Latest news with #McGeeney
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
McGeeney hails 'best system GAA has ever produced' that is set to be scrapped
Kieran McGeeney's one man crusade to save the All-Ireland round robin format is beginning to gather support. The much-maligned system is due to be binned at the end of this season after a GAA Special Congress voted in a new format last February, with an overwhelming majority of 92.8 percent. Ironically, it comes at a team when the format is being widely showered with love by pundits and fans alike. McGeeney's comments came after another thrilling weekend of football where Derry and Galway played out a pulsating draw, Armagh trumped Dublin at Croke Park and Mayo bounced back to shock Tyrone in Omagh. On top of that, Down pipped Louth in a thriller at Newry, while Meath and Roscommon fought out a draw at the Hyde. The main factors for getting rid of the old format were the belief that there were too many games for a tight window and that only four teams were eliminated out of 16 after three rounds of games (24 matches). Another solution would have been to have just two teams qualify out of the four-team groups rather than four, although this may have meant more dead rubbers. In the current system, the carrot of topping the table to claim the one of the four automatic All-Ireland quarter-final places on offer has proved worthwhile with teams seeing the value in it and going after it hard. Having one game less and clear two week breaks between big games appears to have advantaged sides, rather than having a hectic schedule of playing three huge championship matches in 13-15 days. The other criticism of the format was that teams could lose three championship games and still make the last 12, as happened with Derry and Roscommon last year. However, this fails to take into account how competitive Ulster in particular is. The new format still has 16 teams, who qualify in the same fashion - the eight provincial finalists, the highest ranked league finishers, and the Tailteann Cup winners from the year before. Those 16 teams play off against each other in Round 1, with the winners going to Round 2A and the losers going to Round 2B, where those eight losing teams play off against each other. The four Round 2A winners qualify for the quarter-final stage with the Round 2A losers meeting the Round 2B winners in Round 3 (preliminary quarter-final). Once again the lopsided provincial championships determining the top eight seeds corrupts the system, but this seems unlikely to change in the near future. The new system is already used in the Sigerson Cup. McGeeney, though, reckons the current format is the best the GAA has ever had with big games week on week in May and June. And he says you can't look beyond your next fixture: 'That's why I love this system," he says. "You're looking at the next point. 'As you can see there (the Armagh/Dublin game), the way this game is played, the minute we put that ball short, Dublin were hungry to get a score because they know how much it means. We were the same against Derry. 'Again, I think it's why it's the best system that the GAA has ever produced.' McGeeney doesn't believe the system is too hectic and demanding on players and managers and that the preseason builds a robustness in players if it is done properly. 'I think the whole system is better,' he continued. 'I genuinely do. Those week to week (games). It is hard. Again, that was probably the argument for the pre-season. Teams do their own pre-season. 'Those days of flogging players and the stuff that I used to do is long gone, thank God. Your pre-seasons are mapped out to the last degree. 'To have somebody who doesn't even know your players, their medical history or anything else, to tell them what to do, I think plays a big part. 'If you get the pre-season right, that robustness in your players can last. It doesn't guarantee it, but it's no different in any sport, professional or amateur. 'I don't think it's too much. Sometimes when you get extra time in a game and you can be out the following week, that's a lot because you're basically playing two games in that one weekend. 'In general, sometimes you fall foul of it, sometimes you don't. 'The cadence we have is pretty good. I do think the system we have works well. We can't expect every game to be a clinker. 'We can't expect everything to be brilliant. It's no different than when there's Champions League or World Cup rugby. There's going to be rounds and there's going to be games that are poor. 'But I think what we've got is good. In our sport, we have to respect the club level as well. 'At the minute, we seem to have that, although most of the leagues are going on at the minute without a lot of the county players. They're normally back in for the tail end of the league. 'It's an important part of it and into the Championship. I don't know if we need to mess with it that much. I think we've done enough of that. I know it changes again next year, but the cadence is pretty good.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rory Grugan stars as Kieran McGeeney's Armagh dump Dublin and seal All-Ireland SFC quarter-final spot
