Month: September 2021

ROSCOMMON STAR JENNY Higgins has recalled the “very bizarre” goal they conceded against Down in their league clash on Sunday, in which the Ulster side kicked the ball into an empty net while their opponents were still returning from the first water break.

Roscommon conceded a very strange goal in their league clash with Down.

Source: Clare Noone Twitter

Roscommon went on to book a place Division 3A semi-finals with a 5-15 to 3-12 victory at Kiltoom despite conceding the unusual score.

A clip of the moment has been circulated online today, showing the Down team restart the play after the water break. They carry possession up the field and proceed to score the goal unopposed as the Roscommon players rush back onto the pitch from their team huddle.

“It was kind of a kick in the teeth really,” Higgins began in conversation with the media today. She was speaking at the announcement of Glenveagh Homes as new sponsors of the LGFA’s Gaelic4Girls Programme.

“We had done quite well in the first 15 minutes and had a goal at that stage.

“I can’t remember how much we were up, but he [the referee] blew the whistle and we were just kind of maybe casually making our way back, because it was a really hot day.”

Higgins points out that it was around 25 degrees in Kiltoom during the game, which is why they were slightly delayed in getting back on the pitch in time for the resumption.

“It was really hot yesterday, so we may have taken an extra couple of seconds I suppose,” she continues. “But he allowed play to continue, and Down went ahead and got a goal in the back of the net.

“It was very bizarre, but fair play to our team – we responded really well and I think we went up and got our own score at the other end of the pitch.

“But you just had to get on with it at the time, it’s only today now that the clip emerged and you can see how bizarre it really was. I’m not sure, it’s something that we’ll definitely have to look into. Is that actually a rule, can that actually be done?

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We were lucky we came away with a win. If you look closely the officials were not back on their lines either and down got a goal out of it?????? https://t.co/oK4sZgbb6a

— Roscommon LGFA (@RoscommonLGFA) May 31, 2021

“Obviously it is if the referee officiated it, but it’s fair to say it won’t happen to us again anyway. We learned for the second water break, we were the first team back out on the pitch just in case.”

Higgins adds that they didn’t ask referee Ciaran Groome about the incident at the time, although she says that a conversation may have been required “if we’d lost by a goal.”

She also said that their understanding around the rule for water breaks is “it’s down to the discretion of the ref.”

“I don’t think you can blame Down realistically,” she adds when asked about Down’s part in the goal. “It was a very important game for both teams. Down had lost the previously so they really needed to win that game yesterday. They were just doing what the officials said to do so I definitely wouldn’t hold any grudges against them in what they did.

“I can’t say if we’d do the same thing. You probably would, you’re just doing what the officials say at the end of the day. It’s just a bizarre one, something we had never heard of and we were just running back trying to get back on the line, just wondering if he was just telling us to hurry up or what it was?”

Roscommon are under new management this year following the appointment of former Mayo star and All-Ireland winning captain, Diane O’Hora.

That nine-point win over Down was Roscommon’s second win in the group stage of the league following an impressive result against Fermanagh last weekend.

They will now face Sligo in a crunch tie to decide who tops the group before the league semi-finals.

Roscommon’s Jenny Higgins pictured at the announcement of Glenveagh Homes as new sponsors of the LGFA’s Gaelic4Girls Programme.

Source: Sportsfile

“When we heard Diane was taking over, it was an exciting appointment,” says Higgins. “It’s going really well, completely different I suppose.

“It’s very new, very fresh and it is taking us a while to try and adjust to the different style of management and the management team.

“But that’s kind of just natural progression, we have hit the ground running with two wins and we are fairly happy with that, but we still have a lot of work to do and a lot of fine-tuning to match up to what her expectations are of the team.

“She comes with new ideas, she was appointed early last season so she was able to watch all of our championship campaign.

“I was playing full-forward yesterday but I still offer a lot at midfield and I ended up coming out there in the end. She’s just trying to find the balance with us, as well as we’re trying to find where we fit into the team and you are happy enough to play once you’re on the pitch.”

Originally published at 14.58

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ROSCOMMON FOOTBALLER JENNY Higgins has paid tribute to her county team-mate Rochelle Mullaney for her bravery in speaking publicly about her battle with cervical cancer.

Mullaney spoke candidly and openly about her illness last week, after the 27-year-old was diagnosed with stage 3 of the cancer in February. She had been suffering from an ache in her side which she mistook to be a muscle injury that she picked up through football.

