Month: September 2021

CLARE HURLER CIAN Dillon thought he was ready for a 10th year on the road with the Banner.

Clare’s Cian Dillon [left] alongside Conor Ryan and Patrick O’Connor after winning the 2013 All-Ireland final.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

The Crusheen defender was present and correct when the squad reconvened for their first session of the new season in November ahead of their trip to Boston for the Fenway Classic.

But an injury at that session ruled him out of the state-side clash with Cork, which gave him time to think things over. Doubts started to creep in about his commitment to another season.

He questioned his inter-county future a bit further when he saw the heavy training load that was coming up in December, and informed management of his decision to retire earlier this month after returning home from his honeymoon in South Africa.

The hunger just wasn’t there anymore.

“I had the lads up at the house yesterday,” Dillon tells The42 as he adjusts to life outside the inter-county circle. 

“They were slagging me that I’ll probably let myself go eating all around me. It’s one of my first evenings off where I don’t have to be anywhere.

“It just dawned on me but it’s great, I’m happy out.”

Dillon finishes his Clare career with more than most in his cabinet. All-Ireland medals at U21 and senior level, along with a Division 1 National League title is a tidy collection of silverware to carry off into the sunset.

Dillon had never played inter-county hurling prior to winning that All-Ireland U21 title with Clare in 2009, but he made an impressive transition.

Even the broken foot he sustained shortly before their Munster semi-final didn’t halt his progression.

He was sprung from the bench in Clare’s All-Ireland semi-final victory over Galway and was handed a starting berth for the final.

Dillon tackling Kilkenny’s James Nolan in the 2009 U21 All-Ireland final.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

They came up against a strong Kilkenny outfit that day which included the likes of Richie Hogan and Colin Fennelly, but they managed to squeeze through with a one-point win.

“They had plenty of senior talent and a lot of them were after winning a senior All-Ireland the previous week.

I remember one of the lads commiserating with Richie Hogan and saying that at least they had senior but he was adamant that they wanted this.

“It was our first day up there and it was our first All-Ireland for the county at that level.

There was renewed optimism around the county that there was going to be success at senior down the line. We know from other counties that that doesn’t happen. We were glad to at least achieve that.”

Clare delivered on that promise four years later by collecting the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 1997.

But Dillon and the other members of that successful U21 team had to endure a steep learning curve when they joined the senior fold.

Dillon in action against Waterford in 2010.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

“We were in Division 2 so we were travelling to Carlow, Antrim, Down,” says Dillon as he reflects on those barren years.

“They were the games I ended up playing with Clare first. 

“A lot of us came in from the U21′s and all we knew was winning but obviously the expectation was so different at the time.

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It was kind of a lose-lose situation from a personal point of view. You’re starting off with your first game in senior hurling and you’re playing teams that you’re expected to beat.

“If you played well, no-one really knew if you were going to be up for it come championship and if you didn’t play well, you were almost a shoo-in not to be playing well come championship.”

Dillon would have to wait until 2012 for his first senior championship win with Clare and there was a particularly dark day for the county during the 2011 All-Ireland qualifiers.

The Banner suffered a 17-point defeat to neighbours Galway which included an impressive haul of 1-9 for Joe Canning.

Joe Canning celebrating a goal against Clare in 2011.

Source: James Crombie

Dillon presumed he would picking up the Portumna star that day before a late positional switch pushed him out of full-back and into one of the corners.

“It wasn’t my lad doing the damage but it was still a bad day,” says Dillon.

“That was a low, low point for sure. The previous game, we lost to Tipperary by eight or nine points but they were All-Ireland champions and we were doing well.

“We fizzled out and we knew we needed to search for a big improvement. Davy Fitz came in as manager in 2012 and started to input a style of play that was going to suit us. We recognised that we’d a younger team at that point and he brought in even younger players from then.

“We started utilising a running game that suited us. I suppose everything kind of improved after that in fairness and built up to that wonderful season in 2013.”

That fairytale 2013 championship for Clare consisted of victories over Laois and Wexford in the qualifiers before they accounted for Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

A semi-final victory against Munster champions Limerick followed on from that to set-up an All-Ireland decider against a Cork side who had dumped Clare out of the provincial championship.

