Latest news with #BrianFlanagan
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Super sub' Brian McLoughlin rises above the mediocrity to help Kildare book Tailteann Cup final date and end Croker hoodoo
'It wasn't pretty' were the first words to come out of Brian Flanagan's mouth in the media centre underneath the Hogan Stand, but victory was all that mattered for Kildare.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'That wasn't pretty at all' - Brian Flanagan frank on nature of Kildare win
Kildare manager Brian Flanagan was happy to admit that his side had to resort to winning ugly in their Tailteann Cup semi-final against Fermanagh, but securing a berth in the final was no small feat for a county with a dire record at Croke Park. The Lilywhites recorded just their fourth win in 24 games at HQ as Fermanagh were dispatched on a 1-13 to 0-09 scoreline. A couple of downpours and slippery underfoot conditions conspired to produce an instantly forgettable affair, although Brian McLoughlin's scoring prowess off the bench was a joy to behold. "That wasn't pretty at all," Flanagan freely admitted in his post-match interview with RTÉ Sport. "I don't think the highlights reel will take too long on TV! Probably a hard watch for people, but from our point of view a semi-final is there to be won. "There's obviously a little bit of history on the negative side with Kildare coming to Croker in the last few years and not winning. "Winning was everything today and moving on for three weeks' time and knowing that we won't get away with a performance like that. "But it was enough to win today. It won't be enough in three weeks, but we are delighted to win." "We didn't play well, we were poor on the day, but we found a way to win," Kildare manager Brian Flanagan's candidly admits after overcoming Fermanagh in the semi-finals of the Tailteann Cup — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 22, 2025 Kildare's general profligacy in front of the posts is a weakness Flanagan must address before the decider against Limerick, with the manager of the view that nerves got the better of many of his forwards. "Maybe nerves and anxiety got in on a few lads, in terms of pulling the trigger today," he opined. "We did look a little bit apprehensive for a lot of the game. "Obviously Brian McLoughlin comes in and he seemed to kick with a bit of freedom and brought us into the game and brought other lads out of their shell a small bit. "James's goal at the end then just gave us that breathing space, but we didn't really open up until probably the last five to 10 minutes, very tight up to that. "Conditions to be fair, there were a couple of really, really heavy downpours throughout the game and that didn't help but I'm not making excuses. "We didn't play well, we were poor on the day but we found a way to win in the last five or 10 minutes and we move on from it." McLoughlin only entered the fray for Ryan Sinkey in the 44th minute, but finished the match with a personal haul of five points, with his unerring accuracy earning him the man of the match award. "I suppose I was probably a little bit disappointed not to get much game time last week and I put my shoulder to the wheel during the week, just hoping to get called upon at some stage and luckily a few of the shots went over," the sharpshooter said afterwards. "When we lost to Louth, we were obviously very disappointed but Flanno and the lads said we really needed to drive on in this Tailteann Cup and it will be an opportunity to play Sam Maguire next year so it's another step in the right direction and we'll look forward to three weeks' time." Echoing his manager's sentiments that the result rather than performance was paramount, he added: "A lot of things didn't go our way in the first half and I think our kick-outs were a little bit disappointing and we missed a lot.
Irish Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Fermanagh v Kildare live score updates from the Tailteann Cup semi-final
Fermanagh and Kildare go head-to-head in Croke Park for a spot in the Tailteann Cup final. The two teams met earlier this year in the league where the Lilywhites inflicted a 2-24 to 1-12 win in Newbridge, but Kieran Donnelly's side have put in some impressive performances since then as both teams look to reach their first final in the competition. Today's game starts at 4pm and can be watched live on RTÉ or streamed on the RTÉ Player. Fermanagh started their Tailteann campaign with a loss at Brewster Park to Carlow but then went on to record convincing wins over Longford and Wexford to top Group 4. They defeated Sligo in the quarters last weekend, 0-21 to 1-16, while Kildare recorded a 1-17 to 0-19 win at home to Offaly after winning all three games over Sligo, Leitrim and Tipperary in Group 1. Kildare have been re-invigorated this year under Brian Flanagan achieving promotion to Division Two in the league but, Fermanagh will be hoping to build on their recent run of form including a win in Croker over Wexford in the final group game where Conor Love hit nine points including seven in the second half. Welcome to live updates from Fermanagh vs Kildare in the Tailteann Cup semi-finals. We'll have team news, score updates and more up next with throw-in at 4pm.
