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BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
All-Ireland finals could move to August in 2027
GAA president Jarlath Burns says the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling finals could be pushed back to August from 2027. While the two showpieces games were traditionally played in September, they have been staged in July since 2022 as part of the split-season model. Earlier this year, Burns said the finals would not be moved to August in 2026, but a proposal to tweak the calendars could now be considered at Special Congress in at the launch of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship on Tuesday, Burns said: "Croke Park operates with regard to its priorities and how it does its business a year in advance. So, already, because we hadn't made a decision on that, August 2026 is taken up. That puts August 2027 into the mix."I'm around the country all the time, in clubs and counties every single day of the week, and the thing that I get most debate on are the timings of the All-Ireland finals. "And there is a school of thought that is saying that first and third weeks in August, leaving everything as it is, okay, first and third weeks in August."Burns, whose term as president ends in February 2027, also said he favours provincial finals being decided by replays. Cork beat Limerick on penalties in last weekend's Munster Hurling decider while Burns' native Armagh lost Ulster Football final shootouts in 2023 and 2024."I suppose that brings that into focus as well," added Burns."There are people who are very favourable towards the preliminary quarter-finals, but we will always be led by what the counties want. We decided that we would hold that particular one back."You don't have to talk to me above anybody else about replays and provincial finals. We've (Armagh) lost three now, two quarter-finals, on penalties. I would be very much in favour of replays where at all possible."
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Darragh Ó Sé: Fatigue could separate football's contenders from pretenders - and that's bad news for Kerry and Donegal
I was exhausted just looking at the Ulster football final last Saturday. It was a sunny day, the game was deep into extra-time and it was all happening with the new rules in place. Fellas were dropping like flies everywhere you looked. If you can deliver good football under those conditions, you are going to be right up there when the big business gets done over the coming months. At one stage near the end of extra-time, Peadar Mogan was doing a half-limp-half-hop, like a man who'd been shot in the back of the leg. Mogan found himself at wing-forward and suddenly got a twinge in his hamstring. Worse, he got a pass from Shane O'Donnell. Mogan wouldn't have been thankful to his teammate for that pass. He dished the ball off like it was on fire and gave it the full Hopalong Cassidy back into his own half where he could stay out of trouble. READ MORE There is going to be more and more of that as the championship goes on. I expect fatigue to play a serious part in what happens between now and July. Games have gone to extra-time before, but the old rules allowed some room for resets and breathers to take the sting out of games. That can't happen to the same extent now. The solo-and-go has killed the reset free. Not being able to pass back to the goalie has kept the action moving forward. The 50-metre punishment for slowing down a free or a sideline ball has killed that option too. The bodies don't get a break. You keep going until you have nothing left to give. Donegal's goal in extra-time was a prime example of that. Rory Grugan is one of Armagh's big leaders and best decision-makers. But his body just couldn't give any more. He saw Jason McGee cut in behind and knew he had to go with him, but he couldn't get there. McGee gave it across to Ciarán Moore and Donegal had their goal. We've all been that soldier. Kerry played Tyrone in the All-Ireland 2005 final and towards the end of the game, I got forward to take a shot for a point. I don't even remember if I scored or not. What I do remember is the ball being in the air and the only thought in my head being: 'How the hell am I going to get back out in time for the kickout?' Armagh's Darragh McMullen takes on Peadar Mogan of Donegal during last Saturday's Ulster final in Clones. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho When you're reeling like that, the crisis is as much a mental one as a physical one. Your lungs are gone. Your legs are gone. But the biggest problem you have is making yourself believe that these things don't matter. You ask yourself questions in those moments. Am I able, physically, to get my body out into position here? And if I do get out there, how am I going to manage to win this kickout? Where am I going to find the fortitude for this? Murphy is one of the best decision-makers in the history of the game The one saving grace you have is that there is only one answer. You will do it because you must do it. Ask yourself all the questions you like but you're only wasting valuable time. This thing is non-negotiable. It's what all your training was for. [ Conor McManus: Rule changes make Gaelic football more exciting and managing the clock even more crucial Opens in new window ] [ Jimmy's not winning matches, it's the boys, insists Donegal's McGuinness Opens in new window ] Whenever I was exhausted in a game, I told myself that this is how I thought it would be. Think about any time you're tired in real life – loads of different thoughts go through your head all at once and most of them are some version of a complaint about how tired you are. I basically decided to drown them out with one single message: you knew this would be hard so get on with it and find a way. You could see Michael Murphy doing that against Armagh last Saturday. This is a man who made his debut for Donegal 18 years ago. He missed two full seasons of intercounty football. He had more excuses than anybody to put his hand up and get off the pitch, but Jim McGuinness kept him there until the 77th minute. And why wouldn't he? When everything is hard, you need your best decision-makers on the field. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness with Michael Murphy after he was taken off during extra-time of the Ulster SFC final. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Jim can see the right decision from the sideline, but in a cauldron like that, there's very little he can say or do. So, to have Murphy in there guiding fellas on where to go and what to do is invaluable. He's no ordinary Joe Soap telling you to go and do something, either. If Michael Murphy says it, you'll fairly hop to it. Murphy is one of the best decision-makers in the history of the game. I rate him alongside Seamus Moynihan as somebody who never seems to take the wrong option and who always knows where to be and what to do. For him to keep going into extra-time was some shift. McGuinness played it well too. He had brought Paddy McBrearty off in normal time and then put him back on for Murphy in extra-time. What does that tell you? It says that in a world where everybody is out on their feet, a good decision-maker is better than the freshest legs. Donegal's Shane O'Donnell on the attack against Armagh in the Ulster SFC final. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho This is going to become more and more pertinent as the championship goes on. The last thing you need if you have to take a key player off with fatigue is to replace him with someone who is only 80 per cent as good. But in some cases, teams are not going to have a huge amount of choice in the matter. For what it's worth, I don't think it spells good news for Kerry. I look around at some of the other squads and they seem to be a good bit deeper. It's why I don't think the Dubs are gone. It's why Galway and Armagh are going to be right up there. It might catch Donegal, funny enough – McBrearty was one of three players they brought back on in extra-time. When the games come in a glut from the end of June, that could count against them. The new game demands that players go deeper into the well than ever before. Not everyone will be able to climb their way out.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Donegal beat Armagh again in titanic Ulster battle
Donegal retained the Ulster Football title by edging out All-Ireland champions Armagh in 2-23 to 0-28 after extra-time following another titanic struggle at Clones. Unlike last year, this final meeting didn't require penalties but it was another epic encounter between two well-matched teams. Following the final whistle as the holders had been able to retain possession for the last minute of action before the hooter sounded, there was unsavoury scenes as a melee broke out after a track-suited member of the Armagh squad appeared to strike a Donegal player. It took a minute or so for order to be restored before Donegal celebrations could begin following their 12th Anglo-Celt Cup triumph. For Armagh, their wait for a first Ulster title since 2008 goes on although they showed last year that they were more than capable of regrouping from provincial final heartbreak for the All-Ireland series. Donegal's victory means they avoid the so-called 'group of death' in the All-Ireland series with Armagh now facing Galway, Dublin and Derry in Group and the Ulster champions' Group One opposition Mayo, Tyrone and Cavan. With Oisin Gallen hitting four first-half points from play, Donegal led 0-14 to 0-11 at half-time after having been seven ahead three minutes before the interval. Armagh continued to claw