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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Dean Rock reveals Dublin's two biggest foes in ‘most evenly contested All-Ireland in recent memory' if they beat Armagh
PREDICTING a winner in the Sam Maguire race is more difficult than it has been for years, according to Dean Rock. But the eight-time All-Ireland winner reckons a victory over Armagh this weekend will solidify Dublin's place among a trio of front-runners to land the game's biggest prize on July 27. 2 Dublin beat Galway to bounce back from losing in Leinster SFC Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 2 Dean Rock, former Dublin footballer, pictured at the launch of EirGrid's Community Heroes campaign at Ballymun Kickhams GAA Club in Dublin Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile There were fears in the capital that the glory days had come to an end when they suffered a shock Leinster SFC semi-final loss to Meath. Nevertheless, the Championship last summer . Despite the ending of their 15-year unbeaten streak on the provincial stage, Rock , 35, was not overly concerned about the potential of his former team-mates to recover. The ex-Dublin forward, who Read More on GAA 'Naturally I knew there'd be a massive response from the Meath game and they'd have learned a huge amount from it, in terms of the kickouts and just not letting a team get as big a run on you like Meath did, particularly in that first half. 'All the things coming out of the camp were that players were returning from injury, they'd learned a huge amount from the game and it was all kind of set up for them to really upset Galway in many ways. 'Galway would never have been a team that Dublin would have feared, particularly in recent years. 'Of course they had the win last year, but Dublin's record over Galway has been quite good and a lot of those players would have played against Galway quite regularly. Most read in GAA Football 'I was quite confident that they'd go down there and get a result. But the big thing for Dublin is consistency this year, so that would be the big question mark going into the Armagh game. 'If Dublin were to back that up with another win then you're really thinking of Dublin as massive, massive All-Ireland contenders.' Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - Rock expects a strong challenge from a And his belief in Donegal's ability to go all the way was also not entirely eroded by Asked about Dublin's chances of being the last men standing for the tenth time in 15 seasons, Rock continued: 'If they back it up with a win, I think absolutely it's themselves, Kerry and 'Obviously there are question marks over Donegal after last weekend, but if Dublin were to win this weekend I think they'd be the top three in my eyes.' REACHING THEIR PEAK While he places Armagh slightly further down the pecking order, Rock warned that the reigning champions have yet to peak. He said: 'There's plenty of evidence so far this year that the new rules suit what they're all about and I'm sure they're saving up their best for Championship. 'When you win an All-Ireland, you get that bit of confidence about yourself and you're kind of not afraid of the big games any more. 'You relish the challenge of playing in the All-Ireland series and I think Armagh got a huge monkey off their back last year in actually just winning the All-Ireland. 'I think you'll start to see the best of those players from now. Coming back to 'If they go up to Croke Park and beat Dublin, it'd be a big statement for them. 'In many ways, it's very strange for All-Ireland champions to be completely written off or not really talked about as in the top maybe three or four teams. 'They're kind of maybe just a little bit outside that in many people's eyes, but their squad has probably developed a little bit throughout the league as well. 'They've got plenty of options and a huge amount of pace up front. They have a lot going for them and I'd expect to see the best of them in the next couple of weeks.' 'It's the most evenly contested All-Ireland probably in recent memory. There are so many teams who have the potential to win it." A sense of novelty will be attached to the Group 4 fixture on Sunday at Croke Park as it will mark the first Championship clash of Dublin and Armagh since the Sky Blues won a qualifier in 2010. Several league games, such as the Orchard's victory back in March, have been contested since. The sides, managed by former Na Fianna team-mates Dessie Farrell and Kieran McGeeney, have crossed paths regularly on the challenge-match circuit too. One of those encounters was a source of considerable controversy in 2015, when a fracas caused Dubs defender Davy Byrne to be hospitalised with facial injuries. But Rock insisted: 'In the last couple of years, there could have been six, seven challenge matches against Armagh so there would be a lot of familiarity there and understanding with each other. 'There has been probably kind of a healthy rivalry in many ways built up, not in competitive games but off the field and different things. That's just the relationship with Dessie and Kieran.' OPEN FIELD As for the identity of this year's All-Ireland winners, Rock will not be too surprised if there are new entries in his ranking of the leading contenders as the Championship gradually reaches a climax. The three-time All-Star added: 'Arguably seven or eight teams on any given day could all beat each other. 'It's the most evenly contested All-Ireland probably in recent memory. There are so many teams who have the potential to win it. 