Latest news with #SeánO'Shea
BreakingNews.ie
30-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Details confirmed for All-Ireland SFC semi-finals
The GAA has confirmed the details for the All Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals. Kerry and Tyrone will meet at Croke Park on Saturday, July 12th at 5pm. Advertisement The Tailteann Cup final between Kildare and Limerick is on before that at 2.30pm. On the Sunday, Donegal and Meath gets underway at 4pm. The curtain raiser at Croke Park that day will be All-Ireland Junior final. Meath will face Donegal on Sunday, July 13th at 4pm. Photo: James Crombie/Inpho A remarkable third quarter from Kerry , where they hit 14 unanswered points, saw them overcome reigning champions Armagh by 0-32 to 1-21. Seán O'Shea scored 12 points for the Kingdom with David Clifford scoring seven. Advertisement Speaking after the game, man of the match O'Shea said: "We were written off. People weren't giving us a chance, even down at home. People don't know what goes on in our dressing room. "We just said we'd throw the shackles off. We were coming in as underdogs. I thought Joe O'Connor really stood up in the second-half. We really turned the screw. People have talked about our squad, that we don't have strength and depth. We know the standard of our squad." Meath are into the last four for the first time since 2009, after Jordan Morris' 1-6 helped them defeat Galway by 2-16 to 2-15. The crucial score of the game came eight minutes from time with Jordan Morris scoring Meath's second goal, and he finished with 1-6.
Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Kerry's 15 minutes of pure destruction and what else we learned from the GAA weekend
Armagh's 15-minute downfall In the 42nd minute of Kerry's quarter-final with Armagh, the kick-out after Joe O'Connor's rallying point to cut the deficit to 0-15 to 1-16, was intercepted by Paudie Clifford, who made such a difference when introduced for the second half. He laid it off to his brother David who was short with a point attempt. Kerry didn't fluff another shot until Micheál Burns's last-minute wide with eight seconds left on the clock. In the meantime, the Munster champions hit Armagh with 14 points – 11 unanswered scores. As Enda McGinley put it on the RTÉ commentary, the All-Ireland champions couldn't get their hands on the ball. During these 15 minutes of pure destruction, Ethan Rafferty's kickouts were feasted on by Kerry. Up until Graham O'Sullivan's score, the last of the 14-point salvo, Armagh lost nine of their 11 restarts. READ MORE Kerry's Seán O'Shea celebrates a point with David Clifford during the All-Ireland quarter-final against Armagh. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho This was all compounded by the champions' inability to get anything back on the scoreboard. Careless wides by Ben Crealey and Niall Grimley were followed by a brilliant tackle from the excellent Joe O'Connor and a frustrating 4v3 breach by Rian O'Neill. Credit so to MOTM Seán O'Shea, identified prematch by his manager as a team leader, who scored 0-12, including three two-pointers and no wides. The eight-point winning margin appeared a bit understated but given the starting point of trailing by five, it was a 13-point turnaround. Coincidentally, the last time Kerry dethroned All-Ireland champions at Croke Park was 23 years ago when they beat Galway, also in a quarter-final and also by eight points. Kerry had travelled the extended road of the qualifiers just as Jack O'Connor's team had done at the weekend. They will of course hope that the similarities end there, as they went on to lose that year's All-Ireland final to Armagh. – Seán Moran Not-so-disgruntled Donegal It's the sharp end of the championship so obviously everything is heightened. Everybody is that little bit tetchier and more willing to see the worst in everybody else. But even allowing for that, some of the derision that has been aimed at Jim McGuinness and Donegal over the past few weeks has felt a bit much. The Jimmy's Whingin' Matches stuff does at least boast the upside of being a reasonably serviceable pun. But there's a barely disguised subtext to it all – that Donegal are always moaning about something and they should whisht up and get on with it. Their second half on Saturday was the perfect answer, an eyeballs-out gallop to the line that left Monaghan wheezing in their dust. They are the right favourites for Sam Maguire. Even so, there will always be people out there convinced that Donegal and McGuinness are up to something. That they aren't to be trusted or that they're dealing from the bottom of the deck somehow. It started in the league when they got a game against Kerry called off during Storm Éowyn. Never mind that the postponement meant they would have to play five matches on successive weekends, it still went down in some quarters as McGuinness pulling a fast one. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness ahead of the All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Maybe it's as simple as the fact that Donegal have never been forgiven for changing the way football was played in the last decade. Or maybe it's just that McGuinness fights Donegal's corner and is unstinting and steadfast in doing so. Most likely, it's a combination of the two, probably with an element of envy at how he has turned Donegal around in the two seasons since he came back for his second stint. Because in case anyone has forgotten, Donegal lost eight of their 12 matches in 2023, the year before McGuinness took over. Saturday was his 32nd game since assuming the reins and they've only lost six times altogether in two seasons. They are gathering speed and may well have Caolan McGonagle back for the semi-final against Meath. They've done all the right things. Maybe that's what annoys people most of all. – Malachy Clerkin Cherish the youth As Dublin fell in a heap in Croke Park on Saturday they looked further away from winning an All-Ireland than any time since the 'startled earwigs' quarter-final of 2009, when they lost to Kerry by 17 points. As things turned out, it only took Pat Gilroy two years to knock them into shape, but for the next Dublin manager to produce an All-Ireland winning team in that time frame would be a staggering achievement now. 