Post-Match Reaction: United Rugby Championship – Leinster V Emirates Lions – Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen – The42.ie – October 28 2024

Posted on October 28, 2024 by admin

Caelan Doris ‘making great progress as a leader’

The 26-year-old was named Leinster captain in advance of their 2024-25 campaign.

FOLLOWING WHAT is expected to be the first of many outings for his player as a team captain at the Aviva Stadium in the coming weeks, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said on Saturday that Caelan Doris is “making great progress as a leader”.

Having acted as a stand-in for previous incumbents James Ryan and Garry Ringrose on a number of occasions towards the tail end of last season, Doris was named Leinster captain in advance of their 2024-25 campaign.

After previously bagging tries as skipper in United Rugby Championship victories over Benetton and Munster, the Mayo native did likewise in their 24-6 win over Emirates Lions in the Aviva on Saturday and also came away with a player of the match award on the night.

This game took place just three days after Doris was announced as Ireland’s captain ahead of their four-game Autumn Nations Series at the same venue in November.

He has already led out his country on a couple of occasions in 2024, but Cullen will now look on with interest as his reliable back-row becomes the international skipper in an official capacity.

“He has been fantastic. Reflecting as the season unfolded last year, particularly that last block when James and Garry were both out, Caelan really stepped to the fore for us off the back of some big performances that he has had for Ireland. Listen, he is making great progress as a leader,” Cullen remarked in the aftermath of Saturday’s game.

“He is very curious, naturally. Works on all aspects of his game, has a very positive influence on the group as well. He has been excellent, I have to say. You can see it in his performances, he is enjoying it. He is bringing everybody with him as well I think, which is good to see.

“He’s still very young as well, so there’s plenty of room for growth there also. We had James in the [coaches] box with us today. James has been great as well. We are growing the group. We will need to rely on a big group because there are so many moving parts to a season.”

While they fell short in their quest for a sixth consecutive bonus point triumph, Saturday’s game nevertheless saw Leinster opening up a six-point lead over defending champions Glasgow Warriors at the summit of the URC.

This competition will now take an extended break with Leinster not set to be in league action again until their visit to Ulster and Kingspan Stadium on Friday, 29 November — a game that will be held the night before Ireland’s final autumn test against Australia in the Aviva.

Although the senior side won’t be in competitive action until then, a number of those who will remain within the Leinster squad — including training panellists, 20 players from the province will be part of the Irish camp next month — could well feature in an ‘A’ interprovincial series that is set to take place in the next few weeks.

“We will obviously take a bit of a break. We will come in at the start of the week and review. Take a bit of a break then and reflect. There are some things we know we are not quite happy with, even from what we are seeing in training. There are lots of things we can get better at. Nobody is losing the run of themselves, I don’t think,” Cullen added.

“A bit of reflection time, we will invest in a lot of the younger guys. We have a good mix of experienced guys there as well. Obviously, the Ulster game in round seven is still a month away, so we have a bit of time to try and get ready for that with the group that we have. We have competitive Interpro ‘A’ games. I’m not sure if everyone actually knows that.

“It will be a proper competitive Interpro. Points table, trophy at the end of it. We play Connacht away in Creggs on the Saturday [16 November] and then we play Munster on the Friday after that in Terenure. For the group that we have, listen it’s an ‘A’ game, but we will try and make it senior-ish. I think that is important.”

Daire Walsh

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Post-Match Reaction: United Rugby Championship – Leinster V Emirates Lions – Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen – The42.ie – October 28 2024

United Rugby Championship: Leinster V Emirates Lions – The42.ie – October 26 2024

Posted on October 26, 2024 by admin

No bonus point but Leinster too strong for Lions at Aviva Stadium

Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris both crossed before the province added a late penalty try.

Leinster 24

Emirates Lions 6

Daire Walsh reports from Aviva Stadium

A BONUS POINT triumph may have eluded them for the first time this season, but Leinster ultimately held off a strong challenge from Emirates Lions at the Aviva Stadium this evening to continue their winning start to the United Rugby Championship.

Having amassed the maximum tally of 25 points from their opening five games, Leo Cullen’s charges were met with considerable resistance from their South African counterparts in the Ballsbridge venue tonight. Yet with five-pointers from Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris preceding a late penalty try, Leinster have opened up a six-point buffer at the URC summit ahead of an extended break from competitive action.

While there were some notable absentees for this game – and Blackrock College graduate Hugh Cooney was making his first start for the province at outside centre – Leinster’s match day 23 featured nine players that are set to link up with Ireland for their forthcoming Autumn Nations Series campaign.

Included amongst this cohort were out-half Sam Prendergast and hooker Gus McCarthy – both of whom recently faced South African opposition during Emerging Ireland’s three-game tour of the southern hemisphere nation.

Whereas McCarthy was named by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell as one of five training panellists for the upcoming international window, Prendergast is part of their main 35-man squad and could be in line to make his Ireland senior debut at some point in November. He was presented with an ideal opportunity to break the deadlock when Leinster secured a penalty with just over two minutes on the clock and the Kildare native made no mistake with his first effort off the kicking tee.

