The Big Interview: Angela McGuigan (Tipperary/Sliabh na mBan/Eadestown/St Sylvester’s) – Media West Ireland – June 7 2025

Posted on June 8, 2025 by admin

‘We’ll be hoping to make a quarter-final’ – Angela McGuigan believes Tipperary can aim high

While remarkable resilience has seen them come through relegation play-off games in 2021, 2023 and 2024, McGuigan and Tipperary are hopeful this year will find them reaching a senior quarter-final for the first time in the modern era.
DAIRE WALSH

They have successfully retained their TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship status since sealing a return to the top-tier competition a little under six years ago, but Angela McGuigan and Tipperary are now seeking to push on to another level in 2025.

Despite also representing her native county at minor level in the same season, McGuigan started at full-forward and scored 1-1 when Tipp defeated Meath in a TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship final at Croke Park on September 15, 2019.

Whereas the Premier women suffered All-Ireland SFC relegation in the wake of winning their previous second-tier title in 2017, they have remained in the Brendan Martin Cup following that memorable 2-16 to 1-14 triumph over the Royal County in GAA HQ.

While remarkable resilience has seen them come through relegation play-off games in 2021, 2023 and 2024, McGuigan and Tipperary are hopeful this year will find them reaching a senior quarter-final for the first time in the modern era.

After kick-starting their All-Ireland SFC Group 1 campaign against Galway in Tuam Stadium later on today, the Premier will also face Donegal in a home encounter on June 21.

“We’ve kind of just been surviving the last few years, coming close and not making it. Last year was tough because we drew with Armagh, who obviously won Division One last year and they were in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Losing to Meath by three points as well,” McGuigan said.

“Even though we had probably two of our better games of the year, you’re still facing relegation after that. It’s definitely hard to take. We’re really pushing to try and get into a quarter-final this year.

“It has been a huge goal to try and make it, and not just survive and stay up in senior. You want to try and improve every year. We’ll really be hoping to make a quarter-final.”

With 11 wins from as many games thus far in 2025 between their victorious campaigns in Division 2 of the Lidl National Football League – including an opening round win over the Premier – and the TG4 Connacht Senior Football Championship, Galway come into today’s game against Tipperary as one of the country’s in-form teams.

From Tipp’s perspective, they followed up a third place finish in the same division of the Lidl NFL with consecutive defeats to Waterford and Cork in the TG4 Munster Senior Football Championship.

However, the final round of the latter competition saw Ed Burke’s side playing out a 1-6 apiece draw with current Brendan Martin Cup holders Kerry on May 11 and McGuigan saw this as an ideal confidence booster coming into the All-Ireland series.

“That was huge because I think we weren’t really performing well. We’d lost badly enough to Waterford and Cork in the first two matches, so we really needed something out of the Kerry match and it was a good performance.

“That was huge confidence for us and we’ve really pushed on from that. I think we needed it as well. We needed a bit of a good performance against a top team like them to push us onto championship now against Galway. They play similarly as well, so that helps.”

Originally from the Sliabh na mBan club in Tipperary, McGuigan is arguably one of the most well-travelled Gaelic footballers in Ireland. Having joined the Defence Forces upon leaving school, she found herself doing a cadetship in The Curragh.

This brought her face-to-face with Grainne Kenneally, the former Waterford footballer who kick-started the second chapter of her inter-county career with Kildare in 2020. She had already been lining out at club level with Eadestown by that point and McGuigan went on to join her in their ranks for the 2021 club season.

After amassing 1-3 in their senior football championship final win against Leixlip in the same year, McGuigan registered an outstanding 1-7 as Eadestown retained Kildare’s top club crown at the expense of Sarsfields in 2022.

“She was my second in command while I was in cadets. I had a good relationship with her. She was quite scary during cadets, but we became good friends after! She’s also an exceptional footballer as well. She won the intermediate All-Ireland recently with Kildare, she had a great career in Waterford.

“Some other players there, Siobhan O’Sullivan [former Sligo and Kildare footballer]. She’s a commandant as well in the army. A few more there too. There’s a big defence forces origin there, which is great and it’s very welcoming. Grainne was one of our instructors, so it was a good way to get some players in for her, I suppose.”

Although she transferred back to Sliabh na mBan in April 2023, McGuigan is actually set to don the club colours of St Sylvester’s in Dublin this year. As there is an option within the army to spend time in college at a certain point if you don’t have a degree, McGuigan has studied sports science at TU Dublin for the past few years.

She has played O’Connor Cup on a consistent basis with the capital-based college (albeit a fractured fibula kept her sidelined earlier this year) and lined out alongside some notable figures from the inter-county game. One such player was former Dublin star Niamh McEvoy – a five-time Brendan Martin Cup winner during her time with the Jackies.

Along with the likes of Sinead Aherne, Nicole Owens, and Kate Sullivan, McEvoy has long been a stalwart of Sylvester’s. While she did take some persuading, McGuigan completed a transfer to the Malahide club at the beginning of April and is looking forward to aiding their cause in this year’s Dublin senior championship.