“I know it’s kind of cliched but genuinely, the occasion didn’t get to us,” Dillon remembers.

“A lot of us had the experience of playing there in 2009 so that stood to us as well. Generally, we just got on with it and it was well managed by the lads.

“Because we had the wins under our belt, we were able to focus on hurling and make sure we were gonna have the best chance of putting in our best performance.”

Unsurprisingly, that Domhnall O’Donovan equaliser which ensured the All-Ireland final would go to a replay, is Dillon’s first thought when he reminisces on that magical time for Clare.

Domhnall O’Donovan nailing the equaliser that sent the 2013 All-Ireland final to a replay.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“He’d be the very lad you’d be shouting at not to go for points at training, you’d be telling to go back.

I remember in the qualifier against Laois that year, all the backs had scored and he was the only one that didn’t and we were slagging him.

“And then he got the most important one of the year then. He fairly made us eat our words.

“It was mad, I remember seeing everyone running over to him. I literally just put my hands on the hips and looked up at the stand.

“Then the sense of absolute relief at the end. All of a sudden when we got back in the dressing room and regrouped we just put our focus into the following game and how lucky we were to be given the chance to go again.”

Clare edged out the second act of that All-Ireland final after another thriller against Cork, with a 19-year-old Shane O’Donnell starring for Davy Fitzgerald’s side.

Dillon and his teammates were able to savour the final few seconds after a late Darach Honan goal put them six points clear before their dreams became reality at the final whistle.

It was brilliant to see out the last minute or two in the knowledge that we had it. There’s no greater feeling than when you know there’s a minute or two to play but you know that we had it in our grasp.

“It was euphoria really when the whistle went.

“It went by so quick. The first few days were unbelievable, the homecoming and all the elements that go with it. The crowds that were at the reception, I’d never seen anything like it.

Dillon holding the Liam MacCarthy Cup at the homecoming in Clare.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“That was all very surreal to all of us. We couldn’t believe we had done it.

“After that it was fairly quiet, I think we had club the following week. You can’t really afford the time too much to celebrate it. All of sudden you’re focused on the following year and you’re hoping to put up a title defence.

“If there’s one nearly regret, it’s that I didn’t really enjoy it enough. But it was definitely unreal memories.”

The subsequent years were difficult for Clare and it would be 2016 before they picked up another major trophy when they clinched the Allianz league title.

Dillon was joint captain of the team that year along with Tony Kelly when they defeated Waterford after a replay in the Division 1 final.

It looked like Clare’s fortunes were about to improve but they failed to really capitalise on that momentum when the championship rolled around later that year.

Dillon’s place among the regular starters came under threat the following season. After playing the full league campaign, he found himself slipping in and out of the team during the championship.

He missed the start of the 2018 season when he took a career break to go travelling and struggled to get much game time after that.

Pure euphoria for Dillon in 2013.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The Primary School teacher is certain he would have given it another shot this year if he still had the hunger to hurl for Clare, but that flame isn’t roaring inside anymore.

He’ll give his last years to Crusheen and he can step away from Clare with plenty of happy memories to reflect on.

“I think I had seven or eight consecutive years where I think I played every championship game and was only taken off in one when we were winning by a large margin.

“I had a good lot of years where I was a mainstay on the team and I can be happy with that.

“I can be happy too that I’m relatively injury-free. I only have the one bad hip,” he laughs. After putting in 10 years of training, it can have its effect but I’ll hopefully have a good couple of years where I can perform for the club.

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Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa gives a PowerPoint presentation to the media during a press conference at Thorp Arch, Leeds.

Source: PA Wire/PA Images

1. So where, then, has the outrage come from? Largely, it’s been imagined and invented. Both by the pundit class, the vast and diseased corpus of professional opinion-formers whose livelihood depends on finding something about which to be outraged every week for money, and by the mind-dustbin of social media, the vast and diseased corpus of amateur opinion-formers whose self-worth depends on finding someone outraged to laugh at every week for likes. For both, the issue of Bielsa’s spying, and even Bielsa himself, has been simply a handy canvas upon which to enact a theatrical masked joust only tangentially connected with reality.

