Month: September 2021

FOXROCK-CABINTEELY MAY not be one of the names that immediately jumps to mind when you think of the top level of ladies club football in the country.

The past few years has seen the All-Ireland senior series dominated by the same clubs over and over again, and Foxrock-Cabinteely captain Sarah Brophy is first to agree.

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“I think the last couple of years you’ve always had the same names knocking around — Donaghmoyne, Mourneabbey, Carnacon — and I think beating a team like Carnacon does put you out there. People see you coming then,” Brophy tells The42.

FoxCab pulled off a huge performance to ensure a place in their first All-Ireland final, pulling off a shock against Cora Staunton’s Carnacon to book a date with the defending champions Donaghmoyne.

That semi-final was a tight affair until FoxCab wing-back Lorna Fusciardi was sin-binned; the south Dublin side responded by stepping up to score two goals in as many minutes. That was the turning point, and they held on to make club history and break the All-Ireland semi-final barrier, having lost to Donaghmoyne the previous year.

Brophy admits her side’s relief in finally taking the next step and reaching the coveted All-Ireland final.

“Yeah it was [a relief] to get over that hurdle. That’s kinda been our story the whole way. We’d reached the Leinster final one year, then we’d gradually get to the next stage. To get past the semi-final this year, particularly the fact that it was against Carnacon, that was huge for us. We knew we were going to have to put in a big performance.

“It was like we didn’t even notice [Fusciardi] had gone off the pitch,” she says, looking back at the incident that changed the game.

“I don’t know if there was more space there, I don’t know if we just knew that we really had to lift it, but for some reason it let us out of the blocks. That’s what I was saying, it’s unusual what lifts a team.”

It’s been quite a rollercoaster story for Brophy personally. She’s been there from the start and has really climbed the ranks of Dublin club football.

“Foxrock and Cabinteely amalgamated in 2004 but I played for Foxrock since I was about nine or something. We were just Foxrock.

“We started at, I think we were actually Junior E at the time. Initially, we had one or two seasons where we physically couldn’t field a team, some of the girls played for Olafs at the time. We weren’t amalgamated with them but we could play for them.

“And then, our first year as a senior team we lost all around us. Then gradually, we won the junior All-Ireland in 2007, and after that then I suppose we just started going up.

Source: Matt Browne/SPORTSFILE

“When we won the junior [county title] at Dublin, some of the girls didn’t actually know that you went any further. That was how much we didn’t know about it, we didn’t know you went into Leinster. So things have changed since then.

“If you had said to me back then that we’d be here now, I probably would have… Well I wouldn’t have known what it was probably. I would have probably laughed at you as well,” Brophy jokes.

But FoxCab have become a force to be reckoned with over the years, and they mean business.

With a management team which saw UCD to O’Connor Cup glory back in March, Pat Ring, Angie McNally and Peter Clarke are among those hoping to bring the honours back to Foxrock.

“They’ve been involved in coaching teams at the highest of levels. The more they’re doing that, the more experience they’re getting and the more they’re bringing to us. Some of the girls play for UCD as well, so winning with the same girls is going to give you experience to hopefully get over the line.”

The amalgamated side won’t have too far to travel for Sunday’s final in Parnell Park (throw-in 2.45pm), and Brophy is hoping that their support will be their 16th man and help them over the line.

“People have definitely gotten out and are getting behind us. We have our Facebook page and our Twitter and they’re constantly tweeting about the events. All the girls on the team, their friends and family have been at all the matches so we’ve had pretty good turnouts.

“We’ve been happy with it. You have the younger teams coming out as well to support us, which is also nice to see. That helps, that it’s in Parnell Park. It’s not too far of a trip.”

FoxCab know that it’s no easy task that lies ahead of them. The four-time All-Ireland and 10-time Ulster champions stand in their way in a repeat of last year’s semi-final.

Brophy recalls the day.