“She [McEvoy] was doing a PhD in TUD and she had ended up playing two of the O’Connor Cup weekends with us. She is obviously an unbelievable footballer, but we got on really well personally as well,” McGuigan added.

“She was always hinting at me joining Sylvester’s and I was kind of fobbing her off, but then this year it’s just a lot of travelling up and down for training. She brought me to lunch one day and she sold it really well.

“A year of giving it a good go with Sylvester’s. They were obviously in the county final last year and they’ve just serious talent there.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Angela McGuigan (Tipperary/Sliabh na mBan/Eadestown/St Sylvester’s) – Media West Ireland – June 7 2025

United Rugby Championship Media Call: URC CEO Martin Anayi – The42.ie – June 4 2025

Posted on June 4, 2025 by admin

‘That game, I think, is the most viewed highlights on YouTube that we’ve ever had’

URC chief executive says there has been no talk of disciplinary action after Jaden Hendrikse “gamesmanship.”

UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP chief executive Martin Anayi says there hasn’t been any discussion of disciplinary action in relation to the end of Munster’s quarter-final clash with the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

While the Sharks ultimately advanced to the penultimate phase of the BKT URC with a 6-4 penalty shootout victory, the apparent ‘gamesmanship’ of Jaden Hendrikse in a dramatic conclusion to the action at Kings Park Stadium has come in for heavy criticism.

After being shouted at by the South African international before his first kick, Jack Crowley’s second effort in the shootout was delayed as Hendrikse lay on the field to receive treatment for cramp and then proceeded to wink at the visibly frustrated Munster fly-half. Crowley went on to have some heated exchanges with a member of the Sharks backroom staff with a lot being made of how much personnel the South Africans had on the pitch at this point.

“There is pretty tight regulation about staff, so I think if there was somebody who was on the pitch who shouldn’t have been, that will get flagged. From it being something that has spiked viewership, quite honestly, it has. That game I think is the most viewed highlights on YouTube that we’ve ever had,” Anayi said in a BKT United Rugby Championship media call earlier today.

“It shows the level of intrigue in the game and interest. Spiked by, I guess, gamesmanship. Ultimately, we want characters in the sport and when you have characters and when you encourage people to show their characters, that can be positive and negative. There are heroes and villains in all stories, great sporting stories.

“I guess that is kind of what is emerging here, isn’t it? Whether that turns into disciplinary, I just haven’t seen anything like that, but needless to say it certainly spiked an interest in the league.”

Last Saturday saw Munster suffering their second quarter-final shootout loss in recent memory, following a similar exit at the hands of Toulouse in the last-eight of the European Champions Cup at the Aviva Stadium in May 2022.

Like last weekend, that penalty battle with the Top 14 giants saw three players from each side tasked with taking two kicks apiece at goal – albeit the southern province were already consigned to defeat on both occasions before they had a chance to take their sixth effort.

Before then, the most famous shootout in club rugby was the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final between Leicester Tigers and Cardiff Blues, when players had just one kick each from in front of the posts.

Had either Munster or Sharks scored more tries (they registered three apiece) than the other over the course of Saturday’s contest, they would have progressed to the last-four even if the game was tied on the scoreboard at the end of extra-time.

With this in mind – and the fact that the competition’s schedule ensured a winner had to be produced on the day – Anayi feels the best possible outcome was reached in Durban.

“I think we had a bit more of a sensible structure, where you have three designated kickers taking two kicks each. There is very little other way to get the winner in the time frame, which is obviously what we need for the following week.

“We felt like that was the best possible outcome once you’d gone through the other metrics of distinguishing the winner, which they were tied on. I think it was the best possible outcome. It showed drama, intrigue and got a lot of people talking. Which is not a bad thing.”

Over the course of a lengthy media call, Anayi was also asked about R360 – the proposed new breakaway league for men’s and women’s club rugby that is scheduled to launch next year.

“I probably know as much as you guys know, quite honestly. What we do is just focus on ourselves. We’ve got big games. You probably would have been to the 80,000 in Croke Park for the Leinster-Munster game. To have big events like that, we encourage those big games. We’re in big cities,” Anayi stated.

“We’re about community though as well, we are about being part of an ecosystem which we care deeply about. We just focus on making URC as great as possible. I think if we do that, that’s all we can control.”

The Leinster-Munster game that Anayi refers to was the URC fourth round clash on 12 October, 2024 that attracted 80,468 spectators to Croke Park. It was officially confirmed earlier this week that GAA HQ will host the URC’s latest decider if Leinster manage to get past Glasgow Warriors in this Saturday’s semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.

It would be a major challenge to sell tickets for a potential Croke Park showpiece at just seven days’ notice (the attendance for Leinster’s quarter-final against Scarlets in the Aviva last Saturday was a paltry 12,879), but the prospect of another URC encounter taking place at the north Dublin venue is something that intrigues Anayi.

