The Big Interview: Áine McDonagh (Galway/Moycullen/Hawthorns) – Media West Ireland – August 3 2024

Posted on August 3, 2024 by admin

AFLW star Áine McDonagh will be cheering on Galway in the All-Ireland final from afar

Daire Walsh

Having watched from afar as a familiar face from her childhood agonisingly missed out on guiding the county to an All-Ireland title last weekend, former Galway ladies footballer Áine McDonagh is hopeful another long-time acquaintance can go a step further in a similar quest at Croke Park tomorrow.

As a fellow native of Moycullen, McDonagh (currently in Australia preparing for a new AFLW season with Hawthorns) has known Galway men’s football captain Seán Kelly for many years. While a persistent injury prevented him from starting the game, the official skipper was introduced as a second-half substitute in the Tribesmen’s dramatic one-point defeat to Armagh in last Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC final.

Despite now playing her club football in Dublin with Kilmacud Crokes, Ailbhe Davoren also hails from Moycullen and was previously McDonagh’s team-mate on a host of underage and adult teams. A goalscorer in an impressive semi-final win over Cork, Davoren is set to captain the Galway ladies in their TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship showpiece affair against Kerry at GAA HQ tomorrow.

“Seán and I actually went to school together, so I’ve known him from quite a young age. Just everything he has done for Moycullen and Galway over the past few years has been phenomenal,” McDonagh explained.

“He’s such a great role model for all the kids and the effort that he has put into Galway and Moycullen for the past couple of years is really commendable. It was tough going for him with injuries throughout the year. I’m disappointed that he couldn’t get it over the line.

“She [Davoren] has been there and thereabouts since right after minors. It’s great to see her going so well and being able to captain the team. It’s again just great for the parish that we had both captains of the men’s and women’s football being from Moycullen. From a small little parish. I’m delighted for her.”

Even though the time difference meant that it was in the early hours of Monday morning in Australia when the action got under way, McDonagh stayed up to see her native county taking on Armagh in a novel All-Ireland SFC decider. She is planning on doing the same for the showdown between her old side and the Kingdom this weekend – and is hoping to be joined by someone who has graced finals day in Croke Park on no fewer than eight occasions.

“I’m planning on watching it with a few of the girls here. I’m going to try and rope [Melbourne Demons star] Sinéad Goldrick into watching it. I’m not too sure how happy she will be to watch it with me!” McDonagh said.

When Galway last competed in a Brendan Martin Cup final back in 2019, a somewhat fortuitous Goldrick goal was crucial in helping Dublin to overcome the westerners in a low-scoring game at a rain-soaked Croke Park. McDonagh played the full 60 minutes of that game in midfield alongside Louise Ward, who remains a key figure in the current set-up.

The Kilkerrin-Clonberne ace and her twin sister Nicola are amongst a cohort of players in the Galway squad who have been part of the inter-county game for a considerable number of years and McDonagh believes claiming an All-Ireland SFC winner’s medal tomorrow would be just reward for their dedication to the cause of the Tribeswomen.

“I’m so happy for the girls who have been there and thereabouts for the past couple of years. The Wards and Olivia Divillys, and those likes. They’re such a credit to themselves and to Galway and their clubs, for all the work that they’ve done. They’ve just put in such tremendous work from such a young age.

“I know that they went onto the panel when they were maybe 16 years old and they’ve been there since. 10 years in thereabouts and I’m just delighted to see them getting back there again. They put in so much hard work and it would really top off a lot of their careers if they got over the line this weekend.”

Even though the result didn’t go their way, McDonagh described that All-Ireland defeat to Dublin in 2019 as ‘a brilliant occasion’. While her immediate future is in Australia, she does have an ambition of lining out in an All-Ireland final again.

Given the GAA pedigree in her family, it is little surprise that McDonagh would like to get her hands on a Celtic Cross at some point. In addition to her late uncle Mick Holden being an All-Ireland football winner with Dublin in 1983, her second cousins Brian Hogan and Joey Holden tasted Liam MacCarthy Cup success with the Kilkenny hurlers in the past.

“It was definitely a big occasion in 2019. We had kind of been knocking at the door for a couple of years and to finally get there was huge. Obviously on the day it was very disappointing not getting over the line. The weather wasn’t really great, but we came up against a really strong Dublin side.

“They were just better on the day I guess, but it was a brilliant occasion. For me being out here, it’s kind of a different experience as well because I obviously would love to get back and get there again at some stage. I’ll see how it goes in the next couple of years.”

For now, however, McDonagh (who was last part of the Galway panel in 2021) will be cheering on the Tribeswomen from the other side of the world as they aim to bridge a 20-year gap to their sole TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship triumph to date.

It will be a tough task against a Kerry team that are competing in their third successive Brendan Martin Cup decider, but McDonagh expects Galway to be in a buoyant mood following their knockout victories over Dublin and Cork en route to tomorrow’s game.

“Hopefully their confidence is high going into the final now because they can’t say that they haven’t deserved it. They’ve really put back-to-back performances and I feel like they’re peaking at the right time. I hope those girls just take it as an opportunity to just have a crack at it. There’s no better time really,” McDonagh added.

