Archive for 'October 2016'

Football’s changed. It wasn’t like this back when I was minor or Under-21, or when I first walked out the tunnel with Graham Canty, Michael Shields and Nicholas Murphy



Colm O'Neill: What You Don’t Know About Being a Forward

Club , Cork GAA and County | Fri Oct 28 14:15:47 IST 2016

In conversation with Shane Stapleton

 

Football has changed. It wasn’t like this back when I was minor or Under-21, or when I first walked out the tunnel with Graham Canty, Michael Shields and Nicholas Murphy.

 

This thing called patience wasn’t part of the deal back then. The ball came in and you racked up the scores; that was it, that’s what I was reared on. For the first few years it stayed that way, and then Donegal changed how we think about football. Their way of playing came through, and the game has changed.

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Rangers, United and Rovers are all in action this weekend but it’s not the FA Cup draw, it’s the All-Ireland club football championships. Carbery Rangers travel to Monaleen of Limerick after winning a maiden Cork title, with Tipperary football star Robbie Kiely part of the set-up. 



AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships Talking Points, 22nd/23rd October 2016

Cavan GAA , Club , Cork GAA , Dublin GAA , Laois GAA , Longford GAA , Offaly GAA , Tipperary GAA , Waterford GAA and Wexford GAA | Wed Oct 26 14:56:51 IST 2016

All in a name

 

Rangers, United and Rovers are all in action this weekend but it’s not the FA Cup draw, it’s the All-Ireland club football championships. Carbery Rangers travel to Monaleen of Limerick after winning a maiden Cork title, with Tipperary football star Robbie Kiely part of the set-up. 

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Templenoe’s Mick, Tom and Pat Spillane between them hoarded 13 All Stars during their Kerry careers, creating a record for one household.





From the same blood spills much glory

Club , Cork GAA , County , Dublin GAA , Kerry GAA and Kilkenny GAA | Tue Oct 25 12:46:38 IST 2016

Words by Shane Stapleton

 

Templenoe’s Mick, Tom and Pat Spillane between them hoarded 13 All Stars during their Kerry careers, creating a record for one household. Factor in 19 All-Ireland titles between them and you can understand where the individuals honours might have come from. You could say something similar for another family in another corner of the county, the O Ses.

Between Darragh, Tomas and Marc, these three brothers won 12 All Stars before retiring, while uncle Paidi had five in the bag before his nephews ever pulled the colours down over their shoulders.



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The teams who have suffered more heartbreak than most in the world of GAA



House of Pain: The teams who have suffered more heartbreak than most in the world of GAA

Club , County , Galway GAA , Kerry GAA , Limerick GAA , Mayo GAA , Roscommon GAA , Tipperary GAA and Waterford GAA | Thu Oct 20 16:08:00 IST 2016

Words by Shane Stapleton

 

It takes a brave team to keep walking out chin first when they’ve been punched back so many times. Consider how easy it would’ve been for Mayo, Waterford, Limerick and many more to chuck their boots into a corner and let them rot. That’s not the GAA way and while plenty eventually climb up the steps of the Hogan, many others are left waiting. We’ve had a look at some of those who’ve endured huge pain, and please let us know on social media other teams who should be on the list.

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AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships Talking Points for the 15th/16th October 2016 fixtures.



AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships Talking Points, 15th/16th October 2016

Antrim GAA , Club , Derry GAA , Donegal GAA , Laois GAA , Limerick GAA , Mayo GAA and Tyrone GAA | Thu Oct 20 10:46:58 IST 2016

Borris-Kilcotton v Rathdowney-Errill

A battle of amalgamations. Borris-In-Ossory and Kilcotton had to let go of storied pasts in order to rubberstamp their coming-together in early 2011. But Borris hadn’t been in a final since 1978, hadn’t won a title since ‘72, while Kilcotton had to go back to the ‘20s for glory.

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Brendan Maher became the latest man to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup in September 2016, following some enduring footsteps up the steps of the Hogan.





What clubs have provided the most All-Ireland winning Hurling captains?

Club , Cork GAA , Kilkenny GAA and Tipperary GAA | Wed Oct 19 15:46:00 IST 2016

Words by Shane Stapleton

 

Brendan Maher became the latest man to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup in September 2016, following some enduring footsteps up the steps of the Hogan. In the following days, a photo was taken of the midfielder sitting down having a drink with Jimmy Finn, his fellow Borris-Ileigh clubman who had lifted the same title 65 years earlier aged just 20.

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Band of Brothers Part 1: The GAA families who have represented their county in both Hurling and Football

Clare GAA , County , Dublin GAA , Football , Hurling , Tipperary GAA and Wexford GAA | Wed Oct 19 15:24:00 IST 2016

Words by Shane Stapleton

 

Russell Crowe says you build a team around brothers.



The Hollywood actor took over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2006 when the rugby league side were on their knees. Just eight years later, they won the grand final for the first time in 43 years with a 30-6 win over the Bulldogs. It was a victory built on blood.

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Sean Quigley: Being an inter-county player is a 365 days-a-year existence

Club , County and Fermanagh GAA | Tue Oct 18 12:59:39 IST 2016

I’m away for surgery in Dublin today and, to be honest, I’m a bit relieved.



It means that I don’t need to feed any bull to a manager about why I can’t show up for a training session or a match. The knife gives me a long auld doctor’s cert.



With the gilmore’s groin, I’ll be laid up and it’s gives me some time to chill out, to unwind after a very long season.

