Month: September 2021

NIAMH MALLON CONSIDERS herself fortunate that her day job has a direct connection with her favourite pastime.

The 23-year-old Down star has been a key contributor once more in the return of the red and black to Croke Park for the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland intermediate camogie championship final against Cork on Sunday.

Mallon scored nine points in the two-point semi-final victory over Tipperary having established herself as a real team leader, with eight years’ experience already having joined the panel as a 15-year-old in 2010.

She endured the heartbreak of losing All-Ireland premier junior deciders in 2011 and 2012 before finally getting her hands on the Kay Mills Cup four years ago after Down scored the last seven points to beat Laois by four.

Team preparation has changed completely since then, even in those four years. Progress has been made throughout the grades but having a degree in sports science and started working in Galway for data science company Orreco in July, Mallon knows more than anyone how far there is to go.

Orreco is a global operation specialising in identifying injury predictors, optimal training loads and recovery strategies with NBA and NHL teams in America, European soccer teams, as well as PGA Tour golfers and Formula One motor racing drivers among many others

Mallon herself is working on a ground-breaking app that will reduce injury and illness in female athletes and has proven understandably popular since its launch last year.

“The FitrWoman app is free to download and it incorporates evidence-based sports science research to provide training and nutrition advice tailored to your menstrual cycle” explains Mallon.

“The WGPA have done an awful lot to bring sport science and analytics into camogie the last couple of years through the grant. In Down we’re not overly exposed to it at the minute because of budget constraints but I’d say it won’t be far down the line before it does.

“Sports science and data analytics are massive for recovery. That’s the common topic for every sport but particularly for camogie players because they’re expected to train with the club, play with the club as well as do the same with the county. Rest and recovery is not really an option at times so I think recovery is massive.

“You’re looking at the GPS systems, performance analysis – the top teams are all using those sorts of things and that’s something we’ll need over the next few years. At the higher levels, the more exposure you have of playing big games, the more that’s going to come as well.”

Niamh Mallon lifts the Kay Mills Cup in 2014.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

They don’t come much bigger than an All-Ireland final in Croke Park and yet after losing the first five games in the League and rookie selector Martina Rooney taking over as manager for the relegation play-off with Kildare, fortunes have improved remarkably.

“We’d a rocky enough league campaign with players missing through different things. As players started to come in, we got a solid panel together. We beat Kildare in a relegation play-off and the momentum started to roll from there. There was a change of management team around that time as well and they brought a lot of positivity. I suppose momentum is massive in sport, isn’t it? We went to the Ulster championship and managed to win it for the first time in 13 years.

“In the All-Ireland group stages, the momentum brought us through to the Cork game but we got a reality check, back down to earth. But we refocused and were lucky I suppose but we’ve earned our place in Croke Park.”

Fortunately, Laois defeated Derry the same weekend as Cork ended Down’s winning run. The Mournewomen capitalised on the second chance by accounting for Laois to book a place in the last four.

Certainly, annexing an Ulster title after such a lengthy gap was a significant boost, particularly with so many players from the 2016 All-Ireland Minor B-winning panel having come through. It has always meant a lot in a region that is an outlier in terms of being a hurling and Camogie stronghold.

“My club Portaferry is on the Ards Peninsula, where you’ve only the three clubs – Portaferry, Ballycran and Ballygalget and it’s hurling only, no football. Everywhere else in the county it’s football. On the peninsula it’s hurling mad. As if it was Kilkenny or Cork – pure hurling.

“It was a Tipperary man who came up and set up the club and Portaferry wear blue and gold because of it.”

Ned Purcell, an agricultural inspector, is the man credited with laying the real foundations of the St. Patrick’s club between 1912 and 1917 and it has been the small ball for the past 100 years.

Familiar opposition marks Down’s path to a first All-Ireland Intermediate Championship since 1998.

“Cork are the benchmark, both at senior and intermediate in the past number of years. They’ve been beaten in the past two intermediate Finals so they know what it takes to get to Croke Park.

“In Newry, we were on cloud nine, our heads were in the clouds ever so slightly, we hadn’t lost a game since the league and I think it was a reality check, it brought us back down to earth. We didn’t play to our potential, we were missing a few girls. There’s definitely more in us and we hope to bring that Sunday.”