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Áine McDonagh (Galway/Moycullen/Hawthorns) – Media West Ireland – August 3 2024

IRFU Annual Council Piece: The Irish Examiner – August 2 2024

Posted on August 1, 2024 by admin

IRFU set to report ‘significant deficit’ in annual accounts for 2023/24

Garryowen’s Declan Madden was elected as the 135th IRFU President – he takes over the position from Cork Constitution clubman Greg Barrett.
DAIRE WALSH

The IRFU acknowledged at their Annual Council meeting in the Aviva Stadium yesterday that the union are set to report a ‘significant deficit’ in their annual accounts later this year.

While their financial statements for 2023/24 won’t be published until November, the IRFU’s Chief Executive Kevin Potts explained in an annual report that was issued at the meeting on Thursday how (as expected) the presence of the Ireland men’s national team at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France – and the absence of home Autumn Nations Series games – has impacted the union from a financial perspective.

“As this is a Rugby World Cup year, we will – as forecast – report a significant deficit in our annual accounts later this year. This deficit arises from the increased costs associated with preparing for, and participating in the Rugby World Cup, as well as the loss of our home Autumn Nations Series match revenues,” Potts outlined in his report.

Yet Potts also stressed this is something that the IRFU always factors into the equation when it comes to the nation’s participation at a Rugby World Cup.

“The IRFU plans for this scenario as part of each 4-year cycle, and thereby ensures that we continue to deliver our various programmes on an annual basis. Financial sustainability is vital for the long-term wellbeing of the IRFU and our provinces, and it will continue to remain central in our decision making.”

These points were largely echoed by the IRFU’s Honorary Treasurer Patrick Kennedy from the top table at the annual council meeting. He also said that Tier One funding from World Rugby and the revenue generated through the hosting of two World Cup warm-up games against Italy and England in August of last year did partially help them from a financial standpoint.

Additionally, Kennedy explained ticket sales for the autumn international tests with New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia are quite strong at the moment, and that the clash between the British & Irish Lions and Argentina in the Aviva Stadium next June will also serve as a substantial financial injection.

Elsewhere in the annual report, it was shown that there was a total number of 370,166 players participating in some form of rugby in Ireland from May 1st 2023 to April 30th 2024. Of this tally, 240,000 were approximately said to be male players with 131,000 being female.

To expand further, there were 90,209 registered players in Ireland during this 12-month period and 279, 957 community rugby participants.

Registered players were defined in the report as being those involved in active membership categories – namely Pre-Mini, Mini, Youth, Adult, School, Tag, Give It A Try and Provincial – whereas community players are those who took part in sessions delivered by community rugby officers.

Meanwhile, the annual council meeting also saw Garryowen’s Declan Madden being elected as the 135th IRFU President – he takes over the position from Cork Constitution clubman Greg Barrett. Madden had previously served as the union’s Senior Vice-President and that role will now be taken by former Ireland international, Dr John O’Driscoll.

Posted in International Rugby | Comments Off on IRFU Annual Council Piece: The Irish Examiner – August 2 2024

Post-Match Reaction: SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division – Shamrock V Cork City – Cork City Manager Danny Murphy – The Evening Echo – July 30 2024

Posted on July 30, 2024 by admin

Cork City boss Danny Murphy takes positives despite late equaliser

‘Improvements for us are that we’ve played Shamrock Rovers twice this year and we’ve taken four points….’

DAIRE WALSH

Despite being denied victory by Joy Ralph’s 88th minute goal, Cork City manager Danny Murphy admitted his side ‘probably didn’t deserve’ all three points from their SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division clash with Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght Stadium last Saturday.

Having held firm during an opening period that saw the hosts largely dominating possession, City broke the deadlock on 49 minutes when Hoops defender Jessica Hennessy put the ball into her own net after frantically chasing down Colleen Kennedy O’Connell as the industrious Cork striker raced towards an empty goal.

This looked set to earn the visiting Leesiders a second consecutive triumph over Rovers in the 2024 top-flight season, but Ralph’s deflected finish off a late free-kick ensured the teams were inseparable in the end.

Another success over the Dubliners would have represented a significant scalp, but in an overall context, Murphy (who was a league winner with the Rovers men’s team as a player in 2010) is pleased with how his charges are progressing at the moment.

“It would have been a good result and to get three points, but if we’re really honest, we probably didn’t deserve three points. We didn’t play particularly well, but for us there is a lot of positives to be taken out of it.

“We worked really hard in the second half, we looked like a team who wanted to fight for each other and last year we wouldn’t have done that,” Murphy remarked after Saturday’s game.

“The improvements for us are that we’ve played Shamrock Rovers twice this year and we’ve taken four points.

“That’s a positive for me. It’s tough to come up here and win. They were probably the better team, but we’ve come out with a draw from a winning position.

“Sometimes you just have to accept what it was and we’re still improving. We’re still unbeaten in the last three games and we’ve got to keep trying to get better.”

Following results elsewhere over the course of the day, City ended last weekend in sixth spot in the Women’s Premier Division table.

