By Niall Gartland EOIN Donnelly stepped away after a decade of service on the Fermanagh team in January. He captained the side for most of that time period and rarely underperformed, but a first-ever Ulster Championship medal proved elusive. He prefers to accentuate the positive, however – he believes he left the Fermanagh jersey in […]
Ranked: Kerry and the chasing pack
With the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup headed to Kerry and Westmeath for the winter, Niall Gartland ranks the counties from top to bottom. 1 Kerry To the victors the spoils. Kerry have been burned by some chastening experiences in recent years, but a new management team spearheaded by Jack O’Connor led the Kingdom back […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Let’s clear things up
By Patrick Morrison SO, after last weekend’s round of games we have our All-Ireland final pairing. Galway versus Kerry in a repeat of the 2000 final, a game the Kingdom prevailed in. Both teams’ semi-final encounters were of a very similar nature with teams setting up in their defensive structures while trying to break down […]
GAA receive fault report from Hawk-Eye
By Michael McMullan THE GAA have confirmed that a full report into the issues relating to problems with the score detection technology in use in Croke Park last weekend has been received from Hawk-Eye. It made the headlines after Derry had a Conor Glass effort ruled out, with “Nil” appearing after the Croke Park big […]
Derry boss rues not making the most from early dominance
By Michael McMullan DERRY manager Rory Gallagher conceded that his side were beaten by a better team, but rues not making use of the spell of dominance that saw them go three points clear after 12 minutes. Points from Brendan Rogers (2) and Niall Loughlin had the Ulster champions in control, but Galway were level […]
A tough day at headquarters for Derry as they are closed out by Galway
All-Ireland SFC semi-final Galway 2-8 Derry 1-6 By Michael McMullan DERRY’S hopes of a third All-Ireland final appearance were torn apart at the hands of Galway on Saturday evening in Croke Park. Advertisement A late Lachlan Murray goal put a gloss on a tough day the office for the Ulster champions who found their potent […]
Rory Gallagher – you’ve gotta roll with it
He cuts an animated figure on the sideline, but Rory Gallagher is calm ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final. Katrina Brennan reports… “You gotta roll with it, you gotta take your time, you gotta say what you say, don’t let anybody get in your way.” The famous Oasis lyrics sprung to mind when I asked Rory […]
STEVEN POACHER: King Con -if fit -can cause another Dublin coronation
By Steven Poacher ON Sunday past we witnessed a wonderful game of football between two teams who were extremely well prepared and well-conditioned. The meeting of Galway and Armagh had everything including the first-ever penalty shoot-out in Croke Park in front of a full house. The second game was never going to live up to […]
PAURIC GRIMES: Give yourself the best chance you can to achieve
THERE was a lot of unpack from this weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-finals. From the efficient Dubs disposing of Cork to the one-legged Clifford guiding Kerry past Mayo. Then there was the match of the year contender between Armagh and Galway, never mind the controversy. You could spend hours picking the bones of that one. But here, […]
Rory Gallagher took encouragement from shoots of hope from Armagh defeat
By Michael McMullan THE shoots of hope from Derry’s 2020 Ulster Championship defeat to Armagh gave Rory Gallagher the encouragement to drive the county to the new levels that delivered a first Ulster title in 24 years. From the “early training sessions” in the 2020 season, the Derry boss became aware of the swathes of […]