'Even at this stage last year, you were probably only looking at Dublin, Donegal, Kerry. I don't think anyone would have seen maybe Armagh or Galway being an eventual winner. 'But this year in particular, there are so many teams that can win it. 'Even Tyrone now are massively back in the mix. 'Mayo may have slipped but Mayo being Mayo, they could go and get a result this weekend, you just don't know. 'But that's how I'd see it. It's just kind of on any given day and whoever gets momentum at the right time will ultimately become All-Ireland champions. 'It makes for an exciting couple of weeks.' l DEAN ROCK was speaking at the launch of EirGrid's 'Community Heroes' campaign at Ballymun Kickhams GAA club. EirGrid, Ireland's national grid operator, is shining a spotlight on the volunteers who power the GAA community in Ireland
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘The things I do for these two' jokes Dublin GAA legend as he reveals hilarious gesture at best mate's glamorous wedding
BRIAN FENTON and fiancee Katie got dolled up for their best friends' wedding - with the ex-Dublin star going the extra mile for the bride. The 2 Brian Fenton and fiancee Katie attended their friends' wedding Credit: Instagram/brianfenton08 2 The former Dub went the extra mile for the bride Credit: Instagram/brianfenton08 The special day took place at the popular Cloughjordan House in Co Tipperary. Mother Nature threatened to put a dampener on the occasion when it started to rain on the newlyweds. Thinking quickly, the Ballymun Kickhams man expanded an umbrella to protect the bride from the conditions. Sharing a photo of the moment to his Instagram Story, the 32-year-old joked: "Things I do for these two". Read More on GAA The two-time All-Star and nine-time All-Ireland winner Alongside a series of photos from his decorated career, the Raheny man said: "Words will never suffice to explain the privilege it has been to represent this county. "Proud of that kid for chasing his dreams". Following his retirement, Dublin GAA described Fenton as "a hugely talented footballer and fan favourite who will forever be considered one of the greatest players". Most read in Sport Former teammate Ciaran Kilkenny, meanwhile, His absence left a massive hole that Dublin struggled to fill, with Dessie Farrell's Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - Their The result came as a shock to most outside observers, but was predicted by former star Paul Flynn, who In the immediate aftermath of Fenton's retirement, Flynn told : 'It's catastrophic, it's actually unrecoverable. "I would go as far as to say they will be under pressure in Leinster. 'If they had lost four or five players, I still believe they could have built a competitive team with Fento in midfield. 'You could actually regenerate the squad with him there because he's so good he'll at least have a presence in midfield, fill in a couple of centre roles and carry a couple of players.' The news came just two weeks after nine-time All-Ireland winner James McCarthy Flynn, who won Sam Maguire four times alongside Fenton, added: 'If I'm Ger Brennan now, if I'm Robbie Brennan going in at Meath, if I'm Brian Flanagan in Kildare, you're getting confidence from this, you're sniffing blood. 'It's not a slam dunk, but they're coming back to the pack something fierce with James McCarthy and Brian Fenton gone.'
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Diarmuid Connolly backs Stephen Cluxton after Meath blow as Dublin icon silences critics with Galway heroics
EVEN after Dublin failed to reach the Royal standard, Diarmuid Connolly never had any doubts about Stephen Cluxton's ability to justify his continued selection. The performance of the legendary goalkeeper, 43, was heavily scrutinised following his side's elimination from the 2 Diarmuid Connolly never had any doubts about Stephen Cluxton' despite some heavy criticism this season 2 Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton put on a solid display in the clash against Galway His kickouts were devoured as the A nine-time All-Ireland SFC winner, Cluxton is now in his 23rd Championship campaign. And he delivered an emphatic response to the questions that were raised by his contribution to the Leinster semi-final loss. The seven-time All-Star played a starring role in Salthill as Dublin started their Sam Maguire campaign with an READ MORE ON GAA Asked if the fall-out from the Meath game left him concerned that this might prove to be one year too many for Cluxton, former team-mate Connolly said: 'No. I think what Stephen will give you. "And you saw it there against Galway, he doesn't get too flustered about the nitty-gritty sort of small things. 'I'd never throw him under the bus anyway. I know the guy personally, I've trained with him for so long and I know the sort of work that he puts in behind the scenes.' With the game's new rules requiring all kickouts to travel beyond the 40-metre arc, Connolly points out that responsibility for a malfunctioning restart does not rest entirely with a goalkeeper. Most read in GAA Football The ex-Dublin forward remarked: 'It's easy to say, 'Stephen didn't kick 80 per cent today', and it's easy to blame him for the loss. For me, it's the guys out the field that have to show for the ball. 'It's very difficult for a goalkeeper now. They have to get it off within a certain amount of time and they have to kick it for a distance now. 'Like something out of the French Revolution' - RTE GAA pundit Donal Og Cusack slams Dublin star's reckless swipe "If they don't have the options out the field, that can't happen, so you can't solely blame that on the keeper. 