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Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Andy McDonnell, Louth's ‘Last man standing' from the 2010 final has finally got his winner's medal
Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Final – Post match reaction The 'last man standing', as goalkeeper Niall McDonnell described him, from the 2010 Leinster final defeat to Meath - 15 years on, Andy McDonnell is a Leinster champion - how did that feel? 'Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Yeah, just to be back. You know this Louth team has been building and credit to the players,' said McDonnell.
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘That shows how strong we are when we get everyone on the field…we're a damn good team' Louth goalkeeper Niall McDonnell
Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship Final – post match reaction The Argus Today at 00:45 He may have tak en some stick in the early part of the league after some errors but there is no doubt as to the importance of goalkeeper Niall McDonnell to this Louth team. Craig Lennon described him as the best shot-stopper he'd seen after his heroics against Kildare in the semi-final. While Meath may have got the ball past him in the second half, it's the measure of McDonnell that even after winning the Leinster title, he was disappointed to have conceded a goal.
Irish Times
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Louth wobble past Kildare to set up Leinster final rematch with Meath
Leinster SFC semi-final: Louth 1-18 Kildare 0-18 It finished with the rest of the summer flashing before the eyes of both teams. It wasn't a classic knock-out, it just felt that way, as Louth eventually wobbled through to another Leinster football final and snatched the last remaining place in the All-Ireland series that came with it. At times the momentum swung wildly, the contrast in emotions in the end understandably stark. Kildare had ample chances to win, the sides level with three minutes remaining, defeat ultimately consigning them to Tailteann Cup football for another summer. It's a third successive Leinster final for Louth for the first time in more than a century, and they would have been some distance outside Tullamore when hearing that Meath, and not Dublin, would be their opponents this time. If the later semi-final in Portlaoise went against most expectations, it sets up a fascinating final showdown. Meath were the last team to beat Dublin in Leinster, in the 2010 semi-final after which they went on to beat Louth in the final thanks to a controversial goal by Joe Sheridan. This was always going to be high-stakes game and it played out exactly that way. Louth went a point up into the last stretch, appearing content to play down the clock from there, before Tommy Durnin kicked an excellent two-point score with two minutes remaining. READ MORE Still Kildare weren't finished. Having gone six points clear after 15 minutes, after which Connal McKeever's goal helped Louth orchestrate a 10-point turnaround, Kildare came again with increasing intent in the last quarter. Darragh Kirwan drew another point-blank save from Niall McDonnell, the Louth goalkeeper truly keeping them in the game. Then Colm Dalton levelled it again for Kildare on 63 minutes. Suddenly it felt like Kildare's game to lose. Louth called on all their experience, especially in Craig Lennon and Sam Mulroy, to steer momentum back in their direction. Needing a goal, Kildare did draw two 45-metre frees after the hooter had sounded, and although there was some disputing afterwards whether the game should have ended with that, they came to nothing anyway. Louth manager Ger Brennan was happy to mingle with supporters afterwards, his counterpart Brian Flanagan heading straight for the Kildare dressingroom, contrasting pictures of triumph and despair. 'I was contemplating going home with our tails between our legs, because we were struggling to get out of our defence,' Brennan said of that frantic endgame. 'I thought Kildare's press was really good, their attack play was really good. But look, credit to our lads, that resilience they've demonstrated over the last five years to dig out the big results when it counts. 'Kildare did have a lot of opportunities in that second half. They left a lot of them behind. Part of that was due to your own defending and in particular the performance of Niall McDonnell. A couple of excellent saves, both in the first and second halves. 'And the other aspect is that you're now in the All-Ireland Series. After this game, you're either going to Croke Park or you're going to, with the greatest respect, Fraher Field in Waterford for the Tailteann Cup. So that was something we were trying to use to motivate our players, and it's a thrill to be back in Croke Park again.' Kildare's Tommy in action against Louth on Sunday. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Lennon finished with four points, and the man-of-the match award too. Mulroy once again showed his value after returning from a hamstring injury, scoring two majestic two-pointers in the first half, one from a free, exactly when Louth needed them most. Kildare had hit the ground running, racing into a 0-8 to 0-2 advantage after 15 minutes. Excellent under the kick-outs and efficient throughout their play, Alex Beirne, Darragh Kirwan and Colm Dalton helped lead the way, as they converted nine of their first eight scoring chances. Then Louth declared a complete reversal of fortune, Mulroy switching to centre forward to good effect, and Louth went up 1-11 to 0-10 at the break. 'I think the four-point lead at half-time flattered us,' conceded Brennan. 'But again, that's down to the quality and resilience of the group to continue to battle and keep fighting. Ultimately, the one statistic that matters is the scoreboard. We managed to take more chances than them.' For Flanagan, in his first season as Kildare manager, there was no denying this was an opportunity missed – and God knows how he felt after hearing Meath had beaten Dublin. 'Hugely disappointed, I thought we had a huge opportunity coming here,' he said. 'It does feel like a huge opportunity left behind us. We had the chances. We gave ourselves a great platform, particularly in the first 15 minutes and the way we took over in the second-half, around the middle and in the shot chances that we created. 'We wanted to be in a Leinster final in two weeks. We wanted to be in Sam Maguire for the rest of the summer, but it's not to be. Perhaps that's part of the development of this group and if that is the case then so be it. 'Momentum is such a key thing in this new game and when you have it you have to be converting up top. Off the top of my head that we had six goal chances throughout the game. Louth just managed to keep us at bay, and we probably contributed to that with our own efforts.' LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny (0-0-1); C McKeever (1-0-0), P Lynch, C Lennon (0-0-4); T Durnin (0-1-0) A McDonnell; P Mathews, C Downey, C Grimes; K McCardle (0-0-1), S Mulroy (0-2-3, three frees), R Burns (0-0-3). Subs: D McDonnell for Mathews (41 mins); D McKeown for Burns, E Carolon for Campbell (both 58); L Jackson for McDonnell (60); C Branigan for Grimes (67 mins). KILDARE: C Burke; B Byrne, M Dempsey, Ryan Burke (0-0-1); J McGrath, D Hyland, T Gill; K Feely (capt) (0-0-1), C Bolton (0-0-1); C Dalton (0-0-2), A Beirne (0-0-6, two frees), B McCormack; R Sinkey (0-0-1), D Kirwan (0-0-5, one free), B McLoughlin (0-0-1). Sub: C Hagney for Bolton (h-t); N Kelly for McCormack (44 mins); J Hyland for Sinkey (54); R Houlihan for Gill (65); K Flynn for McGrath (69). Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry). Attendance: 6,670.
