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The 42
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
'It's been a mad year' - Wedding and All-Ireland joy for Galway's Star of County Down
SHE CAN'T QUITE decide between her wedding and her All-Ireland medal as to which is the bigger highlight of 2025. Enjoying both in the same year is certainly something to savour. 'Maybe ask me again during the week,' Niamh Mallon smiles when asked to choose after playing her part in Galway's one-point victory over Cork in Croke Park. Originally from Down, Mallon is in just her second season with Cathal Murray's side. And after her first senior All-Ireland final ended in heartache against the same opposition last year, her point in the 40th minute of the 2025 decider helped ensure Galway overturned the result this time around. 'It's been massive. I'm just delighted for the group and delighted for Cathal. It's easy for people to have pops at management teams and the way they set teams up but the time and effort that that group has put into us has been massive since the turn of January. Advertisement 'And they got their just rewards today. I'm just delighted to be part of the group and very grateful.' Mallon captained Down to a junior All-Ireland title in 2014 at just 19, and added intermediate honours in 2020 after producing a Player of the Match performance in the final against Antrim. A senior success with Galway gives her the clean sweep of All-Ireland medals but she remembered her achievements with her native county when speaking to Off The Ball after the game. 'It's been a year of emotions, I got married in March, I lost my grandmother in March' 'It's been a long time coming for this group' A jubilant Niamh Mallon after her side won the All Ireland Senior Camogie title this afternoon. — Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 10, 2025 'Those days are right up there as well,' she explained. In that interview, Mallon also mentioned that her grandmother passed away in March, which was the same month that she got married. She touched on that sense of emotion again when she spoke to the media after the game. She also circled back to the mental struggles she experienced in her first season with Galway last year, something she opened up about ahead of the All-Ireland final. 'It's been a mad year, it's been great. We'll enjoy tonight. 'I spoke before after the Tipp [All-Ireland semi-final] game, that it was something in my own head. It was something I'd never experienced in a camogie dressing room in 10, 15 years and it was something I had to get over. 'I think the experience of coming into my first [senior] All-Ireland final was something I needed to work through. I think the experience of last year stood to me today. Just very grateful to the group.' The physicality of the game has become a major talking point in the aftermath of Galway's triumph. Camogie referees have been criticised in the past for not facilitating a free-flowing contest in All-Ireland finals, while Justin Heffernan has also been scrutinised for applying the rules more strictly during yesterday's game. His decision to give Hannah Looney a straight red card has also been quite divisive. Related Reads 'All we heard all week was the three-in-a-row. We were there to take it off them' 'It's not sour grapes, I just thought the referee had a very poor match' Galway crush Cork's All-Ireland three-in-a-row hopes to claim senior camogie crown Mallon, however, feels the officiating was fair overall. 'He let the game go and it really contributed to a really good game. There were a few questionable decisions last year coming down the stretch on both sides. I think he did a great job today to let the game flow. You got a spectacle out of it. 'We really went after stopping their running game at source. If they get out, they're a fierce dangerous side. Trying to not let them build from the back and give them a platform, particularly in that middle third. 'That's where they got us last year.'
Irish Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
How Kerry pulled off tactical masterclass to beat Donegal in All-Ireland final
One of the best podcasts on sports coaching in Gaelic games was released exactly two years ago, ahead of the Kerry v Dublin All-Ireland final. In an interview with Ger Gilroy on Off The Ball, Cian O'Neill gave a real insight into his coaching philosophy. One of the key aspects of the interview comes at around the 20-minute mark where he talks about role clarity, role acceptance and role execution. He stresses role acceptance is the most crucial, along with the trust within the group on that, as well as the strategy being co-created with the players. Merge that with the insight from his Sunday Game banquet interview, where he referenced having more than 40 coaches (ie the players on the field) involved in the set-up and you see how a tactical masterclass was delivered on the biggest stage by Kerry last Sunday. READ MORE Role clarity The maps below show where some of the key Kerry players got possessions. Much has been made of the 76 possessions that Paudie Clifford got in the final (we will explore the how of that a little more in the role acceptance section). He was fulfilling a role that was afforded to him by the Donegal structure. His pivot role between the 45 and 65 was executed with precision. He was rarely under any pressure in his possessions as he soloed the ball left and right with ease, and surveyed the options in front of him. Possession maps for some of Kerry's key players. Seán O'Shea played a similar role to Paudie at times, while at other times he operated in the 15 corner at the corner of the arc, mirroring David Clifford on the far side. The positioning of O'Shea and David Clifford were absolutely crucial in stretching the Donegal defence. This allowed Gavin White to raid forward down the left wing twice in the opening minutes for a score and again in the second half. Gavin White's early raid with Mark O'Shea and Sean O'Brien positioned high, stretching