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TYRONE LEGEND OWEN Mulligan has labelled Jonny Cooper as the “Sergio Ramos of Dublin” in the wake of the county’s latest All-Ireland victory.

Cooper has suffered a championship defeat just once in his Dublin career and collected his fifth Celtic Cross on Sunday at the age of 28.

The Na Fianna man is one of the enforcers in the Dublin defence and after conceding an early free for an off-the-ball incident, he gave a confident display as Dublin delivered the four-in-a-row.

Mulligan played alongside teak-tough defenders such as Ryan McMenamin, Conor Gormley and Philip Jordan, and recognises similar battling qualities in Cooper.

“The teams I played in on ‘03, ‘05 and ’08, we were blessed with nasty bastards in the back line – the sort of defender that took it to the edge in every single game,” said Paddy Power ambassador and columnist Mulligan.

“I’m a massive fan of Jonny Cooper, the Sergio Ramos of Dublin. He dives as if he’s been shot by a sniper and he fouls cynically in all the right areas. 

“He’s a match winner. Cooper controls Dublin’s back line, and if referees need to be challenged he’s the first man up, like butter would melt. Cute hoorism comes to mind.  

“Tyrone lack such a figure. You can’t teach this, you’re just born with it. The opposition hate him, but he’s a cult hero on Hill 16. Every team needs a Jonny Ramos!”

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Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Mulligan believes Mickey Harte is the right man to lead Tyrone forward in 2019 after the reached their first final in a decade.

“To get to an All-Ireland final after being beat in the first round of the championship and build a new team shows that Tyrone are going in the right direction. Nobody gave them a chance, but the bond and togetherness they’ve showed means they could be dinning at the top table for a long time.

“A search party will be on the lookout for a clinical scoring forward and another midfielder to free up Mattie Donnelly and Colm Cavanagh. They need to play in a position that benefits the team in an attacking and defensive capacity. This has to be addressed next season. 

“Mickey’s built a new team. Colly Cavanagh and Cathal McCarron are the only two who are over 30. He’s brought confidence back into the set-up, he won two Ulster’s in a row in 2016 and 2017, and made it to the All-Ireland final this year which will really bring them on.

“I genuinely believe he’s the man to bring us forward. He’s had a few shots at the likes of myself and other former players, but we’re entitled to our opinion and we have to call it as we see it.

“He’s brought a new level of confidence to the county and when you think back to their first-round loss to Monaghan they weren’t given a chance, but made it to the All-Ireland final.

“They ran into the best team to have ever played the game and couldn’t match them but he’s still the man for the job.”

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Kerry, Galway, Dublin and Donegal all collected silverware

DUBLIN ARE ALL-IRELAND SFC champions for the fourth year in succession after Sunday’s 2-17 to 1-14 victory over Tyrone.

Football might have been hurling’s poor relation this summer, but there were certainly some memorable moments along the way.

As we reflect on the 2018 inter-county season, it’s time to test your memory from the summer. How much do you remember from the campaign?

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KEVIN MCSTAY HAS decided to decline the Roscommon GAA chairman’s invitation to remain in charge of the county’s senior football team for the remainder of his two-year term.

After three years in the position, McStay has this evening announced his resignation from the role, and stated that he is retiring from senior inter-county football management. 

McStay has announced his departure this evening.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

McStay’s future as Roscommon manager had been the subject of ongoing speculation, and despite the full backing of chairman Seamus Sweeney and the county board, he came to the conclusion that ‘I have brought the team as far as I can at this stage and a new voice and direction is now required.’

Under the former Mayo footballer’s guidance, Roscommon were crowned 2016 Connacht champions and this year regained promotion to Division 1 of the Allianz League having reached the final, where they were defeated by Galway. 

But their All-Ireland Super 8 campaign was less memorable, as the Rossies suffered heavy defeats to Tyrone, Donegal and Dublin, leading to McStay’s resignation despite signing a contract extension last summer. 

In a statement this evening, McStay said his three years in charge have been the ‘greatest years of my life’ but ‘I look forward to a less stressful period now, concentrating more on work and family life.’