“Obviously we’ve had a league game there already. We’ve got a really good relationship with the GAA and the leadership there. Obviously working very closely with Leinster. There’s a lot of tickets to sell in a very short period of time, that one week,” Anayi added.

“We’re being realistic about what can happen in one week, but it’s exciting. We’d love to have that as a spectacle, which is one of the brilliant things that is happening in Ireland. That we’re seeing rugby being played in GAA stadiums very successfully.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on United Rugby Championship Media Call: URC CEO Martin Anayi – The42.ie – June 4 2025

Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: James Ryan – The42.ie – June 4 2025

Posted on June 4, 2025 by admin

Family connection makes Lions call all the sweeter for James Ryan

The Leinster and Ireland lock is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in Australia.

WHILE IT’S SOMETHING they are all eagerly anticipating, one member of James Ryan’s family has a very special reason to be excited about the British & Irish Lions’ forthcoming Tour of Australia.

A number of years ago – the Leinster and Ireland second row reckons it was the 1980s – Ryan’s mother Clare made the journey over to the southern hemisphere nation with her cousin Paula. Whereas Clare subsequently returned home to these shores, Paula made the decision to remain in Australia on a full-time basis.

It was in Sydney that she started a family with her Italian husband Mario Sindone and with the Lions set to play their third and final Test against the Wallabies in the city’s Accor Stadium on 2 August – there will be also be a warm-up against New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney Football Stadium on 5 July – there will be a perfect opportunity for Clare to take a trip down memory lane.

“They [Ryan’s family] will go. I have family over in Australia as well. My mum, she went over to Australia a long time ago with her cousin Paula. Then she met someone over there and she ended up staying in Australia, settling with him there and the kids there are all my cousins,” Ryan explained.

“They’re all Australian. She’s been talking about going over for years to sort of reconnect with them. So it’d be nice for my family to go over and do that.”

Ryan himself got a chance to meet Paula, Mario and their children (all of whom are now adults) when he was part of the Ireland squad for a three-Test series in Australia during the summer of 2018. Although there was no doubting Paula’s allegiance, Ryan admitted the rest of her family weren’t sure who to back in Ireland’s showdowns with the Wallabies.

“I think Paula was wearing an Ireland jersey, the rest of them were probably somewhere in between. The kids actually, they’ve moved over to London more recently. I’m able to see them a bit more often. They were over in November for the Aussie game [in the Aviva Stadium] as well, the kids. Well they’re not kids anymore, but it was good to see them.”

Although he ultimately was one of 15 Ireland players to make the cut for the Lions, Ryan acknowledges he was ‘nervous for weeks’ in the lead-up to Andy Farrell’s squad announcement for the Australian Tour.

This is perhaps due to the fact he was sidelined with a calf injury for several weeks and missed out on five consecutive games for Leinster, including the Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints just days before the Lions squad announcement.

Despite his frustration at having another injury lay-off – he has had his fair share of spells on the treatment table in recent years – Ryan felt fresh when he eventually returned to competitive action off the bench in a URC encounter with Zebre Parma at the Aviva Stadium on 10 May.

“It’s never ideal timing wise. It was a bit frustrating to miss the block that I did, but it is what it is. It happens and I got back in good time. I was able to work with the physios at Leinster, they did a great job.

“So I felt like I came back and there wasn’t a big leap, between what we did in terms of our S&C and then the actual match intensity. So I came back, basically, and I felt like I was fit and good to go.”

Even though the roll of honour shows they have a record eight titles in the competition, Leinster are yet to win the URC since it was rebranded in 2021.

Ryan and Leinster had won the competition for four years in succession under its previous guise as the Guinness Pro14, but the past three seasons have seen them exiting the URC at the semi-final stage on each occasion.

While he didn’t feature when Munster defeated their arch rivals at the penultimate phase of the 2022/23 league season, Ryan was a starter when Leinster lost out to the Bulls in URC semi-finals either side of it.

Since the Pretoria outfit joined along with fellow South Africans the Stormers, the Sharks and the Lions, Ryan believes the standard of the league has increased substantially. A final showdown against either the Bulls or the Sharks awaits Leinster in Croke Park on 14 June if they manage to get past the challenge of Glasgow Warriors at Aviva Stadium this Saturday [KO 2.45pm], though that is Ryan’s main concern for the time being.

“I think it is a much tougher competition to win since the big four South African teams have come in. It would be amazing to win it. For us in here, we don’t want to start talking about winning things and get side tracked by that. Our biggest game of the season for me is this week against Glasgow. We’ve got to take care of that first,” Ryan added.

Posted in European Football | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: James Ryan – The42.ie – June 4 2025

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – June 3 2025

Posted on June 3, 2025 by admin

GAA Hurling Betting Tips: 3 Bets For This Weekend Including Cork Vs Limerick

Article By Daire Walsh

Ahead of a weekend when two major pieces of silverware are up for grabs, betting sites are once again looking at some interesting markets for the All-Ireland senior hurling championship.