While the hosts had hoped this would be the catalyst for a dominant opening quarter in the Ballsbridge venue, a Lions side that came into this contest with four wins from as many games this season largely held their own in the early stages. Despite losing full-back Quan Horn after he was sent for a head injury assessment, the visitors edged in front after Kade Woulhuter successfully converted place-kicks in the 13th and 18th minutes.

Leinster breathed a sigh of relief when Woulhuter fired past the posts from inside his own half after the home team conceded another penalty to the Johannesburg men, but – as seemed inevitable – the eastern province eventually gained a foothold in the action.

Although McCarthy couldn’t find his target off a line-out after Prendergast opted for touch off a close-range penalty, Leinster were subsequently awarded an attacking scrum and remained inside the Lions ‘22’ for an extended period.

Their persistence eventually paid off when van der Flier dotted down underneath a slew of bodies on 32 minutes and with Prendergast adding the bonuses in routine fashion, Leinster brought a 10-6 cushion into the interval.

A Leinster victory was far from certain as the second half commenced, however, as Lions were proving themselves to be quite adept at halting the attacking momentum of their Irish rivals. It looked like the Blues had finally got in for their second try of the evening on 54 minutes, but Prendergast’s pass towards fellow Kildare man Andrew Osborne in the lead up to his finish on the right-flank was adjudged to have gone forward.

A potential five-pointer from James Lowe moments later was also ruled out following consultation between referee Craig Evans and TMO Aled Griffiths – Henco van Wyk got his hands to a Prendergast grubber kick ahead of the Irish international – before Leinster finally increased their cushion just shy of the hour mark. After he was picked out close to the whitewash by back-row compatriot van der Flier, player of the match Doris powered over on the left-hand side for a try that was supplemented by a Prendergast bonus strike.

This helped to create some daylight between the teams and also kept Leinster in the hunt for maximum points in a URC fixture for the sixth successive occasion in the current term.

They ultimately fell short in this particular quest, but they did manage to add to their tally in stoppage-time when – after their own South African star RG Snyman superbly claimed a line-out delivery from replacement hooker Stephen Smyth – the aforementioned Evans awarded them a penalty try.

Leinster scorers:

Tries – Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris, Penalty Try

Conversions – Sam Prendergast [2/2]

Penalties – Sam Prendergast [1/1]

Emirates Lions scorers:

Penalties – Kade Wolhuter [2/2]

LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Andrew Osborne, Hugh Cooney, Robbie Henshaw (Charlie Tector ’79), James Lowe; Sam Prendergast (Ross Byrne ’64), Luke McGrath (Cormac Foley ’64); Michael Milne (Andrew Porter ’45), Gus McCarthy (Stephen Smyth ’79), Rabah Slimani (Thomas Clarkson ’45); RG Snyman, Ryan Baird (Brian Deeny ’68); Max Deegan (James Culhane ’70), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

EMIRATES LIONS: Quan Horn (Erich Cronje ’11); Richard Kriel, Henco van Wyk, Rynhardt Jonker (Marius Louw ’60), Edwill van der Merwe; Kade Wolhuter (Sanele Nohamba ’68), Morne van den Berg; Juan Schoeman (Heiko Pohlmann ’68), PJ Botha (Franco Marais ’60), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (RF Schoeman ’68); Ruben Schoeman (Ruan Delport ’60), Reinhard Nothnagel; JC Pretorius (Renzo du Plessis ’70), Jarod Cairns, Francke Horn.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU).

Attendance: 20,945

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on United Rugby Championship: Leinster V Emirates Lions – The42.ie – October 26 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: Sam Prendergast – The Irish Examiner – October 26 2024

Posted on October 26, 2024 by admin

‘I only want to play for Leinster’ – Sam Prendergast wants to be number one choice at outhalf

Competition for the number 10 jersey at Leinster is fierce with Sam Prendergast trying to find his way to being number one choice.
DAIRE WALSH

Despite giving some thought to the idea of a temporary switch to an interprovincial rival, Sam Prendergast has said Leinster is the best place for him as he looks to progress up the out-half ladder from a provincial perspective.

In competition with the likes of Ciaran Frawley, Ross Byrne and his younger brother Harry for the number 10 spot in Leinster, there was some talk towards the tail end of last season that Prendergast might make a loan move to Connacht for the current campaign in order to gain more opportunities as a starter.

Given his older sibling Cian has been with the westerners since 2020 – and was recently named their club captain – this is an arrangement that would have made a lot of sense for Prendergast.

Yet the Kildare native ultimately opted to remain within the eastern province and is now set to make his second start of the present term when Leo Cullen’s men take on the Lions at the Aviva Stadium in the United Rugby Championship this evening (kick-off 5.15pm).