The only thing remarkable about Bielsa’s 70-minute Powerpoint presentation at Thorp Arch on Wednesday wasn’t any of its content, but the fact that Bielsa had chosen to make it public. The research itself – both in its volume and level of detail – would have been fairly familiar to any coach working at a reasonable level. None of which seemed to stymie the predictable consensus on social media that Bielsa had totally stuck it to the gammons , absolutely triggered the proper football men, showed two fingers to Tommy Robinson, fnaw fnaw, please click on this Patreon link to buy my self-published book, etc.

Jonathan Liew proposes that Marcelo Bielsa’s ‘Spygate’ is no more than another tiresome chapter in football’s culture war.

Andy Murray waves to the crowd after being defeated by Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open.

Source: AAP/PA Images

2. He’s one of the most emotionally intense players on the ATP Tour, but he’s also one of the least sentimental, and reliably, when asked a question, he thinks about it and makes an effort to answer honestly. I happen to think this quality is directly related to the way he plays tennis, and that it’s an essential part of what’s made him such a thrilling player to watch for so many years. It also runs directly counter to the demands of the typical star-player-retires story, which calls for exaggeration and wise little lessons and sentiment. I’m afraid that what might be a perfectly nice tribute for most athletes — a smooth description of his return game, a fable about never giving up—would, in Murray’s case, miss everything that’s made him so special, so beloved.

In public, he is wonderfully—and considering his profession, almost freakishly—committed to reality. The world where Roger Federer lives is very beautiful, but Andy Murray lives on Earth. You see this most clearly, of course, in his interviews, which are marked by a kind of dry, sensitive scrupulousness. I’ve been to Murray’s press conferences after big losses; the atmosphere is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced in sports. In a way, I’ve learned more from them than I have from expert tennis analysis because Murray—tears still drying in his eyes, voice trailing away at the ends of thoughts—actually takes stock of himself and tells you what he sees. Not because he relishes giving a room full of reporters and photographers intimate access to his brain. Because it isn’t in his nature to prevaricate. No one is better to listen to than a reticent person who sees answering questions thoughtfully as a mark of basic respect.

The Ringer’s Brian Phillips outlines what has always separated Andy Murray from his fellow tennis greats.

Manchester United attacker Juan Mata helped ESPN writer Andy Mitten’s younger brother after the passing of their father.

Source: Carlos Sanchez Martinez

3. I miss my dad every day, but can cherish the best part of 45 years of memories. My 12-year-old brother who has lost his father, his hero, the man who watched him play every week, cannot say the same.

As a football club Manchester United were superb regarding my father’s death. And then on Wednesday night midfielder Juan Mata showed up in the bitter cold at my brother’s training session for his junior team in Wythenshawe, south Manchester. The mother of one of my brother’s teammates knew Mata and his girlfriend, Evelina, as she had previously looked after their dog when they were away. She mentioned to Juan that one of the young players had lost his father and was struggling and wondered if it would be possible to get something signed for him.

Mata agreed and said that he would get a signed shirt — one that he had worn in a game. Evelina heard this and chipped in “if the young boy can wait, maybe you can present it to him in person.” Mata agreed.

That’s why Mata and Evelina drove to Wythenshawe — once Europe’s largest council estate — on Wednesday. Mata wore a hat to thwart the cold and so the boys didn’t recognise him initially. One mentioned that he looked like Juan Mata. The others, suddenly realising it was him, stared at him in disbelief. What on earth was he doing among them?

ESPN’s Andy Mitten explains how Juan Mata came through for his 12-year-old brother during the most difficult time of his young life.

Brid Stack, one of four players to ever have won 11 football All-Irelands, has retired from inter-county duty with Cork.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

4. Last Saturday night in Larry Tompkins pub, they gathered for their now annual catch-up. The reunion of, as Bríd Stack calls them, The Over-30s Who Still Think They’re Under 30 club’. The Cork crew who rewrote the book on Ladies Football. The old yarns spilled out after 3.30am yesterday, beers empty, tongues tired. The little vignettes cropping up time and again.

Like the All-Ireland morning walk.