into Donegal's lead after the restart as they trimmed the margin to 0-16 to 0-15. The defending champions appeared to have regained control as Hugh McFadden's bundled goal was followed by three points which put them seven up once more. However, Donegal only managed a solitary Jason McGee point in the closing 21 minutes of normal time as Oisin Conaty's continuing brilliance and the introduction of Stefan Campbell helped reeled in their advantage. Conaty's sixth point from play in the closing 10 seconds of normal time meant extra-time after Donegal's attempts to run down the clock had unravelled. A Jarly Og Burns point put Armagh ahead for the first time after the action had resumed but the sides were still locked together at 0-25 to 1-22 after the first 10-minute period. A Stefan Campbell score nudged Armagh ahead once more at the start of the second period of extra-time but after Rory Grugan missed a chance to extend their lead, Ciaran Moore then hammered Donegal's second goal after being set up by Michael Langan. A two-point free by Armagh keeper Ethan Rafferty levelled the contest once more but Niall O'Donnell's 88th-minute point proved the winner before tempers flared after the final whistle. The was intrigue before the throw-in as Rian O'Neill's absence from Armagh duty seemed set to end as he walked out on to the pitch with the other squad members at half-time during the Ulster Ladies Final between the two same counties. However in the event, O'Neill wasn't drafted into the 26-man matchday squad which included his brother Oisin, who started at left full-forward. When the game did get underway, Michael Langan created an immediate goal chance for himself but Ethan Rafferty spread himself to make a fine save. The first of two first-half two-pointers from Ciaran Thompson helped Donegal lead 0-4 to 0-2 and Armagh needed Conaty's brilliance to stay in touch in the opening 20 minutes as his two initial scores restricted the holders' advantage to 0-6 to 0-5. But Oisin Gallen was proving equally effective in Donegal's attack as he tormented Barry McCambridge and his three points from play in as many minutes during a period when Michael Murphy also tagged on a score from play left Jim McGuinness' side 0-10 to 0-5 up. It got even better for Donegal as Thompson's second two-point helped extend their lead to 0-13 to 0-6 as Armagh were being run ragged. However, Paddy Burns' switch to shadow Gallen helped steady Armagh as two Ross McQuillan points also stopped the bleeding. And Armagh finished the opening half strong as Conaty's third point and a two-pointer from Oisin O'Neill, followed by another score from the Crossmaglen man, left only three between the sides at the interval. A Murphy extended Donegal's lead to four after the break but Armagh responded with four of the next five scores which included McQuillan's third point as his fisted effort left the minimum between the teams. However, then came McFadden's goal which was a scrappy concession from an Armagh point of view as Donegal's Finbarr Roarty appeared to have lost possession following his charge towards goal only the ball to squirt towards the midfielder who hammered to the net soccer style. As Murphy, Conor O'Donnell and Moore tagged on further Donegal points, Armagh were seven in arrears once more but inevitably Conaty was the man who sparked the Orchard County's revival as he responded with a 50th-minute score. Campbell, only on the field a few seconds, immediately notched another Armagh point by the 55th minute, Donegal's lead to was trimmed to down as an Oisin O'Neill score was followed by his own two-point free after the holders had been deemed to have committed a three-up offence. Substitute Jason McGee's 55th-minute point was Donegal's last in normal time as efforts from Campbell, another substitute Jason Duffy and the superb Conaty in the final seconds ensured extra-time after the champions had lost possession in the final minute when chasing an insurance score rather than running down the clock. Extra-time was the usual chaotic and disjointed affair of bodies struggling with cramp and players coming back on after earlier having gone off. Armagh looked to have the fresher legs as Jarly Og Burns kicked them ahead for the first time but there were only three more scores in the first 10-minute period as a Niall O'Donnell left the sides deadlocked once more. Campbell nudged Armagh ahead once more after the resumption but Donegal were suddenly back in front after Langan set up wing-back Moore to hammer to the roof of the net. Inevitably, Armagh weren't going to quit and a Rafferty two-point free had the sides level again before referee Brendan Cawley made a big call by ruling that Campbell had over-carried rather than being fouled as he ended up on the turf on Donegal's 13-metre line. From Shaun Patton's resultant kickout, Donegal worked the ball downfield for Niall O'Donnell's winner as they were able to successfully run down the clock before tempers frayed immediately following the final whistle. Armagh: E Rafferty (0-3); P Burns, B McCambridge, A Forker; R McQuillan (0-3), G McCabe, J Og Burns (0-1); C O'Neill (0-1), B Crealey (0-1); D McMullan, R Grugan, O Conaty (0-6); T Kelly, A Murnin (0-1), O O'Neill (0-7). Subs: C Turbitt for Kelly 41, S Campbell (0-3) for C O'Neill 49, P McGrane for McCabe 54, J Duffy (0-2) for O O'Neill 59, N Grimley for Forker 6i, C Mackin for Murnin 71, C McConville for Conaty 78, S McPartlan for Grugan 83, T McCormack for McQuillan 87. Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Mogan (0-1); R McHugh, C McGonagle, C Moore (1-1); C Thompson (0-4), M Langan (0-2); D O Baoill (0-1), H McFadden (1-0), S O'Donnell; P McBrearty (0-3), M Murphy (0-3), O Gallen (0-4). Subs: C O'Donnell (0-1) for McBrearty 42, J McGee (0-1) for McFadden 49, J Brennan for O Baoill 5i, E McHugh for Moore 54, A Doherty for Gallen 64,N O'Donnell (0-2) for Brennan 71, McBrearty for Murphy 76, O Baoill for R McHugh 78, Moore for S O'Donnell 81, S McMenamin for McCole 83). Referee: Brendan Crawley (Kildare
BBC News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Donegal beat Armagh again in titanic Ulster battle
Donegal retained the Ulster Football title by edging out All-Ireland champions Armagh in 2-23 to 0-28 after extra-time in another titanic struggle at last year, their final meeting didn't require penalties but this was another epic encounter between two well-matched the final whistle as the holders had been able to retain possession for the last minute of action before the hooter sounded, there was unsavoury scenes as a melee broke out after a track-suited member of the Armagh squad appeared to strike a Donegal took a minute or so for order to be restored before Donegal celebrations could begin following their 12th Anglo-Celt Cup Armagh, their wait for a first Ulster title since 2008 goes on although they showed last year that they were more than capable of regrouping from provincial final heartbreak for the All-Ireland series. With Oisin Gallen hitting four first-half points from play, Donegal led 0-14 to 0-11 at half-time after having been seven ahead three minutes before the continued to claw into Donegal's lead after the restart as they trimmed the margin to 0-16 to defending champions appeared to have regained control as Hugh McFadden's bundled goal was followed by three points which put them seven up once Donegal only managed a solitary Jason McGee point in the closing 21 minutes of normal time as Oisin Conaty's continuing brilliance and the introduction of Stefan Campbell helped reeled in their sixth point from play in the closing 10 seconds of normal time meant extra-time after Donegal's attempts to run down the clock had unravelled.A Jarly Og Burns point put Armagh ahead for the first time after the action had resumed but the sides were still locked together at 0-25 to 1-22 after the first 10-minute period. A Stefan Campbell score nudged Armagh ahead once more at the start of the second period of extra-time but after Rory Grugan missed a chance to extend their lead, Ciaran Moore then hammered Donegal's second goal after being set up by Michael Langan.A two-point free by Armagh keeper Ethan Rafferty levelled the contest once more but Niall O'Donnell's 88th-minute point proved the winner before tempers flared after the final to follow. Armagh: Ethan Rafferty; Paddy Burns, Barry McCambridge, Aidan Forker (capt); Ross McQuillan, Greg McCabe, Jarly Og Burns; Callum O'Neill, Ben Crealey; Darragh McMullan, Rory Grugan, Oisin Conaty; Tiernan Kelly, Andrew Murnin, Oisin O' Blaine Hughes, Peter McGrane, Tomas McCormack, Connaire Mackin, Jason Duffy, Niall Grimley, Shane McPartlan, Cian McConville, Conor Turbitt, Stefan Campbell, Jemar Shaun Patton; Finbarr Roarty, Brendan McCole, Peadar Mogan; Ryan McHugh, Caolan McGonagle, Ciaran Moore; Ciaran Thompson, Michael Langan; Daire O Baoill, Hugh McFadden, Shane O'Donnell; Patrick McBrearty, Michael Murphy, Oisin Gavin Mulreany, Mark Curran, Odhran McFadden Ferry, Odhran Doherty, Aaron Doherty, Eoin McHugh, Jason McGee, Jamie Brennan, Conor O'Donnell, Niall O'Donnell, Stephen Brendan Crawley (Kildare)
BreakingNews.ie
10-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Donegal retain Ulster title after dramatic extra-time win over Armagh
Donegal have defended their Ulster football title but needed extra time to do it. Oisin Conaty brought Armagh level on 70 minutes to leave the game level 0-23 to 1-20 in Clones. Advertisement Niall O'Donnell's last gasp point was enough to win it for Jim McGuinness's men who came out on top after 90 mins by 2-23 to 0-28 points. It means the All-Ireland champions have lost the last three Ulster finals after extra time.
