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Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Colm Boyle: Meath's strength became their weakness in stroll for Donegal
My fear that this All-Ireland semi-final might get ugly for Meath unfortunately became a reality for them. Donegal were playing football from a different planet to them and it sets up a fascinating final against Kerry in two weeks. The Ulster champions were absolutely electric in the second half and once Oisín Gallen cracked home their first goal, they sprinted for home, outscoring Meath 2-12 to 0-5 in the process. One of Meath's biggest strengths in the lead up to the All-Ireland semi-final was their two-point shooting, but in the first half it became a huge weakness. With the wind at their backs the game plan was clear: don't bring the ball into Donegal's zonal defensive system and get your shots off from outside the arc. It's great when it comes off, but converting only two from seven two-point attempts completely sucked the life out of them. The more they missed, the more Donegal became comfortable with letting them shoot from distance. Donegal, on the other hand, were red hot in the opening stages, scoring their first six from seven shots into a tricky breeze at the Hill 16 end although their shot efficiency did drop off for the rest of the half. Leading by five points at half-time and with the wind at their backs, I didn't think there was any way that they would not win the game and the second half proved a stroll in the park. Michael Murphy coming off so early in the second half was interesting; he didn't seem to be moving particularly well despite scoring an early second half point. But Jim McGuiness will be delighted that he didn't have to exert himself too much. One of Donegal's greatest strengths is that they regularly hit double digits in terms of scorers - different players raised a flag this time and it's something that Jack O'Connor is going to find very difficult to plan for in two weeks. For Meath, it's definitely an anti-climax to what has been a great season for them and was eerily similar to Cork's dismantling of Dublin in the hurling semi-final eight days earlier. The loss of Bryan Menton after 20 minutes coincided with Donegal completely taking over around the middle third. Donegal just never let Jordan Morris and Mathew Costello in particular have any sort of influence on the game. But with injured players such as James Conlon to come back into the mix next year it will be interesting to see how much more this team can improve and develop. It's all about Donegal, however, and they and Kerry have proven themselves to be the top two sides in the country with their displays over the weekend. One thing that is for certain ahead of the final is that David Clifford will not be afforded the same space that he got against Tyrone, which is just one aspect of what should be a fascinating tactical battle. The impact of the benches could be vital too, and Paddy McBrearty followed up his big performance off the bench against Monaghan with another sharp display this time. All told, the semi-final weekend was a bit of a letdown as a brilliant summer of football winds down. Here's hoping we get the thrilling final that this Championship deserves. ====== Pádraig Hampsey was handed the hardest task in Gaelic football on Saturday on David Clifford and Tyrone's back-up plan failed badly. Taking on Clifford in the wide-open spaces of Croke Park in sweltering conditions is incredibly difficult but, still, it's a job that Hampsey would have been much better able to tackle three or four years ago, before he was wracked by injuries. He just didn't look like he had it in the legs at this stage and Clifford was in near unstoppable form. In the circumstances, he needed greater support around him but the plan to get Ben McDonnell back as extra cover didn't work out. McDonnell struggled to get into a position that affected the ball getting to Clifford. When Clifford left Hampsey for dead on the run in for his goal, it was McDonnell that came across but he offered little to no resistance to Clifford, who finished expertly to the net. McDonnell dropping also allowed the Kerry half-back line to carry loads of ball and I thought Gavin White, Mike Breen and Brian Ó Beaglaioch all had brilliant games. Seán O'Shea and Paudie Clifford weren't at their blistering best but were still hugely influential in the game. They will both feel that they can up it a few gears in the final. But one man who seems to be doing just that with every game is Joe O'Connor. He gave a powerhouse of a performance again on Saturday. His appetite for work is infectious. He has got himself into incredible physical shape. He was fouled for two scores in the first half and drove right through the heart of the Tyrone defence for two scores of his own in the second half. Malachy O'Rourke will be scratching his head at how his team fell away so badly after Darragh Canavan made it a one-point game in the 42nd minute. His team didn't score again for another 20 minutes and had eight missed attempts at the posts in the meantime. It completely sucked the life out of them on an evening when scores give you the oxygen you need to survive in such blistering heat, with Kerry rattling off nine points without reply to finish the