“That was the emotional thing,” says Stack, who has announced her retirement from inter-county football, bringing an end to an unfathomable 11-All-Ireland, seven All-Star career in red. In doing so, the 2016 player of the year breaks the link to Cork’s first title in 2005, the last to retire from that group of pioneers. She is one of only four Cork girls with 11 All-Ireland medals — Deirdre O’Reilly, Briege Corkery and Rena Buckley the others — and the native of Rockchapel played every minute in each of those Croke Park victories.

“I am talking fierce emotional,” she says of that matchday stroll. “We’d walk down the road from the Red Cow Hotel, and on the way back we’d stop at the same spot. It was nothing, a small patch in front of a mechanic’s yard. A random place. We’d gather in, shoulder to shoulder, and each of the management would say their piece. That was their moment.

Examiner sports editor Tony Leen sits down with the great Brid Stack, who has called time on her illustrious career with Cork.

Prince William and Mesut Ozil attend the graduation ceremony of 30 Young Peace Leaders from Football at London’s Olympic Park.

Source: PA Wire/PA Images

5. Despite being presented as a prime example of successful integration by the DFB, Mesut Özil has remained alien to many football fans in Germany over recent years. He seldom perceived interviews as an opportunity, but rather as a chore. He only reluctantly attended media appointments and even let them fall through from time to time. Too many times was he supposed to justify himself. Why doesn’t he sing the national anthem? Why did he have his picture taken in Mecca? Why the photo in the changing rooms with Angela Merkel in 2010? Why the photo with Erdogan? His former teacher Jochen Herrmann once told the ‘Welt’, that Özil had already been “somewhat autistic” as a child. Another teacher, Christian Krabbe, put it less drastic when speaking to 11FREUNDE: “He was modest and didn’t like to be at the centre of attention. He really only wanted to play football. And that’s remained the same to this day.”

People from Özil’s personal environment offered him help following the photo with Erdogan. They wanted to write a statement for him or find journalists who would conduct a clarifying interview in a relaxed atmosphere. Yet, Özil either didn’t even react or categorically turned down their proposals. He didn’t want to justify himself, didn’t want to apologise.

Some football pros spend years working on their external representation with agents and media coaches. Several grow from shy young players into eloquent leaders. On the other hand, despite a substantial advisory staff, Özil appears to lose control when he leaves the orderly lines of the pitch and has to step into the bright camera lights. Özil has built his world far away from spoken word; a world of social media channels followed by millions of fans. Here he feels secure, just like he does in the company of his family and friends.

The team at 11Freunde explore the curious case of Mesut Özil, who has polarised the nation for whom he played 92 times.

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ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS Cork survived an extremely stern examination from Tipperary to get their Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 campaign off to a winning start, 0-10 to 0-7 at The Ragg.

Tipp are looking to build on a progressive 2018 under Bill Mullaney, when they reached the last four of the championship. Cork ended their aspirations and went on to complete a famous three-in-a-row but there was enough evidence here to suggest that the Premiers will prove a tough nut to crack for any opposition in the year ahead.

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Niamh Treacy capitalised on a loose clearance to give the hosts an early lead but All-Ireland Final heroine, Orla Cotter slotted the first of her six points to level and Linda Collins moved the Rebels in front.

Tipp were able to hold their own in the physical exchanges and Cáit Devane was accurate from placed balls, as they went in at the interval leading by 0-5 to 0-4. It might have been even better but Devane opted for a point from a penalty.

Their goalkeeper Caoimhe Burke was rock solid under pressure under the high ball on a number of occasions in that opening period and was just as good in the second half, denying Collins a goal with one excellent intervention.

Tipperary’s Shauna Quirke with Briege Corkery and Leanne O’Sullivan of Cork.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The teams were level on 0-6 apiece entering the last quarter, with Cotter and Treacy providing the pick of the scores from play, but Cork showed why they are so difficult to overcome, four points in the context of the overall trend of the game a significant yield in that closing period.

Cotter set up Libby Coppinger for a score and then slotted a close-in free, before Chloe Sigerson and Orla Cronin sealed the verdict.

Meanwhile Kilkenny got their bid for a fourth consecutive title off to a promising start but they too were pushed hard by a youthful Clare before leaving the John Lockes ground in Callan with the spoils, 1-9 to 0-7.