Their 2024 campaign to date is already a world away from what transpired in 2023 – when Cork finished bottom of the league with just six points to their name out of a total of 20 games.

There are seven fixtures left for the Leesiders to improve on their current points haul of 17 and the return of an old face to their squad will certainly help in this endeavour.

Becky Cassin started last Saturday’s game after sealing her return to the club for a second spell days earlier and Murphy is glad to have the Wicklow native at his disposal once again.

“Becky is a big, big influence in the dressing room. Very determined to want to improve and get better.

“She’s just got that winning mentality and her experience as well that she brings to the dressing room is massive. Having her back will only help and make us a better team,” Murphy added.

Posted in League Of Ireland, Women's Soccer | Comments Off on Post-Match Reaction: SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division – Shamrock V Cork City – Cork City Manager Danny Murphy – The Evening Echo – July 30 2024

SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers V Cork City – The Evening Echo – July 29 2024

Posted on July 30, 2024 by admin

WOMEN’S SOCCER 

Late equaliser denies Cork City all three points in Tallaght

SHAMROCK ROVERS…………………..1 

CORK CITY………………………………….1

Daire Walsh

Joy Ralph bagged an 88th minute equaliser at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday as Cork City were dramatically denied their sixth win of the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division season.

Playing for the first time since their 2-1 triumph at home to Bohemians on July 13, City welcomed a familiar face into their starting line-up. Just days after returning to the club for a second spell, Becky Cassin was handed an attacking wide role as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation.

While Melissa O’Kane forced a low save from goalkeeper Una Foyle with just under two minutes gone in the contest, the City defence were relatively comfortable during the early exchanges.

Nevertheless, Foyle was called back into action to save an Ella Kelly effort from a tight angle with her feet and Emily Corbet later had a close-range header deflected over the crossbar.

In fact, Rovers – who were captained by former Republic of Ireland international Aine O’Gorman – largely dominated possession throughout the opening period, whereas City were only enjoying brief sojourns into the opposition half.

Yet despite the strong hands of Foyle keeping out another O’Kane shot on 36 minutes, City dug deep to ensure the tie remained scoreless at the interval.

Rovers introduced Lia O’Leary and Ralph in a bid to add fresh impetus to their play, but instead it was the visitors who finally opened the scoring four minutes after the resumption.

Lone City striker Colleen Kennedy O’Connell superbly pounced on a loose back pass to former Cork netminder Amanda Budden and although retreating Rovers centre-half Jessica Hennessy displayed magnificent desire to prevent her opponent from putting the ball into an empty net, she only succeeded in poking it home for an unfortunate own goal.

This suddenly put City in sight of another impressive top-flight victory and their second of the 2024 season against Rovers – a 2-1 triumph at Turner’s Cross on May 11 being the first.

As expected, Rovers attempted to ramp up the pressure in response to this set-back and another ex-Ireland international in Stephanie Zambra (nee Roche) was added to their attack inside the final quarter.

A stout City rearguard marshalled by Niamh Cotter and Ciara McNamara had looked set to hold out for all three points, before the determined Ralph produced the finishing touches to a set-piece move from the hosts and Foyle then had to be at her best to deny the Hoops substitute a winning goal from point-blank range in stoppage-time.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Amanda Budden; Maria Reynolds, Jessica Hennessy, Shauna Fox (Savannah McCarthy 91); Fiona Owens (Lia O’Leary 46), Alannah Prizeman (Stephanie Zambra 72), Melissa O’Kane, Ella Kelly; Scarlett Herron (Aoife Kelly 72), Aine O’Gorman; Emily Corbet (Joy Ralph 46). 

CORK CITY: Una Foyle; Alix Mendez, Niamh Cotter, Ciara McNamara, Shaunagh McCarthy; Freya de Mange, Orlaith O’Mahony (Heidi Mackin 88); Barrett Eidson, Eva Mangan, Becky Cassin (Dorothea Greulich 62); Colleen Kennedy O’Connell (Chloe Atkinson 78). 

Referee: Claire Purcell (Waterford).

Posted in League Of Ireland, Women's Soccer | Comments Off on SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers V Cork City – The Evening Echo – July 29 2024

The Big Interview: Laura O’Dowd (Leitrim/Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins) – Media West Ireland – July 27 2024

Posted on July 27, 2024 by admin

Leitrim’s Laura O’Dowd on the road to Croker

Leitrim’s Laura O’Dowd ready for third trip to Croker writes Daire Walsh

While it hasn’t necessarily been a major stomping ground in the past, trips to Croke Park have become a common occurrence for Leitrim star Laura O’Dowd.

Having previously featured at Croker for Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins in their All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final defeat to Glanmire of Cork last December.

O’Dowd is in line for a return to GAA HQ tomorrow week when Leitrim take on Tyrone in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship decider.

The 29-year-old an interested spectator on All-Ireland finals day in Croke Park last-year. When, sister Eilish played a starring role at midfield for her adopted Dublin in their impressive senior victory over Kerry.