game as a contest. Relief must be the overriding emotion for Brian Flanagan as his Kildare side survived a huge scare against Limerick in the Tailteann Cup final. Winning the competition isn't what Flanagan's term as Kildare manager will be judged on, but had they lost it could have been a mortal blow to what he hopes to achieve going forward. Win it they did, however, and they had to survive a last minute Limerick onslaught for a goal as Brian Byrne made a heroic block to force a goalbound Rory O'Brien shot over the bar. Kildare are often a team that get criticised for their inability to win big games and, in many ways, this could be a great platform for them to build from because when Killian Ryan crashed in a brilliant second half goal for Limerick it looked like it was going to be Jimmy Lee's side's day. But Darragh Kirwan in particular was exceptional in the closing stages to dig out the result for Kildare. Lee simply could not have asked any more from his team and they looked as exhausted as they were devastated at the end. But what a year it's been for them. The big question for Kildare is whether this can be a springboard to greater things for them now. It's a start but, on the evidence of this display, they have a hell of a long way to go.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Donegal cruise past Meath to set up All-Ireland decider with Kerry
DONEGAL 3-26 (3-1-24) MEATH 0-15 (0-2-11) Donegal and Kerry will clash in their second-ever All-Ireland and first since 2014 after the Ulster champions ransacked Meath in this All-Ireland semi-final. Second-half goals by Oisín Gallen, Ciarán Moore and Conor O'Donnell augmented a five-point half-time lead (0-13 to 0-8) on a 20-point cruise of passage to the final. This was a walk in the park and by the end they were strolling through a gassed Meath defence. Donegal could even afford to retire Michael Murphy from the game in the 45th minute with the scoreline reading eight points in their favour. The decision was a topic of conversation for the 82,000 Croke Park crowd going by the murmuring that followed his departure but it was calculated. Gallen's 42nd minute goal coupled with Murphy's last point and last act of the game a minute later catapulted Donegal into that heading. When Ciarán Moore was put through to bulge the net a second time seven minutes later after a great turnover by Finbarr Roarty initiated the attack, the difference had widened to 11 points. A Shaun Patton 45 following a Billy Hogan save from Ciarán Thompson stretched the margin to 12. Conor Duke and Eoghan Frayne stemmed the haemorrhaging albeit temporarily as the wound gushed with a flurry of Donegal scores. After an excellent start by Donegal, profligacy was the name of game for the two teams for most of the half. Meath scored six times in the first half but registered nine wides and dropped two short. Donegal didn't hit their first wide until the 17th minute by which time they had six points kicked into the breeze, which included a two-point free by Murphy. Meath themselves had raised two orange flags themselves via Frayne and Ruairí Kinsella. Kinsella's in the 13th minute had brought Meath within one and after Michael Langan's first point Keith Curtis soon cancelled it out. However, Meath had to wait 17 minutes before their next score, which came courtesy of Curtis. In that period between those points, they struck three wides and dropped a couple of attempts short. Donegal struck five in a 10-minute period but were hitting the target some of the time and their lead expanded to five by the half-hour mark as Meath counted the loss of Bryan Mention to a leg injury. As Donegal threatened to turn the screw, Donal Keogan kept out a Conor O'Donnell shot in the 31st minute and Hugh McFadden's effort was denied by Billy Hogan a couple of minutes later after Caolan McColgan's point attempt struck the post. Successive Meath points by Curtis and Jordan Morris gave the Leinster runners-up a little respite but no sooner had Morris scored his point that it was being cancelled out by Oisín Gallen's second score and Murphy had goal on his mind with the penultimate attack of the game but settled for a point. Scorers for Donegal: M. Murphy (0-6, 1 tpf, 1 free); C. McDonnell (1-3); O. Gallen (1-2); C. Moore (1-1); M. Langan (0-4); P. McBrearty (0-3 each); C. Thompson (0-2); S. O'Donnell, R. McHugh, S. Patton (45), P. Mogan, D. Ó Baoill (0-1 each) Scorers for Meath: E. Frayne (0-5, 1 tp); R. Kinsella (1 tp), K. Curtis (0-3 each); J. Morris, M. Costello (free), C. Duke, S. Rafferty (0-1 each). DONEGAL: S. Patton; F. Roarty, B. McCole, P. Mogan; R. McHugh, E. Gallagher, C. McColgan; H. McFadden, M. Langan (c); C. Thompson, S. O'Donnell, C. Moore; C. O'Donnell, M. Murphy, O. Gallen. Subs for Donegal: P. McBrearty for M. Murphy (45); J. McGee for H. McFadden (50); C. McGonagle for C. McColgan (52); D. Ó Baoill for R. McHugh (55); O. McFadden-Ferry for P. Mogan (59). MEATH: B. Hogan; S. Rafferty, S. Lavin, R. Ryan; C. Caulfield, S. Coffey, D. Keogan; B. Menton, A. O'Neill; M. Costello, R. Kinsella, K. Curtis; C. Duke, J. Morris, E. Frayne (c). Subs for Meath: C. Gray for B. Mention (inj 21); E. Harkin for A. O'Neill (46); J. McEntee for S. Lavin (50); B. O'Halloran for K. Curtis (57); S. Walsh for R. Kinsella (inj 62). Referee: P. Faloon (Down).
