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The Irish Sun
25 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘That is promising' – Jack O'Connor shares HUGE Kerry boost as two injured stars return to training with final looming
KERRY have received a boost ahead of the All-Ireland SFC final after Paul Geaney and Diarmuid O'Connor both trained yesterday. Kingdom boss Jack O'Connor is also refusing to rule Tom O'Sullivan out of 2 Jack O'Connor will be hoping it's a repeat of his 2014 final triumph over Donegal 2 Paul Geaney, 34, was also part of that 2014 success Despite being on the bench for the semi- and quarter-finals, forward Geaney has been out with a shoulder injury since the group clash against Cork. And with Barry Dan O'Sullivan sidelined for the season with knee ligament damage, Kerry's midfield options were dealt another blow when O'Connor aggravated a shoulder injury in the Two-time All-Star defender O'Sullivan also missed But Kerry chief O'Connor said most of his squad were 'back doing some training in some shape or form'. Read More On GAA He added: 'Tom O'Sullivan isn't back fully yet. He's doing bits and pieces so we'd hope that he'd train next week. 'Outside of that, we're not too bad.' At the climax of an injury-hit season, Kerry have a much cleaner bill of health ahead of their third All-Ireland final slot in four seasons. On O'Connor and Geaney, the Kingdom gaffer added last night: 'They trained fully today. Most read in GAA Football 'And there's a couple of more sessions to go, so that is promising.' Earlier this week Kingdom legend Kieran Donaghy 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal The high point of his five years with the Orchard came last summer when he helped to Donaghy operated as Armagh's forwards coach and underwent 800km round trips to attend team training from Tralee. Armagh reached their third Ulster SFC final on the spin this summer but They still looked on course to claim back-to-back Sam Maguires when they topped their All-Ireland series group. But Kerry ended their summer with a 0-32 to 1-21 quarter-final victory last month. It remains to be seen if Armagh will replace the 2006 Footballer of the Year. Former Derry star Conleith Gilligan and ex-Orchard ace Ciarán McKeever are also on McGeeney's backroom. But four-time All-Ireland SFC winner Donaghy will be on the radar as eight counties hunt for new managers ahead of the 2026 campaign. Roscommon, Dublin, Sligo, Mayo, Waterford, Antrim, Cavan and Derry are managerless.


Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kerry injury boost as Diarmuid O'Connor takes part in full training session
Diarmuid O'Connor participated in the full Kerry training session on Saturday afternoon, increasing hopes that the midfielder will make his return from injury in next weekend's All-Ireland SFC final against Donegal. Inside forward Paul Geaney (shoulder) also took full part in Saturday's session, with Tom O'Sullivan (calf) still not fully back, manager Jack O'Connor confirmed at the county's All-Ireland final media event. After a powerful start to the spring, midfielder O'Connor has endured an injury-plagued campaign since first hurting his shoulder during the Round 6 League win at home to Armagh in mid-March. His latest setback was at the beginning of the preliminary quarter-final win over Cavan four weeks ago, where he lasted just three minutes before having to withdraw. He has not featured since. Geaney was listed on the matchday panel for both the All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final victories but was not used on either occasion, while defender O'Sullivan limped out of the quarter-final win over Armagh when picking up a first-half calf injury. 'Paul and Diarmuid trained fully today, and there are a couple more sessions to go, so that's promising,' Jack said on Saturday afternoon. 'Most fellas are back doing some training in some shape or form, which is good. Tom O'Sullivan isn't back fully yet, he's doing bits and pieces, so we'd hope he'd train next week. Outside of that we are not too bad. 'The season is so intense it is just very tricky deal with injuries because you don't really have that much time to get the injury right and then sometimes you are kinda half afraid to throw them into the maelstrom of a game without having done some intense training, so it can be tricky yeah with the tightness of the season.'