KIERAN McGeeney hailed 'one of the best players I've ever seen' as Rory Grugan steered Armagh to the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Captain Grugan stepped up to the plate again with eight points as the Advertisement 2 Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney hailed Rory Grugan as one of the best players he's ever seen after the win over Dublin 2 Armagh handed Dublin their second defeat of the 2025 campaign They've still got a game to go against Galway in the round robin but can't be caught at the top. The funny thing was, boss McGeeney was frustrated with their performance. He reckoned they should have been more clinical in attack for starters, wasting a number of goal cances. And he said they were let off the hook by Dublin's woeful shooting at the other end with the hosts drilling 17 wides. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA Armagh still looked the better side overall with five two-point scores proving the difference in the five-point win. Prodigal son Rian O'Neill nailed three of those two-pointers in just his second game back after an extended break. Grugan grabbed the other two-pointers and was named Man of the Match. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Boss McGeeney said: "I've said it for years, I think Rory's one of the best players I've ever seen. "He's outstanding, has been for us for years. You always look at it from a different perspective when you're involved. Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - "You see it from the inside out rather than the outside in. You see what he brings. It was another good performance from him. "We had a lot of good performances there today. Darragh McMullan was exceptional again. So was Oisin Conaty. Advertisement "Now Conaty definitely got plenty of attention but he was still outstanding for us. I thought everybody put in good shifts, just the conversion rate when we were in goals was very poor." Armagh had a slow start and were lucky to be only three points down after the opening quarter. But they dominated the second quarter, hit the interval with a four-point lead and kept Dublin in their rear-view mirror for the entire second-half. It's back-to-back wins for Armagh after taking care of Derry in Round 1. Advertisement But it's back-to-back losses in Championship games at Croke Park for Dublin who lost their last game at the venue too - the 2024 quarter-final against Galway. And beaten Leinster semi-finalists Dublin have now lost two games in the one Championship campaign for the first time since 2010. They can still potentially win the All-Ireland and only need a draw in Round 3 against Derry to finish second in the group. But things are looking a lot rosier for Dublin manager Dessie Farrell's former clubmate McGeeney. Advertisement The Armagh chief said: "There was definitely a mix of the good and the bad but look, with the way results have gone, we're through and you would take that every day of the week. "To be able to top the group is a testament to the way the boys put their shoulder to the wheel." And 'Geezer' promised that the beaten Ulster finalists won't be going through the motions against Galway in what is a repeat of last year's He said: "No, you can't do that. You can't because you'll go soft. We're going to be playing, to me, one of the top three teams in it. Advertisement "They were beaten by a point or two by Dublin, and they drew with Derry. Galway, to me, are still one of the top three or four teams in the country. "They'll be smarting because they know how good they are. If you go soft into that game, you could lose players and you could lose a whole lot of other things as well." O'Neill wasn't at his very best on just his second start of the year for Armagh - but still nailed those three two-pointers. Advertisement Dublin were without Con O'Callaghan and lacked both his calming presence and razor sharp finishing. They were 0-6 to 0-3 up after the opening quarter but were relying heavily on Cormac Costello for inspiration. Costello tortured Paddy Burns and clipped five first-half points, three from play and another from a free that he won off Burns. But seven bad wides in the half cost the Dubs and Armagh came roaring back into it in the second quarter. Advertisement Armagh kicked three two-pointers in that period and outscored Dublin by eight points to take a 0-13 to 0-9 half-time lead. Dublin were even more wasteful in the second-half with 10 wides to add to their earlier seven. But they were chasing the game at that stage and understandably opted for two pointers, seven of which flew wide. Costello and Paddy Small did kick a couple of long-range scores