“I suppose you’re always thinking ‘well maybe I can do better with a bit of game time’ and stuff like that. Did I give it thought? I suppose I did, yeah. Being honest, I did, and it was selfish, but it’s also from a team point of view as well. All I was thinking was ‘how do I become the Leinster number 10?’,” Prendergast remarked earlier this week.

“I only want to play for Leinster. That’s where I want to achieve things, but it’s how do I become the Leinster number 10? It was giving the thought of ‘is it from going to somewhere else where maybe I’ll get more game time?’ I ended up not thinking that was the best decision, but I did give it thought.

“Eventually I just decided this is the place. Well, I suppose I never had to think about that, whether this was the place for me, it was just how do I get to being the number one here. I think that’s a constant battle because there’s always people ahead of you and there’s always people coming up behind you.”

Although tonight’s game will be Prendergast’s first appearance for Leinster since their URC opener against Edinburgh on September 20, this is partly due to the fact that he started all three fixtures that Emerging Ireland played on their recent tour of South Africa. Having been part of the main international squad for their summer visit to the same nation in July, Wednesday also saw Prendergast being named in Andy Farrell’s 35-man selection for their upcoming Autumn Nations Series campaign.

Joining him in the squad for this international window is his aforementioned brother Cian, who has three international caps to his name. After following in his footsteps on several occasions in the past, the younger Prendergast will once again be seeking to emulate the 24-year-old Connacht forward in the near future by making his Ireland senior debut.

“When I was younger, maybe in second year or third year in school, I wasn’t hugely into rugby, but then that was when he [Cian] started to play Leinster U18s and Irish U18s. I was watching it like, ‘yeah, maybe this is what I want to do’,” Prendergast added.

“Then when I’m still in school, I think it was during covid when I was doing my Leaving Cert, you’re coming home on a Friday night and he’s playing different games. Starting to break into the Connacht team and he’s playing for their first team. It was great to watch him playing and you’re always aspiring to be better and better.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: Sam Prendergast – The Irish Examiner – October 26 2024

The Big Interview: Katie Murray (Waterford/Comeragh Rangers) – Media West Ireland – October 26 2024

Posted on October 26, 2024 by admin

Katie Murray basking in glow of finally scaling Déise summit

By Daire Walsh

Following several years of coming up short to one of the game’s most enduring and formidable forces, Katie Murray and Comeragh Rangers finally took an historic leap forward under the Fraher Field floodlights on Friday, 11 October.

For 10 of the past 11 seasons, Comeragh had reached the Waterford senior ladies football championship decider only to lose out against Ballymacarbry on each occasion.

The Rathgormack club had come so close to claiming a maiden top-tier title in 2023, but Ballymac ultimately squeezed home after extra-time and secured an astonishing 42nd consecutive Waterford SFC crown in the process.

While injury prevented her from taking part in their 2022 showpiece defeat to the reigning champions, Murray had played an active role in the vast majority of the finals that Comeragh lost between 2013 and 2023.

Having shared in a collective heartbreak with her team-mates for so long, she was both delighted and relieved that Comeragh finally brought Ballymac’s extraordinary winning run to an end in Dungarvan a little over a fortnight ago – their latest duel with the all-conquering side finishing 5-03 to 1-06 in their favour.

“Everyone is just in such a good mood to finally do it. We’ve been trying for the last 12 years to get over the line and to finally do it is just unbelievable. It’s just such a relief to finally be the ones that are celebrating at the final whistle and not being disappointed,” Murray said.

“It is hard to come back every year to be up against the same team and losing to the same team, but we’ve such respect for them. They’ve set such a standard for ladies football. Not just in Waterford, but in Ireland. We were up against one of the best teams in the country and we were still only losing by small margins.

“To finally do it, and against them, was just unbelievable. Even the last three minutes of the game, we kind of knew we had won it and we were looking at each other like ‘have we actually done this!’ We were just waiting and waiting for the final whistle to blow, so we could celebrate.”

From an individual perspective, this year’s county final was one that couldn’t have gone much better for Murray as she was credited with four of her side’s five goals and also collected a player of the match award for her contribution to Comeragh’s breakthrough success.

Yet Murray does acknowledge that there might be a question mark over one of those three-pointers and that the green flag efforts that are definitely in her name wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of her colleagues.

“Technically one of them was an OG! To get any score in a county final, there is so much pressure on the game, and somehow it just went that way. I had gotten three in the first half, but the girls that set them up probably did most of the work.

“I just happened to be at the end of the play and ended up being the one to take the shot. The people that set them up probably did more work than me finishing them. The opportunity just came to take on the three or four goals and I was delighted that they went in.”

It is very much a family affair for Murray with both the Comeragh and Waterford senior footballers as she is joined on the club and inter-county scenes by her sisters Emma, Aoife and Cora. While Cora is slightly younger, Katie, Emma and Aoife are triplets and have enjoyed a remarkable shared journey through the ranks of their native county.

After winning a national Under-14 title together against Cavan in 2012, they were subsequently part of the Deise panel that secured the spoils in a TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate football championship final at Croke Park in 2015.