The Kilbride player told RTÉ Sport that she began her treatment in March, undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy along with 35 sessions of radiotherapy in just seven weeks.

She revealed how she had received a letter when she was 25, informing her to get a smear test which is a standard cervical screening procedure for women to give them the best chance of early detection. 

Unfortunately, Mullaney did not book an appointment at the time but is receiving the vital treatment she needs now.

“Rochelle, or Rocky as we call here, is an inspiration to any woman really,” says Higgins in praise of her team-mate who is using her own personal experience to underline the importance of getting smear checks done.

“She started up the year the same way as all of us, I think that’s why it’s really hit home. She’s just a year younger than me, so it really hits home because she started the season the same way as we all do, and then to get that devastating news … a lot of people could have really taken that hard, but she’s been at training with us and she’s still giving her all to the team in the way that she can.

“And with such a positive attitude, and so encouraging of all the girls – and still battling everything she’s been through. She’s an inspiration. I know even myself, when I’m complaining maybe about a wet night at training, I just look over to the sideline and I see her and I think, ‘Well, she’d give anything just to be on the pitch and be able to play.’”

Another action-packed @RoscommonHerald sports section coming your way this week. Interview with @gaakilbride and @RoscommonLGFA player Rochelle Mullaney about her battle with cervical cancer, Sinead Kenny marks milestone appearance with a victory and all the fallout from Salthill pic.twitter.com/uVE47uqhOM

— Ian Cooney (@cooney_ian) May 24, 2021

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Higgins added that Mullaney’s story has triggered a huge wave of positive feedback, inspiring several women to seek an appointment for a smear test, while also bringing awareness to the Roscommon dressing-room about cervical care.

“She has received huge feedback from other women, a lot of them in their late 20’s who have probably received that letter for that smear test but have never actually prioritised it to get it done.

“It can happen to any of us; she was going along thinking that football was the be all and end all and a really important part of her life but then she did realise that other priorities did exist and when she got the result she realised that had she got that test earlier she would have known earlier.

“It is a topic of discussion now for most women, even within our own team, is that you make sure you get it done and it has definitely raised awareness for it.

“She is a huge inspiration and she was very brave to come out the way she did. And the great news since is that a lot of girls – and I have got a lot of messages since from other people saying “oh my God, I have to get my smear test done, I have not got it done.

“Her aim is to raise awareness and promote it. She is so inspirational; a really brave character and hopefully we will see her back on the pitch before the end and it would be amazing to see.”

Roscommon footballer Jenny Higgins was speaking following the announcement of Glenveagh Homes as new sponsors of the LGFA’s Gaelic4Girls Programme.

Source: Sportsfile

Mullaney is unable to play football at the moment but is still involved with the Roscommon camp and has attended their two Division 3A league games so far.

They have already secured a spot in the semi-finals of the competition and will face Sligo this weekend in the last round of group games.

Mullaney hopes to be able to return to the pitch at some stage this year, and Higgins says she is an important example to women that life can eventually return to normality after a health scare.

“She is still there on the sideline with us, she is very tuned into what is going on and she fully intends on being back on the pitch with Kilbride and Roscommon in the coming months, so we are all rallying behind her and hoping she can contribute in some shape or form.

“I think it would be a great inspiration to other women who went through something similar to know that there is life after it and you can get back to doing what you did beforehand so hopefully we will see her back on the pitch.”

You can find out more information about cervical screening and how to arrange a smear test on the HSE website. 

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Updated Jun 1st 2021, 8:40 PM

THERE’S A DISTINCT possibility that all four Allianz Football League divisions won’t be crowning champions this year. 

The GAA made it clear at the start of the season that, in order to facilitate a two-week gap for all teams from the end of the league to start of the championship, divisional finals might not take place.

In the case where a county was due to open their championship season on the weekend of 26/27 June, the league title would be shared. 

Here are the 14 teams down to begin their provincial campaigns that weekend: Kerry, Donegal (Division 1), Mayo, Clare, Down (Division 2), Offaly, Limerick, Longford, Wicklow (Division 3), Sligo, Wexford, Carlow, Louth and Waterford (Division 4).

So given the involvement of almost half the football teams in the country, the prospect of shared league titles was already a likely one. However, it didn’t really become clear to the wider public until after the conclusion of the round robin games.

It’s already certain that finals won’t be taking place in Divisions 2 and 4.

