TJ always plays heads up hurling

8 years ago

Timing beats height. Limerick laid down a number of markers on Sunday afternoon. Aaron Gillane can claim the first of those for catching a ball over John Hanbury’s head after just four seconds of the game. The ball broke to Darragh O’Donovan straight after the throw-in and he swung it straight down on top of […]

8 years ago

You wouldn’t let cows out on it. Ragwort is a highly poisonous plant and most farmers take preventative measures to ensure it doesn’t grow in their fields. Cattle, cows, horses, pigs and chickens are extremely sensitive to ragwort. Indeed, one of the few animals that can tolerate the wild, yellow plant are indeed sheep. Antrim […]

8 years ago

Brian Cody won his first All-Ireland as Kilkenny manager in 2000. In 2001, Kilkenny were defeated by a Eugene Cloonan inspired Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final and Brian Cody vowed that he’d never make the same mistake again. His mistake? Not freshening things up since the year previous. “The week after the match he said […]

8 years ago

Mike Casey was disrespected from all angles before Sunday’s All-Ireland final. Galway are going to target this little man on the full back line and he’s not going to be able to do anything about it. Johnny Glynn is a force of nature and Mike Casey won’t stand a chance against him. They wrote the […]

8 years ago

For one so young, Kyle Hayes has seen a lot in a Limerick jersey. Back in 2016, the then 17-year-old first caught the radar of Limerick hurling folk when he put in some powerful displays for the county’s minors at full forward. That year, Hayes’ threat on the edge of the square brought Limerick all […]

8 years ago

He’s going to savour this one. Limerick won their first All-Ireland in 45 years on Sunday and Shane Dowling is adamant that himself, his 36 fellow panellists and the rest of the Treaty County are going to celebrate like it was 1973 on Monday night and deep into the rest of the week. John Kiely’s […]

8 years ago

These are the days. Kyle Hayes’ words to Colm Parkinson the day after he won the man-of-the-match as a 20-year-old in the All-Ireland senior hurling final were telling. “I don’t want this feeling to end,” said the Kildimo youngster who was born in 1998. “I’m absolutely buzzing, it’s hard to put it in to words,” […]

8 years ago

Shane Dowling is as honest as the day is long. The man will say what’s on his mind, he doesn’t care about the reaction and you can take it or leave it from there. The Na Piarsaigh forward was absolutely sickened not to get the start in Limerick’s first All-Ireland final appearance since 2007 on […]

8 years ago

Kyle Hayes is only 20 years of age. He was born in 1998 and he doesn’t know much about Limerick’s heartbreak in 1994 when Offaly pipped his county at the post late on. In fact he doesn’t know much about heartbreak in a Limerick jersey at all. The youngster was drafted into the senior panel […]

8 years ago

The morning after the night before. The pain in his head on Monday morning was easily ignored when he thought about Sunday’s sweet victory, but Aaron Gillane was never going to be joining Limerick’s man-of-the-match Kyle Hayes in the City West swimming pool in the early hours for a recovery session. The whole of Limerick […]

8 years ago

What a year it’s been for hurling. 2018 was Limerick’s year but hurling was the real winner. Because of 2018, hurling is no longer in Gaelic football’s shadow. Where Gaelic football is focused on rule changes to make itself a more enjoyable watch, hurling has never ever been in a better place. The round-robin provincial […]

8 years ago

What a year of hurling it’s been. Limerick lifted Liam when to close out what has surely been one of the most enjoyable years in hurling history. Here’s our best 15 from a memorable championship season. 1 Eoin Murphy (Kilkenny) Nicky Quaid pushed him hard, but how could you go against the man who created […]

8 years ago

It’s actually really tough to call it this year. Once Limerick and Galway booked their place in the All-Ireland final, the hurler of the year was always going to be from either of those counties. They’d been the two best teams in the country on balance and outstanding individual contributions were the reason they’d made […]

8 years ago

Never batted an eyelid

8 years ago

Limerick 3-16 Galway 2-18 Kyle Hayes worked in Croke Park on Sunday like a man has never worked before. The sight of Seamus Flanagan leaving Gearóid McInerney on his arse was telling, the sight of Aaron Gillane catching balls over Daithí Burke’s head an unfamiliar one, the sight of Conor Cooney hitting three wides in […]

8 years ago

Michael Duignan was in tears before the game even began. Limerick began the All-Ireland final like a house on fire. Aaron Gillane caught two balls over Daithí Burke’s head, Mike Casey left Johnny Glynn sitting on more than one occasion down at the other end of the pitch. Cian Lynch was lording it in the […]