All four Murrays have gone on to become regular fixtures for Waterford in recent times and, having seen Katie earn a nomination of her own three years ago, Emma has found herself shortlisted for the TG4 All-Stars in 2024.

Additionally, whereas Ger Power has been at the helm for the past two seasons, the presence of their father Joe as team manager for the vast majority of their time on the Comeragh team helped to make their county final win all the sweeter for Katie and her sisters.

“There are four of us on the team and that makes it a bit extra special to be playing with them. Our Dad actually trained us for the last 10 years, so we’ve had new management for the last two years. He was the manager for the previous 10.

“There’s not many matches I’ve played in my life that one of them hasn’t been on the field. We would have had a very strong team coming up through the ages. We would have won the ‘A’ all the way up, from U12 up to minor. We hadn’t won anything since we were 18 with the club and we’re 26 now.

“We might have thought when we were growing up that it would have been a bit easier, because we might have been used to winning when we were younger, but it just took that bit of extra time to finally win at senior level.”

Re-focusing after the high of their success over Ballymac may well have been difficult, but Comeragh nonetheless returned to training on the Thursday that followed that game in preparation for a Munster SFC quarter-final clash with Tipperary champions Moyle Rovers on Sunday afternoon.

Although the presence of a Munster Senior ‘B’ club championship means that Comeragh have some past experience of the provincial scene to call upon, Murray is looking forward to participating in the main competition for the very first time.

“The last few years we would have played in the Munster ‘B’. After losing we still had to go back training and pull ourselves together to compete in that competition. There is a different buzz about the place. People were looking forward to coming back training,” Murray added.

“We’re playing Moyle Rovers and we’ll just focus on that game for now and stick to our process. Stick to the way we play, see what way the game goes and what result happens on the day.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Katie Murray (Waterford/Comeragh Rangers) – Media West Ireland – October 26 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: RG Snyman – The Irish Examiner – October 25 2024

Posted on October 25, 2024 by admin

RG Snyman now has greater respect for James Ryan’s breakdown work

When asked if he found Ryan to be a better player having now trained and played alongside him, he admitted there are some areas of his game he now has a greater respect for.
DAIRE WALSH

After previously becoming accustomed to locking horns with him on the international stage, two-time World Cup winner RG Snyman is now glad to be in a position where he is sharing second-row duties with James Ryan at Leinster.

While a succession of injuries dictated that he didn’t face him during his four-year stint with arch-rivals Munster, Snyman did come up against Ryan in South Africa’s 13-8 defeat to Ireland in the pool stages of the 2023 RWC.

Of course, the Springboks went on from there to secure the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time in succession before welcoming Ireland to their shores for a two-test summer tour in July of this year.

Several months prior to squaring off in that series (which ended with Ireland and South Africa recording one win apiece), it had been confirmed that Snyman was going to join forces with Ryan in Leinster for their 2024/25 campaigns in the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup.

Their five bonus-point victories to date in the former have included interprovincial derby successes over Munster and Connacht with Snyman and Ryan being the starting locks of choice for both games.

“He’s class. The way he goes about his business in the preparation for a game is also something that people can look up to. He goes out of his way to make sure he’s 100% prepped and even the guys around him as well,” Snyman said of Ryan.

Ahead of being named in South Africa’s squad for their forthcoming series of autumn internationals in Europe, Snyman was speaking at a Leinster media briefing in UCD on Monday.

When asked if he found Ryan to be a better player having now trained and played alongside him, he admitted there are some areas of his game he now has a greater respect for.

“That’s a tough question. I guess I’ve just got to see a little bit more of him now, so you find appreciation for a lot more things that you now know that he’s doing. There is a lot more that I can see him doing now. For instance, I would never really have noticed his breakdown work before.

“Obviously you look at defence, you look at attack and you look at lineouts. All of these things when you are playing against teams. His contributions at the breakdown and the way he approaches that is something that is really exciting.”

Despite only making three appearances to date – he is expected to enjoy a fourth outfit against South African opposition in the shape of Emirates Lions at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening – Snyman has already had a significant impact in the colours of Leinster.

He recorded five tries in 10 appearances during the final few months of his time in Munster and has maintained that scoring form in the eastern province by crossing the whitewash against both his former club and Connacht on consecutive weekends.

Aside from his physicality – he stands at 6 feet 9 inches and weighs 117 kg – Snyman has also been noted throughout his career for having an eye-catching offloading game.

This is something that was driven into him from a very young age and while he acknowledges there are risks that come with it, he believes Leinster is the right environment for him to showcase this side of his game.

“It was definitely my Dad who instilled that into my playing style from a young age. When I was growing up, he would always encourage me to ‘don’t let the ball die, just keep it alive, keep giving it to someone else if you feel you can’t go anywhere with it anymore’. That’s probably the biggest influence, throwing the ball around a bit,” Snyman added.

