2017, Con O’Callaghan bursts onto the senior scene. He’s already known nation-wide for club, for county underage teams, for football and hurling, but he’s given the opportunity at the very top in 2017 and he’s loving it. The year is capped with two remarkable individual goals at the very beginning of Dublin’s two biggest tests. […]

7 years ago

Somewhere throughout this summer, Manchester City was liquidated as a club and you all missed it. Not only were they tossed from existence but every memory of them was banished too. The FA Cup, League Cup and Premier League treble champions just suddenly ceased and the football world moved on without the 98-point, 95-goal juggernaut […]

7 years ago

“What Flannery had… it came from a self-belief. One I’ve never seen before and haven’t seen since.” A comment like that would be high praise coming from anyone but when Paul O’Connell is talking about your mental strength in those terms, you have it. Whatever it is. Jerry Flannery doesn’t even know if it was […]

7 years ago

It’s hard to find many managers with universal approval from a squad of players. Generally, there will be a sub section feeling aggrieved. Some will just have lost a bit of respect along the way for something minor that they probably went looking for. Others will have their own WhatsApp group dedicated to taking the […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling Ronan Maher’s the sort of boy when training has wound down, you’re in for your final huddle and debrief and half the team have one foot in their cars already, he’d pipe up with, ‘let’s play one more’. Nobody can go anywhere because of that one objection. Even if […]

7 years ago

Let’s not get carried away, but… One day, somewhere in the green country of Tipperary, someone might name their child after that Seamus Callanan strike. They’ll pass down stories of it – as if there’s no highlights – that will be exaggerated to the point that myth tells you Callanan connected with it whilst flying […]

7 years ago

The real magic of sport is when these moments are created that transcend beyond the result. Every so often, a player can rise above the winning and the losing of the game and do something that will stand the test of time. Results will be printed, the next round will be played and a new […]

7 years ago

There’s Beast Mode and then there’s Callum Brown Mode. One of Derry’s most impressive products continues his development Down Under and the GWS Giants are reaping the rewards. It was a bad night for the Giants in the North East AFL as they took a bruising defeat at Gold Coast Suns but Brown was one […]

7 years ago

Another night in Tallaght, another warm feeling in the tummy that only football at its best can deliver. Thanks be to Jack Byrne. Shamrock Rovers take a one-goal advantage out to Cyprus with them after coming behind against Apollon Limassol to secure a 2-1 Europa League second round qualifier win. And like he has been […]

7 years ago

Australia, welcome to the world of solo dummies. It’s a terrifying world, to be honest. You live in fear every day knowing that it could be you. You could be the one who’s sold at any moment and you could be the one to have your ankles broken at any turn but you have to […]

7 years ago

In Clones in 2017, Donegal were swept aside in the Ulster semi-final by a slick Tyrone machine. Rory Gallagher had Michael Murphy in midfield and it was probably the best place for him to get on the most ball because, despite trying to flood the full forward line with four players at times, Donegal just […]

7 years ago

Conor Hourihane, Declan Rice, Jack Grealish. Christ. It’s depressing, I know. It’s pointless, I know that more. But that’s a midfield that could be competing at the top. Rice and Grealish are English and given the choice, they would’ve always chosen to play for England but, crucially, they weren’t always given the choice and, more […]

7 years ago

24 years of age, three full seasons under his belt, Callum Robinson is going back to the big time and he’s ready. Three years ago, despite dropping a division themselves, Aston Villa offloaded Robinson and it’s proving to be a misstep. Robinson signed for Preston, by way of a loan to Bristol City, and has […]

7 years ago

Dublin beat Galway, knocked them out of the championship and left Parnell Park with their backs being slapped for making it back to the knockout stages. Suddenly, from a momentous win over the 2017 champions and 2018 finalists, Dublin hurling was looking at a potential quarter-final clash in Croke Park with Tipperary. There was just […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling The problem with being a legend is that you have something to lose. Eddie Brennan might never lose his All-Irelands but when any great player ventures into management, they’re putting it all on the line again. The way we remember legacies – however lasting – is by short-term memory […]

7 years ago

70 minutes from the Super 8s. 70 minutes from Croke Park – and yet another game in Croker if you’re lucky enough to draw Dublin in the quarters. The final set of fixtures for the All-Ireland qualifiers have been drawn as the football championship sits with just 12 remaining teams. Four games will next place […]

7 years ago

Every county has a story like it. A big controversy, sketchy details, good players off the panel. Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady wasn’t just a quality hurler for Tipperary but he was captain of the panel in 2006 until one night in the Anner Hotel, he was dispelled from the squad and would never return. In a […]

