Latest news with #MunsterHurlingFinal
Irish Examiner
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Review: Stereophonics provide icing on the cake for happy Cork crowd
Musgrave Park (Virgin Media Park) rarely bows to visiting Welsh rugby teams. Only a 2008 Welsh victory here over Ireland's Under-20s springs to mind. Saturday night, however, before these psychedelic, riff-tastic dragons we stood in ovation and then we bowed with gratitude. They start at 9pm sharp. One suspects that they'd have kicked off earlier but for the Munster Hurling Final going into extra time. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Daily Mirror
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cork, Limerick Munster Final ref Thomas 'Tyler' Walsh, 'a hard job, well done.'
The statistic painted a picture that has drawn a lot of commentary since. In last Saturday evening's Munster Hurling Final, referee Thomas Walsh awarded six first half frees. Two of them were for throw balls so four were for actual tackles in a game where the challenges were flying in. Many observers praised Walsh's performance, while the perception with others was that he 'let too much go,' but was that the reality? As part of the RTE panel, Donal Og Cusack commented: 'We've spoken about the referee a lot in the last couple of weeks, but to be fair, it's like trying to control a boat on the high seas in the dark. 'Who could actually referee that? The way the rules are so not defined. The whole tackle thing. 'Most of the tackles we are seeing here are not in the rulebook at all. I think it would be unfair to go after him (the referee). He has done his best like everybody else is doing their best.' A review of the video of the game indicates a level of consistency from the Waterford official that neither side can really complain about as he enhanced the spectacle, rather than taking away from it. Walsh's pragmatism was more than likely founded on the realisation that if he blew for every arm across a player or slight drag back it would have been a long evening for himself and everyone else on what is one of the showpiece days in the GAA calendar. Obvious pushes in the back were generally given as frees. Any contact with the helmet was a free. A bit of pulling and dragging was allowed, but if you left the arm in too long it was blown up. Players and everyone else knew exactly where they stood. No-one was getting soft frees for anything. Rather than blow for marginal frees, the style Walsh appeared to use was to allow the play to develop. Generally, the man fouled was able to get out with the ball, which added to the flow of the game. The only quibble with this style of refereeing is that playing an advantage and going back for a free may often have been a bigger reward, so it did pay to foul at times, but Walsh was entirely consistent with both sides. An example of this attempt to allow the play to develop came in the 57th minute when Cian Lynch was clearly shouldered in the back by Robert Downey and then fouled by Sean O'Donohgue before being caught high by Tim O'Mahony. This was the one incident that was certainly allowed to 'flow' for too long with Lynch taking an unnecessary battering. The only obvious free Walsh let go was in the 29th minute where Mike Casey, knowing it was two on two inside, played Patrick Horgan instead of the ball. Horgan grabbed his man then, making it awkward for the official, who clearly decided two of them were at it. On 23.40, Cork fans felt that Brian Hayes was fouled with a goal on, but it wasn't clear on replays that it was a free and in the context of how the game was being refereed it looked like the right call. Those subtle body checks defenders use when they're in trouble under a high ball or in a one versus one or two versus two, were generally allowed. One of those came in the 46th minute from Sean Finn, who stepped across his man. The free wasn't given and Limerick fired a goal at the other end. Cork could feel aggrieved at that. But then Limerick might quibble with the throw ball given against David Reidy in the fourth minute with Cian Lynch running in on goal, and a possible throw not given against Brian Hayes for Shane Barrett's goal. It was that kind of game though. So many decision to make and so many calls were marginal. Early in the second half, RTE co-commentator Brendan Cummins laid it out there: 'Every tackle down there is going to be absolutely vicious now and in fairness to the referee he's going to get some right and some wrong for both teams.' That was the type of environment Thomas 'Tyler' Walsh found himself operating in. David Reidy's yellow card for a tackle on Cork goalie Patrick Collins in the 42nd minute was harsh, but this is nitpicking. Overall, the second half had 12 frees, double the amount of the first half. It was a cauldron like atmosphere from the off, a 44,000 sellout on a Saturday evening, with every tackle greeted by a roar for a free from the crowd. The backdrop of Cork's 16 point hammering by Limerick at the same venue three weeks earlier hung heavy in the air. Then there was the tension with a Munster Championship on the line and the home side going for an historic seven-in-a-row, while Cork were looking for a first provincial