“It’s almost every time you step into a new system, guys are a little bit new to understanding where to be or to expect it, but I thought the guys here just got it straight away. It has always been encouraged, but throughout my career as well, you need to learn when to do it and when not to do it. I think there is a bit of a balance in it as well.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: RG Snyman – The Irish Examiner – October 25 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The Irish Examiner – October 22 2024

Posted on October 22, 2024 by admin

Jacques Nienaber: ‘I wouldn’t go back to international rugby, I like the development and stimulus at club level’

Currently contracted to Leinster until 2026, the defence specialist outlined a couple of key differences between international and club rugby that have helped to make a switch to the latter worthwhile
DAIRE WALSH

While there is a side of him that misses the thrill of the international test arena, Jacques Nienaber insisted yesterday that he is more than content to be working in club rugby as Leinster’s senior coach.

When Ireland kick-started their most recent Autumn Nations Series campaign on November 5, 2022 at the Aviva Stadium, Nienaber was in the opposition corner as head coach of South Africa. Having helped them to secure the title in 2019 as an assistant coach, he went on to steer the Springboks towards a successful defence of their Rugby World Cup crown in France last year.

Yet – after previously enjoying a 16-month stint at arch rivals Munster – Nienaber had already agreed to become part of Leo Cullen’s backroom staff at Leinster upon the conclusion of the 2023 edition of the RWC. Currently contracted to the eastern province until 2026, the defence specialist outlined a couple of key differences between international and club rugby that have – to date – helped to make a switch to the latter worthwhile.

“I think it’s two games. International rugby isn’t as creative as club rugby, because you don’t work as long with them. You only get them in a week before a test match. So you work one week with the players and then you go into a test match. Obviously the consequences like I mentioned, it’s the country that loses,” Nienaber remarked at a Leinster media briefing in UCD.

“The consequences to your actions are a lot bigger than at club level. Where at club level, if you lose a game, it’s not written in history. If you lose a final, it’s written in history. But if you lose a match, it doesn’t matter what test match, it’s written in history. So you miss that. That all or nothing aspect of it. That’s the one side, but the side that I was keen on was the creativity side of things.

“I do miss it in the one sense, but if you ask me ‘do you want to go back there now?’ No, I don’t want to go back there. I like the development that I’m currently, as a coach, experiencing and the stimulus that I’m getting currently at club level. That’s why I wanted to leave international from a coach point of view. To just get exposure again at club level, because it’s different.”

Although he isn’t currently operating in the test arena, Nienaber’s role with Leinster sees him working with international stars on a weekly basis. From the 35-strong squad that Ireland head coach Andy Farrell selected for their summer tour of South Africa earlier this year, 18 of them were current Leinster players.

Despite not seeing any game time across their two test battles with the Springboks, Sam Prendergast was part of the Irish set-up for their visit to the southern hemisphere in July.

In competition with the likes of Ross Byrne, his younger brother Harry and the versatile Ciaran Frawley at Leinster, there were some suggestions last season that Prendergast (who recently returned to South Africa as part of a tour with Emerging Ireland) might move to Connacht on a loan deal in order to get consistent game time in the number 10 jersey.

However, Prendergast ultimately remained with his home province and Nienaber believes his game will benefit in the long run as a result.

“I think it depends on what your ultimate goal is. If Sam’s is to represent Ireland and be the starting 10, he’s going to have to lift the players that’s in this environment anyway. You can go away and try and lift them there, or you can stay here and lift them here and lift them out of your way if that’s your goal,” Nienaber added.

“I always find it fascinating if players want to leave, but they know that their best opposition is the guys that are right here in the building. I would much rather stay here to see what they are doing and you can measure me daily against them, rather than don’t know what they are doing and what they are developing. If I was a player, I would stay as close to my closest competition as I could.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Lions Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The Irish Examiner – October 22 2024

Dublin Senior Football Championship Final: Cuala V Kilmacud Crokes – The Irish Sun – October 21 2024

Posted on October 22, 2024 by admin

Cuala stun Kilmacud Crokes to claim first Dublin SFC title in dramatic fashion

The Dalkey club had to play the closing stages with 14 men after Con O’Callaghan was sent off following a Crokes leveller
Daire Walsh

AUSTIN O’MALLEY hailed his Cuala side’s ability to get over the line and see off Kilmacud Crokes.

The Dalkey club had to play the closing stages with 14 men after Con O’Callaghan was sent off following a Crokes leveller.

But O’Malley’s troops dug deep to win it in injury time through Eoin Kennedy.

And it was their first Dublin SFC title — with Robbie Brennan’s all-conquering side denied a fourth successive county crown.

O’Malley said: “I never thought the game was gone from us because we pride ourselves on staying together.

“We never lacked belief coming in here. We were sure about what we had invested in ourselves.

“Winning a title was our vision at the start of the year and before that.

“The game will test you, life will test you but it is in those moments that you have to remain believing and true to your principles.

“To a man they did that. At the end, it was our collective spirit, energy and desire to get across the line that was the glue that held us together and got us across the line.

“Delighted for the club and the group with it being our first title. You can talk as much as you want about tactics but sometimes it is the sheer desire to stay true to your values.”