Borneo Post
21 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Four Indonesians jailed, fined for possessing nearly 5,000 turtle eggs in Serikin
Some of the turtle eggs seized by authorities. — Photo via Facebook/Sarawak Forestry Corporation KUCHING (July 19): Four Indonesian nationals have been sentenced to jail and fined by the Sessions Courts here today for the illegal possession of a total of 4,866 marine turtle eggs without a licence or permission from the Controller of Wild Life. All four pleaded guilty to charges framed under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, punishable under Section 29(1)(c) and read together with Section 37(2)(a) of the same Ordinance. In Sessions Court 3, Denis Bobegi Septa was sentenced to six months' imprisonment after admitting to possessing 600 marine turtle eggs, which were found packed in plastic bags inside brown boxes. Authorities also seized RM1,500 in Malaysian currency and 9 million Indonesian Rupiah from him. The case was heard before Judge Saiful Bahari Adzmi and prosecuted by Simon Engka Crown. In the same court, Romiati was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for possessing 435 marine turtle eggs. The case was prosecuted by Willy Chin Siaw Min. Meanwhile, In Sessions Court 2, Iin Pretika was handed an eight-month prison sentence and fined RM55,000, in default four months' imprisonment. The case was heard before Judge Zuraidah Binti Zakaria and prosecuted by Leonard Baring. In Sessions Court 1, Sri Astuti received a four-month prison sentence and was fined RM12,910, in default three months' imprisonment. Judge Iris Awen Jon presided over the case, which was prosecuted by Peter Buga. Commenting on the court rulings, Controller of Wild Life Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said the decisions send a strong message to wildlife traffickers. 'These court decisions are a clear warning to traffickers that Sarawak takes wildlife crimes seriously. We will continue to strengthen operations, intelligence gathering, and public collaboration to protect the marine turtle population,' he said in a recent statement. According to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), the convictions stemmed from a joint operation carried out by SFC and Region 5 Marine Police under Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah. The raids were conducted at a lodging and a stall at Serikin Market in Bau, near the Malaysia–Indonesia border. The operation followed intelligence gathered by SFC, targeting a syndicate suspected of involvement in the smuggling and illegal trade of protected wildlife. SFC noted that the smuggling of marine turtle eggs across borders constitutes a serious transnational wildlife crime, threatening the survival of endangered turtle species and undermining ongoing conservation efforts. 'Smugglers often exploit gaps in border surveillance to traffic these eggs, feeding black market demand and exacerbating the decline of already vulnerable turtle populations,' SFC stated. In a separate case, Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) foiled an attempt to smuggle 5,400 turtle eggs on July 6 this year. The eggs were discovered hidden in cardboard boxes and backpacks aboard KMP Bahtera Nusantara 03 at Kapet Sintete Port, Sambas. SFC has urged the public to assist in protecting wildlife by reporting any suspected offences. Information can be channelled through the following hotlines: 019-8859996 (Kuching), 019-8883561 (Sibu), 019-8332737 (Bintulu), and 019-8290994 (Miri). fine Indonesian nationals jail Serikin turtle eggs


RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Good old days - hurling's veterans still centre stage
In the 41st minute of their All-Ireland hurling semi-final thrashing of Dublin, Cork's Brian Hayes picked up the sliotar near the sideline, 45 metres out. He looked up and played a pass that bounced at the edge of the D. Veteran forward Patrick Horgan was first to the ball, then turned his marker David Lucey - at 19, a full adult younger - who was left vainly chasing the 37-year-old before he handpassed to Tim O'Mahony to put the fifth nail in the Dubs' coffin. Hurling's all-time record points scorer is not even the oldest on the inter-county scene – his closest challenger, TJ Reid of Kilkenny, has six months on him and turns 38 in November. Horgan's team-mate Seamus Harnedy, who made his debut five years later in 2013, celebrated his 35th birthday on Thursday while one of their opponents in Sunday's All-Ireland final, Tipperary's record appearance-maker Noel McGrath, will be the same age in December. Waterford's Tony Browne was 40 when he retired in 2014 while in recent years his Déise team-mate Michael 'Brick' Walsh (36) and Westmeath's Derek McNicholas (37) set the standard. It's not quite Christy Ring levels, the Cork legend wore 'the blood and bandage' until he was 43, but their longevity as outfield players stands out in the modern era of GPS-tracked running stats. In 2023, Stephen Cluxton became the oldest player to win an All-Ireland SFC, his eighth, aged 42, but there's