'But against Galway, that was completely different. 'There were options out the field and I thought Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, when we did have to go long, he either broke it or won his own ball. That's a huge thing.' Cluxton was at the centre of some key moments as Dublin eked out their 1-18 to 2-14 win against Galway. As well as producing a vital first-half save to deny Shane Walsh a goal, the pinpoint accuracy of a last-minute kickout started the move that culminated in Tom Lahiff's winning score. Dubs boss Dessie Farrell will hope for another big performance from his most senior statesman when the campaign resumes against All-Ireland champions Armagh at Croke Park on Sunday. And Connolly added: 'Stephen answered the questions like he usually does. "It was difficult for him against Meath — they really pressed the kickout but I thought we hadn't got a lot of options out the field and we had more against Galway for him.' l DIARMUID CONNOLLY was speaking in his role as a BoyleSports ambassador
Boston Globe
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Judge OKs prison abuse settlement, rejecting Trump administration's push to rewrite protections
It also includes pathways to early release and home confinement, and requires the Bureau of Prisons to 'issue a formal, public acknowledgement to victims of staff sexual abuse at FCI Dublin.' Some women who alleged abuse at Dublin say they have since been the victims of similar misconduct at other federal prisons. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Without the consent decree and the oversight that it calls for, there's no safety or protection for our class members,' former Dublin inmate Kendra Drysdale said. Advertisement FCI Dublin, about 21 miles (34 kilometers) east of Oakland, has been sitting idle since the Bureau of Prisons cleared out inmates last April and announced its permanent closure last December. It is now being looked at for use as a possible immigration detention facility. The judge rejected the Bureau of Prisons' request to renegotiate the agreement — which had been on the table since December — to remove provisions pertaining to transgender and non-citizen inmates. Government lawyer Madison Mattioli argued they were 'inconsistent with the new administration's priorities.' Under the consent decree, the Bureau of Prisons must allow covered inmates to retain gender-affirming clothing and accommodations and must not deny early release solely on the basis of immigration status or a detainer. 'You don't get two bites at the apple,' Gonzalez Rogers said at a hearing held by Zoom and attended by several ex-FCI Dublin inmates. 'There is always an opportunity to want more after a negotiated settlement. And that's why we get in writing and that's why we get it signed, so that you cannot go back.' Advertisement The consent decree will run for at least two years. It is set to go into effect March 31. Gonzalez Rogers agreed to the delay so the Bureau of Prisons can fill key several vacancies, including replacing an administrator who retired this month after serving as a liaison to the monitor, Wendy Still. A preliminary injunction that provides incarcerated women with some protections runs through March, the judge said. An AP investigation found a culture of abuse and cover-ups that had persisted for years at FCI Dublin, which became known among staff and inmates as the 'rape club.' Since 2021, at least eight employees have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Five have pleaded guilty. Two were convicted at trial, including former warden Ray Garcia. Another case is set to go to trial next month. Lawyers for ex-Dublin inmates and the Bureau of Prisons filed a proposed consent decree in December, at the end of the Biden administration, after months of negotiations to settle a class-action lawsuit that sought to change the agency's treatment of women and abuse claims. Separately, the government agreed in December to pay nearly $116 million to resolve lawsuits brought by more than 100 women who say they were abused or mistreated by FCI Dublin staff. The women will receive an average of about $1.1 million. Under the proposed agreement, plaintiffs will have ongoing and confidential access to the court-appointed monitor, lawyers and community-based counselors to report abuse and possible consent decree violations. The monitor will have access to the women, staff and records and will issue monthly reports to the public on key findings on a range of issues, including staff abuse and retaliation against inmates, medical care and compliance with early release rules. Advertisement The proposed agreement also includes protections against retaliation, including a ban on the Bureau of Prisons putting incarcerated plaintiffs in a special housing unit — a form of detention akin to solitary confinement — for low-level disciplinary matters. The agency will also be required to review and expunge invalid disciplinary reports by FCI Dublin staff that, in some instances, may have been issued to punish or keep inmates quiet. If allowed to stand, those disciplinary reports could hamper an inmate's access to early release or placement in a halfway house. Under the proposed agreement, the agency must release eligible plaintiffs to halfway houses and home confinement as soon as possible. The agency will also be required to restore early release credits that inmates may have lost when they were transferred from FCI Dublin.