Second tier semi-final opponents Mayo and Clare have championship commitments a week after the slated date for the decider. In the basement division, three of the four semi-finalists are also in action a week after the final. 

A win for Donegal or Kerry in the Division 1 semi-finals would rule out the possibility of a Division 1 champion being named. Likewise, an Offaly victory over Fermanagh would do the same in Division 3.

It essentially leaves football’s second most important national competition unfinished.

Even in 2020, the worst disrupted GAA season since the Second World War, Kerry, Roscommon, Cork and Limerick were crowned National League champions.

Starting a competition and not finishing it properly isn’t an ideal scenario. Yes, the truncated season meant the GAA had to fit the league and championship into a tight schedule.

But there’s a good argument to be made that the All-Ireland final could have been pushed back a week in order to accommodate a fitting conclusion of the league. It also brings into focus the GAA’s decision to not to lobby for the inter-county game to retain its elite status earlier this year.

Starting the league even a week earlier would have given Croke Park the breathing room to fit in finals and showed the competition the respect it deserves. Two or three weeks would have made a world of difference.

Unlike in hurling, the All-Ireland SFC will give teams only one bite at the cherry before they’re eliminated from the running. 

Cian O’Dea and Clare are on the verge of promotion to Division 1.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

So for Clare, Kerry’s semi-final opponents in Munster, the league was always going to define their season. Similarly for Meath and Kildare, who’ll meet in the Division 2 semi-final, their championship ambitions are highly unlikely to go beyond Dublin in Leinster. 

The Banner’s 35-year-old star David Tubridy, who became the top scorer across all four divisions of the league, he has been denied the opportunity to compete for national silverware with his county in Croke Park. 

Offaly veteran Niall McNamee, also 35, made his 100th league appearance for the county at the weekend and likewise doesn’t have the prospect of a Division 3 final at HQ to look forward to if they overcome Fermanagh in the semi-final.

There will be no final in Division 1 of the hurling either, unless the sides that finish top of 1A and 1B meet in the championship. 

With five guaranteed league games and a backdoor in the championship, the hurling system seems fairer on the players. At least beaten teams will have a second chance this summer in the small ball code. 

After the work all players in both codes evidently put in during the lockdown to return in such impressive physical shape, footballers deserve the same opportunity.

The GAA’s Feargal McGill said an extra three weeks would have been required to fit in qualifiers for the All-Ireland SFC, due to the restraints of the lob-sided provincial systems.

It’s obvious that major changes are coming for the structure of the All-Ireland SFC in the years ahead, which made 2021 the perfect opportunity to test out a new format. 

The traditional format still favours the might of Kerry and Dublin, and makes winning an All-Ireland much more difficult for Ulster counties. 

Scrapping the provincials and running a Champions League-style competition, with a side from each division spread evenly across eight groups, would have guaranteed each county three championship games. (London’s absence would mean just three teams would compete in one group).

Or an open knock-out draw with a qualifier system would provide each county with at least two games of championship fare.

An opportunity was missed to try out a different formula, provide a more fulfilling league programme and have champions ordained at the end. 

It’s true that having the league so close to championship means some managers may view the games as glorified challenge matches.

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But taking part in a competition with no eventual winners…what kind of sport is that?

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CORK FOOTBALLER CIARAN Sheehan has suffered a fresh injury blow after damaging his knee in last Sunday’s league game against Clare, while the news is more positive about star defender Sean Powter who came off in the same game with a hamstring problem.

Both players were forced off through injury during the match in Cusack Park, as was young Cork defender Daniel O’Mahony. Both Powter and O’Mahony are likely to miss Saturday week’s relegation play-off against Westmeath but will return in time for championship.

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The outlook on the injury front for Sheehan is less clear. He sustained a meniscus tear during the first half when he was fouled for a free that Cork converted, subsequently coming off in the 21st minute.

The full extent of the 2010 All-Ireland winner’s injury is unknown and he is set to get it fully assessed later this week at Santry Sports Surgery Clinic.

2010 All-Ireland winner Sheehan missed last winter’s championship with a knee problem that required a minor operation. The former Carlton AFL player had only rejoined the inter-county scene at the start of 2020, returning to the Cork camp after a six-season absence.

Powter, man-of-the-match in Cork’s Munster semi-final win over Kerry last November, has a slight hamstring issue. A scan revealed he has not incurred a severe setback, a boost for a player who has seen a promising career stalled by injuries.

O’Mahony, who has enjoyed a bright campaign after graduating from last year’s Cork U20 team, is facing a layoff of two to four weeks after hurting his hamstring.