County chairman Sweeney confirmed McStay’s resignation ‘with a heavy heart.’

“Today I reluctantly accepted Kevin’s resignation as Roscommon Senior Team Manager,” he said.

“I’d like to thank Kevin for his dedication and commitment to Roscommon GAA over the last three years as manager of our senior team. Kevin’s professionalism and knowledge were there for everyone to see. He has left Roscommon Football in a good place.

“I want to thank his selectors Ger Dowd and Liam McHale, and his backroom team who all did their very best to ensure Roscommon were as competitive as possible. We’ve had some memorable days from winning the Connacht title to regaining our place in Division 1.

“On a personal level I’d like to wish Kevin and his wife Verona and daughters every good wish for the future.”

McStay released a separate statement, referencing the difficulties he faced in the role, including the significant financial challenges smaller counties must contend with. 

“Our annual review of the 2018 season was completed recently,” it read.

“Having considered the many factors involved in managing a county football squad, and unable to resolve enough of those factors to my satisfaction, I have decided that a change in management should take place immediately. I feel I have brought the team as far as I can at this stage and a new voice and direction is now required. The handover to the next management group will be orderly and without fuss. 

McStay has retired from senior inter-county management.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

“Winning the 2017 Connacht Final will always remain the happiest day of my sporting life. The joy, satisfaction and fun it provided to us all — players, parents, management, officials and supporters, is something I will cherish forever. The mayhem and madness of those few days will always be a warm memory.”

In addition, McStay thanked various people he worked with during his three-year tenure, including Fergal O’Donnell, whose controversial departure following the 2016 season saw McStay take over the reins on his own. 

“I want to put on record the inputs of Fergal O’Donnell, in particular, during year one; without his efforts the squads of 2017 and 2018 would not have enjoyed the benefits of the many excellent people and structures he put in place,” he said, while also acknowledging the ‘vast majority’ of the media ‘for their fair and accurate reporting on the efforts of our players and my management team.’

McStay concluded: “So, after much consideration I have decided not to take up the Chairman’s invitation. I’ve done three years, every one of them challenging and sometimes exhausting. In reviewing my time in charge I have to acknowledge the inordinate amount of time I spent dealing with financial and facility issues, personnel issues, media issues and the various contentious and controversial events that kept arising over those seasons.

“Success is what we all crave but we must understand our reality too. While Roscommon is a proud football county, it is a small county with a limited playing pool and deficits in resources and facilities. The budget required to finance success at the highest level demands year-round attention. Facilities, Catering, Kit & Equipment, Professional expertise and, especially, Travel costs are major financial drainers and they are placing a massive burden on voluntary officers that is often overwhelming.

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“These are the significant challenges the smaller GAA counties face. If the GAA is committed to ensuring all counties are, at a minimum, competitive, then they must be supported financially in a way that reflects the demands and the need for fairness, equity and solidarity.

“I am privileged to say the Roscommon GAA family entrusted their team to me for three years. We had our share of special days, mostly grand days and of course, some very tough days. But overall, on reflection, these have been three of the greatest years of my life. Leaving the safety of the pundits chair for the passion and glory of the dressing room and football field is a decision I’ll never regret. However, today marks my retirement from senior inter county football management.

“I look forward to a less stressful period now, concentrating more on work and family life and to supporting Roscommon and Mayo teams in 2019 and beyond.”

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THE ALL-IRELAND final day experience may not be novel but this one does have a special twist.

There are eight senior medals stacked up in Aoife Murray’s trophy cabinet and away from the September afternoons of triumph, she’s had a few occasions where Cork have departed empty-handed at the close of a long campaign.

Cork camogie captain Aoife Murray.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Sunday is their fifth camogie decider since 2014 but as Cork’s leader and the player who will lift the O’Duffy Cup if they succeed.

“I’d forgotten quite a lot that I was captain because there’s a lot of the girls that have been around for so long,” reflects Murray.

“There’s nobody really looking to the one person to get these magic words of wisdom. Maybe that’s a sign I’m a terrible captain that I’ve actually forgotten a good few times.

“It would be wonderful for my family, especially my Mam and Dad. That’s why you do it.”