Playing with a significant wind advantage in the first half, Cuala edged in front when centre half-back Charlie McMorrow curled over the bar with less than 60 seconds on the clock.

Crokes attacker Hugh Kenny and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne proceeded to trade points in what proved to be a cagey and tentative opening.

But veteran Dublin star Michael Fitzsimons raised a massive cheer from the Cuala faithful when he split the posts in the 16th minute.

Con O’Callaghan also got in on the scoring act soon after. And while Crokes enjoyed spells of possession, Cuala found scores at relative ease.

The adventurous Fitzsimons, Luke Keating and Cal Doran knocked over unanswered scores for the Dalkey men.

Paul Mannion finally responded for Kilmacud with a fine effort off his right boot to leave his side five points adrift at the interval.

While Cuala extended their lead upon the resumption through Doran, Crokes scored successive points via Craig Dias and Shane Walsh.
But Niall O’Callaghan fired back at the opposite end.

Even though Dara Mullin and Walsh raised white flags for the title holders, Peter Duffy and Keating both pointed to leave Cuala 0-11 to 0-6 ahead moving into the closing quarter.

Doran also added to his tally with a fisted effort.

But after two points from Mannion and another from Luke Walsh, Brennan’s boys cut the gap to three.

Ward then had Crokes back on level terms moments after his introduction as a 53rd-minute substitute.

While the Stillorgan side appeared to hold the aces after King Con’s dismissal for an off-the-ball incident, swapped frees between Keating and Mannion left the tie in the melting pot.

And it looked like the teams might be inseparable when another dead-ball effort from Keating dropped short.

But Kennedy was on hand to fist over the rebound and win a first Dublin SFC crown for Cuala.

CUALA: R Scollard; D Conroy, M Fitzsimons 0-2, E O’Callaghan; E Kennedy 0-1, C McMorrow 0-1, D O’Dowd; P Ó Cofaigh Byrne 0-1, P Duffy 0-1; C Dunne, C Ó Giolláin, C Doran 0-3; L Keating 0-3, 2f, N O’Callaghan 0-1, C O’Callaghan 0-1. Subs: C Groarke for Ó Giolláin 43 mins; C Mullally for Dunne 48; M Conroy for D Conroy 57.

KILMACUD CROKES: D Burns; M Mullin, T Clancy, D O’Brien; M O’Leary, A McGowan, J Murphy; B Shovlin, R O’Carroll; H Kenny 0-1, C Dias 0-1, D Mullin 0-1; P Mannion 0-4, 1f, 1m, P O’Connor, S Walsh 0-3, 1f. Subs: C O’Connor for O’Leary 43 mins; T Fox for Kenny 45; L Ward 1-0 for O’Brien 53; O’Brien for Murphy 57; S Cunningham for O’Connor 61.

REFEREE: S McCarthy (St Vincent’s).

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Dublin Senior One Football Championship Final: Cuala V Kilmacud Crokes – The42.ie – October 20 2024

Posted on October 20, 2024 by admin

Late drama as Cuala win first-ever Dublin Championship crown

Eoin Kennedy was the match-winner against Kilmacud Crokes.

Cuala 0-14

Kilmacud Crokes 1-10

Daire Walsh reports from Parnell Park

EOIN KENNEDY was the match-winner at Parnell Park on Sunday, as his point deep into stoppage time earned Cuala their first-ever Dublin Senior One Football Championship crown at the expense of southside rivals Kilmacud Crokes.

Chasing their fourth successive title at this grade, Crokes appeared to have momentum when substitute Luke Ward grabbed a 55th-minute goal and Cuala’s Dublin star Con O’Callaghan was red-carded for an off-the-ball incident.

Yet the Dalkey side never allowed their heads to drop and Kennedy came up with the game’s all-important score in the 65th minute.

Playing with a significant wind advantage during the opening period of their first senior county final appearance since 1988, Cuala edged in front when centre half-back Charlie McMorrow curled impressively over the bar with less than 60 seconds on the clock.

Crokes’ attacker Hugh Kenny and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne proceeded to trade points in what proved to be a cagey and tentative first quarter of action, but inter-county stalwart Michael Fitzsimons raised a massive cheer from the Cuala faithful when he broke forward to split the uprights in the 16th minute.

O’Callaghan, Fitzsimons (his second), Luke Keating and Cal Doran went on to knock over unanswered scores before Paul Mannion finally responded with a fine effort off his right boot to reduce the Crokes deficit to five points (0-7 to 0-2) at the interval.

While Cuala extended their lead on the resumption through Doran, Crokes finally put back-to-back points together via the boots of Craig Dias and Shane Walsh.

Yet Austin O’Malley’s challengers fired back with a Niall O’Callaghan point and even though Dara Mullin and an increasingly dangerous Walsh raised white flags at the opposite end, Peter Duffy and Keating (free) pointed to leave Cuala 0-11 to 0-6 to the good heading into the closing quarter.