That duo should be in the frame for Cork’s Munster championship opener on 10 July against Limerick or Waterford at the provincial semi-final stage.

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AN AGREEMENT HAS been reached to play the outstanding provincial and All-Ireland series games from the 2020 club camogie championship season from mid-November to December 2021.

Mediation talks took place last night between the Camogie Association and representatives of clubs still involved in the 2020 senior, intermediate and junior championships.

The42 understands that negotiations went on for four hours, and that former GAA director general Páraic Duffy was involved.

The affected clubs — one of which is reigning All-Ireland champions Sarsfields of Galway, with Drom and Inch, Thomastown and Oulart-The Ballagh others impacted — were due to have their cases heard by the GAA’s Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) later this week, as a lengthy saga rumbled on.

• ‘Club players’ voices need to be heard once and for all’ – calls to complete 2020 All-Ireland camogie series
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Now, it’s hoped that the outstanding 2020 series will be completed by 19 December, with the All-Ireland finals pencilled in for that date.

The 2021 provincial and All-Ireland series will run after the 2020 season’s completion, so the layout is expected to be as follows: inter-county > 2021 club county championships > 2020 club provincial and All-Ireland series in December > 2021 provincial and All-Ireland series in early 2022.

“It is good to put it to bed, it was hanging over us for the last month,” Sarsfields manager Michael ‘Hopper’ McGrath told The42 this morning. “We would prefer if it was ran in June but the important thing is it’s reinstated.”

It’s understood the DRA meeting was set for Friday evening, but last night’s resolution brings the curtain down on a turbulent period off the pitch for the 35 clubs affected.

Sarsfields led the calls for the games to be completed in a three-week window in June, but the inter-county layout meant the Camogie Association would not agree to this.

It has been a controversial few weeks for the sport, a fixtures row erupting when the Association proposed an inter-county league, followed by club championship, and then inter-county action, fixtures format.

While the GAA and Ladies Gaelic Football Association [LGFA] went with split season models from the start, the decision was contested by inter-county players and management, with the GPA intervening and strike action threatened.

A nationwide poll of clubs saw them vote in favour of a split season model by 53% to 47, with the Littlewoods National Leagues underway at the minute, before inter-county championship action takes over and then the 2021 club series.

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That move, however, originally meant an incomplete 2020 provincial and national club series, though last night’s talks brought a resolution.

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THE GAA HAS confirmed that 100 spectators will be permitted to attend club and inter-county games in the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland from Monday, 7 June.

This number is in addition to players, team personnel, stewards or media attendees.

A maximum of 200 spectators may attend matches at grounds where the capacity is 5,000.

The news comes after the Government recently announced a further relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, which includes the gradual return of crowds to sports events.

A statement from Ard Stiúrthóir, Tomás Ó Riain says that competitive and challenge games at all levels of club and inter county are permitted to take place from 7 June but that it is “essential that we continue to proceed with caution.”

“It is likely that from 5 July, up to 200 spectators may be permitted to attend games,” the statement continues, “and up to 500 may be permitted in grounds with a minimum capacity of 5,000.

“However this will depend on progress in broader society – if these increases are to be permitted, we will advise in advance of 5 July.”

Dressing rooms will remain closed for club games “to ensure the risk of players or backroom personnel being classified as Close contacts is minimised.”

In relation to the use of gym facilities, the GAA advises that they should remain closed for the moment unless they are being used on an individual basis by inter-county players.

Club bars are permitted to serve food and alcohol outdoors as well as drive in events and family fun days or fundraising events.

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TÓMAS Ó SÉ doesn’t hold back when asked how he felt watching Kerry trail Dublin by 3-7 to 0-9 at half-time in their recent National League meeting in Thurles.

“I’ll tell you, I was livid,” Ó Sé says, before referencing the stage just after the break where Dublin comfortably held onto possession for a sustained period.

“You were looking around wondering where was the reaction, where’s the change-up here… At that point I was disgusted. I thought there would be a bite in it, and was getting the old fingers ready to go nuts on the phone.”

Of course, just as Kerry looked to be fading out of the contest they instead clawed their way back, outscoring Dublin 1-9 to 1-2 in the second period to secure a thrilling draw. 

“It was heartening to see what they did in the second half,” Ó Sé continues. “Then the frustration comes into it and you say ‘Jesus Christ why can’t they actually do that for a full 70?’ I know it would be very hard to do for a full 70, and you have to mix it up, but where was that intent in the first half?

