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The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
GAA take drastic action to fill Leinster hurling final amid RTE pundits arguing it should be taken OUT of Croke Park
THE Leinster Council are gifting 20,000 tickets for its upcoming hurling final to underage GAA teams. While batches of free tickets are often made available to the next generation of Gaelic football and hurling players, that is a particularly sizeable quantity. 2 TJ Reid, Derek Lyng and Co await Galway on Sunday week 2 Joe Canning said on Sunday that he'd 'love' to see it moved to a smaller ground to ensure it has a good atmosphere Credit: @TheSundayGame It would appear to be a proactive measure given doubts over how many fans from Galway and Kilkenny will take on the hefty expense of venturing up to Dublin for the June 8 decider. After Speaking on The Sunday Game Live, the Galway great reasoned: "I'd love to see it out of Croke Park, being honest about it. "I think the whole atmosphere…it's too big for the crowd that shows up for a Leinster final. Imagine a full Tullamore or Portlaoise instead? Read More On GAA "You'd get a full house there alright. Remember we played you guys there a few times? (At which point he beckoned to Jackie Tyrrell who was nodding in agreement beside him). "It would add to the whole thing. At a smaller ground you'll get a better atmosphere - and it's not going all the way up to Dublin. "But having said that it's great to get a day out in Croke Park." The moment was clipped by The Sunday Game's social team and judging off the replies, Canning's suggestion received broad support. Most read in GAA Hurling Conor Counihan threw another potential setting into the mix, tweeting: "Thurles would be ideal. "Smack bang between both counties and so easily accessible. RTE pundit Joe Canning urges GAA to make huge change for Leinster hurling final as fans 'totally agree' "And before anyone says Thurles isn't in Leinster, both sides played in Leinster final replay in Thurles before (in 2018)." Upon yesterday's announcement, Leinster Council chairman Derek Kent explained the details around it with applications required by 12pm on June 4. He outlined: "This is a celebration of our young players and an investment in the future of our games. "We want every child involved in GAA to feel connected to the bigger picture – to see our players in action, feel the energy of championship days, and be inspired their hurling heroes. "By offering 20,000 free tickets to our players, we're not only giving them a great day out, we're showing them they belong to something special." The giveaway is open to groups of 10 kids comprised of the U14 age grade or younger. Each group must be accompanied by a minimum of two adults. The Leinster football equivalent certainly benefited from
The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Lee Chin stars as Wexford stun Kilkenny to end Leinster SHC campaign on a high
LEE CHIN'S 1-13 masterclass saw Wexford end their Leinster Championship campaign on a high with a seven-point win over Kilkenny at Chadwicks Wexford Park. Wexford gave their supporters something to cheer about after a difficult provincial run, while Kilkenny - already through to the final - made wholesale changes ahead of their showdown with Galway in two weeks. Advertisement 2 Lee Chin starred with 1-13 for Wexford in the win over Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon 2 Kilkenny made wholesale changes for the clash ahead of their match against Galway in two weeks As a result, the Cats never led in the game and manager Derek Lyng admitted the display left him a little disappointed. He said: 'We gave a lot of lads a chance, but at the same time we were absolutely coming here to put in a performance and get the win, so we're disappointed with that. "But the focus now switches to a Leinster Final and we've a big two weeks ahead.' He added: 'Wexford had a gale-force wind behind them in the first half, so they gained a bit of momentum. Advertisement READ MORE ON GAA "But I actually thought we played quite well in the first half - we missed a couple of chances that would have brought us closer, and that would have been important going in at half-time.' He continued: 'The goal at the start of the second half then opened up the gap a bit more. To their credit, our lads kept going, but it was too late to make a difference at that stage.' Wexford were full value for their 0-12 to 0-5 half-time lead, with Chin leading the charge. Rory O'Connor's goal four minutes after the restart put further daylight between the sides. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Comment Kilkenny, with TJ Reid and Cian Kenny battling hard, did try to claw back the margin — but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Chin struck for goal ten minutes from time. Reid did find the net for Kilkenny in stoppage time, having earlier seen close-range frees blocked on the line, but the damage had already been done. RTE pundit Joe Canning urges GAA to make huge change for Leinster hurling final as fans 'totally agree' Wexford finished with seven points to spare in a well-deserved win. WEXFORD: Advertisement M Fanning; C Molloy, S Donohoe (0-1), C Foley; E Ryan, D Reck, D Carley; C Hearne (0-1), C Byrne Dunbar; J O'Connor (0-1), L Chin (1-13, 9f), R O'Connor (1-1); K Foley, M Dwyer (0-1), C Byrne. Subs: N Murphy for Reck (30), C Dunbar for Dwyer (50), C McDonald (0-1) for Byrne (55), D Codd for J O'Connor (67), C McGuckin for Molloy (69). KILKENNY: E Murphy; P Connellan, P Moylan, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, A Mullen (0-1), Z Bay Hammond; K Doyle (0-1), P McDonald; L Connellan (0-2), C Kenny (0-3), F Mackessy (0-1); B Drennan (0-1), TJ Reid (1-4, 2f, 2 65s), O Wall. Advertisement Subs: S Donnelly (0-1) for McDonald (44), G Dunne for Wall (49), R Reid (0-1) for Bay Hammond (59), N Shortall for Drennan (66), S Staunton for Mullen (68). Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin)
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Wexford and Lee Chin end campaign on a high with win over Kilkenny
Leinster SHC: Wexford 2-19 Kilkenny 1-15 Wexford ended a disappointing Leinster Championship campaign on a high note as they defeated near neighbours Kilkenny in Chadwicks Wexford Park. The game was of little consequence with Kilkenny already in the Leinster decider and Wexford's fate already sealed, and it showed in a rather lacklustre affair that was lit up by a 1-13 tally from Lee Chin. The lack of jeopardy in the game really showed with just 4,623 in attendance and being at home it was Wexford who were the more fluent with Kilkenny never leading at any stage. Second-half goals from Rory O'Connor and Lee Chin gave Keith Rossiter's men a big advantage and although Kilkenny got back to within seven points come the end, it's a scoreline that's very misleading with TJ Reid getting Kilkenny's goal in stoppage time. READ MORE It was a relatively tight beginning to the game with Cian Kenny doing a lot of damage for the Cats but with a strong wind at their backs, Wexford took full control with Chin contributing eight first-half points. Simon Donohoe, Conor Hearne and Jack O'Connor also found the target for the home side though the game looked far from over as they led 0-12 to 0-5 at the break. A Rory O'Connor goal within four minutes of the resumption was a real big moment and with Chin then converting successive frees, the winners had a bit of daylight as they opened up a double-digit advantage. Kilkenny's Cian Kenny and Wexford's Kevin Foley fight for possession. Photograph: Ken Sutton/Inpho Kilkenny's best spell of the game then arrived with Adrian Mullen, Luke Connellan and Stephen Donnelly all knocking over points but it was only brief hope as Wexford's second goal ended the game as a contest a couple of minutes later. Chin was the man deservedly on the end of the move as he fired home after being fed expertly by Conor McDonald. The Cats rallied before the end with scores from Cian Kenny, Richie Reid and Fionan Mackessy before TJ Reid eventually found the net in stoppage time after being denied twice earlier in the game but it was much too late to make any difference as Wexford claimed a deserved success. Kilkenny: E Murphy; P Connellan, P Moylan, T Walsh; D Blanchfield, A Mullen (0-1), Z Bay Hammond; K Doyle (0-1), P McDonald; L Connellan (0-2), C Kenny (0-3), F Mackessy (0-1); B Drennan (0-1), TJ Reid (1-4, 2fs and 2 65's), O Wall. Subs: S Donnelly (0-1) for McDonald (44); G Dunne for Wall (49); R Reid (0-1) for Bay Hammond (59); N Shortall for Drennan (66); S Staunton for Mullen (68). Wexford: M Fanning; C Molloy, S Donohoe (0-1), C Foley; E Ryan, D Reck, D Carley; C Hearne (0-1), C Byrne Dunbar; J O'Connor (0-1), L Chin (1-13, 9fs), R O'Connor (1-1); K Foley, M Dwyer (0-1), C Byrne. Subs: N Murphy for Reck (30); C Dunbar for Dwyer (50); C McDonald (0-1) for Byrne (55); D Codd for J O'Connor (67); C McGuckin for Molloy (69). Referee: Sean Stack (Dublin).