Denise Gaule, Michelle Quilty and the eye-catching Danielle Morrissey had the Black and Amber on the front foot early on and though Róisín Begley and Amy Keating settled Clare nerves, a Gaule goal from a penalty just before the change of ends left it 1-6 to 0-3.

Kilkenny’s Denise Gaule.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

The Bannerwomen refused to be cowed by that setback or the vaunted opposition and restricted Ann Downey’s charges to just three points after the resumption, from Player of the Year Anne Dalton, Gaule and Morrissey.

Indeed Clare ‘won’ the second half, with Keating the prime beneficiary of her teammates endeavours to convert four frees and give them plenty to build on for the remainder of the campaign.

Beth Carton’s increasing profile, and that of Camogie in Waterford, was illustrated by the Déise’s first ever All-Star being named WLR/Granville Hotel Waterford GAA Award winner for 2018 last weekend.

And she showed just why with nine points as the Donal O’Rourke’s side survived a Wexford third-quarter rally to prevail by 1-13 to 1-5 at St Patrick’s Park in Enniscorthy.

Five of those scores came in the first half, when debutant Sarah Lacey also showed well at corner-forward and finished with two points by the end of proceedings. Skipper Niamh Rockett struck for a goal just before the interval, at which juncture it was 1-7 to 0-3.

Tipperary’s Cait Devane and Ashling Thompson of Cork.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

Wexford resumed with intent and Anais Curran’s goal reduced the margin to two with 20 minutes left. But they were unable to score again, while Carton kept stretching the gap.
Caoimhe Costelloe was the star for Limerick with two late points and nine in total as the Shannonsiders left St Rynagh’s, Banagher with a 1-12 to 0-13 triumph.

The visitors settled into the tie very quickly and five Costelloe points, allied with Róisín Ambrose’s goal put six between the teams.

Mairéad Teehan had two of her seven points by that stage, and did the business from four frees as the deficit down to one at the break, 1-6 to 0-8.

Arlene Watkins and Teehan gave Offaly the lead early in the second half and it was over and back all the way to the end, until Costelloe’s final, telling thrust.

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1. Galway stand for national anthem

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

2. Ireland’s Lauren Delany is tackled

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

3. Ulster’s Rory Best after the game against Leicester Tigers

Source: Gary Carr/INPHO

4. Leinster’s Tadhg Furlong with Joe Launchbury and Will Rowlands of Wasps

Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

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5. Exeter Chiefs Jonny Hill loses his jersey 

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

6. DIT’s Brian Howard is tackled by Eoghan Lawless of UL

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

7. Saracens’ Brad Barritt and Tommy Seymour of Glasgow Warriors

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

8. Tributes are made for former Liverpool player and manager Bob Paisley prior to kick-off during the Premier League match at Anfield

Source: Darren Staples

9. Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer poses for a selfie with a fan

Source: Anthony Devlin

10. Shane Lowry of Ireland holds the trophy after winning the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship golf tournament

Source: Kamran Jebreili

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WESTMEATH BEGIN THEIR Division 3 campaign away to Offaly this weekend and they do so with a strong pre-season campaign behind them.

Under new boss Jack Cooney, the Lake County annexed their first O’Byrne Cup title in 31 years and just their fourth overall on Friday night – albeit against Dublin’s third-string outfit. 

“It’ll shorten the journey for sure, it’s nice to get a bit of silverware in January and I’m just delighted for the lads,” said Cooney afterwards.

“We’ve worked hard since we got back together, and we weren’t going to make a big thing out of it if we won or lost, because it’s all about the league.

We can focus in on the league now, but having said that winning it is really nice because we haven’t won it in 31 years, so it’s special.

“The thing about it is when you want to progress and improve expectations increase, so it’s hard to get one without the other. We have no problem dealing with expectations as long as we are making progress.”

Experienced campaigners like James Dolan, Ger Egan and Kieran Martin were fitted around some newer faces, with Egan particularly impressing in his half-forward role up front. 

The Tyrrellspass man posted 1-5 and his 58th-minute goal effectively killed off the Dublin challenge. 

“The goal came at the right time,” explained Cooney.

“In the last couple of games we’ve scored goals the right times and it probably just knocked the wind out of Dublin a bit as well. They were getting good momentum at that stage.