'I know there's challenges with underage in the county at the minute or over the last number of years,' said Dessie Farrell afterwards, 'but there's a great crop after coming in there and I'd be very optimistic for how they go about their business in the seasons ahead.' While Dublin were dominating the senior championship, fending off accusations of 'financial doping', there was very little commentary about their performance at age-grade levels. Their last minor All-Ireland was 13 years ago, and that is also the last final they have contested. Their record at under 20/21 level is not as alarming, but it is still eight years since their last title; Tyrone, their conquerors on Saturday, have won three titles in that grade since then. Dessie Farrell during Dublin's All-Ireland quarter-final against Tyrone on Saturday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The last three age-grade titles that Dublin have won have all been delivered by Farrell: minor in 2012, and under-21 in 2014 and 2017. Given the playing numbers at their disposal, this dearth of age-grade success must represent some kind of systems failure. Does it really matter in the long run if players of the required quality are still being produced? That is where the conveyor belt has stalled. In the final quarter against Tyrone, when Dublin were desperately looking for something, the search was led by familiar names: Con O'Callaghan, Ciarán Kilkenny, Brian Howard, and to a lesser extent the Small brothers. It will be a different team again next year. John Small has already made one failed attempt to escape. Nobody ever knows about Stephen Cluxton, but the next manager might take the decision out of his hands. Kilkenny, Cormac Costello and Niall Scully are in their early 30s. Will all of them have the stomach for another campaign? Will Dublin be favourites for next year's Leinster title? Maybe by default. – Denis Walsh Meath's six appeal Meath's semi-final against Donegal is to be their ninth championship game of the campaign – the most the county will have played across a single summer since 1991. Meath's renaissance this year is in stark contrast to recent seasons. In 2024 Meath played five championship games, losing four and winning just one. They didn't win a single championship game the previous year, spending the business end of the summer in the Tailteann Cup. In 2022 they managed just one championship win, the same in 2021. But so far in this campaign the Royals have played eight games – winning six, losing one and drawing one. Meath's Jordan Morris celebrates after the final whistle against Galway. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho They didn't even amass six championship wins on their way to claiming the All-Ireland title in 1996 or 1999, winning five matches in both of those campaigns. It was the same for their All-Ireland wins of 1987 and 1988, so this has been a summer of summers for Robbie Brennan's team with six championship wins, beating Carlow, Offaly, Dublin, Cork, Kerry and Galway. Even in 1991 when they played 10 championship games, including four matches against Dublin, Meath finished that campaign with just five wins. They did chalk up six Tailteann Cup victories in 2023, but in terms of the top flight, the Royals have to go back to their breakthrough Sam Maguire-winning seasons of 1949 and 1954 to find a campaign in which they won six games. – Gordon Manning Slippin' & slidin' A prediction. Someone will score a goal or miss a goal this coming weekend during the hurling semi-finals and one of the contributory factors will be the slippiness of the Croke Park pitch. It played like an ice rink over the weekend, with players in all matches feeling their heels going from under them at inopportune moments. As the Galway backroom team stood gloomily munching on sandwiches under the Cusack Stand after losing to Meath, a brief inquiry as to what the story was with the pitch brought a frustrated response. Everybody was wearing cogs, they said. This wasn't fancy lads wearing fancy boots. But the misty morning rain on Dublin's northside had made it pot luck as to whether players could trust the ground under their feet. Meath's goalkeeper Billy Hogan slips while taking a free. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho In fairness, it was an equal opportunities destroyer. Meath goalkeeper Billy Hogan got struck down a few times, Galway's Shane Walsh the same. Anyone stopping quickly or trying a jink or a turn inside invariably found themselves going alley-oop. It was sheer chance that there wasn't a key slip that caused a game-defining score. The weather forecast is for a heatwave during the week followed by rain on Saturday and Sunday. Don't be surprised if it means Croke Park plays like a slip'n'slide next weekend. Defenders beware. – Malachy Clerkin
Irish Independent
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Kerry player ratings after their shock and awe All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Armagh
Seán O'Shea was best in show, but there were so many impressive displays in green and gold on Sunday evening in Croke Park Kerryman Shane Ryan (Rathmore) 7 Only gets marked down for his role in the Armagh goal (he shouldn't have gone short with Armagh pressed up that highly and effectively), otherwise Kerry's retention rates at kick-out were very, very competitive (76%). In the other side of his game as a shot-stopper he was simply brilliant, pulling off a trio or more of top class saves.