Currently in Australia preparing for the start of the new AFLW season with GWS Giants; Eilish originally played alongside her sister for both Ballinamore and Leitrim before completing club and inter-county transfers to Na Fianna and Dublin.

“Eilish did absolutely amazingly to come out on the Dublin panel and for them to win that senior title” declares Laura.

“The atmosphere and everything, it was unbelievable. We were just so proud of her. She had done so well”.

“Her life had been in Dublin since she had gone to college. She moved there, she lived there, she worked there,” Laura said.

“It made sense for her to play with a club there and she was selected for the Dublin team”.

“She has grown in leaps and bounds since that and she’s on a different journey, a different path, at the minute over in Australia”.

“What can I say, three trips to Croke Park in a year isn’t too bad” smiled O’Dowd.

Leitrim haven’t played in Croke Park since their All-Ireland intermediate triumph over Wexford all of 17-years-ago.

One survivor from 2007

Although current full-back Charlene Tyrell was part of the starting line-up then; most of the Mohill native’s team-mates will find themselves in unfamiliar territory eight days from now.

O’Dowd is pleased that she and fellow Ballinamore colleague Mollie Murphy can at least draw on their experience of playing in Croker at the end of 2023.

“That was both of our first times playing in Croke Park” explained O’Dowd. “I’m hoping that it will definitely stand to the two of us”.

“I think when you go in for the first time it’s very overwhelming. Obviously every LGFA player dreams of playing in Croke Park. When it happens for the first time, it can be quite overwhelming”.

“I think the fact that we have experience and it’s only a few months ago, I think it will definitely stand to us”.

“We know what to expect when we get there” added O’Dowd. “We know what it is like being surrounded by huge crowds. O’Dowd went on “We know the layouts of the dressing rooms and all that.”

Having suffered her share of quarter-final and semi-final heartbreak since first joining the Leitrim panel in 2012.

O’Dowd is now just 60 minutes away from helping her county to bridge a 17-year gap to All-Ireland championship success.

Standing in their way will be a Tyrone side who played in Croke Park as recently as April 7. A Lidl NFL Division 2 final defeat to Kildare.

Leitrim’s quest for promotion from NFL Division 4, may have ended in semi-final defeat against Limerick.

However, that didn’t stop the O’Rourke women from getting the better of the Red Hand, the two sides met in Group 4 of the intermediate championship in Ballinamore on June 2.

Big championship fight back

Eight points behind inside the opening six minutes, before trailing by 5-5 to 1-8 on the stroke of 40 minutes. The Connacht outfit embarked on a remarkable late scoring spree to earn a 4-12 to 5-8 victory.

“We were climbing a hill for the first-half to try and get back into the game, but we did” explained O’Dowd.

“We took our scores when they were on and when the goals were on we took them. Next thing we knew we were back in the game against Tyrone”.

“They’re an absolutely brilliant team”. O’Dowd went on, “we hadn’t played Tyrone in a few years, so we didn’t know what to expect when we played them in Ballinamore”.

“We know it’s going to be a huge battle, there was really nothing in that game” added O’Dowd.

“We came across the line as one point winners in that game and there is no doubt it’s going to be a very similar contest now in the final.”

Manager Jonny Garrity up against home county

Aside from the quality of players that will be on display on Sunday; Leitrim manager Jonny Garrity is a Tyrone native, ensures there will be added intrigue to the final.

Garrity even had a spell as manager of the Red Hand minor ladies in the recent past. However, O’Dowd acknowledged Garrity has left the Leitrim players in no doubt as to where his loyalties lie.

“As he says himself, his loyalties lie with us” smiles O’Dowd. “He’s been our manager for the last two years and we’re his main focus”.

“It is just funny that it works out that it is his home county, but he has worked with other counties as well”.

We know that he 100% backs us and we have 100% faith and trust in him.”

O’Dowd has a busy working life as a physiotherapist. “I’m lucky now where I am” explained O’Dowd. “I’m in the hospital in Manorhamilton, but it’s your standard. It’s a nine to half four job”.

“There’s no on-call, there’s no weekend work. I am very lucky that way. I do cover games for the local Ballinamore men’s team, but thankfully their games fall on a Saturday,” O’Dowd added.

“It actually works out really well in terms of training. I’m free every evening, our games are always on Sundays”.

“I’m very lucky in terms of where I’m at, that there’s no clash and there’s no huge commute to training or anything like that. It works out really well for myself.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Laura O’Dowd (Leitrim/Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins) – Media West Ireland – July 27 2024

Updated All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – July 26 2024

Posted on July 26, 2024 by admin

All-Ireland Football Championship Odds: Galway And Armagh The Last Ones Standing

Daire Walsh

After yet another fancied side saw their season coming to an end, the best betting sites are taking one last look at an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship that just keeps on delivering drama.

Following the exit of 2023 winners Dublin at the hands of Galway in the last-eight of the competition, Kerry immediately assumed their mantle as the favourites for Sam Maguire Cup glory before the semi-finals took place.