“But in the second half we just looked that little bit more potent in our half forward line and into the attack, and we weren’t committing enough to that in the first half. The lads took that on well in the second half.”

Killian Daly lifts the trophy.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

The task for Westmeath’s first native manager in 26 years is to keep his bodies fresh as a number of his younger players juggle county and college commitments.

“We just have to go in now and see where lads are at in terms of fatigue and tiredness, there’s a few boys that played college games during the week and there’s more college games next week.

“This was our fourth game in three weeks, we are going into our fifth game in four weeks and certainly the accumulation of all those games and fatigue is going to show.

We need to manage that, we’ll take stock of how lads are and get recovery in and then just really get down and focus.

“We’ve been focussing on the league all along and taking maximum value from the games in the O’Byrne Cup. But now we really get to focus in on the league.”

In recent years Dublin’s O’Byrne Cup teams have unearthed future stars in Niall Scully and Brian Howard.

While they lacked the experience of their opponents, there were several All-Ireland medals in the Dublin ranks from underage or club level, in addition to senior squad members from 2018 – Conor Mullally, Aaron Byrne, Conor McHugh and Colm Basquel.

Dublin’s stand-in manager Paul Clarke was satisfied with how the competition went overall, although he’d have liked to have more than the two games to assess his options.

“In previous years, we would have had the three games on the trot. It would have been nice to have more games and get more game time into guys and see how they go.

What we got was fellas who had finished last season with their clubs playing really good football that stood out in the senior and intermediate championships.

“It gave them the opportunity to come into an environment and test them against inter-county teams at senior level. And for a lot of them, it was their first chance at senior inter-county football.

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“So we learned a good bit about our players and their development and hopefully, they will take this on board. The journey isn’t finished. It’s a long road.

Paul Clarke before the game.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

“Some of them will be looked at for a national league panel and some of them will go back to their clubs, hopefully after garnering some sort of information or knowledge.

“We’ll continue to look at them.”

Clarke plans on sitting down with Jim Gavin over the coming days to discuss potential additions to the squad as they prepare for a tit at history.

“Dublin management will analyse the game and decide what to do. I haven’t been involved with the group that are back together and the National League panel.

This has been my sole concentration. I’ll sit down and go through a report and have a chat with Jim about it and then he’ll have a look at the two games and take it from there 

“There’s a number of guys who have pedigree at minor and U21 and have done well. They represented themselves really well over the last number of weeks.

“They represented their clubs really well. They’ve all got a certain skill set that is required to play. But again, it’s a step up. It’s a big ask to go up and play against experienced teams.

“So we’ll look at everybody’s strengths and take it from there.”

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MAYO STAR SARAH Rowe well and truly impressed in her first outing with AFLW side Collingwood, scoring two goals while showing that she can transfer her Gaelic football skills to Aussie Rules.

Sarah Rowe impressed in her first run-out while Aisling McCarthy was on the opposing team.

Source: Collingwood FC/Luke Henry.

The Melbourne-based outfit were narrowly defeated by 2018 champions Western Bulldogs in a pre-season clash but 24-year-old Rowe was most definitely a shining light for the Pies.

A late goal saw the Bulldogs — Tipperary ace Aisling McCarthy’s side Down Under — come out on top on a scoreline of 5.5 (35) to 4.4 (28).

One of the big talking points after however was Collingwood’s new face, as Rowe earned rave reviews. As the club put it themselves, “among Collingwood’s best players was star Irish recruit Sarah Rowe,” while head coach Wayne Siekman also had some nice words for her:

“She’s got plenty of tricks,” he said. “She’s got a great tank, she moves up the ground and gets back, and she got on the end of a couple. And she’s going to get better every game she plays.”

Great to get my first run out with the 🥧’s #sidebyside #goodbyepreseason pic.twitter.com/CigU9fRGk4

— Sarah Rowe (@SarsRowe) January 20, 2019

The Kilemoremoy sharpshooter, who has also played international soccer with Ireland, signed a one-season contract with Collingwood in August but continually reaffirms her commitment to inter-county football, saying she’ll be back in the green and red of Mayo once her duties in Australia conclude.