“It was a very tough game, it was probably the toughest game we’d had up until that point. I think we were just a bit disappointed after. I don’t think we showed up as good as we could have on the day. Disappointment was probably the biggest feeling from that game.”

However, things have changed now. FoxCab are a year older and a year wiser, and they’ve also come through fierce battles in both the Dublin and Leinster championship, and of course the semi-final victory over Carnacon.

Brophy knows it’s going to be a tooth-and-nail fight, and isn’t disillusioned by Donaghmoyne and their vast experience.

“Obviously we’re coming at the game from very different places. It’s our first year, I don’t know what year it is of theirs. But, they’re going for back-to-back. We know it’s going to be a very tough challenge, there’s probably inches between us so it’ll come down to who wants it more and who works harder on the day.

“It would just mean everything [to win], it’s the ultimate goal. We started as a club probably a little over 10 years ago, we’re a very young team, and it’s almost surreal to be here now.

“It has all happened quite quickly, to get to the highest level you can possibly get to, so it would mean everything.”

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THERE’S NO OTHER podcast in Ireland that could seamlessly integrate Planet Earth references into a conversation about sport quite like Second Captains.

That’s something that presenter Eoin McDevitt has been committing to in recent episodes and the results have been predictably entertaining.

Earlier in the year, while the Second Captains were recording episodes from New York, McDevitt regaled the crew about his mortifying exchange with Henry Shefflin, who they had recruited to feature in the stateside shows.

While trading tales about their previous trips to the city, McDevitt tells Shefflin he ran the New York City marathon in such a way that unintentionally suggests that he’s closing in on the sporting achievements of the ten-time All-Ireland winning hurler.

There’s also the episode where soccer correspondent Ken Early has just arrived in his base in Marseille for Euro 2016 and horrifies McDevitt and Murph (Ciarán Murphy) back in Ireland with a confession that he’s talking to them wearing nothing but his underwear. In the follow-up episode, Murph lingers on that image of Early, remarking “nothing between us but a thin stretch of polyester and cotton mix”.

Whether by accident or design, chats about the banalities of life and other wider issues have always formed a nice juxtaposition alongside the sports stuff on Second Captains.

Ciarán Murphy, Eoin McDevitt and Ken Early

Source: James Crombie/INPHO

And the diversions from the script certainly haven’t caused any dissolution in the listenership. Scroll down the Irish Times Second Captains Soundcloud page and you’ll see double digit numbers punctuated by a ‘K’ beside each audio file. No apologies needed for their interesting tangents.

“We do try and bring in stuff that is actually happening in our lives” McDevitt told The42, “because things that are happening in people’s lives can often be quite funny. In the case of Murph and Ken, they’re both great at talking about wider things.

“We have these conversations in the office between the five of us about stuff that isn’t just sport. There does come a point where we are sports journalists but we’ve got us much right to have an opinion as anybody else so why not?”

When you think of the crew which comprises the Second Captains, McDevitt, Ken and Murph are the ones with the biggest profiles. But working the controls behind it all are the production team of Simon Hick and Mark Horgan, who are better known among the cohort of devout listeners.

McDevitt stresses that the recognition is not a core factor. However, having conveniently crunched the numbers in advance of our chat, he was able to tell me that his number of Twitter followers are advancing on Ciarán level of fandom. There’s a margin of 1.4k followers separating them based on the most recent calculation.

I don’t think any of us are obsessed with that side of it,” says McDevitt. “I actually quite like when people who listen to the podcast a lot and really engage with it. Often times they will know who the guys (Hick and Horgan) are. One listener sent in an audio bed and expressed his admiration for the beds that Mark is putting together.

“Everything is collaborative. Someone will have an initial idea and bash it off everyone else.”

Second Captains first formed in 2013 — shortly after the quintet’s departure from Newstalk — following a sequence of meetings at Horgan’s house “hatching plans”, according to McDevitt. Preparing for The Irish Times show consists of formal meetings and WhatsApp messages. Generally though, once they’ve selected the right guests, McDevitt feels confident they can “do a good show regardless”.