7 years ago

Back in 2013, Davy Fitzgerald surprised the country and he left that trick for the biggest of days. Clare had made it to the All-Ireland final playing with an extra defender the whole way through the championship and, come the first Sunday in September, bang. Fitzgerald went orthodox. It paid rich dividends with Shane O’Donnell […]

7 years ago

Thurles. The home of hurling. The GAA Hour is on the road again and just in time to put together the only Munster hurling preview show that you want to be a part of. Colm Parkinson and the team will be in Tipperary next Thursday with a star-studded line-up to look at the Tipp-Limerick clash […]

7 years ago

August 8 will be a long time coming. The summer is tough. You allow yourself to get to a stage during the season where you’re so spoiled you’re turning your nose up at having to watch the FA Cup. The Premier League and Champions League – even the bloody international breaks – serve up such […]

7 years ago

Flash! Ah-ah! Saviour of the universe. Flash! Ah-ah! He’ll save everyone of us. David Gordon had one hell of an eventful Wednesday evening. Seneschalstown took a big scalp – and made a bigger statement – with a hammering of title-chasing St. Colmcille’s and it was their goalkeeper, Flash, who took the plaudits. In Round 8 […]

7 years ago

73 minutes are gone. Scotland are 3-0 up. By the time the 90th minute has rolled around, it’s 3-2 and Argentina have a penalty. 92′: Penalty is saved. 93′: VAR intervenes and orders a retake. 94′: Penalty is scored. The game ends 3-3. Lee Alexander is punished because her heel has fractionally left the line […]

7 years ago

Niall Corcoran might be a biological son of Galway but he’s been involved with Dublin hurling that long, he was even there when Conal Keaney was playing. Wait, what? He’s still playing? Whatever, Corcoran is a Kilmacud Crokes man and he’s heavily invested in the club as a player and as a coach and as a Games […]

7 years ago

The provincial structure raises its ugly head again. There’s romance in conquering your province and there’s serious merit to it too but by way of fitting into an All-Ireland competition, it’s flawed and it’s unfair. In men’s football, having the provincial tournament link to the wider national tournament is the number one biggest problem with […]

7 years ago

Republic of Ireland international Amber Barrett is turning professional. The Donegal striker is joining FC Köln on a two-year deal and will link up with the German club in July. Barrett scored 30 goals for Peamount United this season, including seven hat-tricks, and attracted attention from American colleges but, after finishing her teacher training, will take […]

7 years ago

Tipperary had stormed to their third victory in succession and the county’s assault of Liam MacCarthy was announced. Cork, Waterford and Clare were cast aside by the Premier county but as the stadium had emptied, the players were showering and the media dispensing, a group of unused Tips subs were getting something from the day […]

7 years ago

Austin Gleeson is hardly unfamiliar to a good, old-fashioned hullabaloo. He’s coming up on just 24 and it feels like he’s been around the block a few hundred times already. He’s had success on those streets. Hurler of the year awards, a national league title and an under-21 All-Ireland championship make the good days great […]

7 years ago

We want you! It’s summer, it’s championship, and the nation’s best GAA show is on the road again. The GAA Hour kickstarts its live shows next Thursday in Roscommon ahead of the Connacht final and it’s coming bigger and better than ever before with Paddy Power. Galway and Roscommon have contested the last three Connacht […]

7 years ago

Compubox to the rescue. Katie Taylor showed guts and stamina and bits of craft in her win over Delfine Persoon in MSG but there were eyebrows raised at the judges’ decision to award her the victory. In a war of attrition, Taylor dominated the opening of the fight but she was under the cosh for […]

7 years ago

The sight of Delfine Persoon storming out of the ring and exiting the arena in tears was difficult to ignore. She had fought bravely, smartly and in the eyes of the experts, she had fought well enough to win the fight. As it was, she lost her WBC lightweight title and Katie Taylor was draped […]

7 years ago

Katie Taylor is the undisputed lightweight champion of the world after collecting her fourth and final belt, beating Delfine Persoon with a split decision. In an almighty battle in New York, Taylor looked to have come unstuck against the 34-year-old who never once relented in coming forward. It was a display of tenacity, toughness and […]

7 years ago

Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 Liverpool Alisson Becker Value. Trent Alexander Arnold Bend. Joel Matip Tall. Virgil Van Dijk Wall. Andy Robertson Energy. Jordan Henderson Nutmegged. Fabinho Hammock. Georginio Wijnaldum Quietest. Mohamed Salah Threat. Roberto Firmino Injured. Sadio Mané Rampant. Subs Divock Origi Form. James Milner Boring. Joe Gomez Insurance. Spurs Hugo Lloris Hologram. Kieran […]

7 years ago

Jordan Henderson is a European Cup winning captain. A model professional, a serious athlete, a dog. He has a desire to improve more than most, a relentless attitude to win and keep winning but even he looked like he couldn’t believe what happened in Madrid. He’s been with Liverpool for eight years now and, whilst […]