8 years ago

Johnny Murphy has had enough of it. His fellow referees have had enough of it and it’s about time they took a stand. Half-time is the worst time for them. They’ve just covered every blade of grass on the pitch for nothing but abuse from the sideline and then they blow the whistle and send […]

8 years ago

Sure they couldn’t escape it. His father hurled before him and the Grandfather was a good club hurler back in the day too. Some say that hurlers are born, not made and while there undoubtedly are many exceptions to that rule, you can’t beat a bit of breeding. The slicks wrists, the clever hurling brain […]

8 years ago

It’s Cork and Kilkenny for a third year running. The two counties have been at the top of the camogie tree for some time now and on September 9 they will contest their third consecutive O’Duffy Cup decider in Croke Park. Kilkenny stuttered over Galway in the opening semi-final on the Thurles card and Cork, […]

8 years ago

You could almost feel that one just watching it on television. Paddy Barnes made the short journey to Windsor Park with the aim of becoming a professional world champion for the first time, he left it after four rounds with a bruised stomach and a broken dream. It all started well for Barnes. Despite a […]

8 years ago

Graham Burke is on fire. Former Shamrock Rovers front man Graham Burke began his Preston North End career in fine fettle and he continued that red hot form into his championship debut at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon. Alex Neil’s side took the lead after 40 minutes in their home grounds when Paul Gallagher rammed home […]

8 years ago

John Conlon has been tasked with the unenviable job before. The Clare man spent almost three hours of his life wrestling with Galway’s prized bullock over the course of two All-Ireland semi-final days and he knows more than most the daunting pen the Limerick lads are pounding into. Conlon’s a a man made of iron […]

8 years ago

In 2014, Eoin Murphy didn’t have to worry about any of it. An elbow injury early on in the year had sidelined the Glenmore man for the Leinster final and All-Ireland semi, so when Brian Cody called him over during Kilkenny’s last session before the decider, he actually thought he was about to be dropped. […]

8 years ago

It’s 2013 and Aaron Gillane is struggling for confidence. He’d been on Limerick ‘B’ teams at under-14 and under-16 level but now he’s 17, in his last year minor and he isn’t making the match-day squads. Gillane is from Patrickswell and, in the village of Patrickswell, hurling starts the conversation and it usually finishes it […]

8 years ago

“For me, that’s a no-brainer”

8 years ago

Size matters, but so does spirit. Mike Casey will be coughing up five inches and over 20kg to Johnny Glynn on the edge of the Limerick square on Sunday afternoon in the biggest game of his life to date but don’t for a second think that the Na Piarsaigh man is quaking in his boots […]

8 years ago

It’s never been more difficult to pick an All-Star hurling team but Jackie Tyrrell has done a fairly decent job of it. Because of 2018, hurling is no longer in Gaelic football’s shadow. It’s no surprise that there were more spectators in Croke Park for the hurling semi-finals than the football this year – that’s […]

8 years ago

Limerick 8 Galway 7. And then there were two. Galway and Limerick have survived the hits of the round-robins, they’ve stood tallest and longest in the All-Ireland series, they’re contesting the All-Ireland final on Sunday. Galway go into the earlier than usual decider as favourites but John Kiely’s Limerick are young, well drilled and they […]

8 years ago

At The Races will be relaunched as Sky Sports Racing next year. The channel will be available to all Sky subscribers in the UK and Ireland at no extra cost. The channel will offer coverage of fixtures across the UK, with special deals in place for Bangor On Dee and Chester. Over the last few […]

8 years ago

We never knew you could make a living out of being a Freelance Sperm Donor. The Ulster San Francisco Gaelic football team are gunning for a senior championship final this weekend in Treasure Island and Joe Duffy’s side are having a bit of craic in their preparations for the decider. In fairness, all of the […]

8 years ago

For the sleeping giant that is

8 years ago

Following the right track. When Donnacha O’Brien steered Forever Together to victory in the Epsom Oaks in 2018, the 19-year-old completed a feat that not even his older brother Joseph had managed in his riding career. The eldest of the O’Briens had 10 Classics to his name when he hung up his whip almost two […]

8 years ago

Mickey Harte knows what it took then and he knows what it takes now. Tyrone defeated Monaghan in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final but the Monday that followed was a lot different to the Monday after the county’s previous All-Ireland semi-final victory over Wexford way back in 2008. For the players anyway. The Monday club sessions stretched […]