Being entrusted with the role of captain was not something she expected. Cork operate under a system of the county champions nominating the senior captain with last year’s club winner Inniscarra opting to propose Cloughduv player Murray.

“Our club hasn’t been competing in too many county finals. Growing up, it was always a dream of mine to captain my club.

“The less county finals we got into, the dream of captaining Cork kind of faded. You just move on and this probably came as a bit of a curveball but one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”

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Aoife Murray celebrates with her team-mates after last year’s All-Ireland final.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

It adds another layer of significance to the day for the Murray family. Aoife is Cork’s goalkeeper with her brothers Paudie (manager), Kevin (coach) and Damien (logistics) filling various roles on the sideline.

“It’ll be fine for me and the lads, but not so good for the non-playing members (of the family). I don’t think my sister Gillian has actually seen a second of an All-Ireland final in the past few years, her back has! She looks away! There’s 11 of us. I think they all think of Mam and Dad when it gets to that stage.

“The trick (with the brothers) is probably not to have arguments with them in the lead-up to the game! It’s actually great because if any of the lads ring me it’s to discuss something positive and get my thoughts on it and it’s really great to see grown men so excited about camogie.

“As much as we would like to think it would be women in charge of women’s teams it doesn’t always pan out like that. We have a strong male management panel and to see them so passionate and excited about a camogie All-Ireland it’s probably contagious to be honest.

“Of course it would be special for my family but if anyone was captain my parents would be truly proud.

“It ends up being such a small group of players that my parents would often hug someone else before they’d come to me and it’s vice versa with someone else’s parents. That’s just lovely. I know if we win my parents will be so proud of Briege for example.”

Murray resisted the temptation to bow out on a successful note last September. This is her 17th season. She lives and works in Dublin yet still manages to fulfil the demands required to perform at the elite level of camogie.

An emotional Aoife Murray at the final whistle after the 2014 final victory over Kilkenny.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

“I was chatting to someone recently about this, nobody ever goes in to get numbers. Nobody ever says, ‘I want to get nine All-Irelands and then I’m going to retire.’

“That’s ridiculous but for me, every year you get a little bit older and different responsibilities happen in your private life or your professional life and it makes the effort more of a break which is an odd way of putting it but it is more of a break than a hindrance or an extra pressure.

“Just being able to get into my car on a Tuesday and head down, have total escapism for an hour and a half. And then to come back up and face into work, the pressures of work are far greater than the pressures of sport.

“Sport won’t pay my mortgage but work does. I’m going to be 35 on Saturday so it’s a bit mad to think that I’m still playing because women normally retire a little bit earlier.

“But I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t enjoying it and there’s always a new challenge ever year and the question is ‘am I able for it, am I up for it?’

“It’s great to be able to train.”

As an experienced player, she’s been able to observe changes in the sport. Last year’s decider was a notably low-scoring affair but Cork have been posting major totals this summer – 0-19 v Wexford, 4-15 v Dublin, 1-27 v Tipperary, 3-21 v Meath, 6-18 v Offaly and 0-21 v Tipperary.

“It’s just the way we’re being coached, we have two forwards coaching us and their attitude is about enjoying the sport and training you that ‘if the score is on take it!’

“It’s been that way this summer because we haven’t played against 10 in defence. We’re going to come up in the final against a team that probably will have a blanket defence, they catch you on the counter and bang a goal in.

“Will we be banging 20+ points over the bar? I’d be very surprised if that happened because you can only play what’s in front of you. What the guys allowed us to do was to be freer to enjoy the hurling side of the sport and to have a go and if it does go wide you got yourselves into a position to shoot.”

Last year’s triumph for Cork was labelled in some quarters as fortunate after a game that was settled by Julia White shooting over a match-winning score.

Aoife Murray lifts the O’Duffy Cup after last September’s final victory.

Source: Gary Carr/INPHO

“A lot of people have come to us and said that Kilkenny lost that game which was quite an insult because we were the ones that were going for it towards the end of that game,” says Murray.

“That doesn’t really upset us, people say those things and often that’s maybe the only game they’ve gone to all year. They’re an expert then.