Irish Times
01-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Tailteann Cup: Kildare and Fermanagh join Limerick and Wicklow in quarter-finals
Kildare may have secured the home quarter-final that they wanted in the Tailteann Cup on Sunday afternoon, but Sligo's late rally at Dr Hyde Park highlighted some of the vulnerabilities of the competition favourites. It finished 4-19 to 1-24 in favour of Brian Flanagan's side, with Daniel Flynn once again proving his value as he hit 2-3, following up from his tally of 2-4 against Tipperary last time out. Playing with a strong breeze at their backs, Kildare responded to Cian Lally's early goal for Sligo by hitting three of their own in the first 15 minutes. Flynn hit the first, toe-poking in a rebound after Aidan Devaney saved his initial effort, then James McGrath powered forward to find the bottom corner of the net and Alex Beirne added a third. But a pair of two-pointers was a poor return on a day when kickouts from the town end were easily covering 80 metres of ground if needed. A half-time score of 3-11 to 1-7 was not an insurmountable lead, though it looked a lot more convincing when Flynn added his second goal and Kildare led by 15 points with 50 minutes played. READ MORE Eventually Sligo found their shooting boots. Niall Murphy was unmarkable close to goal, shooting 0-10 in total from nine kicks, while Pat Spillane came off the bench to shoot two doubles. The lead briefly went down to two points (4-17 to 1-24) but Lee Deignan and Alan McLoughlin both missed the target from distance, Cian Lally turned down another scorable effort from range, and Mark Dempsey made a crucial fingertip save to prevent Murphy from playing in O'Connor with just the goalkeeper to beat, all in the last five minutes. In Group 1's other game, Leitrim won their first game of 2025 against Tipperary in Mullingar, but as the last-ranked third place team, their season still came to an end. In a low-scoring first half, Cian Smith's two-pointer was the only score in the opening 15 minutes, and goals from Jack Flynn and Tom Prior pushed Leitrim 2-2 to 0-3 ahead at half-time. Joe McGloin settled the game when his goal put nine points between the sides after 56 minutes. Leitrim didn't manage another score for 12 minutes, but still saw out the game 3-9 to 0-10. That result meant Antrim needed to beat London by at least eight points to keep their season alive, and they did that in Newry, running out 1-22 to 0-14 winners. London actually led 0-14 to 0-13 going into the final quarter, but Antrim came with a wet sail as Niall Burns (1-1), Dominic McEnhill (0-6) and Ryan McQuillan (0-4) scored well. Longford were the only team already eliminated going into Sunday's games, but despite that they turned out in style against Carlow in Tullamore, shooting seven first-half two-pointers to go with Oran Kenny's goal. Matthew Carey racked up 0-15 in total, including five of those first-half doubles, in a 1-20 to 1-15 win that pushed Carlow into third spot in the group. Fermanagh confirmed their passage through to the last eight in Croke Park where they outscored Wexford 0-9 to 0-4 in the final quarter. Seán Nolan's goal had Wexford in front by five with 30 minutes played, but Fermanagh grew into the game with Conor Love (0-9) leading their attack. Fermanagh now join Kildare, Limerick and Wicklow in the quarter-finals as group winners. In the preliminary quarter-finals next weekend, the home teams will be Sligo, Wexford, Offaly and Westmeath. They will be drawn to face Carlow, Antrim, Laois and New York on Sunday evening. Weekend Tailteann Cup results Group 1: Leitrim 3-9 Tipperary 0-10; Kildare 4-19 Sligo 1-24 Group 2: Offaly 3-16 Laois 3-18; Wicklow 3-29 Waterford 0-21 Group 3: Westmeath 0-18 Limerick 0-19; Antrim 1-22 London 1-14 Group 4: Carlow 1-15 Longford 1-20; Fermanagh 0-25 Wexford 1-17
Khaleej Times
01-06-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
NOVVI Properties' Brian Flanagan champions education for orphans through IronMan 70.3 Challenge
In a powerful show of endurance and empathy, Brian Flanagan, Leasing Director at NOVVI Properties, is set to compete in the IronMan 70.3 in Durban, South Africa, turning a grueling athletic pursuit into a mission of hope. His goal: to raise awareness and vital funds for Future for Orphans, a non-profit dedicated to providing education for orphaned children in Afghanistan. The IronMan 70.3, comprising a 2km swim, 90km cycle, and 21.1km run is no small feat. It marks the culmination of over seven months of dedicated training for Flanagan, who sees the event not only as a test of personal limits but as a chance to make a meaningful difference. 'This Sunday in Durban, I'll be taking on the IronMan 70.3 – a 2km swim, 90km cycle, and a 21.1km run. It's about six hours of intense effort and the culmination of seven months of training,' says Flanagan. 'Being able to turn this into a platform to help children in need has been incredibly important to me.' The initiative supports Future for Orphans, which currently educates over 130 orphaned children in Afghanistan, offering them a chance at a brighter future through learning. 'I grew up in Ireland where education is free and widely accessible,' Flanagan adds. 'The opportunity to support children who've been robbed of that basic right is powerful for me – it's a deep motivation.' 'Hopefully, some of the things we do inspire others, whether it's finding out what they are capable of physically or taking the time to help those in need. If we can lead by example, and others understand what NOVVI is about, then we have done something truly meaningful,' he concluded. Through this act of endurance, Flanagan hopes to inspire others to discover their own strength, whether by pushing physical boundaries or stepping up for a cause.