title since 2018 to frank their recent progress and go alongside a first league crown since 1998. Not once did a composed and in control Walsh look like he was bowing to the pressure from the crowd though, which often appears to happen with referees in big games. In the RTE studio Liam Sheedy pointed out twice that he felt it was a very sporting contest, and on review it was hard to disagree. While there was plenty of aggression and hitting, there were very few, if any, head high hits, certainly not with shoulders, indicating that the GAA clampdown during the League appears to have struck a chord, and both sides were wary of red cards. There were a couple of high tackles with hurls, with Mike Casey booked for one and Brian Hayes getting away with another. The flare-up at half-time was always going to make Walsh's job more difficult, with both management teams getting involved. A renewed level of aggression in the minutes after half-time is nothing new in the GAA and something Walsh will certainly have spoken about at half-time with his team of officials. He reined it in straight away, brandishing four yellow cards in the opening nine minutes of the second half, and six in total, one to a water carrier. Another was for Sean O'Donoghue tossing Aaron Gillane's hurl away. At the first hint of trouble off the ball, it was a double yellow for Cormac O'Brien and Gearoid Hegarty. That came on 38 minutes. Walsh handled this tricky spell expertly, taking the sting out of it. A perfect example of more common sense refereeing came at both throw-ins, with Tim O'Mahony and William O'Donoghue tangling. Walsh just threw the ball in and got on with it, rather than stopping and dressing them down. No doubt he was acutely aware that the more stoppages - including frees - the more chance of off the ball incidents breaking out. Having the ball in play tends to focus minds. Cusack's point about the tackle in hurling is one for the off season. But Walsh made the best of what he had in the prevailing culture, in what was an extremely tough environment to be put in charge of. Not many would be able for it. It was a hard job well done.
Irish Examiner
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Stereophonics provide icing on the cake for happy Cork crowd
Musgrave Park (Virgin Media Park) rarely bows to visiting Welsh rugby teams. Only a 2008 Welsh victory here over Ireland's Under-20s springs to mind. Saturday night, however, before these psychedelic, riff-tastic dragons we stood in ovation and then we bowed with gratitude. They start at 9pm sharp. One suspects that they'd have kicked off earlier but for the Munster Hurling Final going into extra time. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
RTÉ News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Condensed season gives little time to savour championship
In terms of hurling, this has to be one of the great weekends of the year with three blockbuster games, including two provincial finals, down for decision. Once again, the TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick will be jammed to capacity as over 44,000 people fill every seat and stand on the terraces behind the Ennis Road goals or the City End as we look across at Thomond Park and the Clare hills in the distance. And all of this on a Saturday evening. On Sunday, Croke Park will have an expected attendance of over 30,000 for the Leinster Hurling Final between Kilkenny and Galway, which will be preceded by the much anticipated clash between Kildare and Laois in the Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final. All three games will be televised live by RTÉ and there will be commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. The 'Split Season' has its supporters and its detractors, but when we have three crucial games being played between a Saturday evening and a Sunday afternoon on one weekend, it really highlights the impact the condensed calendar is having. Nobody involved - from players, managers, officials, fans, or those of us who work in the media - have the time or the space to actually savour and enjoy the championships any more. There is little or no time to analyse in some depth the learnings from games last weekend or preview matches coming down the tracks. In the past, the summer really belonged to the GAA, but with the 'Split Season' in operation, this has dramatically changed. The GAA is in direct competition in terms of media coverage with other sports who fully deserve their coverage by RTÉ and other media outlets. Last Tuesday, I filmed in Croke Park interviews with Galway's Cathal Mannion, Kilkenny's Adrian Mullen, David Dooley from Laois and Paddy McKenna, the Kildare goalkeeper, and my report previewing the Leinster Hurling Final and Joe Mc Donagh Cup Final was broadcast on Tuesday evening on the Six One News. This evening, I will be broadcasting live from Bruree in Co Limerick - very close to the Cork border - where I will be interviewing two former stars, TJ Ryan and Pat Mulcahy, as we look ahead to tomorrow's Munster Hurling Final, which has traditionally been one of the biggest games of the year. We only have limited space and time in the bulletin. The sports news will also have my colleague Tony O'Donoghue