“We came back out, we had a lot of work [to do]. We knew were down two All-Stars and last year’s Player of The Year.

“And for us to work our way back to a final, whether we win or lose, as long as we go and give 100% effort, I don’t think we can do a whole lot more.”

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THERE’S PLENTY IRISH interest to keep an eye as the 2018 AFL finals series began today but there was disappointment for Meath’s Conor Nash as his Hawthorn side lost out to Richmond.

Conor Nash, Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor are all focused on the 2018 AFL Finals.

Source: PA

The first qualifying final saw Richmond defeat Hawthorn 95-64 at the MCG earlier today.

Conor Nash (second left) after Hawthorn’s defeat to Richmond.

Source: AAP/PA Images

Simonstown Gaels club man Nash, who signed a new two-year contract with Hawthorn recently, kicked a goal in his team’s defeat but the result does not end their interest in the end of season fare.

Nice mark from Conor Nash.#AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/afk8Ym6H6a

— AFL (@AFL) September 6, 2018

While Richmond advance to the first preliminary final on 21 September, Hawthorn will face a semi-final tie on 14 September against Melbourne or Geelong.

That game takes place tomorrow in the first elimination final with Portlaoise native Zach Tuohy selected for Geelong in what will be his 168th AFL appearance, while Dingle’s Mark O’Connor will also see action as he is included as an interchange.

Geelong’s Zach Tuohy.

Source: AAP/PA Images

Mark O’Connor in action recently for Geelong against Gold Coast Suns.

Source: AAP/PA Images

Tuohy will have happy memories from Geelong’s most recent game against Melbourne when he scored a dramatic, late match-winning goal.

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ZACH TUOHY KICKS THE MATCH WINNER AFTER THE SIREN!#AFLCatsDees pic.twitter.com/0xknyuwHTL

— AFL (@AFL) July 21, 2018

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LOSING THE LIBERTY Insurance All-Ireland senior camogie championship final by one point, having led with just seconds of regulation time remaining, is difficult to take.

Having to watch from the sidelines, after being ruled out through injury, only adds to the acrid taste that lingers from the experience.

Claire Phelan.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

“It was just after the last round of round-robin games and I tore my hamstring in a club championship game,” recalls Claire Phelan. “It was before the semi-final. Then I was training, coming back and I tore it again just before the All-Ireland final.

“I just wasn’t going to be ready. I didn’t pass the fitness test before the All-Ireland. I togged out and was hoping I might see some of it but realistically, I just wasn’t ready. It was taking too much time to heal.

“That was tough. You want to be on the pitch and it was such a tough game… You’re standing there watching, and the game was so close, you’re always thinking what you could bring to it and what you could do but unfortunately it wasn’t going to work for me. The injury was never going to heal up in time. It was very hard, very tough to watch but the girls gave it their absolute all and did everything they possibly could. Cork are a great team and they showed it that day.

“This year, hopefully I’ll be able to hold onto my place and maybe do something on the pitch in Croke Park, if I’m lucky enough to be on.”

Now 24 – she will be 25 in November – Phelan need have no worries about being on the pitch, fitness allowing, having re-established herself again as Kilkenny completed a three-in-a-row in the league and return to the scene of the crime – and, it should be said, the scene of the glory of 2016 – for a third consecutive clash with Cork in an All-Ireland final.

It was Ann Downey who called her into the squad when she was just a fifth year pupil in 2011, during Downey’s second stint as manager. When the legendary figure returned a third time, she oversaw that long-awaited All-Ireland success.

Of course Phelan has long been in thrall to Downey and her sister Angela, who along with another multiple All-Ireland-winning sister with Kilkenny, Marina, garnered an All-Ireland club title with Lisdowney in 1994, when Phelan was just a few months old. These were the names that inspired the young girl picking up a hurley around that club then and now.

“Oh God yeah” says Phelan, who is now a primary school teacher. “Growing up you were hearing about them and watching out for them up in the pitch. It was great to have superstars like that in the mix at home in your own club. And then, as I was growing up, playing under Ann and Angela was an even bigger thing. They have all the knowledge of the game, they’ve been there and done that and you couldn’t ask for better really.”

