Keep up to date with all the weekend’s GAA action right here.
From hurling to Gaelic football, it’s another huge weekend in the championship. Keep up to date with all the action right here in our live-blog.
Donal Óg calls out Cork’s defensive spirit
The Cork hurlers need to beat Limerick next weekend to stay alive in the Munster championship. The Sunday Game analyst Donal Óg Cusack gives them a chance, but only if they improve their defensive ‘spirit.’
The former Rebel goalkeeper singled out four Cork players for their poor defensive attitude in the build-up to Shane O’Donnell’s goal for Clare last week.
“The spirit to hunt back from the Cork defenders…some of them are walking. Luke Meade is on the field two minutes…(Robert) Downey makes an attempt, but it looks a fairly laboured attempt.
“And that wasn’t an isolated incident. From a Cork point of view, they’ve conceded hugely in the first two games.
“Add in the two red cards in the full back line and that kind of defensive spirit. You need to have the same spirit running back towards your goals as attacking.
“That type of defending is just not good enough. Any Cork player who’s defending like that is not in the right frame of mind, and he’s wearing the wrong jersey.”
“I do give Cork a chance, but only if they eliminate that type of behaviour.”
Kevin McStay’s sporting comments after Mayo loss
Kevin McStay refused to criticise referee David Gough after Mayo’s narrow Connacht final loss to Galway.
Some Mayo fans felt hard-done-by over a flurry of late frees the Meath whistler awarded to Galway but McStay said he had ‘no issue’ with Gough’s diplay.
“Frees at the beginning are worth a point as well,” he said.
“We zone in on the last few minutes but David Gough is the best referee in the country by a mile.
“There was two teams out there driving into one another, it was really hard physical stuff. Very difficult match to referee because both teams just so badly wanted to win the cup.
“We have no issues. He has reffed us many times in the past; good days and bad days. It was a difficult game to ref. I wouldn’t like to have refereed it. We got a bounce at certain times in the match. Then a few went against us.”
The late frees were debated on The Sunday Game, with Ciaran Whelan stating that Galway’s last one ‘could be a free the other way.’
Padraic Joyce’s post-match interview
Padraic Joyce called out the media, the GAA and even gave Mayo a dig in an explosive post-match interview after Galway’s Connacht title win.
“When lads go writing articles about Padraig Joyce only beating Mayo once in 8 matches, you get it sent to you 40 times you have to read it…nothing about lads in the opposition not winning Connacht titles,” he said, by means of a dig at Mayo and the media.
He then let the GAA have it over holding the All-Ireland group stage draw last week, before the provincial finals.
Late Connor Gleeson and Shane Walsh show wins Connacht title for Galway
Galway defeated Mayo by 0-16 to 0-15 to win their third Connacht title in a row.
Three injury-time points without reply won the game for Galway, with goalkeeper Connor Gleeson sealing the deal with a last-gasp free into the breeze.
The introduction of Shane Walsh just before half-time had helped to swing the tide in Galway’s favour as he kicked 0-3.
Galway captain Sean Kelly gave a powerful speech after the game. Beginning in Irish, Kelly paid a particular tribute to match-winner Connor Gleeson.
“I want to get a massive round of applause for Connor Gleeson.
“He had to bury someone close to him this week, and to do what he did there today. There was someone definitely looking down on him. So a massive roar for Connor Gleeson.”
Shane Walsh dropped from Galway team for Connacht final
Having been named to start earlier in the week, Galway talisman Shane Walsh has been dropped off the team at the eleventh hour. John Maher has also been dropped off the Galway team named to start, with Kieran Molloy and Cathal Sweeney taking their place.
Kevin McStay also made a late change with Paddy Durcan replaced by Eoghan McLaughlin.
Galway: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, J Daly, L Silke; P Conroy, S Kelly; J Heaney, K Molloy, C Darcy; R Finnerty, D Comer, C Sweeney.
Mayo: C Reape; J Coyne, R Brickenden, S Callinan; E McLaughlin, D McBrien, D McHugh; S Coen, M Ruane; J flynn, F Boland, J Carney; A O’Shea, T Conroy, R O’Donoghue.
Ikem Ugwueru scores drop-shot goal against Kerry
Kerry were forced to work hard for a seven point win over Clare in the Munster senior football final, on a final scoreline of 0-23 to 1-13.
Buoyed by their home Cusack Park crowd, Clare put it up to Kerry in the first half and trailed by four at half-time.
A well-taken Ikem Ugwueru goal reduced the deficit to five in the second half but late points from Sean O’Shea were enough to see an unconvincing Kerry to victory.
Eddie Brennan’s pointed criticism of Galway after loss to Wexford
‘All the men wearing Wexford jerseys today,’ wrote the former Kilkenny player on X after Galway’s Leinster championship loss to Wexford.
Despite having to play much of the second half with 14 men, due to a red card for Cian Byrne, Wexford defeated their rivals by 1-28 to 0-23.
James Owens runs across Tipperary goalkeeper’s line of sight during penalty
Stephen Bennett scored the first goal of the Walsh Park show-piece from a penalty, but it wasn’t without controversy.
Wexford referee James Owens ran across the Tipperary goalkeeper’s line of sight just as the penalty was being struck, with Barry Hogan appearing to question the ref at the time.
Tipperary and Waterford selectors square up to each other at half-time
Members of the Tipperary and Waterford backroom teams squared up to each other at half-time of their Munster championship clash in Walsh Park.
Waterford had led the game by four points in injury-time but were pegged back by a late goal by Tipperary sub Sean Kenneally.
Liam Cahill and Davy Fitzgerald were not involved in the row and shared a warm embrace after the game.
After the game, the Tipperary manager explained why he celebrated so passionately at the final whistle.
“I celebrated it as if it was a win but really what I was celebrating was the fight in my team,” he said afterwards.
“I wasn’t celebrating the one point. I wasn’t celebrating the so-called narrative of getting out of jail. I was celebrating the fight in us, in our players in Tipperary. That’s what I was celebrating today.”
“It’s not lost on us the responsibility we have when we put on the Tipperary jersey, when we put on the Tipperary bainisteoir bib. It’s not lost on us and the public needs to know that.
“No one hurts more than our players, than us, the people that are working behind the scenes endlessly to perform and make Tipperary people proud.”
The Connacht senior football final between Galway and Mayo is the game of the day on Sunday and it will be preceded by the Munster decider, between Kerry and Clare.
Both of these games will be shown live on RTÉ two.
Fixtures
Sunday
Munster SFC final
Clare v Kerry, Ennis, 1.45 – RTE
Connacht SFC final
Galway v Mayo, Pearse Stadium, 4.00 – RTE
