Niall Gartland canvasses the opinion of three GAA journalists for their opinion on the big game. MICHAEL FOLEY (Sunday Times) FIRST things first, I think this is a good final pairing at the end of a pretty terrible championship. I’ve been doing this since 1998 and I would seriously say it’s been the worst championship […]
By Michael McMullan MUCH has been made of the impact teams have off the bench. Here are the tallies of the 16 teams in the Sam Maguire race. The scoring returns are based on players who started on the bench across all their games in the league and championship season. Advertisement The facts were taken […]
Dublin’s defeat to Galway had a real end of an era feel to it, and Niall Gartland looks back on the days other dynasties came to an abrupt end… Tyrone 2012 KERRY celebrated like loons when they overcame Tyrone in a famous Qualifier clash in 2012, but by that stage Mickey Harte’s side were nowhere […]
By Michael McMullan THE race to get hands on the Sam Maguire Cup will heat up this weekend after Monday morning’s quarter-final draw. All three Ulster teams have been kept apart with champions Dublin up against Galway in the last eight. There is a repeat of last year’s semi-final of Derry and Kerry while Ulster […]
Niall Gartland takes a look at the counties who have completed a clean sweep of league, provincial and All-Ireland titles in the one year Kerry (nine times) KERRY are the most decorated county when it comes to winning Sam Maguire titles having won the competition a record 38 times. On nine of those occasions, they […]
All-Ireland SFC Round Three Donegal v Clare Saturday, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 3pm By Michael McMullan WHAT a difference a year can make. Just ask the people of Donegal. Just over a year ago, they travelled to Clare for the opening game of the All-Ireland series with more questions than answers. Advertisement A round four […]
THERE is a lot of talk at the moment with the lack of competitiveness in most of the provincial championships. This conversation is certainly something that cannot be aimed at the Ulster Senior Football Championship. After the way they dismantled Derry, Donegal went into last week’s semi-final as raging hot favourites. And, anyone who knows […]
DERRY only know now that Dublin are not superhuman. Brian Mullins was giving us one of his intense team talks in the changing room after training one night and said: “Every sportsperson is only human. They only have two arms and two legs like you.” I said, “What about Maradona?” “F**k off Joe” he said. […]
THE bad news for the rest of us is that the conservatism that threatened to bring an end to Dublin’s dynasty has been replaced with the adventure that created it in the first place. “Balls out football,” as Pat Gilroy calls it. As we saw on Sunday against Tyrone, Dublin are in annihilation mode. I predicted […]
DUBLIN’S opening two boring defeats in the league prompted me to ask the question, “Why won’t they kick the ball in to Con O’Callaghan?” For those games, he was a peripheral presence, traking back and tackling round the middle third, taking a handpass at the last minute in a crowded defence. What a waste. Like […]