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Derek Lyng takes pop at critics of Leinster SHC after Kilkenny book place in final with thrilling win over Dublin
DEREK LYNG says Kilkenny deserve credit for holding back Dublin's blue wave to book their Leinster SHC final place. Critics will hit out at the Cats for coughing up a 16-point lead and making life needlessly difficult on themselves. Advertisement 2 TJ Reid of Kilkenny after the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship match against Dublin 2 Chris Crummey of Dublin in action against TJ Reid, below, and John Donnelly of Kilkenny Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile They looked to be cruising through to the June 8 final, with a game to spare, when 14 points up at half-time. And they stretched the gap to 16 after the restart as travelling Dublin fans wondered just how low things could go. But three second-half Dublin goals, and 2-4 without response between the 50th and 56th minutes, turned a near lost cause into a contest again. Seán Currie netted two of Dublin's goals and Cian O'Sullivan got the other as the 2013 champions rallied superbly. Advertisement Read More on GAA It was eerily similar to the 2020 Leinster semi at Croke Park when Kilkenny had a 16-point lead wiped out then too. Kilkenny eventually escaped on that occasion and did the same this time thanks largely to Billy Ryan's 69th-minute goal. That brought Ryan's tally to 2-3 for the day and capped a brilliant showing while veteran TJ Reid contributed 1-9. Kilkenny manager Lyng said it is wrong to complain that the great Kilkenny teams he played with would never have let such a lead slip. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Lyng said: 'I think a lot of that stuff, where we're comparing all the time to the past teams, we have to stop doing that. 'We have a team here that's competing really well and competing hard. And we have got the two points. Are we happy that somebody else got back into the game? We're not at all. Limerick GAA fans troll RTE pundit Donal Og Cusack after win over Cork 'But at the same time, I think there's probably a narrative that we're going to be the team that was there ten or 15 years ago, whatever it was. 'That's not the case. This is Kilkenny of 2025 — and these lads are working really hard. We have a lot of injuries. We've got lads coming back. Advertisement 'We're balancing that and the attitude and the spirit in there is really good. 'This gives us something to keep working at and for sure we'll do that.' Lyng had a pop too at those criticising the Leinster Championship for not being as good as the Munster one. He said after the eight-goal thriller: 'That commentary has been there for a long time. It was there since I was playing as well. Leinster was always kind of the poor relation. Advertisement 'I think today showed the quality that's there. Dublin and ourselves had six points coming in. And I thought a lot of the hurling was top quality.' SILVER LINING Dublin manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin argued that his team did not actually play that badly in the first half. But they still trailed by a whopping 14 points at the break. The goals were killers with two of those coming from long balls into the danger area that broke kindly. Adrian Mullen got Kilkenny's first goal that way, capitalising when Cian Kenny's long free broke loose. Advertisement Martin Keoghan's 32nd-minute strike came in much the same manner. Ryan and Reid also fired first-half goals though those were more about two in-form players displaying their individual ability. Both players soloed in from either wing before blasting home. O'Sullivan was Dublin's main man up front and sniped five points from play in the opening 20 minutes. But as the Kilkenny goals rained in, all hope of a fourth Dublin win in the campaign seemed to evaporate. Advertisement Jordan Molloy and Reid stretched Kilkenny's lead to 16 points early in the second-half, 4-14 to 0-10. The five-in-a-row champs have looked vulnerable at periods this year though. They had to come from behind at half-time to beat Antrim. So Dublin were not about to give in — and Conor Donohoe at midfield exemplified that belief. The Erin's Isle man has been one of their best performers this year and dug deep here. Currie's first goal energised Dublin, another little victory for route-one hurling as big John Hetherton engineered it with a great catch. Advertisement Dublin really got it going between the 50th and 56th minutes when they reeled off 2-4 without response. Ronan Hayes had a chance to cut the gap to just one in the 63rd minute but his shot was saved. Still, Dublin got it back to a two-point game when AJ Murphy pointed twice after coming on, 4-19 to 3-20. But just as they dared to dream of a landmark win on Kilkenny soil, Molloy tore through the centre and teed up Ryan for the match-winning goal. Advertisement KILKENNY : E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, P Deegan; D Blanchfield, R Reid, M Carey; C Kenny, J Molloy 0-1; A Mullen 1-0, J Donnelly, B Ryan 2-3; M Keoghan 1-3, TJ Reid 1-9, 9f, S Donnelly 0-1. Subs : K Doyle 0-1 for Blanchfield 24-25 mins blood, L Hogan 0-1 for Mullen 45, Doyle for Kenny 48, F Mackessy for Hogan 59, L Connellan for S Donnelly 71, T Walsh for Blanchfield 72. DUBLIN : E Gibbons; C McHugh, P Smyth, J Bellew; P Doyle, C Crummey 0-1, P Dunleavy; C Burke, C Donohoe 0-4; C O'Sullivan 1-5, B Hayes, D Power 0-1; S Currie 2-6, 1-4f, 1 65, J Hetherton, C Currie. Subs : F Whitely 0-1 for Dunleavy h-t, R Hayes for C Currie h-t, R McBride 0-1 for Burke 49 mins, A Jamieson-Murphy 0-2 for Power 65. REFEREE : M Kennedy (Tipperary).
