Latest news with #McGuinness'
Irish Daily Mirror
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Player dropped by Jim McGuinness questions his All-Ireland final tactics
Jim McGuinness's approach to last weekend's All-Ireland final has been questioned by former Donegal player Kevin Cassidy. Kerry cruised to a 1-26 to 0-19 victory against Donegal at Croke Park and a post-mortem into what went wrong for McGuinness' side has been ongoing over the past few days. Pat Spillane has claimed McGuinness' record in big matches "is not good", with Cassidy questioning the tactics deployed by the Donegal manager. The Gaoth Dobhair man had suggested prior to the game that Donegal should double mark David Clifford or focus on Paudie Clifford or Sean O'Shea rather than zonally defend. "Only Jim knows why he didn't take that approach," Cassidy, who was removed from the Donegal panel by McGuinness in 2011 following a dispute over an interview, said in Gaelic Life. "Paudie [Clifford] had 76 possessions, scored three points and I think he had his hand in at least eight more. Seán O'Shea also contributed heavily on the scoreboard, kicking some very important points. "Obviously we are not privy to what goes on behind closed doors, but to not double-team David Clifford or go after the two lads mentioned seemed very strange. "It would have been hard to do both but at the very least we should have gone after either David or the two boys, but we just stuck to our zonal marking."
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Common sense prevails as GAA to fix obvious problem arising from All-Ireland football final match-up
KERRY are set to wear their alternative blue kit in order to avoid a colour clash in this year's All-Ireland football final. Common sense seemed to be ignored for 3 The clash of Donegal against Kerry would throw up just that if the Kingdom similarly stuck to the green and gold 3 Apparently Donegal will wear their home kit for the July 27 decider 3 This was how the 2014 final between them looked It is the referee's call whether a colour clash is significant enough that one or both of the teams is compelled to wear one of their alternative strips. Ultimately, Paul Faloon did not deem that a necessary step to take. And in fairness many viewers expressed that they had little to no issue distinguishing Donegal players from Kerry counterparts. But it was a problem for some portions of the TV as well as Croke Park audience. Other sports such as rugby union have taken more of a proactive approach in recent years to be cognisant of those who suffer from colour-blindness around fixtures such as Wales against Ireland. Read More On GAA So plenty of GAA enthusiasts will likely appreciate a needless colour clash being avoided altogether. On Tuesday In a follow-up exchange on X he was asked by one follower 'Is this official?' To which, he replied: "Believe so Roman. County Board came to a decision on it." Most read in GAA Football It's worth noting that when these two counties met in the 2014 showpiece neither of them adopted a secondary kit. This arguably contributed to one of the most forgettable All-Ireland finals in living memory as the Aristocrats edged McGuinness' first batch by 2-9 to 0-12. 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal You could even argue that goalkeeper Paul Durcan's oddly errant kick-out straight to Kieran Donaghy for his goal may have been partly due to him blending in with the opposition. In any case, it seems the GAA is starting to move with the times on this dilemma with this set to be the first football final since the 2010 meeting of Cork and Down where one side won't be in their primary kit. REF CALL Tuesday also brought with it news over The Kildare native has been on the inter-county officiating circuit since 2019 and is a widely respected figure across the game. His line umpires on the day will be Monaghan's Martin McNally and David Coldrick of Meath, with McNally also set to serve as standby referee. Last year saw Cawley oversee Galway's narrow semi-final triumph over Donegal. This time around McGuinness' men had a far easier time of it as In the wake of But having seen his team hit 3-13 after the change of ends at a packed The Royals have already tasted unlikely Championship victories over Dublin, Kerry But Robbie Brennan's superb first season at the helm was brought to an end in chastening fashion. Even at half-time, things looked ominous for Meath as they trailed by 0-13 to 0-8. With a Sam Maguire decider
The Irish Sun
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Jim McGuinness pinpoints best aspect of Donegal's hammering of Meath as he turns attention to Kerry