Rowe is one of five Irish women contracted to AFLW clubs. McCarthy is at Western Bulldogs and Clare’s Ailish Considine signed a rookie deal with Adelaide Crows, both off the back of the Cross Coders trial programme.

Rowe facing Dublin in the 2017 All-Ireland final.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Donegal’s Yvonne Bonner was another successful product of that camp and she has joined Cora Staunton at Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants.

Both impressed in their 47-point pre-season win over the Brisbane Lions, with Staunton hitting three goals and Bonner’s “pace, contested marking and set shot goal highlights of her AFLW debut.”

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“We had quite a few first-gamers today and I felt so proud of them. In the midfield we had a couple, but Bonner did amazingly,” Giants midfielder Courtney Gum said.

Our Irish stars have been 🔥🔥🔥@duckie15 has kicked three goals and Yvonne Bonner one as we lead by 39-points at the end of the third term. pic.twitter.com/VsPgQKFH8K

— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) January 19, 2019

“She plays forward in Gaelic football as does Cora and their speed was such a bonus for us because it put Brisbane’s defenders under a lot of pressure.

“She took a couple of good marks and even though Gaelic doesn’t have as much contact she really got into the spirit of the contact in AFLW.”

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KILDARE MEN’S and ladies football teams, hurlers and camogie sides will all have the same sponsor for the next four years in Brady Family Ham.

Brady Family Ham announced the news this morning.

Source: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

The company had already backed Kildare GAA — so the men’s footballers and hurlers — but have now renewed their sponsorship for four more years, announcing the news today.

Brady Family Ham also introduced a four-year sponsorship of Kildare LGFA and Camogie, coming as a welcome addition and bringing a huge boost to the county.

The Timahoe-based organisation’s commitment results in a ten-year sponsorship deal with Kildare GAA: they’ve been sponsors since 2013.

Their logo will appear across the jerseys, leisure wear and training gear for all Kildare football, hurling, ladies football and camogie teams. 

In doing so, they’re following Dublin’s lead in having one sponsor across four codes — AIG have backed their men’s and ladies footballers, hurlers and camógs since 2013.

There’s examples elsewhere too, one of them being Supermac’s in Galway who extended their sponsorship deal to the ladies football and camogie sides last May.

“We are proud to renew our sponsorship with Kildare GAA,” John O’Brien, managing director of O’Brien Fine Foods, said.

The deal will run to 2023.

Source: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

“In particular, we’re delighted to announce additional support of the ladies’ teams. Over the years we’ve worked together, we’ve grown a solid partnership.

“Kildare GAA, Camogie and LGFA form the backbone of the community and provide a multitude of positive benefits to all who participate in the sport. Brady Family Ham will do its utmost to support their endeavours through to 2023.”

And Kildare GAA chairman Ger Donnelly echoed his words: “We just launched our five-year strategic plan for success which outlines how we will continue to grow and thrive as a county team.

“The support of Brady Family Ham for another four years means we have the backing to make our winning ambitions a reality. We are honoured to have them on-board as our partner and we look forward to continued successes together.”

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THE LADIES GAELIC Football Association (LGFA) have this afternoon confirmed a full list of 13 double-header fixtures for the league campaign.

A general view of Croke Park mid-Dublin v Mayo ladies.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Some had been announced over the past few weeks but today, the association released the full details of the 13 Lidl Ladies National League clashes to be played as curtain raisers to the men’s Allianz Football League games involving the host counties.

The number comes as over double the amount that took place last year. Eight were confirmed beforehand, but two of those were postponed due to adverse weather conditions in early March.

In 2019, Division 1 brings seven double-headers while there will be one in Division 2, four in Division 3 and one in Division 4.

Back-to-back All-Ireland champions and Division 1 holders Dublin are set for two televised fixtures at Croke Park, while Cork have two league games alongside their male counterparts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Mayo and Galway’s meeting on 2 March has been confirmed as a double billing at Elvery’s MacHale Park before the two men’s sides clash.