It’s a frustrating one with Kerry because you don’t know where you are really. They will beat most teams, but in Kerry nobody gives a… It’s not that they don’t care, they’ll go nuts if they lose to the likes of Cork, but they’ll judge everything on winning the whole thing, and call it right or wrong but that’s the way it is.”

And while Ó Sé has been encouraged by much of Kerry’s attacking play, he views the lack of consistency throughout the team, and the way Dublin were able to carve open the Kerry defence, as a concern heading into the championship, with Kerry due to begin their Munster campaign against Clare in Killarney on 26 June.

“They had chances to win and lose it (against Dublin). You have to look at the balance of the whole game and… it is hard to trust them at times, is what I am saying.

“It is hard to trust Kerry, you go up against Clare, and people will probably look at this as ‘yerrah’ comment, but the reason Kerry did not really lose – in our time anyway – you could ignore the talk outside and you take the game so seriously that you would be going there with a bit of fear that you would lose and what would happen because of the backlash that would be there, but I don’t think there is the same fear about this Kerry team.

David Clifford has been in superb form for Kerry.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“You could still ask questions about them, you still can’t trust them that they would not blow certain teams that they should be blowing out of the water, or beating them convincingly. Like, Clare will fancy having a good rattle at Kerry, and I am not saying that is not right, but when you see what happened to Kerry against Cork last year (in the championship) and see what happened against Dublin in the league…

“Even when Kerry had the foot in the door against Dublin in the drawn All-Ireland final (2019) and how they could not finish it off, with the Kerry management and players there would be question marks still. That is the downside.”

Having comfortably beaten Roscommon last Sunday, Kerry are back in action with a league semi-final date against Tyrone on 12 June, a few hours before Donegal and Dublin do battle in the other last-four tie.

One of the quirks of this condensed GAA season means a win for either Donegal or Kerry would result in no Division 1 final being played, in order to allow those counties take a two-week break between the end of the league and the start of the championship.

The same caveat applies for Divisions 2, 3 and 4, raising the strong possibility that all four divisions could end with no champions being crowned.

“If you have a competition, you want to have a final,” Ó Sé says.

“To a certain degree it does undermine the whole thing. But at the same time then, you have a free weekend this week, there are injuries happening all around us, do you play this weekend?

“I think if you threw it out to players and management they’d probably go with what you have right now, and go with the fact that you’ll have a two-week build in (to the Championship). There’s no way that teams or managers would accept a week of a build up, to have Ulster championship the following week or Munster championship, whatever it is. 

“You kind of accept that, but at the same time you’re thinking, ‘Is there any way they could have done it that they could have got the final in there?’ 

“Like, I’d say you’re kind of taking the steam out of it if you play it further along the line, after a Championship or something like that. They probably would have had to put the whole Championship back a week if they were to eat into club time at the other side of it, then you’d be causing…

“I’d be quick trying to find holes in it, but I’d be pretty sure they did it to the best that they could possibly do it and hope then that it fell their way in terms of (the fixtures)…but the chances are now that there won’t be finals in three of them (leagues).” 

Kerry legend Tomás Ó Sé was speaking at the launch of the Allianz League Legends series in Dublin. This year marks the 29th season that Allianz has sponsored the competition, making it one of the longest sponsorships in Irish sport.

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HENRY SHEFFLIN SAYS he isn’t worried about the current health of hurling, despite some concerns the game is heading in the wrong direction as a spectacle.

A growing trend of possession-based games, as well as the high number of frees being awarded and perceived lower levels of physicality has led to some suggestions the game is losing it’s entertainment value, with Shefflin’s former teammate Richie Power earlier this week describing some of the recent league games as ‘hard to watch’.

However 10-time All-Ireland winner Shefflin doesn’t see any major cause for concern.

“There’s two things for me,” Shefflin says.

“The reduction in goal-scoring… I don’t have the stats here in front of me, but obviously we can see that happening. Obviously the other thing then is the retention of possession and playing through the lines. That physical contact of the one-to-one battles is gone out of it a little bit.

“I think the entertainment value of not having spectators there last year didn’t help and it hasn’t helped so far this year. I think that will improve it. So I don’t see a drastic (decline). I think we’ve seen some great games, and I think it’s too quick to jump (to conclusions).