but techical errors killed any chance they had of a landmark win. Advertisement Three times in a row they breached the 4/3 rule. The first two times they failed to keep three forwards up the pitch when Armagh were attacking. On the third occasion one of Dubin's four defenders went over the half-way line while Dublin were attacking themselves. It all added up to three simple 20-metre frees for Armagh that were meat and drink for Grugan. Goalkeeper Ethan Raffery burst forward and pinched a point from play too. And there were scores from subs Stefan Campbell and Joe McElroy, along with the influential McMullan. Tiernan Kelly made a huge steal on Dublin sub Eoghan O'Donnell late on as well, celebrating it like a score. Advertisement Armagh 0-24 Dublin 0-19 Armagh: E Rafferty 0-1; P McGrane, P Burns, B McCambridge; R McQuillan 0-1, T Kelly, J Og Burns 0-2; J Duffy, B Crealey; D McMullan 0-1, R O'Neill 0-6, 2 tp, 1 tpf, O Conaty 0-2; R Grugan 0-8, 1 tp, 1 tpf, 4f, C Turbitt 0-1, A Murnin. Subs: S Campbell 0-1 for Turbitt 52, J McElroy 0-1 for Duffy 63, T McCormack for Grugan 67, N Grimley for O'Neill 68. Dublin: S Cluxton; D Byrne, T Clancy, A Gavin; S MacMahon, B Howard 0-1, S Bugler 0-3, 1 tp; P O Cofaigh Byrne, C Kilkenny; K McGinnis, N Scully, C Basquel; P Small 0-4, 1 tp, C Costello 0-8, 1 tp, 3f, L O'Dell 0-1. Subs: L Gannon 0-2 for Basquel 20, J Small for Gavin h/t, T Lahiff for McGinnis 48, L Breathnach for O'Dell 48, E O'Donnell for Scully 60. Advertisement Ref: J McQuillan (Cavan). UP NEXT ARMAGH will play Galway in Round 3 of the All-Ireland SFC on June 14/15 at a neutral venue DUBLIN will play Derry the same weekend, also at a neutral venue Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dessie Farrell: Dublin struggled without calm Con O'Callaghan in Armagh defeat
Dessie Farrell says a wasteful Dublin were 'at odds with themselves' at stages of today's defeat by Armagh at Croke Park, in the absence of captain Con O'Callaghan. Kieran McGeeney's men emerged on a 0-24 to 0-19 scoreline to top the group and claim the one automatic All-Ireland quarter-final place on offer with a game to spare. It also left Dublin fighting for their lives going head to head with Derry in the final round at a neutral venue in a fortnight. A draw will be enough for Dublin to stay alive, but if Derry win and Galway defeat Armagh, the capital side will finish bottom of the group and exit the All-Ireland race. O'Callaghan was sorely missed yesterday as Dublin had 23 misses in total, including 19 wides, with five of them two point efforts in the second half as they attempted to chase down Armagh, who had just nine misses in total and hit five two-pointers to Dublin's three. 'I think what you're supposed to say in this situation is it's an opportunity for somebody else,' said Farrell. 'But when you're dealing with somebody like Con, it's definitely a loss. There's no denying that. There's no getting away from that. But that's the challenge we faced. 'We faced it in 2022 when he missed the back end of the Championship and we came up short against Kerry in the semi-final. 'We were prepared for not having him on the pitch today, so it's not as if it was a bolt from the blue. But ultimately, I think we missed his leadership out there at different times. 'Obviously, he brings a level of composure and a level of calm that we struggled with at times today. 'We were sort of at odds with ourselves at different stages and to identify the reason for that is a challenge at this point in time. But perhaps missing Con is a contributing factor.' All-Ireland champions Armagh certainly laid down a marker that they're going nowhere as their remarkable run of not having been beaten in regular time in a Championship game since June 2023 continued. Tyrone defeated them in a group game that year, and since then a resilient Armagh are unbeaten in regulation time in 16 Championship games. Even though they're through as group winners, McGeeney says Armagh won't take their foot off the gas in their final round tie against a reeling Galway side fighting for their Championship lives. Armagh emerged yesterday despite the absence of some of their top names through injury, including All-Ireland winning captain and All Star Aidan Forker, two point specialist Oisin O'Neill and defensive lynchpin Ciaran Mackin. McGeeney says his side won't let up in the final round: 'No, you can't. We've seen that. You can't, because you'll go soft. 'They (Galway) were beaten by a point by Dublin, and it was a draw again today (against Derry). Galway, to me, are still one of the top three or four teams in the country. 'They'll be smarting, because they know how good they are. If you go soft to that, you'll both lose players, and you can lose a whole lot of other things as well. 'You might be able to get somebody else in and get game time, but the way we do our training is you have to fight for that position. It's not given to you.'