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Brigid Barnaville and Anna Whelan were others from Lisdowney to participate in the golden period of Kilkenny camogie but it was Ann and Angela who led the way, with 12 All-Irelands each. Now Ann is captain of the ship, with Angela, Marina and another former great, Breda Holmes working selflessly.

In action in the 2016 All-Ireland final.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

“What Angela and Breda Holmes, and Marina do, between water and jerseys and hurls – some of the best people to ever play camogie and they’re happy out to be there in the background to help with all these things. We’re so lucky to have them and we don’t even realise it at times the work they’re doing. They’ll go to all the lengths they can to help us.

“They’re putting everything they can into it, in any way at all. It’s not about them winning anymore. They’re thinking about us and the future of camogie in Kilkenny. They were fortunate enough to be the stars a few years ago and they’re looking after us now and hoping we can do the same, to keep camogie strong in the county.”

Phelan has two All-Ireland medals a-piece at minor and U16 level to go with her senior memento. And while Lisdowney provided ready-made role models, she had had significant influences even closer to home. With three brothers (Seán, Martin and James), she quickly developed a toughness that has stood to her as the physicality of camogie has increased spectacularly in recent years.

“Growing up with three boys at home, they probably gave me a bit of a battering but it did me good and probably got me where I am. And they wouldn’t be afraid still to throw a few digs if we were out in the back garden!

“The lads would have played underage with Kilkenny and are heavily involved with the club here. They’re always out with the hurling ball as well, it’s just the natural way of life at home. Our parents are fed up with us going in and out with hurls and gear and everything.”

One imagines that there were many broken windows over the years.

“Oh God, there’s still some broken!” says Phelan laughing.

Getting to Croke Park is the reward for them all. And having missed out 12 months ago, they will relish it just that little bit more.

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LIMERICK ALL-IRELAND winner Richie McCarthy has become the latest member of their squad to be hit with a cruciate setback.

Richie McCarthy (left) celebrating Limerick’s All-Ireland final victory.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

The Limerick senior hurling team management have confirmed this morning that McCarthy tore his cruciate in a club game last weekend.

He was in action for Blackrock in the Limerick premier intermediate hurling championship against Pallasgreen last Friday evening when the injury occurred.

The statement read:

“Following a scan this week we can confirm that Richie has suffered an ACL knee injury playing with his club Blackrock last weekend which will require surgery in the coming weeks.

“The management team, backroom team and entire panel of players wish Richie the very best in his recovery and ensure him of our fullest support in the months ahead. We have every faith in his ability to work through this challenge and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch with Limerick and Blackrock in 2019.”

Richie McCarthy in action for Limerick against Galway’s Niall Burke.

The injury is a major blow to the experienced defender, who came on as a substitute in the 50th minute of the decider last month when Limerick ended a 45-year wait for Liam MacCarthy Cup glory.

He is the second Limerick player to have sustained such an injury this year with midfielder Paul Browne tearing his cruciate in 2011. Sean Finn, Seamus Hickey and Kevin Downes are other members of the Limerick squad to have faced long spells out of action due to cruciate injuries in recent seasons.

The 30-year-old made his senior championship debut for Limerick in 2011 and quickly established himself in the side. He was a key part of the 2013 Munster senior hurling triumph and won an All-Star award that year as well.

In 2010 he helped his club Blackrock win the All-Ireland junior hurling crown in Croke Park.

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Source: Robin Alam

1. “IN JULY, A huge family reunion in Youngstown brought McCullough, Briggs, Smith and Comer together for the first time. All of McCullough’s parents in one place, reflecting on nurture versus nature, what is inherited versus what is taught and the many different forms of parenthood. It was both the culmination of a journey and the start of something new for the families that the journey had introduced. A man found his parents, a mother found her child, and a father discovered a son he never knew he was missing. There is no jealousy, no resentment and no regret. There is just gratitude for the winding paths that brought them all together.

“When I look at Deland, the type of guy he is, it was a gift to us,” Smith says. “And to think — Deland felt we were a gift to him.”

“Now I know who I am and where I’m from,” McCullough says. “I got all of the pieces to the story. I got them all now.””