Just a few short weeks on from earning a comprehensive 3-26 to 1-16 victory over the same opposition in the same venue during the round-robin phase of the competition, Limerick will renew acquaintances with Cork in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.

Limerick And Kilkenny Looking To Maintain Grip On Provincial Crowns

All-Ireland champions for four consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2023, the Treaty are aiming to collect their seventh provincial crown on the bounce in the small ball game.

Despite being top of the roll of honours with an impressive haul of 54 titles, Cork are seeking to bridge a seven-year gap to their last Munster final success.

Over in the east of the country, Kilkenny will be looking to claim their sixth successive Leinster senior hurling championship victory when they take on Galway at Croke Park on Sunday.

At the beginning of the Leinster round robins, the Cats eased to a 3-24 to 0-21 triumph over Galway on home soil.

While Kilkenny maintained their excellent form to reach the provincial showpiece with a game to spare, the Tribesmen have bounced back from this opening day defeat by registering four wins from as many fixtures.

They have three Leinster SHC crowns since joining the competition in 2009, but – like Cork in Munster – their most recent provincial final victory was back in 2018.

Yet although these finals will feature teams that have ruled the roost in their respective provincial championships in recent years, there are plenty of intriguing bets across both games that punters might consider for the coming weekend.

We have listed below three of the more compelling options that can be found.

Gillane Set To Be A Key Figure For Limerick

When Limerick faced Cork on their home patch back on May 18, John Kiely’s men had an impressive spread of scorers with no fewer than 11 players finding the target over the course of the contest.

However, it was 2023 All-Star Hurler of the Year Aaron Gillane who emerged as scorer-in-chief on the day as he ended the proceedings with a personal tally of 2-7.

He had previously rattled the net against Cork in the 2021 All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park and in a 2022 Munster round-robin match.

Despite not raising a green flag when Limerick lost to the Leesiders in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the Patrickswell ace posted a magnificent six points from play.

If he is given the right supply of ball on Saturday, he is capable of posing serious questions for the Cork rearguard once more.

It remains to be seen if he will repeat his scoring form of a few weeks back, but the 7/1 that betting apps are offering on Gillane scoring 2+ goals in the Munster final does look enticing.

GAA Hurling Tip 1: Aaron Gillane To Score 2+ Goals – 7/1 With BoyleSports

Motivated Cork Will Look To Get Closer To Limerick

After suffering such a heavy defeat to Limerick less than a month ago, it is reasonable to assume Cork will want to show that they are a much better side than that game might have suggested.

While the Leesiders have lost emphatically to the Treaty on more than one occasion in the recent past – the 2021 All-Ireland final immediately springs to mind – 2024 did see them beat Limerick twice over the course of the championship.

A lacklustre opening period was a major part of their downfall in that round-robin clash with the current Munster holders, and they will be desperately looking to avoid a similar scenario in this Saturday’s provincial decider.

The fact that there is something on the line in terms of silverware will also keep Cork on high alert, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Pat Ryan’s side hit the ground running on this occasion.

Limerick may well emerge on top, but the 9/2 that BoyleSports are offering on Cork to be ahead at half-time before eventually being reined in at the end of the contest could be an interesting one to explore.

GAA Hurling Tip 2: Half-Time/Full-Time Cork/Limerick – 9/2 With BoyleSports

Improving Galway Will Look To Close Gap On Kilkenny

In a similar vein to Cork, Galway will be eager to show that their performance against Kilkenny earlier in this year’s Leinster championship wasn’t a true reflection of their current position in 2025.

Even though some patience may be required as Michael Donoghue aims to get the Tribesmen back amongst the big hitters in hurling during his second term as Galway manager, there is still a level of performance that is expected of them.

Yet it has been close to seven weeks since their last meeting, and victories over Wexford and Dublin have seen the Westerners re-establish themselves in Leinster’s top two following a fourth-place finish in 2024.

Still, Kilkenny have been the dominant team in the province since 2020, and despite suffering defeat to Wexford in their final game of the round-robin series, Derek Lyng’s charges will come into Sunday’s showpiece in fine shape.

It might well be a closer run affair than their last showdown on April 19, but the 4/1 that Betway are offering on Kilkenny to win by a margin of between 4-6 points could make a lot of sense for punters.

GAA Hurling Tip 3: Kilkenny To Win By 4-6 Points – 4/1 With Betway

Posted in Hurling | Comments Off on All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – June 3 2025

Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The Irish Sun – June 3 2025

Posted on June 3, 2025 by admin

Last-four warned is last-four armed

NIENABER WILL HEED LESSON OF SAINTS KO

By Daire Walsh

LEINSTER assistant Jacques Nienaber insists the Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton is water under the bridge as the Blues eye another last-four hurdle.

Saturday’s 33-21 victory over Scarlets booked Leo Cullen’s men a home URC clash against Glasgow Warriors this weekend, but it was not a vintage display from the province.