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Farrell and McGeeney prepare to put friendship on hold
'Our manager, their manager, they're great friends so looking forward to a serious contest,' is how Ciarán Kilkenny, fresh from an illuminating individual performance against Galway last Saturday week, previewed Sunday's Dublin-Armagh clash. Dessie Farrell and Kieran McGeeney's origins story is well-known. They formed a mutual appreciation society to get the better of Conor Deegan who had joined Kilmacud Crokes in 1997 and was part of the Stillorgan team that beat Na Fianna in the '98 Dublin SFC final. For that and the bragging rights he had over them as part of two All-Ireland winning Down teams, Deegan was their target. McGeeney's older brother Patrick followed as did Cullyhanna's Des Mackin. By 2005, Mobhi Road had become an Orchard as two more of McGeeney's Mullaghbawn and county team-mates, the McNulty brothers Enda and Justin, had transferred. Enda McNulty dispelled the theory that McGeeney had been paid to play for Na Fianna, pointing out the only thing they received was free fruit (is it any coincidence Armagh are now sponsored by Simply Fruit?) After Paul Caffrey had led them to the first two Dublin titles, Farrell's current right-hand man Mick Galvin, who had played the two previous seasons, was manager when the club claimed the three-in-a-row in 2001. The 1999 success was the club's third ever crown and first in 20 years. They haven't claimed one since. Regaling a story about the pair's final days in the yellow and blue, McGeeney once gave an insight into how tight they were. 'I remember myself and Dessie and Senan (Connell) and Justy (McNulty) went to a friendly game. The craic going down in the car was brilliant. 'We bounced out on to the field, you'd swear we were a bunch of young fellas. And on the way home, my knee was done, he's (Dessie's) Achilles was done, Justy's hip was done and Senan's hamstring. All four of us limped into the car. There's nothing like a wee bit of reality just to let you know that you're old.' Those bonds don't break and with for nearly every step that the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) took towards recognition in 2010, McGeeney was with Farrell. From the GPA's first press conference in Belfast in 1999 when they travelled from Dublin together to McGeeney being secretary as Farrell held the chief executive role before the latter bowed out soon after becoming Kildare manager for the 2008 season. For their monotone, sometimes gruff exteriors, there is a kindness to them. Those experiences have made them players's managers. There are many tales of the lengths McGeeney has gone to for his men, ones that should stay private, but it is obvious there Is more than one side to him. 'Deep down, I think he likes to have a wee go at the media,' said Rian O'Neill last July. 'He likes to wind ye up a little bit. It's good to see you fighting back at him but he's a smart man.' The appreciation for Farrell among his group came through loud and clear after their 2023 All-Ireland success. 'I just thought some of the shots at him the last two years were disgraceful, to be honest,' said James McCarthy after that year's final. Both have had their brushes with the authorities, of course. In 2017, McGeeney was suspended for 12 weeks following an incident involving linesman Joe McQuillan in a league game against Antrim. McQuillan is the man in the middle for Sunday's game. Farrell was banned for a similar period when Dublin were found to have breached the pandemic lockdown rules and the GAA's training ban in March 2021. But neither have stopped pushing the envelope. Both haven't shied away from querying the Football Review Committee in public and this year Armagh and Dublin have been at the forefront of exposing the limitations around the team registration protocols. For Armagh's Ulster opener against Antrim, they made two late changes to the squad – James Morgan and Daniel Magee being introduced. That same weekend, Dublin did the same for their Leinster quarter-final win over Wicklow as Stephen Cluxton and Cian Murphy were replaced by Hugh O'Sullivan and Niall Doran. The weekend before last, Seán Bugler emerged from nowhere to begin the All-Ireland group win over Galway. Last weekend, Rian O'Neill did the same against Derry. If the pals are comparing notes how to get around having to name a 26-man championship match-day panel on a Thursday, it would be no surprise. After all, over recent seasons they have grown to consider each other's team as their optimum challenge game opponents but now for the first time since Farrell followed McGeeney into inter-county management in 2020 they meet in championship. Afterwards, there will be handshakes and arm-holds but in the seconds and minutes between McQuillan's first and final whistle, their brotherhood is parked. Speaking on 'Off The Ball' last Saturday, Farrell's former team-mate Paddy Christie spoke of Farrell's stubbornness and the incredible competitive streak that he saw both at county and club where Christie's Ballymun Kickhams and Na Fianna were the keenest of local rivals. McGeeney has described himself as 'a stubborn sort of fucker'. Birds of a feather flock together.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Farrell and McGeeney battle will be 'quite personal' as Dubs and Armagh face off