TWELVE MONTHS since Jim McGuinness admitted that his side 'ran out of steam' in their bid to reach the All-Ireland SFC final, Donegal delivered the goods as they charged towards a first showpiece since 2014 like a freight train. In the wake of Advertisement 2 McGuinness' men ran out 3-26 to 0-15 winners 2 Conor O'Donnell registered the third goal But having seen his team hit 3-13 after the change of ends at a packed The Royals have already tasted unlikely Championship victories over Dublin, Kerry But Robbie Brennan's superb first season at the helm was brought to an end in chastening fashion. Even at half-time, things looked ominous for Meath as they trailed by 0-13 to 0-8. With a Sam Maguire decider Advertisement Read More On GAA Murphy made way just moments after kicking his side into an eight-point lead. By then, the Ulster champions had also bagged the first of three second-half goals. Donegal can now look forward to a first All-Ireland final appearance since the defeat to the Kingdom 11 years ago. McGuinness' side played five games in 99 days to reach that stage then. It has taken them twice as many outings in the same number of days to do it again. Every facet of Donegal's output was impressive here. Singling out just one of their awesome attackers would do a disservice to the others. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football At the back, high standards were set by the colossal contributions of Brendan McCole and Finnbarr Roarty. On a day when Paddy McBrearty came off the bench and kicked 0-3, McGuinness noted that the strength of his panel has been a key factor in taking Donegal a step further than in 2024. Joanne Cantwell cracks Katie Taylor joke as RTE panel argue over David Clifford not getting Player of the Match award He said: "We didn't know at that stage the rule changes that were coming down the line and the physical demands of the rule changes, but certainly we knew that we needed people to come in and give us more depth and strengthen. "We knew we had to be stronger and it would build its own energy within the group because it'd be more competitive and people want to play naturally, so I think we did see that today. Advertisement "We were able to make those changes the whole way through the game and going in to play Kerry in an All-Ireland final, you're going to need every man that you've got. "That's a huge challenge and they're so confident about what they do. "There's a rite of passage there almost in terms of winning All-Irelands, so that's the first thing we're going to have to meet head on. "But certainly it'll not be 15 players, it'll be every single player that can get onto the pitch that'll be needed." Advertisement WASTEFUL ROYALS During their run to the last four, Meath have often thrived with the wind at their backs. However, they lacked the accuracy required to take advantage of the strong breeze behind them as they attacked the Canal End in the first half. From nine two-point efforts, only twice were orange flags raised. In total, the 16 shots they took before the interval yielded just six scores. Their best goal chance also slipped away as Jordan Morris put too much purchase on a pass aimed at playing Matthew Costello through. Advertisement Brennan said: 'It's disappointing for the lads really because I'm absolutely convinced we're better than that. "What we left behind us in the first half didn't give us enough of a platform then to even try and attack anything in the second half. 'With the rules the way they are and there's so much space, if that momentum – that great buzzword now – goes against you, it's very hard to wrestle it back. "They're so good at controlling the game, it's nearly impossible." Advertisement SCRAPPY PERIOD Donegal were flawless in front of the posts for almost the entirety of the first quarter. They nailed their first six attempts and did not register a miss until the 17th minute. Yet they became similarly wasteful thereafter and ended the half with a tally of seven wides. They also failed to find the net from the three goal opportunities that came their way in a five-minute spell just before the break. Donal Keogan came to the rescue with a save for Meath when goalkeeper Billy Hogan was beaten by Conor O'Donnell. Advertisement A fine stop from Hogan then denied Hugh McFadden, before Murphy had to settle for a point as he was unable to keep his shot down with the goal at his mercy. To a chorus of boos from Meath fans who were angered by a late challenge from Murphy on Seán Rafferty that went unpunished, the veteran Glenswilly kicked a brilliant two-point free into the wind early on. The score put Donegal back in the ascendancy after the lead was very briefly seized by Meath for the only time in the game thanks to a two-pointer from Eoghan Frayne. It was a dismal first half for Brennan's side, who went 17 minutes without a score at one stage despite playing with the aid of the wind. Advertisement MENTON INJURY And they struggled badly on kickouts after Bryan Menton was forced off with an injury in the 20th minute. The Meath boss said: "Bryan is an exceptional leader for us and all those things that you'd expect him to be. "But one of his key things is that he's so good at organising around that back line or the middle line for us. 