Ireland Women’s Build-Up To Wales Home In Six Nations Championship: Edel McMahon – The42.ie – April 11 2024

Posted on April 11, 2024 by admin

Ireland co-captain looking to bounce back from selection woe for Wales

Edel McMahon didn’t make the matchday 23 for the visit of Italy.

AFTER MISSING OUT on the second round clash with Italy, Ireland women’s co-captain Edel McMahon is hoping for a swift return to international duty against Wales in the Six Nations Championship at Virgin Media Park this Saturday.

Having led the team out in the absence of fellow joint skipper Sam Monaghan for an away trip to France on the opening weekend of the tournament, the Clare native found herself outside of the matchday 23 when the Italians paid a visit to the RDS on Easter Sunday. Selected at blindside flanker in the French game, Aoife Wafer took over from McMahon at openside for their first home fixture of 2024 and proceeded to deliver a performance that garnered her the Six Nations Player of the Round.

Yet Ireland head coach Scott Bemand insisted at the time that McMahon’s exclusion for the Italy game didn’t rule her out for future selection and he reserved praise for the way the experienced back-row knuckled down in training to give herself the best possible chance of featuring in Cork this coming weekend. While admitting it was disappointing to not be involved against Italy, McMahon nevertheless understands this is sometimes the nature of Test rugby.

“Selection’s really tough, it’s obviously disappointing. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to compete, be part of a successful Ireland and I think that’s a sign of the team. That we’re competing week-in, week-out, and that’s only going to drive our performances as we build for the rest of the Six Nations,” McMahon remarked at a press conference in the IRFU’s High Performance Centre on Tuesday.

“Selection is what it is. Obviously we had our chat and I went away and went after training for the last couple of opportunities that I could to put my hand up for selection again. That’s the way it goes.

“We had a good conversation about what that was and I was confident that the girls then were going to do a good job for us. It’s just how you carry yourself because week in, week out, we have to compete. We have to keep driving the standards. That’s where I went to.”

We will find out later on today if McMahon (known affectionately to her team-mates as ‘Tricky’) is in line to pick up her 26th international cap as Bemand is set to unveil his selection for Saturday’s game at 12pm.

If she does feature on the Leeside, McMahon will be coming up against some very familiar faces. Of the 23 players that saw game time for Wales in a 46-10 defeat to England in Bristol last Saturday week, 19 of them are currently plying their trades at Premiership Women’s Rugby outfits.

McMahon plays in this English-based competition for Exeter Chiefs and in her first appearance of the 2023/24 season against Gloucester-Hartpury on 16 December of last year at Sandy Park, McMahon was pitched into battle with five of that particular Welsh cohort. Also included in the Gloucester squad for that game was the aforementioned Monaghan and current first-choice Ireland hooker Neve Jones.

Lauren Delany, Grace Moore, the uncapped duo of Shannon Ikahihifo and Andrea Stock, as well as the newly-recalled Cliodhna Moloney, are the other members of the Ireland set-up that play their club rugby over in England, and McMahon believes it is beneficial to be coming up against the bulk of the Welsh side on such a regular basis.

“I think it’s a familiarity piece. You can say that for a good few of the nations, but you play them week in and week out, so you feel more familiar with how they play.

“You can pick out players, you can identify individual brilliance maybe or where they’re weak at. Or what you can go and target. I think that familiarity that we can bring into the squad will be only a benefit.”

Like their opponents on Saturday, Ireland are still searching for their first win of this year’s Six Nations. Back-to-back defeats to France and Italy have come on the heels of a winless run through the 2023 edition of the Championship, but McMahon feels this Irish team are capable of building on the encouraging signs from those games.

“We are creating opportunities in attack. I think that is something we probably struggled a little with in the last Six Nations. With having opportunities, where we’re actually getting the ball to space,” McMahon added.

“Our wingers are getting hands on ball and we’re in the ‘22’. We’re playing the right territory. I think our game management in that area has been working really well for us. That’s something we’re going to go after again for Wales and being more clinical in those executions.”

Daire Walsh

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Ireland Women’s Build-Up To Wales Home In Six Nations Championship: Edel McMahon – The Irish Examiner – April 11 2024

Posted on April 11, 2024 by admin

Familiarity can be Ireland’s friend in Welsh encounter

If she does feature on the Leeside, McMahon will be coming up against some very familiar faces. 
DAIRE WALSH

After missing out on their second round clash with Italy, Ireland women’s co-captain Edel McMahon is hoping for a swift return to international duty against Wales in the Six Nations Championship at Virgin Media Park this Saturday (kick-off 4.45pm).

Having led the team out in the absence of fellow joint skipper Sam Monaghan for an away trip to France on the opening weekend of the tournament, the Clare native found herself outside of the match day 23 when the Italians paid a visit to the RDS on Easter Sunday.

While admitting it was disappointing to not be involved in Ireland’s first home game of 2024, McMahon responded by knuckling down in training to give herself the best possible chance of featuring in Cork on the coming weekend.

“Selection is what it is. Obviously we had our chat and I went away and went after training for the last couple of opportunities that I could to put my hand up for selection again. That’s the way it goes,” McMahon acknowledged.

“We had a good conversation about what that was and I was confident that the girls then were going to do a good job for us. It’s just how you carry yourself because week in, week out, we have to compete. We have to keep driving the standards. That’s where I went to.”

We will find out later on Thursday if McMahon is in line to pick up her 26th international cap as Ireland head coach Scott Bemand is set to unveil his selection for Saturday’s game at 12pm (noon).

If she does feature on the Leeside, McMahon will be coming up against some very familiar faces.

Of the 23 players that saw game time for Wales in a 46-10 defeat to England in Bristol last Saturday week, 19 of them are currently plying their trades at Premiership Women’s Rugby outfits.

McMahon plays in this English-based competition for Exeter Chiefs and in her first appearance of the 2023/24 season against Gloucester-Hartpury on December 16 of last year at Sandy Park, she was pitched into battle with five of that particular Welsh cohort.

Also included in the Gloucester squad for that game was the aforementioned Monaghan and current first-choice Ireland hooker Neve Jones.

Lauren Delany, Grace Moore, the uncapped duo of Shannon Ikahihifo and Andrea Stock, as well as the newly-recalled Cliodhna Moloney, are the other members of the Ireland set-up that play their club rugby over in England, and McMahon believes it is beneficial to be coming up against the bulk of the Welsh side on such a regular basis.

“I think it’s a familiarity piece. You can say that for a good few of the nations, but you play them week in and week out, so you feel more familiar with how they play,” McMahon added.

“You can pick out players, you can identify individual brilliance maybe or where they’re weak at. Or what you can go and target. I think that familiarity that we can bring into the squad will be only a benefit.”

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All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – April 10 2024

Posted on April 11, 2024 by admin

GAA Betting: What Are The All-Ireland Hurling 2024 Championship Odds?

Daire Walsh

Following the conclusion of the Allianz National League, betting sites are now taking a look at who they believe are the most likely winners of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

Eight years on from their last triumph at the grade, which was also the most recent national success for the county in the small ball code, Clare claimed the National Hurling League Division One title with a 3-16 to 1-20 win over Kilkenny at Semple Stadium in Thurles.

Although their Noreside opponents showed their customary fight in the closing stages of the contest, the Banner were worthy victors on the night.

Having seen his side reach All-Ireland semi-finals in each of the past two seasons, Clare manager Brian Lohan will be hoping their NFL success can be the catalyst for a long and fruitful summer.

They have also come perilously close to securing a first Munster senior hurling crown since 1998 in recent times, and they are one of the most consistent teams in terms of the round-robin games that precede the showpiece affairs in the southern province.

Clare Very Much In The Reckoning Following League Success

Now in their fifth season under the guidance of Lohan, Clare are currently 11/2 with three different bookmakers – including William Hill – to get their hands on the Liam McCarthy Cup for just the fifth time in their history.

Bet365 and Betway are also amongst those offering 6/1 on the Banner to emerge on top of the pile this year.

Especially with the likes of Aidan McCarthy, Mark Rodgers, Shane O’Donnell and Tony Kelly (albeit he has been injured in recent months) within their ranks, they will certainly be expected to be in the shake-up at the business end of the championship.

Limerick Remain Clear Favourites For All-Ireland

Yet, as the only winners of the Liam McCarthy Cup over the past four years, it comes as little surprise that Limerick remain the clear favourites to climb the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park when the All-Ireland final is played on July 21.

Despite losing out to Kilkenny at the semi-final stage of the National Hurling League, supporters and analysts alike still view the Treaty County as the team to beat.

With All Star Hurler of the Year winners Gearoid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Diarmuid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane still key figures for manager John Kiely, along with a plethora of household names.

Limerick are in a good spot as they bid to become the first county to win five All-Ireland senior hurling titles on the bounce.

Clare did get the better of them in the round-robin phase of last year’s Munster championship, but Limerick turned the tables on their close rivals in a subsequent final meeting to earn a fifth successive provincial title.

There might be a sense that their winning run has to reach an end at some point, but there is little or no sign for the moment that they are going to be knocked off their pedestal.

At the time of writing, five different betting apps (such as Bet365 and Quinn Bet) are offering odds as short as 4/5 on Limerick maintaining their grip on the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Additionally, William Hill viewed the Munster giants as a 5/6 prospect for an All-Ireland success.

Kilkenny Also Hoping For A Big Year

All-Ireland finalists in the past two championships, Kilkenny are currently third favourites for Liam McCarthy glory behind Limerick and Clare.

Leinster champions for the past four years, the Cats have remained extremely competitive since Brian Cody brought his lengthy spell as manager to an end in the summer of 2022.

However, Kilkenny lost out to the Treaty by nine points in last year’s All-Ireland decider and have also suffered consecutive National Hurling League final defeats at the hands of Limerick and Clare.

TJ Reid remains a key player for their side at 36 years of age (he turns 37 in November), while Eoin Cody, Martin Keoghan and Adrian Mullen are all capable of providing him with good support in attack.

There are some doubts over their ability to go a step further in 2024, but it would be foolish to rule them completely out of the equation when it comes to an All-Ireland success.

Some bookmakers are offering the same odds as Clare on Kilkenny winning the country’s top hurling prize, but they can be backed at the slightly longer odds of 13/2 on GAA betting sites.

Galway Expected To Be In The Mix

In last year’s Leinster Senior Hurling Championship showpiece, Kilkenny snatched victory from Galway courtesy of a stoppage-time goal from Cillian Buckley.

While there isn’t necessarily an expectation that former Cats legend Henry Shefflin needs to win an All-Ireland with his adopted county, it is felt that he will need to lead Galway to a provincial title later this year.

Of course, should they come out on top in Leinster and thus qualify automatically for an All-Ireland semi-final, then the level of expectation might well change.

There is certainly plenty of ability within the Tribesmen’s ranks, whether that be 2023 All Star Evan Niland, Brian Concannon, Joseph Cooney, Daithi Burke or Conor Whelan, who was magnificent last season.

As semi-finalists in the three of the past four All-Ireland senior hurling championships, Galway certainly merit being in amongst Limerick, Clare and Kilkenny in the reckoning for the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Heading into their Leinster SFC group opener against Carlow on Sunday week (April 21), Galway are 7/1 with five betting sites to win a sixth All-Ireland SHC title – William Hill and Betway being amongst this particular cohort.

Cork And Tipperary Look To Be The Most Appealing Outside Bet

Outside of the above-mentioned quartet, it is in Munster that the dark horses appeared to be the most likely to emerge.

Cork displayed signs of life in the National Hurling League and are generally rated as either an 8/1 or 9/1 possibility with Irish bookmakers.

Since Galway’s All-Ireland success of 2017, Tipperary in 2019 are the only county outside of Limerick to have had the Liam McCarthy Cup in their possession.

There has been a lack of consistency to the Premier County’s play and results in the past few years, but Liam Cahill remains an astute manager and will be hoping to improve on last season’s quarter-final exit to Galway.

For the time being, the odds on Tipperary range from 10/1 to 12/1. Before taking over his native county, Cahill was in charge of the Waterford hurlers. In addition to reaching an All-Ireland final in 2020, he guided them to an NFL title two years later.

They are now in the second year of Davy Fitzgerald’s second stint as manager, but they will have a battle on their hands to even secure a coveted top-three finish in Munster.

As far as All-Ireland glory is concerned, the shortest odds on Waterford are currently 25/1 and the longest is 50/1 with the likes of William Hill.

Wexford are generally available with bookmakers at the latter price, while the likes of Dublin, Antrim and Carlow can only be found at odds of 100/1 or longer, and are seen as very unlikely contenders for the All-Ireland championship.

 

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Ireland Women’s Build-Up To Wales Home In Six Nations Championship: Scott Bemand & Edel McMahon – The42.ie – April 9 2024

Posted on April 9, 2024 by admin

‘Just going about her business’ – Cliodhna Moloney’s Ireland return

Scott Bemand believes the time was right to bring exiled Moloney back into the international fold.

FOLLOWING A SIGNIFICANT and much-discussed absence, Ireland women’s head coach Scott Bemand believes the time was right to bring Cliodhna Moloney back into the international fold.

A debutant against England back in the autumn of 2015, Moloney’s most recent appearance for Ireland was as a replacement in a home triumph over Japan on 20 November, 2021 – 11 days after she compared remarks made by the IRFU’s then Director of Women’s Rugby Anthony Eddy to “slurry spreading” in a social media post.

She was subsequently left out of Greg McWilliams’ squad for the 2022 edition of the Six Nations, although the Dubliner insisted at the time it was purely a ‘rugby decision’ on his part to not include Moloney. IRFU CEO Kevin Potts later denied in May of last year that she was being excluded for her past comments and while she wasn’t named in his initial selection, Bemand stated at the launch for this year’s Six Nations Championship that there was a possibility she might be called into the Irish camp as the tournament progressed.

This has now proven to be the case with the former Railway Union and Wasps hooker being called into Ireland training this week on the back of a phone conversation with Bemand.

“We’d been in comms [with Moloney] for a reasonable while. We’d been tracking how she’s playing. We got to a point where we feel it’s the right time. We’re carrying two hookers within the 36,” Bemand explained at a press conference held at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre earlier today.

“We’ve two training panellist hookers who are relatively recent conversions to hookers too. Sarah [Delaney] has picked up a little bit of a ding on her shoulder, so it’s the right time to give her an opportunity.

“The conversation was very informal. I’ve been in England, I’ve bumped into her, crossed paths. She knew that she was working hard around performance and there’d be a point that we may look at her or may not. It’s an opportunity that’s presented itself.

“We base everything around our on-pitch performances. We feel this is the right time, we feel she can add to it so she was pretty pleased to say ‘yeah, I’d be up for coming in’.”

Courtesy of the aforementioned knock picked up by Delaney – who was named as replacement hooker for Ireland’s defeats to France and Italy in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations – there is every chance that Moloney could be thrown straight into the match day 23 when Ireland welcome Wales to Virgin Media Park in Cork for a third round Six Nations clash on Saturday (kick-off 4.45pm).

While he stressed that his selection for the game hasn’t been finalised just yet, Bemand acknowledged the importance of having someone with 31 international caps to her name within his set-up.

“We haven’t done selection yet. We’ve got a training week for us to bed-in, get to know her, get to know us. She’s day two. She’s going fine and we’ll see what that looks like for selection.

“You’re going into these Six Nations games that carry a bit of weight. It’s going to be a good ding-dong battle against Wales. Having a few caps, a few experiences under your belt I think probably gives you something that you can fall back on.”

Sitting beside Bemand at today’s press conference was someone that knows Moloney better than anyone within the Irish squad. Having previously played alongside her at Wasps, Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon still counts the Galway native as a club-mate at Premiership Women’s Rugby outfit Exeter Chiefs.

In addition to sharing an international dressing room with her on several occasions in the past, the openside flanker also lives with Moloney over in England and is acutely aware of how much it means to her to be back in an Ireland squad once again.

“It’s brilliant. I live with her, so I think I know her quite well! I’ve been privileged to play with her for a long time with Wasps and Chiefs, so I just know the standard that she lives by day-to-day. What she brings on the pitch and she’s slotted in very well and is training well as well,” McMahon said.

“She carries well and she’s slotted in really well with the girls already. Just going about her business.”

Daire Walsh

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LIDL National Football League Division Four Final Follow-Up: Carlow V Limerick – Media West Ireland – April 8 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

Lidl NFL Division 4 final – Carlow 1-7 Limerick 0-6

Carlow’s Sara Doyle paid tribute to all the players who had gone before them and paved the way for their first ever Lidl National Football League Division 4 title.

“It’s unbelievable. For me, this is maybe my fifth or sixth year playing, but at the final whistle all I could think of was Edel Hayden. She has been playing since 2001, that’s as old as I am! This is the first thing she’s properly won,” said Doyle.

“That actually makes me emotional to think about it and all the players who played before us, who never won anything with Carlow, but just kept going, kept going.”

“I think the last three championships we’ve lost All-Ireland semi-finals, one of them even went to extra-time. It was always next year, next year and this year finally.

“I think once you win one, that’s the momentum we need. I think the league, it’s great momentum for championship and this is one out of three trophies we want to win this year. There’s Leinster next and then there’s All-Ireland. That’s our goal.”

Substitute Maeve O’Neill struck a 55th minute goal at Grant Heating St Brendan’s Park in Birr on Saturday to send Carlow on their way to victory.

Carlow were only 0-3 to 0-1 adrift at the break having played against the strong wind and they levelled within three minutes of the restart thanks to a couple of frees from Cliodhna Ni She.

Then Roisin Bailey and Rachel Sawyer knocked over quickfire points from play to give Carlow a 0-5 to 0-3 platform after 40 minutes.

Limerick equalised through Deborah Murphy and Iris Kennelly before Ni She edged Carlow back in front and then came the decisive score when O’Neill found the net and there was no way back for Limerick.

“Overall, we’ll be disappointed,” said Limerick joint manager Sean Kiely. “The girls will be exceptionally disappointed. I know we’ve promotion got out of it, but they will feel that they could have done a bit better today. That’s just the way it is. You just have to take those things, it’s only the National League at the end of the day. We still have the promotion and there’s a long season ahead.”

“There’s a very strong breeze here today and it was always going to be a game of two halves. Overall, Carlow seemed to use the breeze a little bit better than we did. We went in two points up, but it probably wasn’t enough of a cushion against a quality side like that. We had a good few misses in the first half, which didn’t help our cause. To be fair to Carlow overall, they were the better team on the day. I thought they played the conditions very well, so fair play to them.”

Scorers – Carlow: C Ni She 0-4 (4f), M O’Neill 1-0, R Bermingham, R Bailey, R Sawyer 0-1 each. Limerick: D Murphy 0-2 (1f), I Kennelly 0-2, M MacNamara, C McGrath (f) 0-1 each.

CARLOW: N Hanley; A Carroll, A Roche, S McCullagh; R Bermingham, N Murphy, N Forde; E Hayden, R Bailey; B Nolan, R Sawyer, S Doyle; E Molloy, E Coogan, C Ni She. Subs: S Hayden for McCullagh (h-t), M O’Neill for Coogan (47), T Lyons for Nolan (52), M Townsend for E Hayden (55), E Ware for S Hayden (59).

LIMERICK: C Bateman; J McGuire, Y Lee, F Bradshaw; G Lee, C Mee, M MacNamara; R Ambrose, L Ryan; K O’Leary, D Murphy, K Heelan; E Woulfe, A O’Sullivan, I Kennelly. Subs: G Mullane for Heelan, R Browne for McGuire (both h-t), C McGrath for O’Sullivan (47), K Kennedy for Ryan (55), M Kavanagh for Woulfe (59).

Referee: Declan Carolan (Armagh).

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LIDL National Football League Division Three Final Follow-Up: Clare V Roscommon – Media West Ireland – April 8 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

Lidl NFL Division 3 final – Clare 1-6 Roscommon 1-4

Versatile Clare footballer Laurie Ryan said she was just delighted to get over the line and claim the Lidl NFL Division 3 title because she knew Roscommon would push them all the way.

Roscommon came with a late surge and Ryan, who has enjoyed success with Clare and Athlone Town, said they were relieved to hold on at Grant Heating St Brendan’s Park in Birr on Saturday.

“I think we knew with the conditions it was never going to be over until it was over and you could see at the end there when they got the goal. We were probably glad that we had the wind at our back to go long with the kick-out,” she said.

“They’re a really good Roscommon side and they’re well set-up. They’re hard to break down, but just so happy to get over the line in the end.

“I’ve just been really lucky in the last two to three years that I’ve been part of very successful teams. You have to enjoy it while you can because you’ve lost enough finals over the years. I’m just really happy to be part of the squads and in fairness, I’m really lucky with the both of them that they’re able to work with me. It allows me to play both, which is the main thing as well.”

The impressive Ailish Considine grabbed 1-2 as Clare held off the late surge as Roscommon, unbeaten on their way to the final — including a group stage draw away to Clare —fell short in their quest for a second Division 3 final success in just three years.

Clare laid the foundation for their success when they turned around level at 1-1 to 0-4 at the break, having played against the wind.

Clare opened up a four points but had to endure a nervous finish after Aisling Hanly got a late goal for Roscommon, but it wasn’t enough.

“We’re disappointed,” said Roscommon manager Ollie Lennon. “Maybe if that goal had come maybe three or four minutes earlier, we might have been able to put a little bit more pressure on in the end. Unfortunately, it came late and Clare ran out deserving winners.”

“The conditions were tough, but it’s the same for both teams and the reality is that Clare were better than us, and that’s the reason that they’re lifting the cup. We’re disappointed, but we don’t have much time to dwell on it or to be too disappointed with it. I think when we look back in a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll have been very happy with the league overall.”

Scorers – Clare: A Considine 1-2 (0-1f), C McCarthy 0-2 (1f), A Reidy 0-2. Roscommon: A Hanly 1-0, L Fleming 0-4 (4f).

CLARE: A Lenihan; A Keane, S Ni Chonaill, G Harvey; L Ryan, J Doohan, R Considine; S Considine, A Reidy; L Griffin, C Harvey, A Sexton; T Collins, F Marrinan, A Considine. Subs: C McCarthy for Griffin (39), O Devitt for Sexton (46), L Griffey for Collins (49), K Mullen for R Considine (56).

ROSCOMMON: H Cummins; A McGrath, E Irwin, J McDermott; R Fitzmaurice, S Wynne, C Cregg; L O’Rourke, K Nolan; L Fleming, L Shanagher, A Hanly; A MacAuliffe, A Shanagher, A Feeley. Subs: S Farrell for Feeley (13), N Feeney for MacAuliffe (40), E Thompson for McDermott (42), A O’Connor for Shanagher (51), A Gavin for Nolan (57).

Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).

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LIDL National Football League Division One Final Follow-Up: Armagh V Kerry – Media West Ireland – April 8 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

Armagh eye further progress after maiden Div 1 success

By Daire Walsh

Armagh manager Greg McGonigle hopes they can now take their historic Lidl NFL Division 1 title success into the TG4 All-Ireland Championship and make even more progress.

Aimee Mackin and Kelly Mallon combined for 1-09 as Armagh followed up their Division 2 success last season by dethroning the reigning division 1 champions Kerry at Croke Park.

“From a defensive point of view, we’d be happy with where we are at, but again we could have been possibly a little bit more clinical up front.

“We maybe left a couple of chances behind us, but it’s a great place to be on 7 April. Looking forward with stuff to prepare for coming into the Ulster championship and then the All-Ireland series,” said McGonigle.

“We talked about teams are probably going to have purple patches or you’re going to make mistakes and we say it’s always about reaction. It’s responding, it’s not about reacting and not going into ourselves. In regards of trying to get back up and get a score as soon as we can, we reacted very well to conceding an early second half.”

Having lost out by three points to the Kingdom in a NFL Division 2 decider at the same venue two years ago, this is a sweet victory for an Armagh side that were also appearing in their maiden top tier league showpiece.

Kerry joint manager Declan Quill said they did not make the most of a fortunate goal after the restart and they squandered too many chances to retain their crown.

“A fortunate goal really, but one that put us on a good path in the second half. We weren’t really able to take advantage of it. The bit of good luck you get, you’ve to build on it. It’s not something we did,” said Quill.

“We missed way too many chances to win a game. A national final, you’ve got to be very clinical. I thought Armagh were way more clinical than we were. The chances they got, they stuck away. We’ve to look back over the tape, but the amount of chances we missed was absolutely criminal really.

“We did come up here to win today. It wasn’t maybe an aim of ours to get to the final in a way, but that’s the way we ended up. When we were here, we were coming all guns blazing to win it. It just didn’t happen for us today.

“We’ve Munster championship to focus on now in two weeks’ time. We’ll give the girls a few nights off and we’ll reconvene next Friday night. Hopefully the bodies will be fresh and the minds will be fresh, and they’ll be ready to give the Munster championship a good go.”

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LIDL National Football League Division Two Final Follow-Up: Kildare V Tyrone – Media West Ireland – April 8 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

LILIES LOVING IT

Diane O’Hora thrilled after seeing her Kildare side secure NFL Division 2 crown with deserved win over Tyrone

A relative of a Gaelic football icon starred for the opposition though
Daire Walsh

KILDARE manager Diane O’Hora said she is thrilled that they had the ability to see off a strong Tyrone side and claim their first Lidl Division 2 in 20 years.

First half goals from Claire Sullivan and Neasa Dooley were crucial at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon as Kildare captured the title.

“Over the moon,” said O’Hora. “When we were starting out here at the start of the year, we wanted to consolidate our position in the division, stay safe.

“Then obviously the focus changed as we got a few wins and got some momentum.

“I think today in terms of Mary Hulgraine’s leadership from goals, the whole way up to Roisin Byrne up front, I thought everyone absolutely dug in really deep.

“Tyrone threw the kitchen sink at us. They did a really good job on their analysis.

“They did a lot of work since we played them a couple of weeks ago and they’re formidable opponents, I’ll tell you and they’re going to go very well in intermediate, no doubt.

“For us, we’re just really, really pleased with the defensive unit and the leadership at the back.

“Especially with Laoise Lenehan not being there in full-back.

“Mia (Doherty), Aoife (Clifford) and Fiona (Troute) did a great job.”

Tyrone manager Sean O’Kane said he was really proud of his team and that while they were disappointed not to claim the trophy, they have made considerable progress in this season’s Lidl NFL.

“A lot of positive things to take out of it the league.

“We gave away a bad goal before half-time and we were on the back-foot then,” said O’Kane.

“We were always chasing it, but I’m very proud of the girls, very proud of the management.

“Very proud of everybody, it was a good game.

“You’ve got to realise, just over two years ago we were looking at relegation down to Division 3, so it’s a good shift up.

“Kildare are a good side. They’ve good targets. They play well with a good shape, they’re obviously well-organised.

“We had our chances too and we didn’t take them and Kildare had a couple of goal chances too and they whizzed by the post.

“I think the best team probably won on the day.”

After Roisin Byrne had opened the scoring with a second-minute point, Emma Conroy responded with a brace at the opposite end to edge Tyrone in front.

However, Kildare, appearing at GAA HQ for the first time since winning last year’s TG4 All-Ireland intermediate championship title, were already showing considerable attacking intent.

And they bagged their first goal on six minutes when Byrne fed the raiding Sullivan for a low finish to the net.

Dead-ball specialists Byrne and Maria Canavan — an extended member of that famous Tyrone family — went on to trade points at either end of the pitch.

But with sunshine making way for driving rain in north Dublin, this showpiece suddenly became less free-flowing in nature.

Nevertheless, a two-point salvo by Canavan got Tyrone back on level terms in the 18th-minute and they then squeezed into the ascendancy again when Sasha Byrne found the target from close-range.

Yet Byrne added a brace of her own just as the conditions started to brighten up again and thanks to Dooley’s superb three-pointer on 27 minutes, Kildare brought a 2-4 to 0-6 cushion into the interval.

Tyrone, who drew with Kildare during the Division 2 group stages, were still in contention on the restart, however, and another clinically-executed Canavan free got them back up and running.

Captain Aoibhinn McHugh also burst through from midfield for a point that shook the woodwork on its way over, before Kildare finally opened their second half account on 41 minutes with a white flag contribution from Trina Duggan.

The ever-dependable Canavan and Lilywhites substitute Lara Curran cancelled each other out with points as the third-quarter drew to a close, only for the Tyrone sharpshooter to once again chip in with a placed ball effort.

Niamh Farrelly later joined Curran in registering a point off the Kildare bench and this was followed by a majestic Ellen Dowling score from out towards the left-wing.

While Canavan brought her personal tally up to 0-8 in the closing moments, a Dooley point ensured that O’Hora’s Lilies had three points to spare in the end.

Scorers – Kildare: N Dooley 1-1, R Byrne 0-4 (2f), C Sullivan 1-0, T Duggan, E Dowling, L Curran, N Farrelly 0-1 each. Tyrone: M Canavan 0-8 (7f), E Conroy 0-2, A McHugh, S Byrne 0-1 each.

KILDARE: M Hulgraine; F Troute, A Clifford, M Doherty; L Murtagh, R Sargent, L Gilbert; G Clifford, H McLoughlin; T Duggan, E Dowling, C Sullivan; N Dooley, R Byrne, A Rattigan.

Subs: N Farrelly for Rattigan (25), E O’Toole for McLoughlin (40), L Curran for Murtagh (43), H Tyrrell for Dowling (53), S Munnelly for Duggan (54).

TYRONE: C Donnelly; J Lyons, J Barrett, E Quinn; C Campbell, E Mulgrew, M Corrigan; A McHugh, M Mallon; EJ Gervin, E Conroy, A Horisk; M Canavan, Z Loughran, S Byrne.

Subs: A Daly for Horisk (19-22), E McCanny for Byrne (45), C Daly for Barrett (48), A Grimes for Conroy (50), A Daly for Horisk (53), KR Muldoon for Corrigan (60).

Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).

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LIDL National Football League Division One Final: Armagh V Kerry – Ladiesgaelic.ie – April 7 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

Glory for Armagh as Mackin and Mallon guide them to first ever league title

Lidl National Football League Division 1 final

Armagh 2-12

 Kerry 2-9

 By Daire Walsh

 Aimee Mackin and Kelly Mallon combined for 1-9 at Croke Park on Sunday as Armagh got the better of defending champions Kerry to claim the Lidl National Football League Division 1 title for the very first time.

Having lost out by three points to the Kingdom in a NFL Division 2 decider at the same venue two years ago, this is a sweet victory for an Armagh side that were also appearing in their maiden top tier league showpiece.

A fine point by Aoife McCoy edged Armagh in front for a second time after free-takers Mallon and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh had exchanged early frees, but the Kingdom received a massive boost when Lorraine Scanlon fired to the net on 10 minutes after a dead-ball strike from Ní Mhuircheartaigh had dropped short. This was only a minor set-back for Armagh, however, as midfielder Niamh Coleman palmed a goal of her own after Kerry netminder Mary Ellen Bolger had knocked down Mackin’s attempt at a point.

An earlier Mallon score meant Armagh led 1-3 to 1-1 on the first-quarter mark and this cushion was extended when Mallon superbly split the uprights from an acute left-hand angle.

Yet Kerry never allowed panic to creep into their play and three points on the bounce from Ní Mhuircheartaigh had the sides level at 1-4 apiece during the break.

After Mary O’Connell pounced on a defensive mishap by Armagh three minutes into the second half, Niamh Ní Chonchuir comfortably fired home a second Kingdom goal.

While this looked like being a major blow for the Orchard County, but they were instead galvanised in the minutes that followed Ní Chonchuir’s major. After unanswered points from Mallon, Mackin (two) and Niamh Henderson moved Armagh in front once again, the increasingly-dangerous Mackin rifled an unstoppable shot to the roof of the Kerry net on 39 minutes.

Further points from the Shane O’Neills ace either side of the third-quarter mark suddenly left Armagh six ahead, but much-needed contributions from Ní Mhuircheartaigh (two) and Hannah O’Donoghue offered fresh life to the Kingdom challenge.

Their deficit remained at three points when centre half-back Ciara Murphy cancelled out a Mallon free with a well-worked score, but even though Ní Mhuircheartaigh added her seventh point for a battling Kerry, substitute Corrina Doyle also found the range to ensure Armagh sealed a breakthrough success.

 Scorers – Armagh: A Mackin 1-4 (0-2f), K Mallon 0-5 (3f), N Coleman 1-0, A McCoy, N Henderson, C Doyle 0-1 each. Kerry: L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 0-7 (6f), N Ní Chonchuir, L Scanlon 1-0 each, C Murphy, H O’Donoghue 0-1 each.

ARMAGH: A Carr; G Ferguson, C McCambridge, R Mulligan; C Towe, L McConville, D Coleman; N Coleman, C O’Hanlon; E Druse, A McCoy, L Kenny; A Mackin, N Henderson, K Mallon. Subs: S Quigley for N Coleman (24), C Doyle for Druse (49), M McCambridge for Kenny (57), S Grey for McCoy (58), E Lavery for Mallon (59).

KERRY: ME Bolger; C Lynch, D Kearney, E Lynch; A O’Connell, C Murphy, K Cronin; M O’Connell, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchuir, L Scanlon; H O’Donoghue, E Dineen, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh. Subs: D O’Leary for NíChonchuir, C O’Brien for Kearney (both 39), A Harrington for Scanlon (44), K Brosnan for O’Donoghue (57).

Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).

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LIDL National Football League Division Two Final: Kildare V Tyrone – Ladiesgaelic.ie – April 7 2024

Posted on April 8, 2024 by admin

Goals from Sullivan and Dooley secure Division 2 title for Kildare

Lidl National Football League Division 2 final

Kildare 2-9

Tyrone 0-12

 By Daire Walsh

First half goals from Claire Sullivan and Neasa Dooley were crucial at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon as Kildare defeated Tyrone to claim their first Lidl National Football League Division 2 crown since 2004.

After Roisin Byrne had opened the scoring with a second-minute point, Emma Conroy responded with a brace at the opposite end to edge Tyrone in front.

However, Kildare, appearing at GAA HQ for the first time since winning last year’s TG4 All-Ireland intermediate championship title, were already showing considerable attacking intent and bagged their first goal on six minutes when Byrne fed the raiding Sullivan for a low finish to the net.

Dead-ball specialists Byrne and Maria Canavan  — an extended member of that famous Tyrone family — went on to trade points at either end of the pitch, but with sunshine making way for driving rain in north Dublin, this showpiece suddenly became less free-flowing in nature.

Nevertheless, a two-point salvo by Canavan got Tyrone back on level terms in the 18th-minute and they then squeezed into the ascendancy again when Sasha Byrne found the target from close-range.

Yet Byrne added a brace of her own just as the conditions started to brighten up again and thanks to Dooley’s superb three-pointer on 27 minutes, Kildare brought a 2-4 to 0-6 cushion into the interval.

Tyrone, who drew with Kildare during the Division 2 group stages, were still in contention on the restart, however, and another clinically-executed Canavan free got them back up and running. Captain Aoibhinn McHugh also burst through from midfield for a point that shook the woodwork on its way over, before Kildare finally opened their second half account on 41 minutes with a white flag contribution from Trina Duggan.

The ever-dependable Canavan and Lilywhites substitute Lara Curran cancelled each other out with points as the third-quarter drew to a close, only for the Tyrone sharpshooter to once again chip in with a placed ball effort.

Niamh Farrelly later joined Curran in registering a point off the Kildare bench and this was followed by a majestic Ellen Dowling score from out towards the left-wing. While Canavan brought her personal tally up to 0-8 in the closing moments, a Dooley point ensured that Diane O’Hora’s Lilies had three points to spare in the end.

Scorers – Kildare: N Dooley 1-1, R Byrne 0-4 (2f), C Sullivan 1-0, T Duggan, E Dowling, L Curran, N Farrelly 0-1 each.Tyrone: M Canavan 0-8 (7f), E Conroy 0-2, A McHugh, S Byrne 0-1 each.

 KILDARE: M Hulgraine; F Troute, A Clifford, M Doherty; L Murtagh, R Sargent, L Gilbert; G Clifford, H McLoughlin; T Duggan, E Dowling, C Sullivan; N Dooley, R Byrne, A Rattigan. Subs: N Farrelly for Rattigan (25), E O’Toole for McLoughlin (40), L Curran for Murtagh (43), H Tyrrell for Dowling (53), S Munnelly for Duggan (54).

TYRONE: C Donnelly; J Lyons, J Barrett, E Quinn; C Campbell, E Mulgrew, M Corrigan; A McHugh, M Mallon; EJ Gervin, E Conroy, A Horisk; M Canavan, Z Loughran, S Byrne. Subs: A Daly for Horisk (19-22), E McCanny for Byrne (45), C Daly for Barrett (48), A Grimes for Conroy (50), A Daly for Horisk (53), KR Muldoon for Corrigan (60).

Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).

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