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Louth and Kildare face-off for last remaining place in race for the Sam Maguire
Set against some of the ever-changing complexities of Gaelic football, the situation facing Louth and Kildare in Tullamore this Sunday could not be more straightforward. Or the consequences of victory or defeat more telling on the rest of their 2025 season. It's winner takes all, and no time for losers. The first prize is a place in the Leinster football final, which for both Louth and Kildare carries enough incentive on its own. Louth are chasing a third successive final appearance for the first time in over 100 years; Kildare haven't won the Leinster title since the turn of the century. Just as, or perhaps more, importantly the winners will also get the bonus prize of securing the last remaining place in the All-Ireland senior football series and the 16 counties in the race for the Sam Maguire. While the losers will join the other 16 counties that will contest the second-tier Tailteann Cup. It's also a repeat of last year's semi-final, which Louth won by four points in Croke Park, and with that sending Kildare into the Tailteann Cup for the first time. Louth have contested the 16-team All-Ireland senior football series since it began in 2023. READ MORE The winners will face either Dublin or Meath in the Leinster final, but for now all the focus is on Sunday at Glenisk O'Connor Park (2pm). Despite finishing sixth in Division 2 of the Allianz Football League, Louth's only path to Sam Maguire football this summer is to make that Leinster final given how other provincial pairings have turned out elsewhere. Same for Kildare, who topped Division 3 and lost the final to Offaly. The 15 teams already qualified for the All-Ireland series are Armagh, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tyrone. These teams are decided principally on the placings in the two top divisions of the Allianz Football League. Louth's Niall McDonnell saving a shot from Daniel Flynn of Kildare in th 2024 semi-final at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Down qualified as winners of last year's Tailteann Cup, and could also still make the Ulster football final if they manage to get past Donegal in Clones this Sunday. Clare, who finished third in Division 3 behind Kildare and Offaly, qualified by virtue of making the Munster football final, and will face Kerry in Killarney on Sunday week, May 4th. Louth manager Ger Brennan pointed out some of the structural discrepancies after his team overcame Laois in the quarter-final and believes the GAA may need to look again at exactly how the All-Ireland football series teams are decided. 'We all want to play in the All-Ireland series, as do the two teams that played here, and all the other games going on around Leinster,' said Brennan. 'If you didn't finish high enough in your league table then reaching a provincial table is that bit of a carrot. 'Although it is a bit of a lopsided structure when you look at what's going to come out of Munster, and it's something they will need to look at going forward. But everyone knows what's at stake in terms of keeping Sam Maguire status and getting to a Leinster final.' Louth manager Ger Brennan: he is in his second season as Louth football manager. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Brennan is in his second season as Louth football manager, and the former Dublin All-Ireland winner is also aware of the history at stake on Sunday. When Louth beat Westmeath in the 2010 Leinster semi-final, that set up their first final appearance in 50 years. They last won the title in 1957. If they beat Kildare this time around it will set up a third successive Leinster final, a feat Louth only achieved once before in history, between 1912 and 1914. They beat Dublin in the 1912 final but lost to Wexford in both 1913 and 1914. Kildare last qualified for the final in 2022, and last won the Leinster football title in 2000. For Brian Flanagan, in his first season as Kildare manager, there were certainly positives from their 2-17 to 0-21 win over Westmeath in their quarter-final, 'just that refusal to lose', Flanagan said, and 'to give ourselves that confidence booster going into the next couple of weeks'. Last year, while their home ground in Newbridge was being renovated, Kildare played their home Tailteann Cup games at their training centre in Hawkfield, before only a few hundred supporters. Whoever wins on Sunday will also join Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Tyrone or Armagh, Donegal or Down, and Dublin or Meath as first or second seeds in the All-Ireland series. The draws for the round-robin groups in both the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup competitions will then take place next Tuesday, April 29th. Kildare manager Brian Flanagan: he is in his first season as Kildare manager. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho The Tailteann Cup then starts on May 10th/11th, while the race for the Sam Maguire gets under way on the May 17th/18th. New York also join in the Tailteann Cup in the preliminary quarter-final stage. Whoever loses between Louth and Kildare will be among the top seeds in the Tailteann Cup draw, along with Offaly, Westmeath and Fermanagh. Sligo, Laois, Wexford and Limerick will be second seeds, the third seeds consisting of Antrim, Leitrim, Wicklow and Carlow. Kildare v Louth: Last five Championship meetings 2024: Louth 0-17 Kildare 0-13 (Leinster Semi-Final) 2022: Kildare 2-22 Louth 0-12 (Leinster Quarter-Final) 2014: Kildare 1-22 Louth 1-7 (Leinster Quarter-Final) 2013: Kildare 1-19 Louth 0-15 (All-Ireland Qualifier) 2010: Louth 1-22 Kildare 1-16 (Leinster Quarter-Final)