After the Scarlets triumph, Cullen made reference to the Saints game, particularly how the Blues need to get a better handle on this latest semi-final encounter.

The former lock conceded: “People were looking ahead. Everyone’s looking ahead. Everyone is. Supporters, staff were trying to look too far ahead.

“So it was a real harsh lesson for us, but it’s about making sure we learn from that.”

But for two-time World Cup-winning coach Nienaber, that Euro defeat does not linger.

The South African said: “Maybe with Leo, but not for me. For me, it’s water under the bridge.

“Not one ounce of energy from me personally put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything – except the lessons you learn. So maybe he referenced that.

“There would definitely be stuff that we could have learned and that’s definitely something we can bring into that.

“Maybe his angle was more that. That there’s lessons that we learn in that the last knockout game that we played before last week was obviously Europe.”

Leinster have fallen at the URC penultimate hurdle in each of the last three seasons and Josh van der Flier is a doubt for their latest final quest.

The 2022 Player of the Year was withdrawn after just 30 minutes of Saturday’s quarter-final. The flanker was suffering from a hamstring injury.

The 32-year-old is being assessed this week before a decision is made on his availability.

But Nienaber is keeping his fingers crossed the openside will be fit to face Glasgow at the Aviva Stadium.

The assistant coach said: “We hope for clearance. He went for a scan on Sunday, but I don’t think they’ve come back yet.

“I am fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything, that he can make it. It would be nice.”

Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O’Brien (foot) are also set to be assessed in the coming days but both centres were back running last week and are close to returns.

One player Leinster cannot look to on Saturday is Tadhg Furlong, who missed the last-eight win over Scarlets with a calf injury.

The Wexford man remains in line to feature on his third Lions tour this summer, but Nienaber acknowledged it has been a frustrating season for the tighthead prop, who has been restricted to just eight appearances for club and country.

Furlong played only the final 33 minutes of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, against Italy, because of a lower leg injury. But this latest issue is with the other calf.

Nienaber added: “I can’t talk for him, but I assume it is a tough year.

“You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence – get the team to get confidence in you and you get confidence in yourself and the team. I think it is frustrating.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The Irish Sun – June 3 2025

All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Launch: Sarah Leahy (Cork) – The Evening Echo – June 3 2025

Posted on June 3, 2025 by admin

Sarah Leahy: Cork can put Munster exit behind them as they target All-Ireland series

Rebels were beaten by Kerry and Waterford in the provincial championship but their priority was always the All-Ireland

DAIRE WALSH

Despite her side coming off the back of a difficult Munster campaign, Sarah Leahy has said the Cork ladies will embark on the upcoming TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship with considerable ambition.

Following defeats to Waterford and Kerry either side of a 3-13 to 0-11 triumph over Tipperary on May 4, Cork fell short in their quest to reach this year’s TG4 Munster senior football championship final.

Yet there were plenty of positives to derive from that victory against the Premier County and they produced a commendable second-half performance before eventually falling to a six-point opening-round defeat to reigning All-Ireland champions Kerry on April 26.

The Leesiders are now set to renew acquaintances with the Kingdom in Group 2 of the All-Ireland senior football championship, with a home fixture currently pencilled in for Saturday, June 14. This will be followed by an away clash against Mayo seven days later.

“We are ambitious in this All-Ireland championship. We hopefully can get our best games out there and play to our potential. We want to be honest as to what we can play and achieve, but we are ambitious. Hopefully it goes positively for us,” Leahy remarked at the recent launch for the All-Ireland ladies football championships in Croke Park.

“Kerry and Mayo are two really, really strong teams.

“We know that, so hopefully we can apply those learnings from the Munster championship and from the league, and utilise them positively in this All-Ireland championship.”

The league campaign that Leahy refers to ended with Cork losing on a scoreline of 2-8 to 1-5 to Galway in a Lidl NFL Division 2 final held at Croke Park on April 12.

While this was a disappointing result in the end for Joe Carroll’s team, Leahy was nevertheless satisfied that the Leesiders had already secured an automatic return to the league’s top-tier prior to this showdown.

“I think getting to the final was such a positive experience for those younger players.

“The team to even play in Croke Park was an invaluable experience for them coming into the All-Ireland series. 

“We had a positive first half [Cork had led by three points at the break], so there was positives to take from it.”

A few months on from winning a senior county with her club Aghada, Leahy found herself selected as Cork captain for the 2025 inter-county season.

The retirement of some high-profile figures in recent years, such as her Aghada colleague Roisín Phelan, means she is taking on a key leadership position within a relatively young group, but the secondary school teacher at Pobalscoil na Tríonóide in Youghal is more than happy with this responsibility.

“Being captain of Cork, it’s such an honour. It’s something that I really actually enjoy doing because I’m lucky to have such a great group of girls around me.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Launch: Sarah Leahy (Cork) – The Evening Echo – June 3 2025

Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The42.ie – June 3 2025

Posted on June 3, 2025 by admin

‘Not one ounce of energy put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything’

Leinster’s Jacques Nienaber says Northampton Saints defeat ‘water under the bridge’ from his own perspective.