Armagh Dig Deep To Knock Out Kerry

The Kingdom avoided a potential banana skin against Derry in their quarter-final clash at Croke Park on June 30 and appeared to be on course for another showpiece appearance when they led Armagh by four points (0-10 to 0-6) at the midway stage of their penultimate round clash in the same venue a few weeks later.

A second half goal from the raiding Paul Murphy had them in an even stronger position, but after Barry McCambridge shook the net for the second game in succession, there was suddenly a new lease of life to the Armagh challenge.

While a Dylan Geaney point halted the Orchard County’s momentum and forced the tie into extra-time, there was no stopping Kieran McGeeney’s Ulster men in the additional periods.

Thanks to a 90th minute score from Conor Turbitt, Armagh sealed a 1-18 to 1-16 triumph and a place in an All-Ireland SFC final for the first time in 21 years.

Galway Get The Job Done Against Donegal

Meanwhile, having previously locked horns with Armagh in this season’s championship, Galway and Donegal met in the other semi-final for the right to face Armagh in the July 28 showpiece at GAA HQ.

There seemed to be little to separate the teams on paper and despite bagging a fortuitous goal from the right boot of Paul Conroy, the Tribesmen were on level terms with the O’Donnell County at 1-7 to 0-10 during the interval.

The lead changed hands on a number of occasions in the second period – and parity was also restored a further five times – but having displayed remarkable efficiency before the break, Donegal’s accuracy in front of the posts largely deserted them in the closing stretch.

A slightly more experienced outfit in comparison to their Ulster counterparts, Galway ultimately registered back-to-back points late on through Rob Finnerty and Liam Silke – which was enough to earn them a 1-14 to 0-15 success.

Familiar Foes Meet For The First Time In An All-Ireland Decider

This now leaves us with the novel pairing of the Tribesmen and Armagh in the forthcoming All-Ireland decider, albeit they have become familiar foes in recent years.

Back in 2022, the two sides played out a classic All-Ireland quarter-final encounter at Croke Park with Galway ultimately prevailing by a score of 4-1 in a penalty shootout after normal time and extra-time couldn’t produce a winner.

There was a renewal of acquaintances at the group stage of the All-Ireland senior championship a little under a year later at the neutral venue of Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim and Armagh squeezed home on this occasion with a single point to spare (0-16 to 1-12).

Padraic Joyce’s Connacht champions had looked set to gain revenge on the Orchard County in another Sam Maguire Cup group meeting at Sligo’s Markievicz Park, but a final-quarter fightback that included a goal from Tiernan Kelly secured them a 1-12 to 0-15 draw.

This trilogy of games shows how evenly matched they are on the field of play and this is what helps to make their first showdown in a Sam Maguire Cup final all the more intriguing.

Galway Go Into Decider As The Slightest Of Favourites

Nonetheless, even if the gap separating them is very small, bookmakers are always going to side with one team when it comes to this stage of the competition and it is Galway who currently hold a slight edge over their northern counterparts.

With a total of six betting apps – including the likes of Bet365, William Hill and 888sport – the Tribesmen are rated at 8/11 to collect the Sam Maguire Cup for the 10th time in their history.

The westerners are also available at odds of 4/5 with Betway to emerge as the top team in Gaelic football for 2024 – which didn’t appear to be the most likely of prospects earlier in the year.

Forced to cope without the services of Shane Walsh, Damien Comer, Cillian McDaid and a number of others for the majority of the campaign, Galway just about preserved their status in Division One of the National Football League during the spring.

The Tribesmen also needed a late goal from Rob Finnerty to earn a dramatic win against underdogs Sligo in a Connacht championship semi-final, but a subsequent provincial showpiece triumph at the expense of Mayo had a galvanising effect on their squad.

Either side of their aforementioned draw with Armagh, Joyce’s troops have displayed remarkable resolve to grind out victories over Derry, Westmeath, Monaghan, Dublin and Donegal.

Of course, you only have to go back to 2022 for their last All-Ireland final appearance and it will be interesting to see if Galway have absorbed the lessons from that 0-20 to 0-16 defeat against Kerry.

Armagh Right Up There After Previously Being Viewed As Major Outsiders

In turn, that game represented the Connacht side’s first Sam Maguire Cup decider outing in all of 21 years. Armagh bridged a similar gap in overcoming Kerry as their most recent All-Ireland SFC final showdown was all the way back in 2003 – when provincial rivals Tyrone denied them back-to-back successes in the competition with a 0-12 to 0-9 victory.

The Orchard County’s return to an All-Ireland final has taken many people by surprise, particularly when you consider it was all of 19 years since they had even featured at the penultimate stage of the All-Ireland championship.

It is hard to believe now that the odds of them winning the Sam Maguire Cup were as long as 22/1 at the end of May, albeit those odds had shortened to 5/1 in advance of their semi-final date with Kerry.

While Galway will come into Sunday week’s final as the favourites for the All-Ireland – and as a 10/11 prospect to win the game itself – many new betting sites are giving Armagh a great chance of climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park.

Whereas the Tribesmen are 8/11 with both Bet365 and 888sport, Armagh are available at 10/11and 5/6 respectively for a Sam Maguire Cup triumph.