ESPN’s Sarah Spain penned the jaw-dropping story behind NFL coach Deland McCullough’s search for his family.

2. “Dublin are champions again. Just one more step away from immortality, but weighed down by that same, familiar reticence.

THE HURLING AND football championships witnessed the dawning of a new age during the 2018 season. 

Cormac Costello celebrates winning the All-Ireland final.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Alterations to the provincial hurling competitions, the arrival of the Super 8s series and the new dates for the All-Ireland finals have changed the landscape of the GAA.

Like with any movement in sport, teams have had to adapt to these changes and the increased number of games has tested the depth of panels across both codes.

Additionally, the GAA is now in an era where matches are closer to 80 minutes in length rather than 70. This is largely due to the time accumulated through substitutions, with referees adding on roughly 20 seconds for every sub that is made.

The All-Ireland football final produced seven minutes of added time while the hurling decider lasted for 78 minutes, although a head injury to Galway keeper James Skehill largely contributed to the time added on in that game.

Galway keeper James Skehill leaving the pitch during the All-Ireland final.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

In any case, all of these factors have combined to place a bigger emphasis on impact subs coming in with fresh legs to offset the fatigue in their teammates and eke out a result.

Shane Dowling

Limerick’s incredible journey to ending a 45-year wait for the Liam MacCarthy would not have been possible without the Na Piarsaigh club man.

Dowling was previously a regular face in the Limerick attack but a devastating knee injury in October of 2017 kept him out of action until the following year and halted his return to the starting team.

A suspension for Aaron Gillane earned Dowling a recall to the team against Waterford in the Munster championship, where he registered 0-15 (13f) and kept his place for the next round against Clare.

Shane Dowling rejoices after Limerick’s win in Croke Park.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

He scored a point as a second-half substitute in their All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Kilkenny but it wasn’t until the All-Ireland semi-final against Cork that he truly came to life in the championship.

Dowling came off the bench in the 56th minute when Limerick’s challenge looked to be fading and scored an impressive 1-4, including an extra-time penalty to send Limerick back to an All-Ireland final for the first time in 11 years. 

His off-the-bench exploits proved critical once again in that final against the reigning champions Galway.

Dowling came on once again in the 56th minute and rattled the net to propel his side to an historic All-Ireland victory.

Peter Casey.

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Similar to Dowling, Peter Casey made a welcome return to the Limerick attack after a shoulder injury lay-off during the Munster round robin series. 

He chipped in with two points when he was introduced just before the hour-mark against Kilkenny to help push Limerick into an All-Ireland semi-final where he also came on as a sub.

In the All-Ireland final, he made another vital impact by providing the assist for Dowling’s goal against Galway after dispossessing Adrian Tuohey and engineering the counter-attack.

Cormac Costello

Much of what makes Jim Gavin such an accomplished manager is his ability to ensure he has a formidable bench to call upon at any given time. 

The panel approach has been a key characteristic of this four-in-a-row winning Dublin side, and different players have occupied the impact-player role at different times.

In 2018, Cormac Costello diligently carried out the duties of the impact sub and could feel rightly aggrieved to have not been handed a starting jersey in the crunch championship games. 

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

He started at wing-half forward in their final Super 8s game against Roscommon and top-scored for his side with 0-9 before he was withdrawn in the 47th minute. But that was a dead-rubber tie as Dublin had already booked their place in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

He made vital contributions off the bench elsewhere in the Super 8s series and also chipped in with three points in the All-Ireland semi-final victory over Galway.

 Aron Shanagher

Following his return from a cruciate ligament injury, Aron Shanagher made a powerful impact for the Clare hurlers in both of their semi-finals against Galway. After coming on as a late substitute in normal time, Shanagher rifled a shot into the roof of the net in extra-time as the sides played out a thrilling draw in Croke Park.

They reconvened in Semple Stadium the following weekend where Shanagher made his presence felt once again after coming off the bench with seven minutes of normal time left to play.

Aron Shanagher.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

He finished with a tally of one point but should have scored a goal as well. After his first shot was saved, Shanagher was quickest to pounce on the rebound with an open goal at his mercy.

His first-time flick however came back out off the post and Galway managed to squeeze through to the final.

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