DESPITE THEIR MIXED form since exiting the tournament, Jacques Nienaber has insisted Leinster’s European Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium last month is ‘water under the bridge’ from his own perspective.

While they booked their spot in the last-four of the United Rugby Championship with a 33-21 victory over Scarlets in the Aviva on Saturday, it was a far from vintage display by the eastern province. Leinster had completed their URC regular season campaign a fortnight earlier with an underwhelming 13-5 triumph at the expense of Glasgow Warriors and it is the Scottish outfit who will now provide opposition to Leinster at the penultimate phase of the same competition at Irish Rugby HQ this coming Saturday.

Without being asked directly about the game itself, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen made reference to their 37-34 loss at the hands of Northampton on a number occasions in the press conference that followed last weekend’s win against Scarlets. The Blues supremo had stressed the need for his charges to be better in their latest semi-final encounter and how the province could have been talking about a Champions Cup final if some decisions had gone their way in the dying minutes of the Northampton game.

“Maybe with Leo [it lingers], but not for me. For me, it’s water under the bridge. Not one ounce of energy from me personally put into thinking about the Champions Cup semi-final is going to change anything. Except the lessons you learn. So maybe he referenced that,” Nienaber remarked at a Leinster media briefing on Monday.

“There’d definitely be stuff that we could have learned and that’s definitely something we can bring into that. So maybe his angle was more that. That there’s lessons that we learn in that the last knockout game that we played before last week was obviously Europe.

“Now we have had a URC one and we have another URC one. I would say his mind, he was probably talking towards that. The lessons you can take out of that.”

Although Cullen will want to make amends for that loss to Northampton, he will also be hoping his side can banish the demons of URC semi-final reversals in each of the past three seasons.

It remains to be seen if Josh van der Flier will be part of their quest to overcome Glasgow in this Aviva this weekend after a hamstring injury saw him being replaced by Scott Penny just shy of the half-hour mark against Scarlets on Saturday.

He is set to be assessed later on this week before a final decision is made on his availability for this weekend’s action, but Nienaber is keeping his fingers crossed that the openside flanker will be passed fit to play. Yet even if van der Flier doesn’t make the cut for their latest clash with Glasgow, his injury isn’t expected to be a long-term concern that might put his participation in the British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia in jeopardy.

“We hope for clearance. He went for a scan yesterday [Sunday], but I don’t think they’ve come back yet. Obviously for a semi-final, I am fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything, that he can make it. It would be nice.”

The respective calf and foot injuries for Garry Ringrose and Tommy O’Brien are also set to be assessed in the coming days, albeit both players were back running towards the end of last week and are seemingly very close to being made available for match selection.

One member of their Lions contingent that Leinster will definitely be without this weekend is Tadhg Furlong, who was also marked absent for last Saturday’s win over Scarlets with a calf issue of his own. The Wexford man remains in line to feature on his third Lions tour later this summer, but with just eight appearances to his name with either province or country in the current campaign, Nienaber acknowledged it has been a frustrating 2024/25 for Furlong.

“At the moment he gets exposure to something and symptoms flare up and then he obviously goes back. Not back, but he just doesn’t progress,” Nienaber added.

“I assume it is a tough year. I can’t talk for him, but I assume that it is a tough year for him if he hasn’t played a lot.

“Always I think for a player, it’s tough to get a rhythm. You like to get a string of games and build on your confidence and get the team to get confidence in you and you getting confidence in yourself and the team. So I think it is frustrating.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Glasgow Warriors Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The42.ie – June 3 2025

The Big Interview: Jennifer Duffy (Monaghan/O’Neill Shamrocks) – Media West Ireland – May 31 2025

Posted on May 31, 2025 by admin

Jennifer Duffy: Monaghan’s player for all occasions

Jennifer Duffy has played in a range of positions for Monaghan and she’ll be a vital cog as the Farney County step into the All-Ireland race on Sunday. Daire Walsh writes…

WHILE most footballers are elevated to senior inter-county status in relatively low-key affairs, the polar opposite was the case for Monaghan’s Jennifer Duffy back in 2019.

In the same year, the O’Neill Shamrocks star was part of an impressive Monaghan side that made it all the way to an All-Ireland Minor ‘A’ Football Championship final. Having overcome a Meath team that was spearheaded by her future DCU Dóchas Eireann team-mate Emma Duggan at the penultimate phase of the competition, Duffy lined out at left corner-back when the Farney County lost out to Cork in a top-tier underage decider held at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore in August 2019.

A mere 13 days on from this 4-11 to 1-8 reversal at the hands of the Leesiders, Duffy was drafted straight into the Monaghan starting line-up for their crunch TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship relegation play-off against Westmeath in Dunleer. Her minor colleagues Maeve Monaghan and Hannah Sherlock also appeared as substitutes in this game and with Duffy being one of three players to rattle the net in a 3-18 to 1-10 victory, it was a memorable introduction to the highest level of ladies football.