🗞️*BREAKING*

🏟️ @LadiesFootball confirm full list of 1⃣3⃣ 'double-header' fixtures in 2019 @lidl_ireland National League

#⃣ #SeriousSupport@ConnachtLGFA @LeinsterLGFA @MunsterLGFA @UlsterLadies https://t.co/sVZJG40ap0

— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) January 21, 2019

Semple Stadium, Thurles, will play host to the meeting of Tipperary and Monaghan that same day.

In Division 2, Tyrone and Armagh will clash at Healy Park, Omagh, on 2 March.

Meath will play twice at Páirc Tailteann, Navan, while Wicklow and Roscommon have both announced double-header clashes in Division 3, and Carlow will welcome Kilkenny in Division 4 on 3 February.

“The LGFA would like to thank the GAA boards in the various counties for their cooperation in ensuring that this increased number of double-headers in 2019 has become a reality,” the association stated.

The LGFA also confirmed that Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald has agreed to release the dual players on his panel on 24 March, should the Rebels qualify for the National League Division 1 camogie final, which is fixed for the same day.

The footballers have an away double-header fixture to Mayo that day.

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TYRONE STAR GEMMA Begley has announced her retirement from inter-county football at the age of 33.

Begley signed off with an All-Ireland title and a goal in 2018 as the Red Hand beat Meath in the intermediate final, as well as a nomination for Intermediate Player of the Year.

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The three-time All-Star, who first joined the county senior panel in 2004, was also part of teams which won an Ulster senior title and two provincial crowns at the intermediate grade.

Begley, who currently sits on the WGPA executive, will continue to play club football with An Charraig Mhór.

“I thought long and hard about stepping away but the decision is made now and I wish the girls and the management the very best of luck for the National League and return to senior championship football,” she said in a statement released by Tyrone LGFA overnight.

It’s just brilliant to get back to senior football as much as anything and hopefully it will be the start of a career for a lot of those girls coming through now.

Begley, right: won three All-Stars with Tyrone.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Tyrone manager Gerry Moane added his tribute to “a great servant to Tyrone ladies football”.

“While we will miss her and what she brings to the squad, we have to respect her decision.

“We are delighted she signed off with an All-Ireland medal. She certainly deserved it.

“We wish Gemma the very best of good wishes.”

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FORMER MONAGHAN FOOTBALLER Dick Clerkin has defended the GAA’s decision to hike ticket prices for the 2019 National Leagues.

The GAA this week confirmed that tickets bought ‘on the day’ for league games are rising by 33% to €20, while tickets for this year’s All-Ireland hurling and football finals will increase by €10 to €90 for stand tickets and by €5 for Hill 16 tickets to €45.

There will also be a €5 increase for tickets to the All-Ireland semi-finals and all four rounds of the All-Ireland football qualifiers. 

GAA president John Horan defended the price increases, citing the strength of the economy and forecasting that clubs should benefit from the raise to the tune of €500,000. 

Speaking on OTBAM, Clerkin doubled down on his initial, tweeted opinion that those complaining about the price raise should “jog on”. 

Anyone complaining about price of GAA tickets jog on..as a whole the GAA is still largely undervalued by any comparison. Eg. Will cost you €36 to watch a Munster (less Irish players) take on Zibre in March..Will cost me €15 to watch Mon v Dub next weekend!!!! 🤔🤔

— Dick Clerkin (@dickclerkin8) January 19, 2019

“I’m going to Dublin and Monaghan on Sunday,” said Clerkin. 

“It cost me €15, I’ve the ticket in my hand [and] I’m taking my two boys for free. That’s unbelievable value by any metric.

“I don’t care what you compare it to: sport; going to the cinema; if I take them to the swimming pool, it’s going to cost me. 

“It’s great value. There hasn’t been a price increase since 2011, I just can’t understand. It’s free to bring your children.

“Do people want the GAA to give them money at the gate? Would that make them happy?

“These conversations rise me so much because they lose all perspective. Just because the players aren’t paid, doesn’t mean the value of the product isn’t there.

“It’s down to basic economics. I want to give my money to be entertained, that’s why a lot of us go.

“If you want to go and watch Liverpool or Manchester United, you’ve no choice but to empty your pockets to bring your child. If they want to go watch Ireland play the All Blacks, you’ve no choice but to fork out, and that’s alright?

“The GAA haven’t gone down that route … they’re not looking to bleed supporters”. 

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