'There's no doubt he was a loss but you're going to lose guys at this level and you have to be able to replace it again." Advertisement When Donegal's first goal eventually came in the 42nd minute, it was engineered by a Caolan McColgan. But the finish from Oisín Gallen was sublime. The second was scored by Ciarán Moore, who expertly steered the ball beyond Hogan's reach after being teed up by Ryan McHugh. With 49 minutes on the clock, it was already the final nail in Meath's coffin as Donegal held a 2-16 to 0-11 advantage. Thanks to Frayne and Conor Duke, Meath ended the third quarter by posting back-to-back scores for the first time in the game. But they were blitzed again as Donegal outscored them by 1-9 to 0-2 until the finish. Advertisement O'Donnell finally got his goal in the 59th minute as the Carndonagh man coolly converted after the ball was squared by Gallen. LASTING MESSAGE Brennan added: "I hope we've reawakened that drive and love for Meath football in the county because I think we've been crying out for it and today showed it. It was a complete sell-out, I think. "But it's important we take that now and keep building that towards the future. You're not going to win every match, as we always know, but we can't drop off now. We have to keep pushing." DONEGAL: S Patton 0-1, 1 '45; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan 0-1; R McHugh 0-1, EB Gallagher, C McColgan; H McFadden, M Langan 0-4; C Thompson 0-2, S O'Donnell 0-1, C Moore 1-1; C O'Donnell 1-3, M Murphy 0-6, 1tpf, 1f, O Gallen 1-2. Advertisement Subs: P McBrearty 0-3 for Murphy 45 mins, J McGee for McFadden 50, C McGonagle for McColgan 51, D Ó Baoill 0-1 for McHugh 55, O McFadden-Ferry for Mogan 58. MEATH: B Hogan; S Rafferty 0-1, S Lavin, R Ryan; C Caulfield, S Coffey, D Keogan; B Menton, A O'Neill; M Costello 0-1f, R Kinsella 0-3, 1tp, K Curtis 0-3; C Duke 0-1, J Morris 0-1, E Frayne 0-5, 1tp, 1f. Subs: C Gray for Menton 20 mins, E Harkin for O'Neill 46, J McEntee for Lavin 50, B O'Halloran for Curtis 57, S Walsh for Kinsella 62. REFEREE: P Faloon (Down) Advertisement
Irish Independent
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
'We didn't know the statement was going out' - Jim McGuinness distances himself from Donegal six-day turnaround talk
Donegal boss makes his point after 1-26 to 1-20 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final victory over Monaghan Jim McGuinness rarely misses an opportunity to make a point and he took the closing minutes of his post-match press briefing to distance himself from Donegal GAA's statement earlier this week. Tongues were wagging when Donegal chiefs stated that "the welfare of our players was not adequately considered" after McGuinness' side were fixed to play just six days after their preliminary quarter-final win against Louth.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Tyrone and Derry in danger? How things stand in Division One
It's a pivotal weekend in the Allianz Football League ahead of the penultimate round of fixtures in Division the bottom end of the table, Derry can be relegated if they fail to beat Mayo at Celtic Park on has been a disappointing campaign for Derry under Paddy Tally, and they are cut adrift with two matches remaining with their sole point coming in February's draw with Ulster rivals Tyrone are also in relegation danger, but if Derry fail to win and the Red Hands pick up a point against Donegal, then the Oak Leafers will be facing Division Two football next whose sole win came over Derry in their opener, take on Donegal at the weekend, with both sides in contrasting McGuinness' Donegal, meanwhile, are level on points with Galway at the top, and can move a step closer to securing a place in the league final with victory in Galway are in a similar position to Donegel, and Padraic Joyce's All-Ireland finalists return to Croke Park to take on Dublin on champions Armagh travel Kerry in what could define the campaign for both sides. A top-two finish is unlikely, but defeat would leave either side in danger of dropping into the bottom two if Derry and Tyrone can turn around their One fixtures - round fourKerry v Armagh (Saturday, 17:30) TraleeDublin v Galway (Saturday, 19:30) Croke ParkDerry v Mayo, Celtic Park, (Sunday, 13:30) Celtic ParkDonegal v Tyrone (Sunday, 15:30) LetterkennyGet all the latest GAA news here
