be blood and thunder, a de facto Leinster semi-final between two teams with similar recent records and a history of close encounters. We hoped for a repeat of 2019, when Dublin won an epic at the same venue, but what we got was more like 2017, when Galway beat Dublin out the gates of Tullamore. Galway won the All-Ireland that year but we'll not go as far as to suggest they can do so again. Even a terrific performance from 2017 captain David Burke, and Conor Whelan playing himself into good form, as well as a neat display from Tom Monaghan and cameos from Cianan Fahy and Brian Concannon, wouldn't suggest MacCarthy Cup gains. They were impressive though and their fourth straight win since limping out of Nowlan Park after an anaemic Round 1 loss to Kilkenny gives Galway hope ahead of their June 8 rematch in the Leinster final at Croke Park. "For us, it's been a really good trajectory over the last couple of weeks and we're just glad we're going into a Leinster final now," said Galway manager Donoghue. "It will give less experienced fellas the chance to be involved in a Leinster final and that can only be good for them as they move forward as players." It was a curious encounter for Donoghue who had a two-season spell in charge of Dublin, in 2023 and 2024. "The experience we had here in Dublin for two years was absolutely top," said Donoghue. "We made loads of friends for life and I think that was evident today." Donoghue managed Dublin to a win over Galway last season. This time around, he gave Dublin a taste of their own medicine. Dublin looked flat and fatigued, perhaps still drained by their epic with Kilkenny a week earlier. They were 16 points down at one stage in the second-half of that game and battled back to make it a two-point match late on. This time, they reduced a 12-point gap to five thanks to late goals from Sean Currie, a penalty conversion, and substitute Conal O Riain. The difference was that Dublin left Kilkenny feeling they could have won that game. They were flattered to lose by five here. "In the first-half, we had the elements and on a day like that we needed to be five, six, seven points up but we weren't," said Dublin manager Niall O Ceallachain. The sides actually turned on level terms, 1-7 to 0-10, with Dublin having drilled eight first-half wides despite the strong wind behind them. It got even stronger in the second-half and Galway capitalised. Eight different Galway players scored in the second-half with captain Whelan lording it. "While we had a surge at the end, I think we were well, well beaten there," acknowledged O Ceallachain. Dublin still have an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final tie to prepare for, against Kildare or Laois. That's not until June 14/15 so their batteries should be fully recharged by then. Galway could be Leinster champions at that stage though they will anticipate a much stiffer test from Kilkenny. Donoghue made five switches after hammering Antrim in Round 4 and will be happy with the shape, balance and energy of his team. They had a nightmare spell between the 17th and 19th minutes, conceding 1-3, and the two goals flew in within a matter of 90 seconds at the death. Aside from that they set the terms of engagement, getting plenty of bodies back in the first-half to break up Dublin's running game, and also to prevent them from hitting towering inside men like John Hetherton. The eight wides further undermined Dublin's efforts. Poor control and errant passes let Dublin down at other times, like captain Chris Crummey passing straight to a Galway player who knocked the ball forward for Concannon to grab a score. And as the scores flew over, Galway's confidence increased. Whelan boomed over some beauties from the right in the second-half. Burke and Cianan Fahy nailed a couple of monster scores too. Dublin will kick themselves for making it so easy. If you'd told them beforehand that they'd score three goals and hold Cathal Mannion scoreless, with home advantage, they'd have bitten your hand off. But they still couldn't deliver. Scorers for Galway: C Mannion 0-8 (8 frees); B Concannon 0-5; T Monaghan 0-4; C Whelan, David Burke 0-3 each; C Fahy 0-2; S Linnane, A Burns, TJ Brennan, C Cooney 0-1 each. Scorers for Dublin: S Currie 1-6 (1 pen, 4 frees, 1 65); R McBride 1-1; C O Riain 1-0; C O'Sullivan 0-3; C Donohoe, A Jamieson-Murphy, C Crummey, P Doyle, B Hayes 0-1 each. GALWAY: D Fahy; P Mannion, F Burke, D Burke; C Fahy, G Lee, TJ Brennan; D Burke, S Linnane; J Fleming, T Monaghan, C Whelan; B Concannon, C Mannion, A Burns. Subs: C Cooney for Fleming (22-25, blood); J Grealish for Daithi Burke (48); T Killeen for Fleming (60); Cooney for Burns (60); R Glennon for Linnane (70). DUBLIN: S Brennan; P Smyth, C McHugh, J Bellew; C Donohoe, C Crummey, P Doyle; C Burke, B Hayes; R McBride, C O'Sullivan, D Power; S Currie, J Hetherton, A Jamieson-Murphy. Subs: R Hayes for Murphy (46); C Currie for Power (51); D Lucey for Bellew (55); F Whitely for Burke (58); C O Riain for Doyle (68-69, blood); O Riain for B Hayes (70). Referee: C Lyons (Cork).