7 years ago

24 seconds into the 2019 Champions League final, Liverpool were awarded a penalty because of Sissoko’s hand ball. 24 minutes later and Kevin Kilbane was still crying on Virgin Media Sport about the decision. By every metric, the action was an offence and Liverpool were owed their penalty. The hand ball rule in football has […]

7 years ago

“I used to be raving about him.” Tony O’Leary coached Conor Hourihane for nearly six years. “There was this older gentleman who was the president of the club at the time and I’d always be telling him that he needs to come up and watch this young fella here. I said he’s very good. ‘He […]

7 years ago

Alysia Montano and her story has struck a chord. She’s a champion middle-distance runner so she’s always been someone to look up to. She once competed in an 800m race whilst eight months pregnant and, another time, six months after giving birth, she won a national title. She’s to be admired, respected and she’s someone […]

7 years ago

The worrying thing is that there were so many kids at Anfield who wore with pride the infamous text at the back of the Liverpool jersey: Suarez 7. The man lit the place up, he burned a fire in the hearts of the supporters and he inspired younger players to want to grow up kicking […]

7 years ago

It’s too easy and too lazy to detract from the constant progression Jurgen Klopp has brought about at Liverpool by just asking how many trophies he’s won. Whatever happens in the final three games of the title challenge – either way, it’s going to the last day now – Liverpool have lost just one game […]

7 years ago

Look, it might not be the answer to every bastardin’ problem in sport, but it has to be done. You lose a game, you’re not fit enough. You lose a ball, you’re not fit enough. You arrive late for training because your boss was trying to fire you over something you didn’t do, you’re not […]

7 years ago

Thanks, Ruby. Only Ruby Walsh could win a Punchestown Gold Cup and retire from the sport with immediate effect. He leaves as he’ll be remembered, at the very, very top. There are many disputes in life, even more online and there are plenty of bad-luck betting stories that everyone has – final fences falls. But […]

7 years ago

Louise Quinn woke up on Monday morning a champion. She might’ve had a sore – but still “functioning” – head and a hoarse throat after the celebrations of Sunday night but she also had a medal around her neck. After moving to north London in 2017, the Irish football veteran (and her still only 28) […]

7 years ago

Proper accounting records for the FAI “are not being kept”, according to the FAI’s auditors. The Companies Registration Office were given a report from the FAI’s official auditors, Deloitte, which states that the Association are in contravention of sections 281 and 282 of the Companies Act 2014. The CRO’s submissions show that they received correspondence […]

7 years ago

The existing FAI board has confirmed its intention to step down once a new structure is put in place in the coming months. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, confirmed the decision at Tuesday’s Oireachtas meeting after reading a letter signed by FAI president Donal Conway. Ross opened his remarks by apologising for […]

7 years ago

It’s a shit question to hit anyone with in the middle of a chat. What would you be if you weren’t… It doesn’t lend itself to a conversation and it’s not even something he hasn’t heard before but Shane Lowry has a simple answer for a silly enquiry. – What would you be if you […]

7 years ago

There was an intermediate final in Derry a few years back and the referee had already lost any hope of being able to walk off at the end without a steward’s escort. A few dodgy decisions mixed with unnecessary involvement at other times and shaken well with a one-point game between two clubs who had […]

7 years ago

Ole Gunnar, I’ve got three very quick questions for you. How long would you like on your contract? What would you like your salary to be? And where would you like the statue? Hope they didn't start building that statue… pic.twitter.com/HZKVPDKJi1 — SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 16, 2019 We all get a little carried away sometimes […]

7 years ago

It’s a Monday morning in late October and it’s not the easiest time to shake yourself for a 90-minute spin to the Mater hospital. Oisín Kiernan has had a late night. At the fourth time of asking, Castlerahan have overcome the last obstacle and they’ve gone and won the club’s first ever Cavan senior football […]

7 years ago

13 years later, Leitrim are back in Croke Park. Just once in their entire history have Leitrim footballers won a national senior title and they have that opportunity on Saturday. Back in 1990, they beat Sligo in the All-Ireland B final in a feat that makes up one of five titles that the senior football […]

7 years ago

Jon Walters’ last game for Ireland was a 4-1 hammering in Cardiff. It doesn’t matter. He didn’t even play for the country’s senior team until he was 27. It doesn’t matter. There are regrets with Jon Walters. We should’ve used him sooner and he deserved to play for longer too; beyond 35 – for another […]

7 years ago

Identity. Every team, every part of the island should have its own identity. Accents, scenery, culture, we all have different stories to tell and we should be proud to tell them. Nobody gains anything from subsuming another’s way of doing things. Corofin own who they are. Their style of play has inspired a whole country […]

7 years ago