Donegal. White line break in final quarter, Diarmuid O'Connor has now assumed high midfield role. Role acceptance Again there has been talk of David Clifford's periods of splendid isolation during the game as he brought Brendan McCole to the outskirts of the pitch. This showed a huge level of leadership from a player of such talents. He operated in that right channel of the pitch and allowed Paudie to operate centrally, while Gavin White profited off the weaker side of the defence. It was smart but not unexpected as McCole was always going to stick to the Fossa man closely. McCole did turn over Clifford twice in the game - in a game were Kerry didn't offer up turnovers easily, he cemented his All Star. A typical attacking shape for Kerry during the All-Ireland final. The two players who are maybe not receiving their fair share of the plaudits are Seán O'Brien and Mark O'Shea. They were the epitome of role acceptance. During structured attacks they were always the highest and when Diarmuid O'Connor entered the fray he continued on this 'team/position' role. This wasn't without personal reward as O'Brien scored two points, one from the above picture as he fisted over, and a second below as he came from inside out as Gavin White popped him the ball, with again Mark O'Shea highest. One of the biggest aspects of this move was how it pinned Peadar Mogan so far back the field. The build-up to Seán O'Brien's second point - another score built off a disciplined attacking structure. The structure to the Kerry attack all day, assisted by the passive Donegal zonal defence, meant they could execute rehearsed plays with conviction. The below image of an attack in the early stages of the second half really illustrates the possession control that was in place. Kerry used a set attacking structure to attack the Donegal zonal defence. Another key moment came in the 16th minute when Paudie Clifford checked the run of Peadar Mogan after a rare Kerry mistake, before a Mark O'Shea turnover which afforded David Clifford a breakaway point. Paudie Clifford's check on Peadar Mogan stops supporting run. Role execution Everyone knowing their role and being willing to accept it is one thing, but you must be able to execute and punish. This requires leadership and steel - both were in abundance in the Kerry dressingroom and on the field. The captain has a role in setting the tone. Kerry won both throw-ins with Gavin White raiding forward off both. In the first half he won the break off Mark O'Shea and drove through the heart of the Donegal defence before offloading to Dylan Geaney who opened the Kingdom's account. At the start of the move there was a theatrical jump from Ryan McHugh, as White started his run. The second half started the same with a breaking ball, this time McHugh went to meet the Kerry captain and White went through him, leaving the Kilcar man requiring attention to his shoulder - the phase finished with a Seán O'Shea point. Kerry's Gavin White winning breaks at the start of each half. White wasn't the only leader, there were two particular enforcers on the Kerry team, who led throughout. Seán O'Shea man showed leadership when he came really deep for a Shane Ryan kickout in the second half. He wanted possession deep all day and took the responsibility to carry out from there. The reaction of the Kenmare man when Donegal tried to test the shoulder of the returning Diarmuid O'Connor showed the togetherness of the Kerry team. Kerry's Seán O'Shea coming deep into pocket to take kickout. Seán O'Shea moves to help protect the returning Diarmuid O'Connor. Joe O'Connor won clean kickouts throughout the encounter, and he had an important block as Donegal attempted a two-pointer in the 49th minute. Then he finished the game off by rocketing the ball to the back of the net in the last minute. Killian Spillane assisted the goal, who received the ball off his Templenoe clubmate Tadgh Morley, a leader of Kerry for years. Joe O'Connor block down on rare Donegal two-point attempt. Joe O'Connor senses something is on and drives forward for Kerry's late goal. The Kingdom's true leader was David Clifford. Every score he landed energised the crowd, and they energised him. The humility to spend time on the outskirts to benefit others was fascinating to watch - his first possession only came after eight minutes. When he came into phases on high Kerry turnovers in the first half he returned 0-3 in seconds. His point in the 11th minute hasn't received as much attention as it deserves. He was initially priming himself for a loop off Mark O'Shea but had to readjust and loop off Mike Breen and kick the ball over for a two-pointer under pressure, off the back foot. Unbelievable athleticism and skill. David Clifford adjusting his loop to set up a two-point attempt. The part of the game that emphasised the collective leadership and role execution was the final phase of the first half, where Kerry controlled the ball from the moment Shane Ryan collected it on 33:15 and David Clifford kicked his two-pointer after the buzzer. A huge score that afforded them a seven-point half-time advantage. Paudie on his own 45m line in the phase issued a keep calm sign, before he proceeded to have eight of his 76 possessions in the phase. He set it up for his brother David to execute. The set-up for Kerry's two-pointer after the buzzer in the first half. Paudie was again provider for his younger brother for his 36th-minute point, as he orchestrated the back door cut with a sublimely weighted pass - a score made in Fossa. Paudie Clifford directing his brother for back door cut pass. An All-Ireland final where role clarity, acceptance and execution were to the fore, but the victors were assisted by an opponent who believed that Plan A could not be overcome and were slow to adapt. There will be regret for Donegal on how Kerry navigated around their game plan, but they have the personnel and togetherness to recover and go again in 2026. Paul O'Brien is a performance analyst with The Performance Process .