reporting live from the Aviva Stadium on the Republic of Ireland v Senegal soccer friendly, Leinster v Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship, the Women's Nations League Draw which involves our Republic of Ireland team in a promotion/relegation play off, The French Open tennis championship, the Tenerife and Canadian Golf Open, the Epsom Oaks in racing and me and the lads in Bruree talking about tomorrow's Munster Hurling Final. Do you get my point? It's a crowded market and the GAA is a huge part of that market but it's still very busy. In the past the Munster and Leinster Hurling Finals would be played in July with little or no competition in terms of sport to the GAA world. But it's different now. That's just one negative but a very big negative. And it's not just us in RTE that find the situation challenging but other media outlets have the same experiences. The back pages are no longer always dominated by GAA headlines. As I said there's so much going on. Next year there will be a bit more space given between the finals of the Allianz National Leagues and the start of the championships, but it will only be a small window of opportunity. As it stands the All-Ireland Hurling Final next year is on the same day as the World Cup Final which will be played at the MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York. Do you get my point? To be fair and balanced the 'Split Season' has the positive effect of giving club players across the country a clear plan in terms of fixtures, but ultimately most county finals are still not played until the middle or late October so perhaps more space can be given to the hurling championship so that it can be played during the summer months of June and July and extended to at least August and breathe a little. Getting back to this weekend, the timing of the Munster Hurling Final on a Saturday evening at 6pm is not a "normal" time for a GAA match of this gravitas or magnitude. Saturday afternoons in any of our cities means a shopping day for most people so combining that factor with a huge crowd heading to the match means that we all will be travelling very early to the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick and probably log jammed for hours afterwards despite the huge effort of gardaí who always do a great job in moving the traffic as quickly as they can. The hurling people of Ireland are loyal to the game and many would also travel to Croke Park on Sunday if they could to watch Kilkenny v Galway in the Leinster Final, but the reality is that many of them will be turned off by the logistical difficulties they would have to overcome to get there. There is also a strong argument that this match hould be played at a provincial venue like Portlaoise or Tullamore where 30,000 fans attending would bring an electric atmosphere to the occasion. The same number of people in Croke Park will mean a more than half empty stadium which won't add in any way to the atmosphere around the ground, or have that visual impact that a full venue would have for the people in attendance or the hundreds of thousands watching on television. Leinster Council has shown great vision this year with some of its calls so perhaps the decision to move the Leinster Hurling Final out of Croke Park in 2026 might be considered in its review later this year. The weekend pictures on the TV and the difference between the scenes in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick tomorrow evening and Croke Park on Sunday might just persuade everyone that it's the right thing to do.
Irish Examiner
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Irish Rail to put on extra trains for Musgrave Park gigs
Irish Rail will run additional services for the concerts in Musgrave Park (Virgin Media Park) this week. The run of gigs starts on Thursday with Macklemore and Rudimental before The Corrs take to the stage on Friday with support from Natalie Imbruglia and Imelda May. Saturday sees the Stereophonics perform at the Ballyphehane venue. In a post on social media on Wednesday, Irish Rail confirmed that extra trains would be put on to help attendees get home from the gigs. The additional services will be in place for the Cork to Cobh route as well as the Cork to Midleton and Cork to Mallow routes. It is, as of yet, unclear if Irish Rail will put on extra trains on Saturday for fans travelling to the Munster hurling final in the Gaelic Grounds. Labour TD for Cork North Central Eoghan Kenny urged them to do so, saying: 'Rebels from across the county will be winging their way to Limerick this Saturday for what will be a fantastic game between Cork and Limerick in this year's Munster Hurling Final. 'It's a very special day in the Irish sporting calendar and will be attended by fans up and down the county, which is why I've written to Irish Rail to ask for additional rail services to be provided this weekend. 'Trains from 9.30am are totally booked out and that's before we even consider people changing the time of their return ticket. 'The demand is there and the obvious thing to do is to put on some extra services to get fans to the stadium safely so that as many people as possible can hopefully see Cork lift the Mick Mackey Cup.'