 

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AIB Club Championships Talking Points

Armagh GAA , Clare GAA , Club , Derry GAA , Donegal GAA , Football , Hurling , Laois GAA , Longford GAA and Tipperary GAA | Thu Oct 13 12:44:00 IST 2016

Ballyea v Clonlara

 

Ballyea have only ever once made a Clare senior final and that was in 2003 when Anthony Daly’s Clarecastle beat them by nine points. The black and amber side have one surviving player from that clash — a then 17-year old wing-forward named Kevin Sheehan — who is now the goalie. Ballyea have four hurling and five football Banner panellists at inter-county level, including 2013 Hurler of the Year Tony Kelly and 2016 All Star nominee Gary Brennan. They have also benefitted from the isolated player rule as Damien Burke and Pearse Lillis have come from Cooraclare where there is no hurling side, likewise Stan Lineen, Martin O’Leary and David Egan from Kilmihil, along with Cathal Doohan and Ryan Griffin of Lissycasey. Clonlara beat 2014 champions Cratloe in the semi-final and are hoping to go one better than last year when they were beaten by Sixmilebridge. They have a stack of inter-county class in Colm Galvin, Darach Honan, Oisin O’Brien, John Conlon, Cathal ‘Tots’ and Nicky O’Connell, along with Domhnall and Cormac O’Donovan.

 

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What I would tell myself if I could whisper into a young Paddy O’Rourke’s ear? Well, when you’re standing in front of the Hill making your championship debut against Dublin in 2009, expect noise. Noise and atmosphere. Because it’s going to rain heavily down on top of your 20-year-old head every time there’s a free, a score or a turnover. Everything is worth fighting for.



Paddy O'Rourke: Letter to my younger self

County , Football and Meath GAA | Wed Oct 12 17:29:01 IST 2016

Paddy O'Rourke in coversation with Shane Stapleton

 

What I would tell myself if I could whisper into a young Paddy O’Rourke’s ear? Well, when you’re standing in front of the Hill making your championship debut against Dublin in 2009, expect noise. Noise and atmosphere. Because it’s going to rain heavily down on top of your 20-year-old head every time there’s a free, a score or a turnover. Everything is worth fighting for.

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AIB today marked the 25^th anniversary of its proud sponsorship of the GAA Club Championship by teaming up with Colm Cooper, Dr Crokes and Kerry footballer; Ronan Maher, Thurles Sarsfields and Tipperary hurler; Paddy McBrearty, Kilcar and Donegal footballer; Shelly Farrell, Thomastown and Kilkenny camogie player and Ryan O’ Dwyer Kilmacud Crokes and Dublin Hurler to launch the 2016/17 GAA and Camogie Club season. The five stars have finished their inter-county season and are now back with their respective clubs preparing for county finals this weekend as the battle of #TheToughest continues. 



AIB Launch 2016/2017 GAA & Camogie Club Championships

Camogie , Club , Football and Hurling | Wed Oct 12 13:52:04 IST 2016

AIB today marked the 25^th anniversary of its proud sponsorship of the GAA Club Championship by teaming up with Colm Cooper, Dr Crokes and Kerry footballer; Ronan Maher, Thurles Sarsfields and Tipperary hurler; Paddy McBrearty, Kilcar and Donegal footballer; Shelly Farrell, Thomastown and Kilkenny camogie player and Ryan O’ Dwyer Kilmacud Crokes and Dublin Hurler to launch the 2016/17 GAA and Camogie Club season. The five stars have finished their inter-county season and are now back with their respective clubs preparing for county finals this weekend as the battle of #TheToughest continues.

 

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What clubs have provided the most All-Ireland winning Football captains?

Club , Dublin GAA , Football and Kerry GAA | Mon Oct 10 14:26:00 IST 2016

Words by Shane Stapleton

 

The irony: to see Kerry men helping a Dublin side top this list.


Both counties have a long tradition of winning but you wouldn’t expect to see one hand wash the other. Through mutual benefit, that’s what happened.


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So the final is over and the victor has emerged and already the history books on this day have been written. And like we said earlier in the year, it’s all weighted on the side of the winner. It’s all the goalkeeper’s fault and the manager’s for making that one decision, which resulted in a one-point win or loss depending on your perspective. Oh, if it were that simple.



Kieran McGeeney: Stop the cause of the offence rather than symptoms of the cause

County and GAA | Fri Oct 07 15:08:36 IST 2016

Mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating

 

So the final is over and the victor has emerged and already the history books on this day have been written. And like we said earlier in the year, it’s all weighted on the side of the winner. It’s all the goalkeeper’s fault and the manager’s for making that one decision, which resulted in a one-point win or loss depending on your perspective. Oh, if it were that simple.

 

No mention of the balls dropped short or the missed frees, or missed tackles and/or poor decisions and so on. But such are the spoils of sport. As well as raising the cup, you get to brush over all your bad points while at the same time exaggerating your opponents’; everything you do is right (or more right) and everything everybody else is doing is wrong.

 

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WATCH: #TheToughest Truce

Club , Dublin GAA , GAA and Mayo GAA | Wed Oct 05 14:38:00 IST 2016

Club rivalries run deep in Dublin and Mayo but could two bitter enemies call a truce for the greater good? Watch and be amazed.

Parnells and Raheny went face to face with AIB asking them if they could put their differences aside in Dublin, while in Mayo is was Charlestown against Ballaghderreen.

There are insults, abuse and even a few threats. What will happen next?

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