It was at the Olympia Theatre a few years back that Paul Caffrey last crossed paths with Kieran McGeeney. Copperface Jacks The Musical was on and Caffrey was in attendance with Cathal Jackson, the owner of the legendary nightclub that spawned the show, and much else besides. 'Pillar' and McGeeney picked up seamlessly, just as they will whenever they bump into each other again in the future. That's the nature of their relationship and, Caffrey senses, McGeeney's with those whom he will share the Croke Park sideline with tomorrow. 'I had a great chat, that's just the way he would be,' says Caffrey. 'He was with his wife Maura that night. 'I'd send him the odd text or WhatsApp after big games or before them and he'd always come back to me, be very respectful to me and all that, so I'd imagine that's the way he operates with the likes of Dessie or Mick Galvin or these fellas that would still touch base with him.' As it happens, it was in Coppers that Dessie Farrell and McGeeney first made acquaintance in the late '90s, which led to the Armagh centre-back throwing in his lot with Na Fianna. Managed by Caffrey and with Galvin having joined from St Oliver Plunkett's, they won three Dublin Championships in-a-row, a Leinster title and reached the 2000 All-Ireland club final, losing to Crossmaglen Rangers. Farrell and McGeeney were also key figures in the formative years of the Gaelic Players' Association and well beyond, serving as chief executive and secretary respectively. In 2002, they faced off in an All-Ireland semi-final, with Farrell placed at centre-forward to keep the shackles on his clubmate rather than the other way around, though he carried shoulder and calf injuries into the game and made little impact. Armagh squeezed through and Tommy Lyons's Dublin reign fizzled out. 'That Dublin team wasn't the same after,' says Caffrey, a Dublin selector at the time. 'We had a great chance of getting to the All-Ireland final in 2002 and we had huge momentum and who knows what would have happened had we got there. Armagh took their opportunity and went on and won their All-Ireland. 'So these matches, they can have a significant part in history in the following year or two and how things pan out for teams.' Armagh came to Croke Park for a League opener the following February. A crowd of 54,000 turned up to see them beat the Dubs by 11 points. 'I remember talking to Geezer actually about that game. He said they put huge emphasis on hammering us, in terms of the young players that we were trying out that day, to really go hard after us, not to give us any hope. 'They went really hard to put a bit of fear into Dublin in relation to the Armagh jersey and subsequently got us in in the Championship.' That was a qualifier match in which Paddy McKeever and, more famously, Stephen Cluxton was sent off and while Armagh couldn't retain their title from there, they remained a force at the back end of the Championship for years afterwards while Dublin struggled to get a grip on Leinster. Farrell finished with Dublin in 2005, Caffrey's first year as manager, while McGeeney went until 2007 with Armagh before moving straight into management with Kildare. Farrell threw himself into the Dublin underage scene and worked his way up while this is McGeeney's 36th consecutive season involved at senior inter-county level. 'As individuals, they're just two hugely, hugely driven guys,' states Caffrey. 'There's lots of fellas that are serious about football but if you look at the two fellas, the careers they put in after they finished playing, like it's up there with Sean Boylan in terms of the longevity, in terms of what these guys have done year after year after year. 'It's nearly like an addiction to them that there's been, there's been no break. Like Dessie has done it all; the minor up, up through the 21 grade and now in the senior grade. 'A lot of people expected him to step back this year but no, he still is willing to put the hard yards in and try and come back with a newly-formed team with so many retirements.' They first met as managers in a League tie more than three years ago. Farrell had come off a difficult season which had seen him suspended for breaching the Covid training ban and Dublin relinquish their All-Ireland, while impatience with McGeeney was growing in Armagh with League promotions all he had to show for his five years in the job. Since then, Farrell delivered an All-Ireland that was all his in 2023, while McGeeney silenced his critics last year. 'In the eyes of the public these two men are viewed quite differently after winning the two All-Irelands that they have won,' Caffrey explains. 'Dessie overseeing the reintroduction of McCaffrey, Mannion and Cluxton and a winning formula, and for Dublin to achieve that All-Ireland for a lot of them players was quite incredible. 'Geezer finally succeeds and wins a fantastic All-Ireland, beating Kerry in a semi-final and producing a brilliant second half to beat a much-fancied Galway team in the All-Ireland final. 'They're looked on in a different light by the GAA public now. They're not only two of the greatest players that ever played the game but also two of the greatest managers that have ever managed.' And their friendship will drive them to get one over on the other tomorrow. 'I'd think it would be quite personal, yeah,' Caffrey insists. 'Be under no illusion - whoever wins this game is in a much stronger position than the losing manager going forward on Sunday. That's why I don't rule out the draw. 'I think there's more than bragging rights on the table in relation to Geezer versus Dessie. This certainly could shake up the rest of the Championship.'