Irish Examiner
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Fogarty Forum: Good old umbrage fuelled Kerry and Tipp
Written off or softened up, teams only perceive themselves as one or the other. A video from a Nenagh pub last week where Tipperary players celebrated their All-Ireland triumph revealed how motivated they were by some of the unflattering comments made about them on Off The Ball . This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month
Irish Examiner
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kit and kaboodle: A Donegal-Kerry final but not as we know it
The morning after and Jim McGuinness was still scratching his head about the goal that led to Donegal's defeat in the 2014 All-Ireland final. Irrespective of Kerry's press, Paul Durcan's kick-out to Kieran Donaghy was inexplicable to the point that McGuinness was entertaining the idea that his goalkeeper had been dazzled by the likeness of the Donegal jersey with that of the Kerry one. 'Well, they [the colours] were very close,' said McGuinness in the team hotel the following day. 'We were going to propose in the run-up to the game maybe go in white ourselves. Just for ourselves to go in white. But listen, you'd be nitpicking.' The sun had also been in Durcan's eyes in that 51st minute as he attempted to find Leo McLoone only for Donaghy to pounce. It too had been mentioned as a factor but the man himself, speaking two months later, wasn't making any excuses. 'It was hard the way it went for myself on the day with the mistake I made, on the biggest stage that is possible in my sport. I have to live with it and move on and try and enjoy playing my football, whatever I have left in my career. 'I just kicked the ground. I was trying to hit it out to the right slightly. I've watched it back myself again and I just kicked the ground and the ball took off at the wrong angle.' However, the confusion between the jerseys that September day was also shared in Kerry. 'We played Donegal in '14, I swear to God it was green and gold everywhere,' said that season's footballer of the year James O'Donoghue on Off The Ball's Football Pod recently. 'We requested blue and were declined. We had played in blue in the semi-final (games v Mayo) against and they said 'no'. The Cusack (Stand), the Hogan, the Hill are green and gold as well and both teams. It's impossible, it's impossible to see what's going on and if you're a goalie would want to have his wits about him.' O'Donoghue 'genuinely' felt the colour clash could have led to Durcan's faux pas but there will be no chance of Shaun Patton doing the same on Sunday. For the first time in 15 years, both All-Ireland finalists will wear their alternative kits after being sanctioned by Croke Park and signed off by referee Brendan Cawley. For the previous game, Donegal had been due to wear their white second strip against Meath who were also set to don a yellow version of their kit only for referee Paul Faloon to instruct they return to their original jerseys. That U-turn caused issues in the counties who had initially been agreeable to the alteration and trained in their changed jerseys. When it was confirmed on the Wednesday of the game that they would be going back to their home wear, there was disgruntlement. Aside from the clashes, colour blindness and counties' keenness to exploit their marketing worth are other factors. Before last year's All-Ireland final, Kieran McGeeney touched on both after Armagh wore their black kit against Kerry in the semi-final. 'They (the GAA) are very funny about that, don't ask me why – you have to get special permission,' he said. 'We have two players with colour blindness, that's an issue at different times, so when you have full block colours it can be an issue for two of them. "I don't know, that sort of stuff goes way over my head. You'd think it's a simple enough thing, like wear what you want as long as you can distinguish between the two teams. You'll have traditionalists but I still think part of the thing we have now in each county is that, whether we like it or not, there has to be a commercial value to it.' The prevalence of colour blindness among players, which affects approximately 8% of men and less than 1% of women, is being taken seriously enough that GAA sources say there is a possibility in the future that either (or both) Cork and Kerry will have to change from their traditional jerseys when they face each other. Green-red is the most common form of colour blindness. In a 2023 piece, MayoGAABlog's Willie Joe explained his condition and spoke of how locating the brown ball on the snooker table and co-ordinating clothes was a difficulty. 