“That was actually our first game and they were like ‘right, you’re going in midfield’ and I was like ‘oh, okay!’ We were kind of held off until the end of that year. We had been so successful [with the minors], we said we’d focus on that first. In fairness, the senior management was very good to us,” Duffy explained.

“They said ‘come in when you can, we just want to bring you into the camp for the next year or so’. A few of us stepped up that day. When you’re that young, you’re a bit naïve to what is going on. You’re happy enough to go in and play. I don’t think at the time I knew how much the game meant.

“Especially the older girls, there was no way they were going to be relegated. When I think back now, I think there was so much power put into that day, that girls were just like ‘we need to win this’. When I was young, you look up to Cora Courtney and when she tells you to do something, you do it! That is just the way it went.”

Duffy’s exploits across both those Monaghan sides in 2019 offered an early indication of her versatility and she has continued to showcase an incredible ability to look comfortable in practically every position on a football pitch. Regularly used at full-back, centre half-back or midfield in recent times, Duffy has added another string to her bow in 2025.

Despite donning the number six jersey for their TG4 Ulster intermediate football championship semi-final against Cavan in Smithborough at the beginning of this month, Duffy was actually stationed on the edge of the square and helped herself to an excellent haul of 2-2.

Even though she was handed a similar role in a round five triumph over Clare in their Lidl National Football League Division 2 campaign earlier this year – she contributed a personal tally of 2-1 on that occasion – Cavan were somewhat surprised to see Duffy being deployed as the fulcrum of the Monaghan attack in this game.

“It was something in the league that I was just carrying an injury and they literally said ‘right, we’ll put you inside’. It kind of worked. I’d say Cavan didn’t really expect me to be inside.

“They actually have our ex-goalie coach in with them. I was full-back when he was over us and now I’m full-forward. It probably was a bit of a shock to their system. They didn’t really know that I was going to be in there, but I play there for club. So it’s just playing there for county now too.”

Cavan will have to contend with Duffy’s attacking prowess once again tomorrow afternoon when Monaghan renew acquaintances with their interprovincial rivals in the opening round of the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship. Their Group 3 clash at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones (throw-in 1.30pm) is part of a double header with the All-Ireland men’s football showdown between Monaghan and Clare.

Given she expects their opponents to have a vocal following behind them in the wake of winning Division Three of the Lidl National Football League and the TG4 Ulster intermediate football championship, Duffy is hopeful the Monaghan public will come out to support her team.

“Cavan always have a good crowd with them, especially now. When teams are winning, you’ll always have plenty of support to back them up. Every time we play them it is a derby, so you know you’re going to get a good battle.

“Even people getting in early for the men’s game, they’ll get the end of our game. It might actually start people to think ‘oh, maybe we’ll start supporting them’. It has nearly pushed us to be giving an even better performance, now that you know there is going to be a bigger crowd there.”

Since graduating from DCU, Duffy has been working steadily as a teacher at her own alma mater – Our Lady’s Secondary School Castleblayney. This has effectively seen her coming full circle as during her time as a primary school student, one of her teachers was former Monaghan stalwart Nicola Fahy.

She lined out for Monaghan at centre half-back in their TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship final defeat to Cork in Croke Park on September 25, 2011, when a young Duffy watched on in awe from the stands at GAA HQ. Fast forward nine years to an All-Ireland SFC campaign that was played in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and Duffy found herself lining out in defence alongside Fahy in championship games against Tipperary and Galway.

“My school actually took us to the 2011 final. Nicola Fahy would have taught in my school. I definitely would have followed them the whole way up. Watched all the girls and getting that chance to actually play with them,” Duffy added.

“She [Fahy] was a primary school teacher and she would have taught me in school, so it was nearly nostalgic of thinking I was actually getting to play with her then come that late stage.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Jennifer Duffy (Monaghan/O’Neill Shamrocks) – Media West Ireland – May 31 2025

Post-Match Reaction: SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division – Tony McNamee (Finn Harps Captain) – Donegal Live – May 31 2025

Posted on May 31, 2025 by admin

Tony McNamee and Finn Harps to press reset button during mid-season break 

fter losing out 3-1 to Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday – a result that leaves them eight in the table – the Ballybofey-based outfit won’t return to competitive action until a home encounter against Wexford on June 13

By Daire Walsh

Following what he describes as a ‘very difficult last few weeks’ for the side, Finn Harps captain Tony McNamee has welcomed the arrival of a mid-season break in the League of Ireland.

After losing out 3-1 to Bray Wanderers in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday – a result that leaves them eight in the table – the Ballybofey-based outfit won’t return to competitive action until a home encounter against Wexford on June 13.

A ninth-minute opener from Gavin Hodgins had offered hope to Harps in the Wicklow venue, but with Billy O’Neill and Danu Kinsella Bishop finding the target for Bray either side of a Max Murphy penalty, the visitors ultimately extended their winless league run to seven games.