Doran also added to his tally with a fisted effort, but after points from Mannion (two) and Walsh cut the gap to three points, Ward had Crokes back on level terms with a superb goal moments after his introduction as a 53rd-minute substitute.

Although the Stillorgan side seemed to hold all the aces after O’Callaghan’s dismissal, swapped frees between Keating and Mannion left the tie in the melting pot.

It looked like the sides might be inseparable when another place-ball effort by Keating dropped short, but Kennedy was on hand to fist the rebound over the bar and create history for Cuala in the process.

Cuala scorers: Luke Keating 0- 3 (2f), Cal Doran 0-3, Michael Fitzsimons 0-2, Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMorrow, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy, Niall O’Callaghan, Con O’Callaghan 0-1 each.

Kilmacud Crokes scorers: Paul Mannion 0-4 (1f, 1 mark), Shane Walsh 0-3 (1f), Luke Ward 1-0, Craig Dias, Dara Mullin, Hugh Kenny 0-1 each.

Kilmacud Crokes

1. Devon Burns

2. Michael Mullin, 3. Theo Clancy, 4. Dan O’Brien

18. Mark O’Leary, 6. Andrew McGowan, 7. James Murphy

8. Ben Shovlin, 9. Rory O’Carroll

19. Hugh Kenny, 11. Craig Dias, 12. Dara Mullin

13. Paul Mannion, 14. Paddy O’Connor, 15. Shane Walsh

Subs

5. Cian O’Connor for O’Leary (43)

17. Tom Fox for Kenny (45)

24. Luke Ward for O’Brien (53)

4. Dan O’Brien for Murphy (57)

26. Shane Cunningham for O’Connor (61)

Cuala

1. Ryan Scollard

2. Danny Conroy, 3. Michael Fitzsimons, 4. Eoghan O’Callaghan

5. Eoin Kennedy, 6. Charlie McMorrow, 7. David O’Dowd

8. Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, 9. Peter Duffy

23. Cillian Dunne, 11. Cathal Ó Giolláin, 12. Cal Doran

13. Luke Keating, 14. Niall O’Callaghan, 15. Con O’Callaghan

Subs

24. Conor Groarke for Ó Giolláin (43)

21. Conor Mullally for Dunne (48)

19. Michael Conroy for D Conroy (57)

Referee: Sean McCarthy (St Vincent’s).

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Dublin Senior One Football Championship Final: Cuala V Kilmacud Crokes – GAA.ie – October 20 2024

Posted on October 20, 2024 by admin

Dublin SFC: Cuala win thriller

Dublin SFC Final

Cuala 0-14 Kilmacud Crokes 1-10

By Daire Walsh at Parnell Park

Eoin Kennedy was the match-winner at Parnell Park as his point deep into stoppage-time earned Cuala their first-ever Dublin Senior Football Championship at the expense of southside rivals Kilmacud Crokes.

Chasing their fourth successive title at this grade, Crokes appeared to have momentum when substitute Luke Ward grabbed a 55th minute goal and Cuala’s Dublin star Con O’Callaghan was subsequently red carded for an off-the-ball incident. Yet the Dalkey side never allowed their heads to drop and Kennedy came up with the all-important score in the 65th minute.

Playing with a significant wind advantage during the opening period of their first senior county final appearance since 1988, Cuala edged in front when centre half-back Charlie McMorrow curled impressively over the bar with less than 60 seconds on the clock.

Crokes attacker Hugh Kenny and Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne proceeded to trade points in what proved to be a cagey and tentative first quarter of action, but inter-county stalwart Michael Fitzsimons raised a massive cheer from the Cuala faithful when he broke forward to split the upright in the 16th minute.

Con O’Callaghan, Fitzsimons (his second), Luke Keating and Cal Doran went on to knock over unanswered scores for the Dalkey side, before Paul Mannion finally responded with a fine effort off his right boot to reduce the Crokes deficit to five points (0-7 to 0-2) at the interval.

While Cuala initially extended their lead on the resumption through Doran, Crokes finally put a couple of back-to-back points together via the boots of Craig Dias and Shane Walsh.

Austin O’Malley’s challengers fired back with a Niall O’Callaghan point and even though Dara Mullin and an increasingly-dangerous Walsh raised white flags at the opposite end, Peter Duffy and Keating (free) pointed to leave Cuala 0-11 to 0-6 to the good heading into the closing quarter.

Doran also added to his tally with a fisted effort, but after points from Mannion (two) and Walsh cut the gap to three points, Ward had Crokes back on level terms with a superb goal moments after his introduction as a 53rd minute substitute. Although the Stillorgan side now appeared to hold all the aces, swapped frees between Keating and Mannion left the tie in the melting pot.

It looked like the sides might be inseparable when another place-ball effort by Keating dropped short, but Kennedy was on hand to fist the rebound over the bar and create history for Cuala in the process.