8 years ago

He will be a big loss for the Dubs in the years to come, there’s no doubting that. James Madden has been one of the brightest young prospects in Dublin GAA for a couple of years now. Two years a Dublin minor, the talented attacker, best noted for his blinding pace, played a key role […]

8 years ago

Brilliant news for the Yellow Bellies. Wexford GAA PRO PJ Howlin confirmed to SportsJOE on Tuesday morning that Davy Fitzgerald will remain as Wexford manager for the 2019 season. The Clare native took over the Wexford reigns in 2016 on a three year deal and he will in 2019 be heading into a fourth. The […]

8 years ago

He’s coming back for more. For the first time in a number of years, 2018 saw Mayo’s Championship dreams ended before the dawn of July. The perennial contenders were defeated in the Connacht championship by Galway for a third year running and despite regaining composure to defeat Limerick and Tipperary in the qualifiers, they were […]

8 years ago

Joseph O’Brien is making horse racing attractive again. The Melbourne Cup winning trainer has enjoyed a wonderfully successful 2017. He saddled 102 winners across flat racing and National Hunt in Ireland during the year. His prize money for the year was bordering on €2 million. He’s surpassed distinguished trainers Noel Meade, Jessica Harrington and Henry De […]

8 years ago

Another day and another win for Dublin. Tyrone showed tremendous heart and plenty of courage in Omagh, but any time they really put the pressure on Dublin, they were calmly placed straight in front of the drawing board. The home crowd would roar, Tiernan McCann or Padraig Hampsey would belt out a passionate fist-pump and […]

8 years ago

Sense appears to have prevailed. It didn’t matter if you were a football fan, a GAA fan or a rugby fan because over the last few days those of all sporting interests the length and breadth of this country were united in the quest for fairness and what is right. From Cork to every other […]

8 years ago

Very out of character for Kevin McStay. The Roscommon manager stormed onto the Hyde Park pitch just on the stroke of half-time during the Rossies’ second round Super 8s clash against Donegal. McStay appeared to have been aggrieved due to one of his players being on the receiving end of an apparent kick from a […]

8 years ago

Kerry needed this one. The Kingdom have been licking their wounds ever since the Galway seniors gave them a nightmare start to life in the Super 8s in Croker last weekend. There was a lot of soul-searching in the Kingdom ranks this week, with county legend Darragh Ó Sé questioning the team’s character. The seniors […]

8 years ago

It wasn’t supposed to be this easy for Kilkenny. The Cats’ under-17s blitzed an explosive path through Leinster all the way to the final only to come up short in that goal-fest, game of the year against an inspired Dublin outfit. After they lost to Galway in the preliminary semi-final last weekend, the pressure was […]

8 years ago

Meath, they are rising again

8 years ago

The Laois man is now one of Australia’s finest. A former Leinster minor championship winner with Laois, Zach Tuohy made his move Down Under in 2008 and his has been a success story to top all other Irish explorers of the AFL. The Portlaoise club man ripped it up with Carlton for six years before […]

8 years ago

Anthony Stokes is on the road again. The former Celtic, Blackburn, Arsenal and Sunderland striker has been a without a club ever since he left Greek outfit Apollon Smyrni back in April. The former Republic of Ireland front man joined the Greek side as a free agent in February, just two weeks after he had […]

8 years ago

Fair play to the young Rebel. 19-year-old Cork man Caoimhín Kelleher was brought on as a second half substitute to replace the under fire Loris Karius during the Pool’s Friendly win over Blackburn on Thursday evening. Kelleher, who joined Liverpool’s academy from Cork side Ringmahon Rangers in 2015 wasn’t too busy in his half an […]

8 years ago

Never have as many hurlers lived under the one roof. First of all it was Kilkenny’s Walter Walsh and Tipperary’s Noel McGrath who lived in the south Dublin residence. These lads got to know each other in UCD where they studied Ag Science side by side. Soon after that in 2015, Matthew O’Hanlon came along […]

8 years ago

This will be the first ever Test match between Ireland and England. The four-day Test will take place between July 24-27 in the summer of 2019. The match will then be preceded by a one-day international between the sides in Ireland on May 3 2019. Ireland Cricket captain William Porterfield says it’s a dream come […]

8 years ago

There’s no traffic like Dublin city centre traffic. It’s easy to say that Dublin lads have it easy. One of the number of shots taken at them is that they don’t have day jobs and that they’re in the gym, the pool and the sauna looking after themselves while all other county players slave over […]

8 years ago