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Billy Ryan goal saves Kilkenny from Dublin second-half resurgence
Leinster SHC Round 4: Kilkenny 5-19 Dublin 3-21 Kilkenny coughing up a 16-point lead against Dublin before eventually coming good to secure their Leinster SHC final place. Now where have we heard that one before? Rewind to Halloween night, 2020, and the circumstances were pretty much the same as the Cats ran up a huge lead before promptly handing it all back. They eventually prevailed on a narrow margin that evening to reach the provincial final, and it was the same outcome here as Billy Ryan capped a terrific game with a 69th-minute goal to win it for Kilkenny. With four wins from four, Derek Lyng's side are assured of a place in the Leinster final on June 8th despite still having a group game to go against Wexford next Sunday. READ MORE Whilst this game was a glimpse into the past on one hand, it could also be a peak into the future as Dublin will play Kilkenny again in the final if they beat Galway next weekend. Dublin will be at home to the Tribesmen at Parnell Park in what is now an effective Leinster semi-final. Dublin manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin wasn't so sure if they will approach that game with momentum, given their excellent second-half performance against Kilkenny, or disappointment. Dublin's Conor McHugh tackles Kilkenny's TJ Reid. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho 'It's a fair question,' he reasoned. 'I think there's definitely disappointment there. If you walk in there to our dressing-room, there's absolutely disappointment there. We felt it was there for us and that we should have seen it out.' If someone told you at half-time that Ó Ceallacháin would be expressing disappointment afterwards about not winning, you'd have sent them on their way. Kilkenny led 4-12 to 0-10 at that stage. Ó Ceallacháin argued Dublin weren't actually playing that bad and any 'independent observer' would agree. But the goals were killer concessions with Adrian Mullen's, Kilkenny's first in the 16th minute, and Martin Keoghan's in the 32nd both the products of long deliveries to the danger area that broke kindly. Ryan and TJ Reid also struck first-half goals, though those two were more about two in-form players displaying their individual ability as they soloed in from either wing before netting. Dublin's Conor McHugh tackles Kilkenny's Martin Keoghan. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Ryan finished with 2-3, all from play, and displayed a razor-sharp edge whenever a scoring opportunity arose, like when Reid tossed him a pass in the 65th minute and he found space with a neat pirouette before pointing. Reid finished with 1-9, the points all from frees, though before any of Kilkenny's eight different scorers could celebrate their day's work, they had to endure a horror final 20 minutes or so. John Hetherton displayed the value of a big man on the edge of the square when he helped set up Dublin's first goal in the 39th minute, finished off by Sean Currie. Conor Donohoe came strongly into the game in midfield too, drilling back-to-back points and generally helping the Dubs gain a vital foothold in the middle third. But it wasn't until their second and third goals, scored in the 53rd and 54th minutes, by Currie again and Cian O'Sullivan as part of a 2-4 scoring siege, that a comeback seemed genuinely possible. Dublin's Chris Crummey attempts to block shot from Kilkenny's Luke Hogan. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho Kilkenny went 13 minutes without scoring and winced as AJ Murphy, a star man in Na Fianna's All-Ireland club success under Ó Ceallacháin last winter, came off the bench and scored two points. Dublin trailed by just two in the 69th minute and eyed a most remarkable win before having the rug pulled from beneath them in the form of Ryan's late goal. Jordan Molloy took off through the centre and could have tapped over a point but showed both his ruthless streak and his confidence in Ryan by offloading to his right. 'We were playing a top-class team, we're not going to have it all our own way for 75 minutes,' said Lyng. 'But I think for a chunk of the second-half we'd be disappointed surely that their purple patch lasted as long as it did.' KILKENNY: E Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, P Deegan; D Blanchfield, R Reid, M Carey; C Kenny, J Molloy (0-1); A Mullen (1-0), J Donnelly, B Ryan (2-3); M Keoghan (1-3), TJ Reid (1-9, 9f), S Donnelly (0-1). Subs: K Doyle (0-1) for Blanchfield (24-25 mins, blood), L Hogan (0-1) for Mullen (45), Doyle for Kenny (48), F Mackessy for Hogan (59), L Connellan for S Donnelly (71), T Walsh for Blanchfield (72). DUBLIN: E Gibbons; C McHugh, P Smyth, J Bellew; P Doyle, C Crummey (0-1), P Dunleavy; C Burke, C Donohoe (0-4); C O'Sullivan (1-5), B Hayes, D Power (0-1); S Currie (2-6, 1-4f, 0-1 65), J Hetherton, C Currie. Subs: F Whitely (0-1) for Dunleavy, R Hayes for C Currie (both h-t), R McBride (0-1) for Burke (49 mins), A Jamieson-Murphy (0-2) for Power (65). Ref: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
