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Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
O'Shea believes Kerry can cope without departed stars
Siofra O'Shea is confident that Munster finalists Kerry have the resources to plug the significant losses they've encountered since winning last year's All-Ireland. The Kingdom will face Waterford in Sunday's provincial final in Mallow though they'll be without a number of legendary figures from their landmark 2025 campaign. There's a new management team for starters, headed up by Mark Bourke, while reigning All-Stars Ciara Butler, Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Kayleigh Cronin have left the playing panel. Those are giant losses with prolific attacker Ní Mhuircheartaigh retiring and Cronin heading to the AFLW after featuring in their National League win. Emma Dineen and Hannah O' Donoghue, who scored 2-4 between them in last year's All-Ireland final defeat of Galway, aren't available this year either. It's a talent drain that few counties would be capable of absorbing though Kerry are already on the cusp of securing a second major trophy in 2025. "We've lost a few starters alright," said O Shea, the PwC GPA Player of the Month for ladies football. "You have Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Emma Dineen both gone from the full-forward line. Obviously Kayleigh Cronin has gone since the league final. Ciara Butler in goals is gone, big leaders in our team from the last number of years. "The departures are affecting your panel depth then because a player like Hannah O'Donoghue came on last year in the All-Ireland final and shot the lights out. "There were different girls like that who would have been coming off the bench but the upside is that a lot of girls have come in too, who are probably younger as well, so that's not a bad thing. "They're eager to learn and every training session they're trying to impress, it's bringing a new dynamic to the group." On the credit side of the ledger, O'Shea said that getting Emma Costello back has been a big addition. "We're lucky that we've got Emma back over the last few weeks and she's played in our last two games. She was there two years ago, started the All-Ireland final and was probably one of our players of the match on the day. She's a massive player to get back, she's such a leader on and off the field and the experience she has is really important in what is probably a younger group now." Kerry were pushed all the way by Waterford when the sides met in the provincial round robin earlier this month, eventually winning by 2-9 to 1-11 in Dungarvan. A repeat win for Kerry this weekend would propel them through to Group 2 of the All-Ireland SFC alongside Cork and the Connacht runner-up, either Galway or Mayo. Meanwhile, the beaten Munster finalists will go forward to Group 4 alongside Leinster champions Dublin and Leitrim. "Both groups are going to be tough, whatever way it goes, but we're more focused on the Munster final," said O'Shea, who pointed to Waterford's strengths. "Waterford are going to bring a big test for us. It's probably their first final in a few years, be it league or championship. They haven't made it to many finals. They've been hanging in in Division 1 but haven't made a final there so this is going to be a massive game for them. They're such a tough team and we only beat them by a point a couple of weeks ago so we have a fair idea of what's coming. "They have some standout individuals but they moreso work very well together and always drag you into a dogfight."
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Offaly star pleads with camogie officials to respect players over skorts issue
Offaly's Mairead Teehan has pleaded with camogie officials to respect the wishes of players when they vote on the skort issue on May 22. The Camogie Association has been forced to hold a Special Congress at Croke Park tomorrow week for a crucial vote on whether skorts should be mandatory in the game, or optional. Teehan, who has been named the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, would rather wear shorts and said the majority of her team-mates feel the same. Read More GPA AGM passes unanimous motions on skorts The former Tipperary player was this week drafted onto the Gaelic Players Association's National Executive Committee. That development occurred at the GPA's Monday evening AGM when two motions around allowing camogie players to wear shorts - one of which was submitted by Teehan's Offaly colleague Sharon Shanahan - were unanimously passed. There are no guarantees that a Special Congress will bow to the apparent wishes of players though as last month's regular Annual Congress voted against four separate motions which attempted to include shorts in the list of approved playing gear, prompting a backlash from players. "I really don't like the skorts, to be honest with you, I'd be 100 percent for the shorts," said Teehan, who declined to speculate on what will happen if the vote goes against players. "You'd be kind of hoping we won't have to worry too much about that. I do think the support is there at the moment. "I think that was even quite obvious when the Camogie Association came out initially and said they'd have a Congress at the