“I think Waterford-Kilkenny last year with a full house would have been a marvelous game, and obviously some of the semi-finals the previous year as well. I think just like football, it will evolve, and teams will realise that they can’t maybe out-point Limerick so they will have to get a couple of goals.

“How do you do it? ‘Maybe instead of going through the lines, we go through the lines to a certain phase and have a target man, or someone inside that’s going to stay close to the goals, and let’s get some balls in there and try and muster up a couple of goal opportunities and take advantage of that’.

That’s my sense, but I wouldn’t be one for saying ‘no, it’s devalued’ or the entertainment value is reduced. I don’t think that, and I think teams will improve and evolve as they go. And they’ll have to. What you find, and I’m sure it’s the same in football, is that when a team comes along like Limerick and they play the style they do, a lot of people try to mirror that. But they’ll eventually realise that they need to change it and go with something different. I think teams will do that.”

Shefflin still sees Limerick as the team to beat this summer despite their early season struggles in the league, but feels his own county – who last won the Liam MacCarthy in 2015 – aren’t too far down the list when it comes to discussing All-Ireland contenders.

“I actually think Galway are next, after Limerick,” Shefflin says, “but I think Kilkenny, Tipp, Waterford, Wexford probably… I think Kilkenny would be just slightly below Galway. I would rank Galway next, but I think Kilkenny are very much there.

TJ Reid remains the key man for Brian Cody and Kilkenny.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

“Obviously the form of TJ (Reid) and the way TJ is playing is one of the major things, and I think the changes they’ve made – they’ve new backroom teams in, there’s a bit of freshness to their play last Sunday, so I think they won’t be too far away. 

“The one thing I referenced is a lot of teams try to mirror what Limerick do. Kilkenny (do that) to a certain extent, but you saw last week (against Wexford) that they’re well able to mix it and (they have) that variety in play and they can score goals. So, because of that, I think they are (in the race).

“You think about it, the score at half-time against Waterford (last year)… It could very easily have been Kilkenny in an All-Ireland final last year, so they’re not far away at all, we’re hoping anyway.

“But I actually think, and I think last week’s performance (against Wexford) definitely will give a lot of confidence, playing against a system like that, that they’ve probably struggled with previously. I think they’ll take a lot confidence from that, and I think the championship suits them … Brian puts a big focus on the league, they won’t have a league final and they can look forward then (to championship).”

And while TJ Reid has once again been the star man for Brian Cody’s side – scoring 1-18 against Wexford last weekend – Shefflin has been encouraged by the displays of some of the Kilkenny supporting cast.

“Billy Ryan being back last week was a massive plus, he’s been injured a lot of the time” Shefflin says.

“He adds something different; he’s very fast, very direct, and he’s very strong as well. And when you look at the Limerick team, they’re the kind of players that can trouble a Limerick defence because that’s what you have to be.

“The direct play is the interesting one, because so many forwards now are playing in front of themselves, while Billy is one of those players – and there’s not many of them around, I know myself, I was more myself a playing in front of my (opponent) style player – I think those players who can get a ball and turn. Look at Con O’Callaghan in football, he’s the one who springs to mind straight away – they are the dangerous players. I think he has that in his locker, so it’s to get him injury-free and get him a run of it … it was good to see him back last week.

“Richie Reid at midfield, Darragh Corcoran has done well at wing-back, and obviously James Bergin has done well enough as well.

“Then it’s looking for the spine of the team – looks like Eoin (Murphy), Huw Lawlor, Padraig (Walsh) seems to be settling well into centre-back. From there the talent is up front, there’s no doubt about that.”

Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin was speaking at the launch of the Allianz League Legends series in Dublin. This year marks the 29th season that Allianz has sponsored the competition, making it one of the longest sponsorships in Irish sport. 

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JIM MCGUINNESS HAS admitted he remains in talks with League of Ireland side Dundalk over the vacant managerial job, but has refused to comment further on the matter.

Speaking at the launch of Sky Sports’ GAA championship coverage, the former Donegal GAA boss said his communications with the club remain private. 

“I won’t be giving any answers in terms of my own personal (or) private life in terms of any discussions with anybody,” he stated.

“We had conversations, ” he added. “I’m still in communication, but other than that there’s nothing to report.”

In May, Dundalk sporting director Jim Magilton said he spoke with the 2012 All-Ireland winning manager over potentially taking charge of the 2019 Premier Division champions.

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McGuinness is currently involved with the Derry U19s following an unsuccessful spell at USL Championship outfit Charlotte Independence in the USA.

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