“It has been a very difficult last few weeks and I think tonight summed it up. We created probably enough chances to win the game, they probably created more. I think they deservedly took the three points tonight in the end,” McNamee remarked after Friday’s game.

“It’s just disappointing. It’s another game with no points. I was going to say move on, but I think the break has come at a good time for us.

“It’s difficult. You go 1-0 up. I’m not saying you drop back straight away, but you start to retreat a bit. I think the first two goals were disappointing on our behalf.

“I think we just have to take the break as well as we can, recharge the batteries. Keep into some shape, come back and hopefully start from the ground running up.”

Posted in League Of Ireland | Comments Off on Post-Match Reaction: SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division – Tony McNamee (Finn Harps Captain) – Donegal Live – May 31 2025

SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division: Bray Wanderers V Finn Harps – Donegal Live – May 30 2025

Posted on May 30, 2025 by admin

Another difficult night for Finn Harps as they lose away to Bray Wanderers

Despite taking the lead through Gavin Hodgins, Kevin McHugh’s side eventually found themselves behind at the break and with the hosts adding another in the second-half, Bray were deserving winners in the end

Bray Wanderers 3
Finn Harps 1

By Daire Walsh

Despite taking an early lead through a Gavin Hodgins goal, Finn Harps ultimately came off second best to Bray Wanderers in an SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division clash at the Carlisle Grounds on Friday night.

The Harps starting line-up for this game showed two changes from their agonising 2-1 defeat to UCD seven days earlier with Gavin Gilmore and Adam McDaid (who found the net against the Students) coming into the side instead of Aaron McLaughlin and the suspended Mikey Place respectively.

McDaid was making his first start for Harps in advance of beginning his Leaving Certificate examinations next weekend and he headed narrowly off target from an early cross by Gilmore. Even though Oisin Cooney produced an excellent stop from Bray striker Cian Curtis at the opposite end, it was the visitors who opened the scoring with a little under nine minutes on the clock.

Gavin McAteer’s left-footed strike from outside the area took a massive deflection off his team-mate Hodgins, deceiving opposition netminder Jimmy Corcoran on its way into the bottom left-hand corner.

While this was a dream start to the proceedings, Harps were almost immediately placed on the back-foot again with Cooney coming to their aid on a number of occasions.

However, the teenage netminder was powerless in his efforts to prevent Bray restoring parity in the 26th minute as Seagulls winger Billy O’Neill calmly slotted home from close-range.

This ramped up the pressure on a Harps outfit that had picked just two points from the last 18 available in the First Division and it came as little surprise when Bray subsequently edged in front just past the half-hour mark.

After Josh Cullen upended Conor Knight inside the box, Seagulls full-back Max Murphy stepped forward to drill the resulting penalty beyond the reach of Cooney.

This set-piece finish ensured Harps trailed 2-1 at the break and in a bid to force his troops back into the reckoning, away boss Kevin McHugh introduced Aaron McLaughlin for Gilmore on the resumption. The 19-year-old certainly made a difference upon his arrival as his pace caused plenty of problems for the Bray defence.

While a McLaughlin header from close-in was comfortably saved by Corcoran, Hodgins poked marginally over the woodwork via another enticing corner from Harps skipper Tony McNamee.

Bray remained in the driving seat as the action progressed, but when McLaughlin played a through ball towards McAteer inside the area on 65 minutes, Corcoran had to be on his toes to gather possession before the Harps attacker had an opportunity to get a shot away.

Anthony Dodd was also brought off the bench by McHugh just shy of the third-quarter mark as Harps maintained their gallant search for an equaliser and he was later joined on the pitch by Shaunie Bradley and Conor McGranaghan.

Yet the introduction of the latter duo as a double substitution on 81 minutes directly preceded a decisive Bray goal from Danu Kinsella Bishop to leave Harps eighth in the First Division standings and without a win in seven league games.

Bray Wanderers: Jimmy Corcoran; Alain Kizenga, Killian Cantwell, Benjamin Fagbemi (Paul Murphy 74), Max Murphy; Cian Doyle, Rhys Bartley; Billy O’Neill, Rhys Knight (Jamie Ryan 85), Conor Knight (Calum Costello 93); Cian Curtis (Danu Kinsella Bishop 72).

Finn Harps: Oisin Cooney; Josh Cullen, Max Hutchison, Joel Bradley Walsh (Daniel Cunningham 86), Joel Thompson; Adam McDaid (Anthony Dodd 66), Tony McNamee; Gavin Gilmore (Aaron McLaughlin half-time), Gavin McAteer (Conor McGranaghan 81), Gradi Lomboto (Shaunie Bradley 81); Gavin Hodgins.

Referee: Alan Franklin.

Posted in League Of Ireland | Comments Off on SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division: Bray Wanderers V Finn Harps – Donegal Live – May 30 2025