The Irish Sun
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘A Kerry team written off in Croke Park are dangerous' – Jack O'Connor reacts to statement win against Armagh
ON A day when pundits who labelled Kerry a one-man band were given cause to change their tune, Armagh were the ones left to face the music. The Kingdom hit all the right notes during a blistering second half that saw them rack up 0-19 to 2 The 64 year-old was delighted to silence his critics in style 2 Seán O'Shea starred as the Kingdom won 0-32 to 1-21 With their team in the ascendancy at the interval, Armagh fans may have hoped that their 1-11 to 0-13 interval advantage was a good omen. That was the final score last July when Kieran McGeeney led his county to the Sam Maguire for just the second time in their history. Rían O'Neill and Oisín Conaty led the way as the holders pushed their advantage out to five points after the change of ends. However, they failed to score again for more than 15 minutes. All the while, Kerry turned the screw and devoured Armagh's kickout during the most phenomenal of purple patches. Read more on GAA With David Clifford and man of the match Seán O'Shea — who shared 0-17 from play — to the fore, Kerry hit an unanswered 0-14 and Armagh never recovered. 'Geezer' groaned: 'It was just the 15-minute period where Kerry were devastating and we couldn't get our hands on the ball. 'We probably made life difficult for ourselves on top of that, but that's sport. You have to take your hat off when somebody is scoring like that. 'It was just one of those days. You make mistakes and you get punished for them. It's 15 minutes you'd like to forget. We've done it ourselves to other teams. You have to take it on the chin and move on.' Most read in GAA Football It was sweet revenge for Kerry following last year's semi-final defeat. But more importantly for boss Jack O'Connor, it was a display that laughed in the face of the criticism his men have faced since the defeat by Meath a fortnight earlier. O'Connor said: 'A Kerry team written off in Croke Park are dangerous because it just takes a bit of the heat off. 'Lots of fight' - RTE GAA pundits react to Sean O'Shea's 'very interesting' interview after Kerry dethrone Armagh 'It allows them to play with a kind of freedom and abandon. That's what you saw there. "Our mantra this morning was we have to flip the script. The script has been written that Armagh have this game won and we have to flip that script. 'Every breaking ball you win, every turnover you win, every score is a chip off the block and it's a way of flipping that script. We did it block by block.' Despite dealing with an extensive injury list, Kerry stormed into an All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone on the weekend of July 12-13. INJURY 'CRISIS' No part was played at Croker by Paul Geaney, Mike Breen, Tadhg Morley, Diarmuid O'Connor, Tony Brosnan or Barry Dan O'Sullivan. Tom O'Sullivan limped off in the first half and Paudie Clifford was only fit enough to be subbed on at the break. Still, O'Connor acknowledged that his introduction 'gave everybody a lift' and the Fossa man had a big impact as the Munster champions seized control. SILENCING CRITICS In his post-match press briefing, the Kerry gaffer also referenced a mention of Clifford's younger brother David in an article penned by Joe Brolly. He said: 'One of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one-man team. 'I saw somebody writing this morning that said the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford. Now, David is a great player but David will tell you that there was a fair supporting cast there today.' While it was Joe McElroy's point after the hooter that sent Armagh into the break with the most slender of advantages, Kerry were the architects of their own undoing when the pivotal moment of the first half occurred in the 29th minute. THE KINGDOM'S KEEPER Throughout an otherwise excellent performance, Shane Ryan showed his class as he foiled Armagh goal attempts from Tiernan Kelly, Cian McConville and Barry McCambridge. However, the Kerry keeper was punished for a weak kickout by seeing his net rattled by Rory Grugan. As Dylan Casey waited for Ryan's restart to clear the arc, Kelly stole in and fed Grugan to finish emphatically. The score that put Armagh into the lead for the first time in the game was a shot in the arm for a team whose