Alternatively, Boyle Sports have the Orchard as an 11/10 prospect and there are even odds (1/1) on the Ulster men with Betway.

Indeed, such is the tight nature of the betting for this All-Ireland decider, that a victory for either side – or even a draw, which is available at odds ranging from 6/1 to 8/1 – couldn’t possibly be regarded as a shock result.

Posted in Gaelic Football, Gaelic Games | Comments Off on Updated All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – July 26 2024

All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final Build-Up: Molly Lynch (Cork) – The Evening Echo – July 24 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024 by admin

Molly Lynch, Cork camogie captain is looking forward to Nowlan Park double header

“It’s great for camogie and Nowlan Park was brilliant last year. I remember the atmosphere there. Loads will travel, which is great. Cork supporters are always very good to us.”

DAIRE WALSH

Having been part of the panel for a similar occasion last year, it comes as no surprise to discover Cork captain Molly Lynch is fully behind the idea of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals being played as a double header in Nowlan Park this Saturday.

 Before claiming the O’Duffy Cup for the first time in five years with an emphatic showpiece win over Waterford, the Leesiders defeated Galway in the last-four of the top-tier competition at the aforementioned Kilkenny venue on July 22, 2023.

 This game was preceded by the first semi-final between eventual runners-up Waterford and Tipperary. In addition to being broadcast live on RTE television, these games were played in front of a combined attendance of 7,257 spectators.

She has a significant battle on her hands with Amy Lee for the goalkeeper spot on the team – despite being the official skipper for the current campaign – but Lynch at the very least will have a major role to play behind the scenes ahead of Cork’s return to to Nowlan Park three days from now.

Serving as the curtain-raiser to the second semi-final between Galway and Tipperary, Ger Manley’s side will take on a rejuvenated Dublin for the right to compete in the All-Ireland senior camogie championship decider in Croke Park on August 11.

“It’s great for camogie and Nowlan Park was brilliant last year. I remember the atmosphere there. Loads will travel, which is great. Cork supporters are always very good to us. Hopefully they can keep the flags up for another couple of weeks, but there’s always a great atmosphere there and a great pitch,” Lynch remarked.

The Sarsfields netminder was speaking in Croke Park on Monday afternoon at the Camogie Association’s launch of the 2024 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie Senior and Intermediate Championship Semi-Finals.

A day earlier, Lynch was also in the Jones’ Road venue to see a Cork team managed by her club-mate Pat Ryan falling agonisingly short to Clare in a gripping All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final.

 Like so many Rebels supporters, she was disappointed to see her county coming out on the wrong side of an epic battle, but nonetheless proud of the performances they delivered throughout the summer.

 “Pat is an incredible person and such a nice man. I was delighted for Pat for him to get to an All-Ireland final, but I’d say there could be an All-Ireland in that team yet. A disappointing day, but they tried their hearts out.

“They were incredible. An amazing match and just unlucky at the end. They’ve given Cork a great lift. Hopefully they’ll be back again next year.”

 Following Sunday’s hurling final – and the last-four exit the Cork ladies footballers suffered against Galway a day earlier – the remaining chance for All-Ireland glory within the Rebel County is on the camogie front.

The good news from that perspective is that there are two Cork sides that are within reach of a championship final.

On the same day that the senior outfit take on Dublin in Kilkenny, the county’s intermediate camogie squad will lock horns with Offaly in their own championship semi-final showdown at Semple Stadium in Thurles.

Given there is still a strong shot at national success for both teams, Lynch is hopeful that the Cork public will get fully behind their respective efforts in the top two grades of the camogie championships.

A heavy support would be extremely beneficial from her own side’s point of view as Manley’s senior charges will be facing a Dublin team that have been transformed since their comprehensive 4-22 to 0-5 defeat to Cork in an All-Ireland group game at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on June 22.

After claiming an expected victory against Down in Group 1 of the O’Duffy Cup, the Sky Blues pulled out all the stops to overcome Kilkenny in a quarter-final clash at Croke Park earlier this month.

 “Hopefully now people will get behind us as well. There was such a scramble for tickets at the weekend, but there’s an opportunity for people to go to a semi-final this weekend.

“Hopefully now they’ll take that opportunity and travel up,” Lynch added.

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Ireland At The Olympics Odds Piece: Gambling.com – July 24 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024 by admin

Olympics 2024: Ireland’s Best Bets For Gold In Paris

Daire Walsh

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris is fast approaching and with a number of participants expected to challenge strongly in the French capital.

The best betting sites have odds for Ireland’s best gold medal prospects this summer.

When the most recent games were held in Tokyo three years ago, 12 months later than initially planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team Ireland enjoyed the most joy in rowing and boxing.

In addition to the acclaimed Skibbereen duo of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy picking up gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls, the quartet of Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty secured bronze medals in the women’s coxless four.

Boxers Kellie Harrington and Aidan Walsh both took a medal back home to the Emerald Isle. Harrington won gold in the women’s lightweight, while Belfast native Walsh was a bronze winner in the men’s welterweight.