Scorers for Cuala: Luke Keating 0- 3 (2fs), Cal Doran 0-3, Michael Fitzsimons 0-2, Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMorrow, Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy, Niall O’Callaghan, Con O’Callaghan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kilmacud Crokes: Paul Mannion 0-4 (1f, 1m), Shane Walsh 0-3 (1f), Luke Ward 1-0, Craig Dias, Dara Mullin, Hugh Kenny 0-1 each.

Cuala: Ryan Scollard; Danny Conroy, Michael Fitzsimons, Eoghan O’Callaghan; Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMorrow, David O’Dowd; Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Peter Duffy; Cillian Dunne, Cathal Ó Giolláin, Cal Doran; Luke Keating, Niall O’Callaghan, Con O’Callaghan.

Subs: Conor Groarke for Ó Giolláin (43), Conor Mullally for Dunne (48), Michael Conroy for D Conroy (57).

Kilmacud Crokes: Devon Burns; Michael Mullin, Theo Clancy, Dan O’Brien; Mark O’Leary, Andrew McGowan, James Murphy; Ben Shovlin, Rory O’Carroll; Hugh Kenny, Craig Dias, Dara Mullin; Paul Mannion, Paddy O’Connor, Shane Walsh.

Subs: Cian O’Connor for O’Leary (43), Tom Fox for Kenny (45), Luke Ward for O’Brien (53), O’Brien for Murphy (57), Shane Cunningham for O’Connor (61).

Referee: Sean McCarthy (St Vincent’s).

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Football Interprovincial Final: Ulster V Connacht – The Sunday Independent – October 20 2024

Posted on October 19, 2024 by admin

Penalties needed by Ulster, with only three of 12 converted, to take interprovincial title against Connacht

Allianz GAA Football Interprovincial final: Ulster 2-3-17 (31) Connacht 4-3-9 (31) (Ulster won 2-1 on penalties)

Daire Walsh

They required penalties to get the job done, but Ulster ultimately triumphed in the Allianz GAA Football Inter-Provincial final at the end of a pulsating battle with Connacht at Croke Park on Saturday night.

Courtesy of well-taken goals by Matthew Tierney and Enda Smith, Connacht gained an early stranglehold in this game – the fourth and final contest to be played at GAA HQ this weekend under the proposed new rules for Gaelic football.

Ulster remained in contention throughout the opening period thanks in no small part to a combined haul of 0-7 from Darren McCurry and Niall Grimley, but with goalkeeper Connor Gleeson, Aidan O’Shea and Diarmuid Murtagh among those to find the target, Connacht led by four points at half-time.

Single efforts by Rian O’Neill and Kieran McGeary either side of an Aidan Forker two-pointer edged Ulster in front in the early moments of the second half, only for Diarmuid Murtagh to spectacularly fire home a third Connacht goal on 37 minutes.

However, Ulster eventually responded with a goal of their own from Ross McQuillan, and with O’Neill also knocking over a couple of magnificent two-pointers, Kieran Donnelly’s northerners were four clear inside the closing quarter.

Tierney and Odhran Murdock found the net at either end in a frantic finale, but just when it looked like Ulster were going to hold out for a narrow win, Johnny Heaney struck his second two-point score to force the game into a penalty shootout.

It remained exceedingly difficult to separate these sides with Connacht’s Enda Smith and Ulster star Murdock, incredibly, being the only ones to find the net off the opening 10 attempts from the spot. Yet Smith couldn’t find the target from his second effort after the shootout moved into sudden death and it was then left for Down’s Murdock to to determine the outcome with a smooth finish.

Scorers – Ulster: R O’Neill 0-8 (2 2p, 1f); D McCurry 0-5 (2f); N Grimley 0-3; A Forker 0-3 (1 2p); R McQuillan, O Murdock 1-0 each; C Kilpatrick 0-2; K McGeary, M Bradley 0-1 each. Connacht: M Tierney 2-1; D Murtagh 1-2 (0-1f); J Heaney 0-5 (2 2p); E Smith 1-1; C Gleeson 0-2 (‘45’); D Smith (f), A O’Shea, J Carney, C Murtagh 0-1 each.

Ulster: N Morgan; D Baker, P Faulkner, P Burns; D Guinness, A Forker, E McEvoy; N Grimley, C Kilpatrick; D O Baoill, R O’Neill, C Thompson; O Murdock, O Conaty, D McCurry. Subs: J McElroy, M Bradley, S McNally, O O’Neill, N Toner, G Smith, B McBennett, A Clarke, E McElholm, R McQuillan, P Havern, M Jordan, P McGrane, R McCaffrey, K McGeary.

Connacht: C Gleeson; J McGrath, B Stack, S Mulkerrin; C McDaid, J Daly, E McLoughlin; J Carney, J Maher; M Tierney, B McNulty, E Smith; D Murtagh, A O’Shea, P Towey. Subs: C Carroll, B Tuohy, D Cregg, R Fallon, M Diffley, J Heaney, S Cunnane, U Harney, C Cox, D Smith, C Murtagh, D Duffy, F Boland, P Spillane, L Gallagher, C Lally, D Rooney, S Brosnan, S Rafter, J Grace.

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).

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