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Burke content at top-table despite cut-throat nature of competition
Paddy Burke says Antrim are happy to be operating at a level now where their weaknesses and mistakes are severely punished. The joint captain has helped the Saffrons to stabilise themselves in the Leinster SHC, operating in the MacCarthy Cup for the third successive year having won the McDonagh Cup in 2022. Defender Burke, along with attacker James McNaughton won rare All-Star nominations in 2024, while they retained their Division 1B league status more recently. The appointment of Davy Fitzgerald as manager for 2025 was another display of ambition though winning games regularly at the very top level has so far proved difficult. Antrim lost their opening Leinster SHC game to Wexford last weekend and will be long shots to score a landmark win over holders Kilkenny at Corrigan Park on Sunday. "Look, we're at a level with Antrim now which we weren't at before, when I started playing, where if you're one or two percent off you get found out badly, as opposed to being one or two percent off at a lower level and still winning," said Burke. "You do get found out badly now. But that's perfect, that's where we want to be, at that level where it focuses us to get better and better and address those things to hopefully make our performances as consistent as possible. "It's definitely something we're aware of and we've spoken about." Burke said the reality for the first few years of his Antrim senior career was that All-Star nominations weren't seen as achievable. "I think it was the first nominations in Antrim since Liam Watson got one when they played in an All-Ireland quarter-final (in 2010)," said Burke. "It's a big enough deal that way. I think moreso that if it sets a precedent that in 10 years' time it's a regular thing, and people are actually picking up All-Stars, that would be a better example of where Antrim hurling is at then. "This is the first step along the way of it being more regular. People coming on the panel now who are 18, 19, 20, hopefully they could be picking up All-Star awards. "Because it has been so rare, you appreciate it and it's nice to have. It reflects the effort you put in and all the rest but, yeah, I do think it would be a more important thing if it actually leads the way for the younger ones to think, 'I could get an All-Star'. "That's a realistic aim for them if we can stay competing at that level. When I started playing I wouldn't even have thought about it because we were playing Division 2 and Christy Ring and the rest. That wouldn't have even been something to register with me." Burke said that former All-Ireland winning Clare manager Fitzgerald has made a big impact with the group. "He's definitely passionate, there's definitely that side of him that you see," said Burke. "But it's only about 10 percent of what he's like with us overall. But you do obviously need that as well. He's very good at that, at raising the intensity of what we're trying to do in training and games, which is brilliant." Finishing in the top three in Leinster remains the target though the loss to Wexford has left them requiring at least a couple of big wins in the remaining games. "The group of players at the minute is ambitious and that's something we've been openly aiming for over the last couple of years," said Burke of qualifying for the All-Ireland series. "We haven't got there because of our own inconsistency but we've shown we can compete. Davy hasn't come in and said anything different really because the group is already ambitious enough to go for it. Obviously trying to actually take that next step will be the big thing and hopefully we can."