end of the year or later on. "The reaction was, 'Well, we need to be listened to now because if we're not then it could be just kicked down the road and forgotten about'. "I think this is the time now for this particular situation to be rectified. It's just a choice, that we'd have a choice to wear shorts or a skort, whichever we feel most comfortable in. "I'd urge the delegates, who are going to be the ones voting, to listen to what's going on around their counties, and around the country, and just give us that choice. PwC GAA/GPA Player of the Month for April Cork hurler Brian Hayes, Meath footballer Mathew Costello, left, and PwC GPA Women Players of the Month for April, Kerry ladies footballer Síofra OShea, right, and Offaly camogie player Mairéad Teehan with their awards at PwC offices in Cork today. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile. "Listening to the people who actually play the game, that's so important. They're the ones who have to go out and play by the rules and wear whatever you say they have to wear. "They're the ones affected directly by it so I do think it's very important that the players' voice is listened to." Teehan is in the form of her career and claimed the individual award after helping Offaly to win the Division 2A league title. She was joined at the presentation by All-Ireland and National League winning Kerry forward Siofra O'Shea, who is the PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in ladies football. O'Shea lent her support to the camogie players' bid to have the choice to wear skorts or shorts. "We have some players who play camogie as well and are in and around club camogie teams, some of our north Kerry players," said O'Shea. "It's obviously a massive issue and we support the players and what they're looking for. "I've listened to a few camogie players talking about it. They don't want to be striking and they don't want their games to be cancelled, they would rather be on the pitch and playing. "But it's such a massive issue and if that's the only way they're going to be heard, then for the future I suppose that's what needs to be done for now. "But I know all these players just want to be on the pitch playing and they should be given the choice to play how they're comfortable playing, whether that's in shorts of skorts."
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Just give us the choice' – Offaly star Mairead Teehan backs shorts switch ahead of camogie Congress
OFFALY camogie star Mairéad Teehan hopes delegates vote for choice between skorts and shorts at a special congress on May 22. The pressure of player protests has forced 2 PwC GPA Player of the Month for April in camogie, Mairéad Teehan of Offaly, with her award outside the PwC offices in Cork 2 Mairead Teehan of Offaly has weighed in on the shorts vs skorts controversy Saturday's Munster final between And Teehan hopes the player's wishes will be granted to end the saga later this month. read more on gaa She said: 'Look, it has dominated discussions. It's something that needed to be done in terms of players standing up and saying, 'Look, we want a choice here.' And it's great to see that teams have been standing up. 'Even in the background, the GPA have been working on this for quite a while, trying to figure out the logistics of it and what we could do. 'But, yeah, look, it's great to see that we're standing up for ourselves as well. "Like that, it's been an issue for a number of years and when it goes to Congress or something like that, we don't necessarily have that, I suppose, power to actually make those decisions for ourselves. Most read in GAA Hurling 'You're relying on your county boards and your delegates to pass those motions. "So, yeah, it's just something that we felt as a players group that we felt needed to be addressed at this point. It's just great to see everyone coming out in support of us. Dublin and Kilkenny camogie players wear shorts in protest against skorts 'In fairness to the Camogie Association they did call the Special Congress to try and change the rule. 'But it is now up to the delegates to vote and to listen to what players are saying across the country and listen to what we want. 'It's just that thing of, we want a choice. Like, if you want to stay wearing a skort, that's absolutely fine but it's also that we have that choice to wear the shorts as well.' Teehan was voted on to the GPA's National Executive Committee this week. The player's representative body have unanimously passed their own motion to remove the skort as compulsory - and Teehan never liked them. She said: 'No, I never liked them, to be honest. I was never a fan of them. And I just, yeah, just find them uncomfortable in general. 'Just, I suppose, then like that when you're growing up with brothers and you're kind of watching them going, it's like, why do I have to wear these? 'And like that, you train, you play practice matches in shorts. I'd never personally wear the skort in training or in our practice matches. So, yeah, it's just always something I wasn't a fan of, I suppose.' Mairéad Teehan of Offaly is the PwC GPA Camogie Player of the Month for April. PwC are proud sponsors of the Player of the Month awards across camogie, hurling, football and ladies football.