a bit less running in goals. Though Nickie Quaid's five-month recovery from an ACL at 35 to play for Limerick this season was still staggering. The man who has played the most hurling championship games, Reid with 94, is still the most accurate free-taker in the game. Horgan isn't too far behind him and also scored a couple of points from play against Dublin. Harnedy was averaging 2.6 per game before missing the semi-final through injury. McGrath, who also suffered from testicular cancer at 24, is still so good that he gets a point even when the ball goes wide. In March, shortly before breaking Eddie Keher's hurling league scoring record, Horgan suggested that all this age talk was getting old. "It's a hard one because you get reminded of your age all the time," he said. "Age shouldn't be a thing. When you actually break it down into what do you need to do, to play at the level we're playing, I think I'm able. "You probably hear from a lot of players that have moved on, they say you get a feeling at some stage: 'I can't do this, I can't do that, I don't really have the appetite to go and do the extras before training or afterwards'. But for me nothing like that has happened yet. I love it. I feel like I'm competing really well, same as anyone else down at training." "The feeling never gets old, it's as good as ever," McGrath told The Sunday Game after pipping Kilkenny to reach his eighth All-Ireland final (including one replay). The three-time winner played the final 20 minutes, an impact role he also fulfilled in the quarter-final victory over Galway, and he is listed to start on the bench again this weekend. "Everybody wants to play. There are 38 lads on our panel that want to play and I'm no different. But you do what you're asked to do. If Liam wants me for 70 minutes or he wants me for 10 minutes, I'll be ready. "I'm 34 years of age. To be out here in Croke Park is unbelievable. I'm loving every minute of it. I'll stay doing it as long as I'm wanted, as long as I'm able and as long as I'm enjoying it. I don't know how you couldn't enjoy days like today." Tipperary's Noel McGrath joins The Sunday Game panel in the aftermath of his side's dramatic All-Ireland SHC semi-final victory over Kilkenny. — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 6, 2025 Brendan Cummins was 38 when he called time on his 20-year Tipperary career in 2013, having won the second of his two All-Ireland medals alongside a then 19-year-old McGrath playing his second campaign. He feels there are a combination of factors involved in holding down an inter-county jersey for so long. "These fellas are clearly being managed properly by Liam Cahill and Pat Ryan but they also have that fire burning inside them that says 'I am not going to let go of this until I win another All-Ireland'. And it is inspiring their counties," the five-time All-Star goalkeeper told the RTÉ GAA podcast. "Everyone wants to play forever, but are you allowed the space to rest? Can you keep the diet going? The amount of training that goes on... it is so difficult. I was lucky at home because people were able to look after the kids. "The family life at home allows them to do it and it's great to see them with their kids out after the game. Thanks to their families for giving them time to do it. "That for me is the absolute key but then of course the drive is in them, and they're blessed that they have minded their bodies that they are still able to do it. They keep themselves really well and there's a pride in the way you try to keep yourself." Jackie Tyrrell won nine All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny, calling it a day at 34 in 2016. He was an unused sub for that year's final and is particularly impressed by how central the old guard remain to their teams. "What the guys are doing is phenomenal," he said. "It's so hard to play at the top top level. To stay going into your 30s, the mental resilience of picking up injuries and knocks, not having as much time to rest and recover. "But it's not like they're hanging in. These guys are in pivotal roles. Noel McGrath could win the game when he comes on. Seamus Harnedy is so important. Hoggy is on the frees and still one of their main men. We [Kilkenny] will be in such trouble when TJ goes, hopefully it won't be next year. "Brendan is right. It's your support network. When I played, I had no kids. You can't lie on the couch on a Saturday to recover because you're wrecked after training, [if] you have to get up and mind kids. When they wake at 3 or 4 in the morning and your missus has to carry that burden, that's tough for them. "To be still at that elite level is a testament to them and how they look after themselves, and the S&C [strength and conditioning] and teams that look after these guys. We are very privileged to be witnessing this." "If you are 35 or 37 and still playing inter-county, you are a robust player" But what does a player in their mid to late 30s have to do differently to cope with the demands of the inter-county game? Paul Conneely has been the team physio for the Meath and Carlow senior