Irish Times
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
All-Ireland SFC quarter-final previews: Top teams about to be thinned out with big names in the firing line
All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals Saturday Monaghan v Donegal, Croke Park, 4pm: Attention on this match's challenges has focused on Donegal 's six-day turnaround but there is also a clear and present danger from a Monaghan team flying high after promotion back to Division One and a business-like All-Ireland campaign to date, which has seen them top one of the less demanding groups and in recognition get a two-week break. When the sides clashed in Ulster, Donegal did an effective job on curbing their opponents' strengths. It's a function of the modern game, especially in Ulster that keeping a goalkeeper nearly scoreless is a live concern. Rory Beggan managed just one point, from a 45, but no two-pointers although his team-mates outscored Donegal 10-4 on them and actually missed another seven. Overall though, Donegal were clearly the better team. Michael Murphy has been in superlative form but they need more from Oisín Gallen and Patrick McBrearty, both of whom have been battling underperformance. Their flying back division gives the team a deeper scoring threat: Peadar Mogan, Finbarr Roarty, Ciarán Moore, Ryan McHugh and Eoin Bán Gallagher are all accomplished counter-attackers. READ MORE Monaghan's vulnerability has been concession totals; they are prolific scorers but so too their various opponents. Micheál Bannigan and Stephen O'Hanlon have led a pacy charge up front with Jack McCarron lending less quicksilver but prolific support off the bench. The battle of the goalkeepers at Easter had been eagerly awaited but Shaun Patton had the better of those exchanges, finding his players with dazzling consistency. Jim McGuinness has been able to welcome back Jason McGee in the last couple of weeks, which is good news for their centrefield whereas Gary Mohan, nursing a hamstring injury, is another player whose input is compromised by injury. He may well get a run but how close is he to full fitness? Verdict: Donegal Tyrone v Dublin, Croke Park, 6.15pm: The biggest issue in this match will not be resolved until the ball throws in on Saturday evening. Con O'Callaghan's listing on the bench for this weekend's quarter-final doesn't come with any coded reference to whether the team captain starts or is like last week, to be held back until there is existential threat to the team's prospects of advancement. Either way, it doesn't say anything too convincing about O'Callaghan's readiness to hit the ground running. If so, it's a terrible blow to Dublin who rely so much on the player's leadership and his enhancement of the attack. Tyrone's Mattie Donnelly. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Unfortunately, the very injury that he sustained six weeks ago significantly compromises the forward danger he brings when taking on defences. Wheeling him out for the Derry group match two weeks ago was a reflection on how vital the management saw his presence that day even though it won't have helped long-term recovery. Otherwise, things are coming together nicely for Dessie Farrell. The defence is fully restored with Eoin Murchan, John Small and Lee Gannon all back in the swing of things and Brian Howard rediscovering his scoring touch against Cork. Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne has been thriving at centrefield in very respectable company over the past couple of weeks. That will be tested here, as Brian Kennedy has the size to contest ball with Dublin and his partnership with Conn Kilpatrick is the equal – at least – of any Ó Cofaigh-Byrne and Ciarán Kilkenny have faced. Tyrone have their own problems. Michael McKernan's injury rules him out and weakens their rearguard but can Dublin exploit it in O'Callaghan's absence? Niall Morgan hasn't been at his best at a time when the new rules offer goalkeepers so much whereas the eternal Cluxton has regathered something of his Zen powers. The teams' scoring returns aren't hugely different – all the more creditably for Dublin whose group didn't include a piñata like Cavan became after beating Mayo. Darren McCurry has been excellent for Tyrone and there is more to come from Darragh Canavan as well as the lively option of under-20 supernova Eoin McElholm, who has already appeared for the seniors. Farrell can argue legitimately that Dublin have timed their run quite well but for their captain's injury. Nonetheless, Tyrone, half of whom have All-Ireland medals already, will come into this with momentum and belief and in a match tantalisingly balanced, they can tilt the scales. Verdict: Tyrone Sunday Meath v Galway, Croke Park, 1.45pm: No other team has been as tempered in the fire as Galway. Having won Connacht, they promptly lost at home to Dublin in the All-Ireland round robin. Then eight points down in the second half in Celtic Park and facing a crushing championship exit, they managed to squeeze a draw – nearly a win – out of Derry and go on to beat champions Armagh to survive. Third seeding sent them to Newry last week where the elements and Down put them under ferocious pressure even with a big half-time lead. But they survived, as they have done for the last few weeks. They have also got a significant return on goals – 10 in four All-Ireland matches. Shane Walsh of Galway. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho This weekend is the signal for Pádraic Joyce's team to step up performance levels. They have got by and the manager has demonstrated a ruthless trigger-happy game management, which has seen decorated All Stars staring glumly of the bench halfway through the second half of matches. Shane Walsh's shoulder injury was a scare last week but he is named on the match panel. It remains to be seen who will wear the goalkeeper's jersey after Conor Flaherty's dark second half of the soul, kicking restarts into the Newry wind but it's a problem none of the other contenders currently have. Meath have been a revelation, beating both Dublin and Kerry despite missing players. They have some back for this weekend, notably Matthew Costello but could also do with Ronan Jones as a counter to Galway's middle-third air force. Robbie Brennan's side have contributors all around the field but their pace could be the greatest threat. The sheer uninhibited assault on Kerry was also impressive – no feeling their way into things – and the ability to twist the knife by kicking two-pointers proved irresistible. Galway have already ridden out something like that last week but this will be a further test. Verdict: Galway Armagh v Kerry, Croke Park, 4pm: By consensus, the match of the round. Kerry find themselves in the unusual position of being underdogs having had a stuttering championship to date. Most startling was getting turned over by Meath to the tune of nine points and there is an argument that such a result must cast grave doubt on the All-Ireland credentials of the defeated team, no matter how riddled with injury the Munster champions were. Armagh have attracted glowing notices for their performances despite losing the Ulster final again – after extra time – and getting touched off by Galway in the final group match when they themselves had already qualified. They have filled a difficult dance card so far – their last five matches have been against Galway, Dublin, Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. David Clifford of Kerry. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Kerry continue to have awful injury problems. Gone from this week's panel are Diarmuid O'Connor and Barry Dan O'Sullivan, two front-rank centrefielders, and key defender Mike Breen. Paudie Clifford and Paul Geaney are on the match-day panel but questions remain about their full readiness. Kerry have been this way before and have exploded into contention at this relatively late stage of the championship. With David Clifford on your team, more or less anything is possible but there isn't a huge pile of evidence to substantiate that prospect. Jack O'Connor will have noticed that Armagh have exhibited opt-out tendencies in all of their matches to date, which have allowed teams get back to the table or establish big leads – which to be fair, the All-Ireland champions generally recover. Armagh may be afloat on slightly overstated virtues but the fact is that Kieran McGeeney's side have been through a hard-knock passage to this stage and have proven their competitive credentials whereas this weekend is Kerry's first brush with a Division One county. Verdict: Armagh All-Ireland MHC final Clare v Waterford, FBD Semple Stadium, Saturday 5.15: The strange thing about this all-Munster final is that neither county won the provincial title. Cork beat both teams, Waterford twice, in the early part of the season before losing to Clare in the All-Ireland semi-final but the All-Ireland semi-finals endorsed their right to be in the final, as they defeated both the Munster and their Leinster counterparts, Kilkenny. Clare manager Ger O'Connell pointed out that the season's mixed fortunes had made them stronger. 'We took massive learnings from the two losses against Cork and Waterford,' he said. 'I think the Cork defeat really exposed some of the areas we needed to work on, especially the second-half of that game.' Waterford won the first match between the sides and backed it up beating Kilkenny with Cormac Spain in lethal form. Paul Rodgers, brother of Clare All Star Mark, racked up 0-13 against Cork with the quality of his dead-ball striking. It should be a great contest. Verdict: Clare