Considering the most medals that Ireland previously picked up was six at the 2012 Olympics in London, this haul of four wasn’t something to be frowned upon.

Records are there to be broken and with so many members of Team Ireland having high hopes traveling to Paris, the hope is that it will be a summer to remember across the island of Ireland.

Ambitious Adeleke Hoping For Big Things In Paris

Already a high achiever at just 21 years of age (she will turn 22 next month), Dubliner Rhasidat Adeleke will be competing at her first Olympics in Paris.

She will be running from an individual perspective in the 400 metres and having secured a silver medal in the same category at this year’s European Championships in Rome, the Tallaght Athletic Club star won’t be short of ambition in France.

She will face intense competition from the likes of Marileidy Paulino and Nickisha Pryce, but Adeleke is currently rated at 9/2 on betting apps to pick up gold in the Women’s 400 metres.

This is unlikely to be the only chance to see Adeleke in action over in Paris, however, as she is also part of the Irish squad for both the Women’s 4 x 400 metres relay and the Mixed 4 x 400 metres relay.

Those aforementioned European Championships saw Adeleke helping the Irish to silver in the former as well as a superb gold medal in the latter.

It remains to be seen if she will definitely be competing for both of these relay teams over in Paris, but there are more than enough good athletes across both squads to give Ireland a realistic shot at picking up more medals.

Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker and Phil Healy are amongst those aiming to compete in both, while Thomas Barr and Christopher O’Donnell should feature for the mixed relay team.

Mageean Looking To Build On Recent European Success

Another athlete to produce heroics at the European Championships in Rome was Down’s Ciara Mageean and her superb victory in the Women’s 1,500 metres will give her great confidence when it comes to the same event in the Olympics.

Odds of 33/1 are available on new betting sites on Mageean picking up gold in the 1,500 metres in Paris, but one thing you can take for certain is that the Portaferry woman will leave it all out there on the track.

Harrington And Walsh Searching For More Boxing Medals

Now that Dubliner Harrington finds herself back on the Olympic stage, she will have her sights set on glory in the Women’s 60 kg.

Along with Beatrice Ferreira, Harrington is rated as the joint-favourite for gold by BoyleSports in this weight division in the French capital.

The hope will be that she won’t be alone in competing for boxing medals from an Irish perspective, and with 2020 bronze medallist Walsh also returning to the fray, this could well be a realistic possibility.

Rowers And Gymnast McClenaghan In The Hunt For Medals

It goes without saying that Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy will be expected to feature heavily again in the lightweight double sculls, they are available at Evens for another gold success, but punters can also get behind the coxless rowing pair of Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney at 8/1.

Thanks to his gold medal triumphs on the Pommel Horse at both the European Championships and the World Championships, County Down gymnast Rhys McClenaghan was a popular selection as RTE’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2023.

There will be pressure on him to deliver in Paris, and he is currently 4/6 currently. He could be one of Ireland’s best chances of claiming a gold medal in the coming weeks.

Big Things Expected Of Wiffen

Another native of Down amongst the travelling Team Ireland contingent, swimmer Daniel Wiffen will have three chances of winning a medal in Paris.

The 800 metres and 1,500 metres freestyles are categories he will certainly be looking to target as he claimed gold medals in both at this year’s World Championships in Doha.

His chances in the latter are 12/5, making him second-favourite behind Robert Finke, while he is a 7/4 frontrunner with Ladbrokes in the 800 metres freestyle.

He is also set to compete in the Men’s Open Water 10 km and with BoyleSports offering 8/11 on him to win a gold in any swimming event, it could prove to be a fruitful summer for Wiffen.

Rugby And Golf Hopefuls Amongst Team Ireland Hopefuls

For the first time in the history of the Olympics, Ireland have men’s and women’s teams competing together in the Rugby 7s.

A lot of effort has been put into bolstering the IRFU’s 7s programme in recent years and it will be interesting to see if it can come off in the form of medals in Paris.

Whereas the women’s side (who will be making their Olympics debut) are seen as a 25/1prospect for rugby 7s gold at the very best, an Irish men’s team that includes current 15s international Hugo Keenan, are being offered as an 8/1 shot.

Meanwhile, there will be Irish interest in golf at the Olympics with both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry competing in the men’s category.

Despite his recent issues at The Open Championship, world number three McIlroy is 13/2 to win gold in Paris and is regarded as the third-favourite overall.

Even though he achieved a respectable sixth-place finish in The Open, Offaly native Lowry is a bit further back in the field with odds of 16/1 being the best odds available on the 2019 Open Champion.

Team Ireland will also have a pair of competitors in women’s golf in the shape of Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow.

While Meadow is seen as a clear outsider for gold at odds of around 300/1, Cavan woman Maguire is available at 20/1 on Olympics betting sites for overall glory.

Posted in General Sports News Piece | Comments Off on Ireland At The Olympics Odds Piece: Gambling.com – July 24 2024

All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Build-Up Piece: Lauren Homan (Cork) – The Evening Echo – July 24 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024 by admin

Cork captain Lauren Homan drawing on experiences of legendary former team-mates

“It’s great to have that experience and have learned from those big, big players. I’m just going to try to bring that into the game on Saturday and hopefully it just gets over the line.”

DAIRE WALSH

During her time as part of the successful All-Ireland senior winning squads of 2017 and 2018, current Cork intermediate captain Lauren Homan rubbed shoulders with some of camogie’s biggest stars.

When she was introduced in the 52nd minute of Cork’s O’Duffy Cup final victory over Kilkenny on September 10, 2017, Homan was surrounded by legendary figures such as Aoife Murray, Rena Buckley, Eimear O’Sullivan and Gemma O’Connor.

It was a similar case when she was sprung off the bench for another narrow showpiece win against the Cats 12 months later as she was joined amongst the Cork forwards by notable names like Amy O’Connor, Orla Cotter and Katrina Mackey.

Now that she is one of the more experienced faces in a Cork intermediate side that has a youthful look to it, Homan finds herself drawing on the countless lessons she absorbed from the above-mentioned players.

“Big, big names within that squad. Just to look up to those girls and even learn from those girls from previous years, I definitely have. Probably put me down to ground a few times as well!” Homan acknowledged.

“It’s great to have that experience and have learned from those big, big players.

“I’m just going to try to bring that into the game on Saturday and hopefully it just gets us over the line. Hopefully I can just drive the girls on as much as possible.”

The game on Saturday Homan alludes to is an All-Ireland intermediate camogie championship semi-final encounter with Offaly at Semple Stadium in Thurles (throw-in 6pm).

Following an impressive success in a National Camogie League Division 2B final back in March, Cork comfortably advanced to the last-four of the intermediate championship with five successive wins in Group 1 of the competition.

This included a 0-15 to 1-11 home triumph over Offaly back on June 8, but while there is some confidence to be garnered from that game, Homan is also wary of a potential backlash from the Faithful County.

“We’re not going to take too much from the win against Offaly. It was a really close game, we only beat them by a point. We know there’s not going to be much between the two of us,” Homan added.

“It’s good to have the one up on them, but they’ll be coming back for revenge. We’ll still have to be up to the standard of playing and hopefully get the win.”

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All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final Build-Up Piece: Molly Lynch (Cork) – The Irish Examiner – July 24 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024 by admin

Molly Lynch hopes Cork fans travel for semi-final

“There was such a scramble for tickets at the weekend, but there’s an opportunity for people to go to a semi-final this weekend.”
DAIRE WALSH

It might be viewed as a potential negative in some quarters, but as far as captain Molly Lynch is concerned, the Cork camogie team have reaped the benefits of being away from competitive action for an extended period.

Courtesy of finishing at the summit of Group Two with five wins from as many games – and a score difference of +91 – the Leesiders automatically qualified for this weekend’s All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals. A curtain-raiser to the clash between Galway and Tipperary in the same venue, defending champions Cork will take on surprise package Dublin at Nowlan Park on Saturday (throw-in 1.15pm) for a spot in the O’Duffy Cup decider in Croke Park on August 11.

By the time the action gets underway in Kilkenny, it will have been four weeks since Ger Manley’s charges last took to the field of play – a group stage win over Galway in Pairc Ui Chaoimh on June 29 being their most recent fixture. While remaining idle for this length of time can be a challenge, Lynch and her inter-county colleagues are content with how the past few weeks have gone.

“We got a down week, so we were able to regroup. Then had three hard weeks of training, which is really beneficial. You get time to focus on little areas of your game that mightn’t have gone well in the group stages. We’re really happy with the last couple of weeks,” Lynch explained.

Lynch was speaking at Croke Park on Monday at a launch for the All-Ireland camogie championship semi-finals – a day after she was in the Jones’ Road venue to see a Cork team managed by her Sarsfields club-mate Pat Ryan losing out agonisingly to Clare in a gripping All-Ireland senior hurling championship final.

Although disappointed to see the Rebels coming out on the wrong side of an epic contest, she commended them for the manner of their display on Sunday.

“A disappointing day, but they tried their hearts out. They were incredible. An amazing match and just unlucky at the end. They’ve given Cork a great lift, so hopefully now we can keep that going for Cork people.” Indeed, with the Cork ladies footballers suffering semi-final heartbreak at the hands of Galway in Tullamore on Saturday, the Rebel County’s last remaining shot at All-Ireland glory in 2024 is on the camogie front.

Yet Lynch and her senior team-mates aren’t alone in flying the flag from this perspective as the Cork intermediate camogie side are taking on Offaly in their own All-Ireland intermediate semi-final at Semple Stadium, Thurles on Saturday (throw-in 6pm). Given there is a more than realistic prospect that the county could have two teams on All-Ireland finals day next month, Lynch is hopeful that the Cork public will get behind their respective bids for championship success.

“There was such a scramble for tickets at the weekend, but there’s an opportunity for people to go to a semi-final this weekend. Hopefully now they’ll take that opportunity and travel up,” Lynch added.

Posted in Camogie | Comments Off on All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final Build-Up Piece: Molly Lynch (Cork) – The Irish Examiner – July 24 2024