'You get the picture. Reds into greens into browns – they're all the one to these eyes. Blues, purples and pinks – they all look lovely, I'm sure, whatever they are. What even is teal?' He continued: 'The problem is the similarity a colour-blind person perceives in colour tones. If these aren't obviously different – and I mean very obviously different – then colour-blind people like me won't be able to tell two sets of players apart. 'The solution is a maddeningly simple one. If one team wears a dark-coloured top, then the other should wear a light-coloured one. Same with the shorts. That's all that's required. Is this asking too much?' The GAA are listening, even if what will be presented on the field on Sunday will be unusual. Not since that Cork and Down wore white and gold in 2010 have both teams had to alter their garb on football's biggest day. Where does this land with Kerry's notorious superstitiousness? The piseog of Jack O'Connor prefacing all four of his All-Ireland titles as manager with Division 1 crowns serves him well going into this weekend. Kerry will also be assigned the Hill 16 side dressing room in the Hogan Stand where they were for all four of those successes under O'Connor as well as the 2014 decider against Donegal. However, there will be those supporters who associate the change of attire with 1982 when Kerry lost the gold hoop for the final. And didn't Kerry wear blue and Donegal white when the latter won against O'Connor's side in the 2012 All-Ireland quarter-final? And yet the older vintage will point to how Kerry won back-to-back finals in 1969 and '70 draped in a royal hue of blue. New rules and new clobber, it's a Donegal-Kerry final but not as we know it. Kit and kaboodle Since their All-Ireland final in 2014, Donegal and Kerry have met 10 times. In their last three meetings, both teams have worn their alternative kits. 2025: Division 1, Killarney: Kerry in blue, Donegal in white 2023: Division 1, Ballybofey: Kerry in navy blue, Donegal in white 2022: Division 1, Killarney: Kerry in blue, Donegal in white 2020: Division 1, Tralee: Kerry in blue 2019: All-Ireland q-f Croke Park: Home jerseys 2018: Division 1, Killarney: Home jerseys 2017: Division 1, Letterkenny: Home jerseys 2016: Division 1, Tralee: Donegal in white 2015: Division 1, Tralee: Home jerseys Ten All-Ireland final jersey changes 2010: Cork (white) v Down (gold) 2004: Kerry v Mayo (red) 1996: Meath (yellow for replay) v Mayo 1996: Meath (green) v Mayo 1982: Offaly (predominantly white) v Kerry (green) 1981: Kerry (yellow top half) v Offaly (predominantly white) 1973: Cork (white) v Galway (no change) 1972: Offaly (green) v Kerry (blue) 1970: Kerry (blue) v Meath (green) 1969: Kerry (blue) v Offaly (green).
Glasgow Times
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Ex-Celtic star says he was once 'threatened by a murderer'
The former Hoops striker explained that the encounter took place whilst he was playing for St Johnstone in Perth. (Image: Archives) Former inmates were visiting the McDiarmid Park ground as part of a rehabilitation project while Watt and his teammates were posing for photographs on the pitch, The Sun reports. The 31-year-old stated that he jokingly told the man to get out of the shot, only for him to react angrily and confront the player in the changing room. READ NEXT: Former Rangers star engaged after popping the question on holiday Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Off The Ball programme, Watt said: 'When I was at St Johnstone, they used to do a thing with the community where they would let ex-prisoners in. 'We were doing a team photo, and there was somebody in a high-viz vest in the background. "I didn't know about the community thing at the time, so as footballers do for banter, I was shouting 'get out of this photo you' and there were a loud couple of laughs. 'I went into the changing room and the door opens and he goes 'Tony Watt, I don't want to be in your f*****g photo, you can f**k off'. 'He walked out, and the boys were like 'he was in jail for murder'. I don't think I spoke for the rest of the day. 'I was trying to be a smart Alec and I nearly got battered off a murderer. It's a good thing the club do to integrate them back in, but not when you have got loudmouths like myself shouting stuff at them.' READ NEXT: Son of ex-Celtic player attacked Glasgow cop amid ticket row Watt played for St Johnstone during the 2018/19 season. He previously spent a few years at Celtic after being signed in 2011. During his time at the Parkhead club, Watt scored the winning goal for Celtic against Barcelona in a Champions League tie. Watt, who is from Coatbridge, now plays for Partick Thistle after signing with the club earlier this month.