efficiency let them down early on. Among the tally of five wides they hit in the first quarter were a botched goal chance for Darragh McMullan and two-point efforts by O'Neill and Ethan Rafferty. UNEXPECTED HERO Much of the pre-match analysis hinted that Kerry's hopes of dethroning Armagh rested on the shoulders of David Clifford. Yet no man inflicted more damage than O'Shea. The Kenmare man had eight points by the change of ends. The only placed ball in that tally left Kerry leading by 0-7 to 0-3 by the 15th minute. He carried the fight again after the game's only goal, hitting a single and a two-pointer that ensured Armagh's 1-8 to 0-9 lead expired after little over a minute. Thanks to McElroy and a Rafferty two-point free, Armagh were back in front at half-time. And things briefly looked ominous for Kerry as the Ulster men made a promising start to the second half. But as Kerry pressed up, a tidal wave of attacks saw them dismantle an Armagh side who were suddenly in disarray. THE TURNAROUND From 0-14 to 1-16 behind in the 41st minute, Kerry were 0-28 to 1-16 in front by the 56th. Game over. O'Connor explained: 'We just got to grips with the Armagh kickout. That's where we got the stranglehold and we drove on from there. Whatever the boys said to themselves at half-time, they were fierce determined. 'We felt we played well in the first half but gave away a very bad goal that brought Armagh back into it. But we were getting pockets of space to kick scores.' NOT A ONE MAN TEAM On the performance of O'Shea, O'Connor added: 'When that was a game in the first half and halfway through the second half, that man put in some display. "He's just such a genuine young fella and it's just the way he speaks and the way he commands the dressing room. David is a one-off and he's just a massive talent. But Seánie is just a very mature young fella who commands the room and commands the group. 'We missed him more than anyone in the Meath game when he wasn't there. Not alone does he play well himself, he just commands the boys around him. He's the leader on the field. 'Taking nothing away from any of the rest of them, Gavin White or anything, Gavin was fantastic today, but Seánie is on a different level as regards leadership. He's the spiritual leader of that group.' KERRY: S Ryan; D Casey, J Foley, P Murphy; B Ó Beaglaoich 0-2, G White 0-2, T O'Sullivan; S O'Brien, M O'Shea; J O'Connor 0-2, S O'Shea 0-12, 3tp, 2f, G O'Sullivan 0-2, D Clifford 0-7, 2tp, C Geaney, D Geaney 0-1. Subs: E Looney for T O'Sullivan 24 mins, P Clifford 0-2 for C Geaney h-t, M Burns 0-2 for M O'Shea 49, D Moynihan for Burns b-s 55-57, K Spillane for D Geaney 63, T Kennedy for G O'Sullivan 69, TL O'Sullivan for Casey b-s 69-70. ARMAGH: E Rafferty 0-2, 1tpf; P Burns, P McGrane, B McCambridge; R McQuillan, T Kelly 0-1, J Óg Burns 0-2, 1tp; N Grimley, B Crealey; R Grugan 1-0, J McElroy 0-2, O Conaty 0-6, 1tp; D McMullan 0-1, A Murnin, R O'Neill 0-6, 1tpf, 1'45. Subs: J Duffy for J Óg Burns b-s 37-47 mins, Duffy for Grimley 50, C Turbitt for McQuillan 50, A Forker for Kelly 53, C McConville 0-1 for Crealey 56, S McPartlan for Grugan 66, C O'Neill for Murnin b-s 66-70. REFEREE: B Cawley (Kildare).
BreakingNews.ie
29-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
All-Ireland SFC semi-finals: Kerry v Tyrone, Meath v Donegal
Tyrone and Kerry will renew their rivalry in the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, while Meath will play Donegal. A remarkable third quarter from Kerry , where they hit 14 unanswered points, saw them overcome reigning champions Armagh by 0-32 to 1-21. Advertisement Seán O'Shea scored 12 points for the Kingdom with David Clifford scoring seven. Speaking after the game, man of the match O'Shea said: "We were written off. People weren't giving us a chance, even down at home. People don't know what goes on in our dressing room. "We just said we'd throw the shackles off. We were coming in as underdogs. I thought Joe O'Connor really stood up in the second-half. We really turned the screw. People have talked about our squad, that we don't have strength and depth. We know the standard of our squad." Meath are into the last four for the first time since 2009, after Jordan Morris' 1-6 helped them defeat Galway by 2-16 to 2-15. The crucial score of the game came eight minutes from time with Jordan Morris scoring Meath's second goal, and he finished with 1-6.