footballers, and was lead physio for Team Ireland at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. "The big thing is that they need to recover better and they take a little bit longer to recover from games and training," he told RTÉ Sport. "It's all about getting them in early into pre-season and building them up a little bit slower, knowing that there is a bit of muscle memory there. Managing their load throughout the league, but by the last few games, they should be doing everything that everyone is doing. "Pre-season will often be a little more creative for those players. Injury history is very important. A 35-year-old player with a history of ACL reconstruction and degenerative changes in the knee, there's a strong chance, that you're going to say 'More bike work or a rowing machine rather than hard running', to take the pressure off the joints. "But if you are 35 or 37 and still playing inter-county, you are a robust player. They might have had a few more hamstring tears but there's a strong chance those lads didn't have a history of big injuries. "Secondly, their gym programme will be different and have more of a mobility or rehab focus than a bulking focus. Patrick Horgan has had 18 seasons so he won't have to do as much heavy lifting as a 20-year-old in his second year on the panel, because he will have that in the bank. He was always a corner-forward. A lot of his gym-based training will be about speed. You don't have to develop him any more, just make sure he's going onto the pitch with fresh legs. "Often players try to lose a bit of weight as they get older, to stay more mobile and have less pressure on the joints. TJ Reid looks to have bucked that trend. At full-forward, he's not required to move as much, therefore he can afford a little bit of extra good weight. He's not breaking out to the wings. He's horsing lads out of the way and he still has a serious leap. "You will find that the older lads in squads prioritise recovery. They have been around the block so many times and they know if they don't do it they are fecked. And they do it really well. Because they are not young lads, they often live slightly quieter lives. They might finish work, then they're in the pool or doing a bit of stretching. Then they go home and eat well. Often you will use them as an example to younger lads in the squad: 'This is one of the reasons why they are still playing, 18 years down the road'. "As the season rolls on, you go into league and it's all about managing load, often based off GPS stats. The whole team's training volume will be down but theirs will probably even be a little bit less. But they still have to train, so by the end of the league, coming into championship, they are fully in with the sessions. "They have to be able for that, and if they're not, unless they are a gifted, generational talent, they are probably not going to be able to hold down a place." Three-time All-Star half-forward Harnedy sat out the semi-final with a hamstring injury but has been named on the bench for tomorrow, and presumably wouldn't be taking up one of the 26 places if he wasn't in contention to play. Does it take much longer to recover from a muscle injury at 35? Or is the science catching up with the greater intensity of the modern inter-county game? "Not twice as long," said Conneely. "It doesn't slow that much. In general, maybe an extra four or five days. But that could be the difference between making the All-Ireland final or not. "I don't think sports science has cancelled increased demands just yet. Some injuries are increasing year on year, for example, ACL ruptures. The severity of hamstring injuries is also increasing, but the overall amount of them is decreasing. There are still a lot of joint injuries, but more and more, SSMED [Sports science and medicine] staff are exploring non-operative options where appropriate. "As SSMED teams get bigger, there is an increased opportunity for individual approaches for players carrying an injury or an older athlete. Managers and selectors are getting more clued in to the idea that one size doesn't fit all. The SSMED staff can do all they want, but if the manager wants to ignore the science and overtrain the player, then the player will do what he says. The relationship between the physio and manager is crucial." Lorcan McLoughlin played with Horgan and Harnedy on the Cork team beaten in the 2013 final replay by Clare. Injuries played a part in his early inter-county retirement just five years later, and though he is still playing football and hurling with Kanturk, he is actually only eight months older than Harnedy. "I'll be stiff for the week after training but fair play to them," he said. "It's unbelievable. "There was this perception that you hit 30 and that's it, your days are numbered, but it's brilliant to see the likes of John Conlon from Clare [36], TJ Reid, Patrick Horgan, Seamus Harnedy. Those lads are proving that they've an awful lot to give yet." Just how much Horgan, Harnedy and McGrath have left in the tank could be crucial to their teams' chances tomorrow.


Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kerry and Galway have stubborn obstacles blocking repeat final
THIS year's TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC finalists will be confirmed by close of business tonight - with Meath blocking the way of defending champions Kerry returning to consecutive deciders. O'Connor Park in Tullamore hosts Saturday's semi-final double-header, with the Kingdom and Meath at 5.15, followed by the meeting of Dublin and 2024 runners-up Galway at 7.30pm. Both semi-finals are live on TG4 – with the final slated for Sunday August 3 (4.15pm). Kerry's clash with Meath is the fourth year in a row the sides have clashed in championship - Meath won the 2022 Final at Croke Park but Kerry had the upper hand in quarter-finals in 2023 and 2024. On the evidence to date, there won't be much to choose between the sides and when they met in Division 1 of the Lidl National League in March, Kerry won by just two points. In their recent quarter-finals, Kerry started slowly before coming good to see off Kildare, as Meath got the better of Tipperary. Kerry and Meath have proven matchwinners in their sides, with the Kingdom's Síofra O'Shea on song with 3-2 against Kildare. That tally took O'Shea's All-Ireland tally to 5-10 and she's Kerry's leading scorer, ahead of Danielle O'Leary, who's chipped in with 1-10. They're just two Kerry players that will need close watching but at the other end, the reigning champions will need to keep a close eye on Meath's leading scorers, Vikki Wall (2-5 to date) and Emma Duggan (0-10). Meath are unchanged after surviving the Tipperary test, while Kerry have made one change to the team that overcame Kildare, as Jadyn Lucey comes in for Rachel Dwyer in the inside forward line. With Dublin operating in Division 1, and Galway a tier below, there was no Lidl National League meeting between the second pair of semi-finalists this year, which means that the dramatic 2024 SFC quarter-final clash was the last competitive meeting between the counties. Galway won a titanic clash at Parnell Park after extra-time and after going on to see off Cork in the last four, the Tribeswomen fell to Kerry in the final. In this year's quarter-finals, Dublin were too good for Cork, as Galway overcame a Waterford side that had been performing extremely well. How the respective defences cope against highly talented forwards will go a long way towards deciding Saturday's tie, and Hannah Tyrrell's 5-17 marks her out as a player to watch on the Dublin side. Tyrrell is Dublin's ace shooter to date in the Championship but Kate Sullivan, with 4-8, has also been performing extremely well. Galway, runners-up last year and keen to get back to another Final, have Olivia Divilly (0-13) and Kate Slevin (1-10) as their leading contributors in the scoring stakes but there's danger all over the pitch when the Connacht champions move forward. The Dublin team to start shows one change to the side that lined out against Cork, with Caoimhe O'Connor replacing Hannah McGinnis in attack. Galway are unchanged after coming through the Waterford challenge. DUBLIN (SFC v Galway): A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey (capt.), N Donlon; S Goldrick, M Byrne, N Crowley; É O'Dowd, N Hetherton; N Owens, C O'Connor, S McIntyre; H Tyrrell, C Darby, K Sullivan. GALWAY: D Gower; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty (capt.); H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; N Divilly, O Divilly, A Davoren; E Noone, L Coen, K Slevin. KERRY (SFC v Meath): M.E. Bolger; E Lynch, D Kearney, C Lynch; A O'Connell, E Costello, A Dillane; M O'Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, C Evans; J Lucey, S O'Shea, D O'Leary. MEATH: R Murray; Á Sheridan, M.K. Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary (capt.), S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole.