Huge boost for Kerry as big names return for preliminary quarter-final clash with Cavan
Sean O'Shea, Diarmuid O'Connor and Brian Ó Beaglaoich are back in the team with Paudie Clifford among the Kerry subs for their All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Cavan on Saturday.
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
The coolest head in inter-county management - Shane Walsh hails Padraic Joyce
Shane Walsh has credited Padraic Joyce for staying cool under pressure when Galway stared down the barrel of a Championship exit last Saturday. The Connacht champs were on the brink of an early exit until Joyce lifted the team with a calm, studious team talk at half time. The upshot was they came from behind to defeat Armagh and secure a preliminary quarter final away to Down this Sunday. Read more: Tipperary star says he retired knowing good times were coming again Read more: Joe Brolly weighs in on Mayo's latest All-Ireland heartbreak: 'The culture is all wrong' Star player Walsh said: 'We went in at half-time knowing that they'd probably been a bit hot and that we weren't executing our chances. 'Padraic obviously wanted us to up the level a bit and just bring a bit more intensity in the second half. It never felt like we were gone. 'We then knew after the positive start we made (in the second half) we were in a good position and it was just about trying to see it out then. We worked a really good opportunity at the end and Paul (Conroy) showed all his experience as well to win the free.' And that was a free Walsh converted to seal the deal. The former All Star outlined what went through his head as he stood over the ball to secure Galway's win over last year's All-Ireland champs. He said: 'Probably three different things. Firstly, when you're walking over, you're just saying 'calm, this is my job now.' 'Then there's a few words coming your way from opposition and then the heart rate starts to go up a bit. 'Then you're coming back in saying, you've dreamt of this as a young lad. This is what you grew up dreaming about, saying you want to be in these situations and just commit to the kick, be yourself. That's all I could do, I suppose, and thankfully it went over.' All of which brings another Ulster team - Down - onto their radar, the third Ulster side they have played in a row. Walsh said: 'Down are probably the most in-form team. Even with the Donegal game, they were probably unlucky with a lot of goal chances they had that day. And you see the way they've been building since the league, they're a completely different proposition. 'We all know about going up to Newry, you never get that easy up there either. Conor Laverty always has his team as well drilled. 'So it's a great challenge. Again, no more than the group that we had with Dublin and Derry and Armagh, having Down again, it's another unbelievable challenge if you get through it to build your confidence, build the belief in the team and build a bit of momentum.'
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Hurling Nation: Limerick task looks to be beyond Dubs
The microwave season continuous to keep Hurling Nation on a restricted All-Ireland diet, with two quarter-finals on Saturday and nothing on Sunday. First up, Dublin get a chance to flip the table if they could take down the heavyweights of Limerick. Hurling Nation really wants to be really optimistic. Dublin have had some great half hours in this Championship, but they've had a few fairly mediocre 70 minutes. After a good start against three teams you would expect them to beat, but wouldn't be too shocked if they didn't, the second half against Kilkenny was a mixture of skilling and grit. It was tempting to say that even with football weighing heavy on the capitol, they surely must be enough hurlers to win Dublin and all Ireland before the world ends. Then Dublin played Galway and it was back to the same old story. Dublin hurling needs a performance tomorrow. Since 2013 the county seems to be just going through a series of rebuilds. Limerick will be more familiar with Croke Park and won't be startled by a big crowd, while Dublin have to learn how to cope with a good team in a broader space than Parnell Park. [Chris] Crummey has the size to keep [Gearóid] Hegarty company and Rian McBride's return in recent games might give the option to ask Connor Burke to track Cian Lynch, but there's a long list of questions to be asked after that. Can Dublin find ways to use the speed of players like Brian Hayes? Can they aggressively smother Limerick often enough to force turnovers? Can they score enough goals to rock Limerick? Down the years. There's been a few times when we've thought we smelled weakness in Limerick, suspensions, injuries, fatigue or whatever, and surely más fada an lá tig an oíche. But Limerick always come back. They're seldom surprised, rarely ambushed and they'll roll on tomorrow. The other quarter-final looks promising. Tipp and Galway are connected by more than the short border they share. Two counties who produce great hurlers and great underage teams, but too often under deliver. Since the late eighties, there's been an edge between the pair of them. In recent years, the power has shifted to Galway. They played three All-Ireland semifinals in a row from 2015 to 2017. Tipp won the middle one, but only a point separated the teams in all three games. Galway won the last two meetings in 2020 and 2023, both by two points. If we were to pick a winner tomorrow on the basis of highlight reels, we'd go for Tipp. In Galway, Micheál Donoghue has turned over lots of rocks looking for new hurlers. There are flashes of talent and you can see his plan. But the two poor performances against Kilkenny are hard to forget. Goals have been hard to come by for Galway. One goal in two games versus Kilkenny, conceded six. One goal over the course of the games against Dublin and Wexford, conceded five. It's difficult to imagine a Galway team turning in a meek and mole performance against Tipp. We don't know enough yet about the true character of these two teams, but if you want to pick a winner, you'd have to go with form. Allow Tipp some leeway for the disastrous start against Cork and you see them drawing with Limerick and beating Clare and Waterford. They have forwards young and old who know the smell of blood in water. Tipp to escape and live to fight another day.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Jimmy Lee knows Limerick's Tailteann Cup semi-final against Wicklow will be tough based off league battle
WITH Limerick football in bloom, Jimmy Lee's side want to make the most of another chance to ensure all is not rosy in the Garden. Lee steered the Treaty to promotion from NFL Division 4 in March. And their result against this weekend's Tailteann Cup semi-final opponents was one of the seeds of their growth. A last-gasp point from James Naughton earned the visitors a draw in Aughrim. But Wicklow will have a score to settle on Sunday as a win over Lee's men on St Patrick's weekend would have seen the Garden County finish the campaign with a sufficient points tally to return to Division 3 at Limerick's expense. Lee recalled: 'You could buckle under the pressure of being behind late in a game like that but the lads stuck hard at it. 'That result changed the mood of the whole place. You could see lads almost walking a bit lighter. Read More On GAA 'They showed an abundance of character and they've continued to do that since. 'You'd be delighted for them because they've put a lot into it. But you don't always get what you deserve in life. You have to work hard for it.' After a dalliance with life in Division 2, Limerick were on the slide by the time Lee took charge for the 2024 season. Their decline was also accelerated by a significant turnover in personnel. Compare the team who beat Wexford last weekend to the one dumped out of the 2023 Tailteann Cup by Laois and you will find only three starters common to both. Most read in GAA Football But the evidence accumulated in Lee's second season indicates that a corner has been turned. Limerick went 17 league games without a win before beating London in February. Ahead of another trip to Croke Park, their 13 fixtures so far in 2025 have produced just two defeats. 'Just in time for Father's Day' - Dublin GAA legends welcome the birth of precious baby daughter Lee said: 'We were struggling mentally. What they were doing on the field was very good but it wasn't coming together. 'The only thing we changed was the intensity that we trained at. 'We upped it a notch or two and then we got the result in London. I suppose it started flowing from there. You could see the pressure coming off. 'The mood has lightened as the year has gone on, especially for the senior players. 1 Lee has overseen an upturn in Limerick's fortunes 'They were carrying an awful lot of . . . baggage is probably the wrong word but an awful lot of the burden of Limerick going from Division 2 to Division 4.' Having been crowned Division 4 champions earlier this season, Lee's charges will be hoping for another successful outing at Croker. Indeed, there could be cause for Limerick celebrations on two fronts at HQ this weekend as John Kiely's hurlers will face Dublin in tomorrow's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final. That game forms part of a Dubs double-header as Dessie Farrell's footballers are also on the bill for a preliminary quarter-final against Cork. COST COMPLAINT But Limerick fans wishing to get behind their team in both codes will have to return again on Sunday and shell out an extra €30 for the privilege. Lee commented: 'I know we were down to play on Sunday. 'And to be fair, we wouldn't have been able to move it anyway because it would have been a six-day turnaround as both ourselves and Wicklow only played last Sunday. 'In fairness to the lads in the county board, they look after all that. We were just planning to play on Sunday. 'I know Limerick people would be disheartened by having to travel up and down twice if they wanted to go to both of them, which is not ideal. 'Unfortunately myself and John don't have any control over these things. There would be an abundance of support there if you had both Limerick teams on the same day. 'But for John and I, we have to keep our interest on the games and make sure we get it right on the day.'