Variety between the topics discussed is always guaranteed and amidst the humour, they’ve covered some harder issues. From domestic abuse to addiction issues, they’ve tackled them all with integrity.

One of their most prominent interviews dates back to late last year when they invited former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness onto the TV show to promote his new book ‘Until Victory, Always’.

During it, McDevitt addressed aspects of the book regarding references to current boss Rory Gallagher and former player Kevin Cassidy, which he felt left McGuinness prone to accusations of a double standard.

Reflecting on it now, McDevitt admits that the tense exchange sent his heart-rate soaring, but he knew his course was true.

As long as you can think in your own head, you can back up what you’re asking, I think you have to stick to it. I’d also say that I don’t mind doing those interviews that do get a little prickly because it makes you think a little bit more and analyse, “why am I doing this? was it right to ask that?”‘

Last year, Second Captains launched a book entitled The Second Captains Sports Annual, Volume 1, to look at the highlights of 2015. It turned out to be a successful enterprise and the sequel, Volume 2, has just been released.

For his contribution, McDevitt chose to interview Michael Conlan. The injustice at Rio and the explosive TV interview that followed formed part of his motivation to chase it. But the intrigue in Conlan stretches further back than that.

“I chatted to him on the podcast in late 2015 around the time of the World Championships. He had just won the World Championships. What I was struck by was his confidence, he was talking like Conor McGregor.

“The first time I interviewed him was just before the London Olympics and he was just like a young kid, very quiet, very nice and he still is the same, he’s still a very nice guy. But I noticed this steely edge to him, this real confidence that was both real but also I think he was going for the McGregor effect of talking himself up and willing himself to be even better than he is.

“Even then he was talking about going professional and becoming a multi-weight world champion. I was really watching with interest what was happening to him at the Olympic Games.”

In his college days, McDevitt was focused on becoming a print journalist but the subsequent years saw him deflect into the world of broadcasting. Documenting his chat with Conlan in Belfast helped him to reconnect with those days and ironically, it turned out to be an interview more suited to print than a podcast.

“It was funny, his daughter is about 18 months and she was trying to get his attention. She wanted to go swimming and she certainly didn’t want to be sitting around listening to him talking about what happened in Rio. She was great but there were a few times he had to stop his train of thought and make sure she was ok and then come back and talk.”

Murph and Davy Fitzgerald after Clare won the 2013 All-Ireland final.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

He adds: “He had a great ability to pick up the thread of what he was saying and then get straight back in. When you’re interviewing somebody it can sometimes be ‘oh where were we’ and also, you’re in the middle of getting a good answer and it tails off and you start again.”

I remember thinking ‘if this was a podcast interview, I’m not sure how well it’s actually flowing.’ But I  knew there was loads of good nuggets in there and he was so generous with his time.”

Second Captains are 750 podcasts deep into the journey and that’s what they’re celebrating this weekend with ‘The Gang’s All Here’ show at the Liberty Hall. Tickets sold out within hours and the line-up of guests is assembling nicely.

Tadhg Furlong and regular visitor to the Second Captains parish Andy Lee, are confirmed along with TheJournal’s Sinead O’Carroll, while show favourite Brian ‘US Murph’ Murphy is also travelling over. They also have a Sunday show on RTE Radio 1 which has been confirmed for next year’s schedule.

Second Captains are sailing their own ship and the course is true.

“Owning what you do has been quite liberating. Even though it’s tricky days at the very start, looking back I think it’s character forming. It makes you think about your career, and what exactly you want to get out of it and where you want to go and who you want to do it with.”

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AMANDA CASEY IS a name that’s been floating around ladies football circles for quite a while at this stage.

The 32-year-old midfielder has been pivotal for both her club and county for the past several years, and 2016 has been no exception as she donned the red of Donaghmoyne for the 18th year.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Having taken time out to have a baby last year, Casey is back captaining her side and hoping to get her hands on her fifth All-Ireland club medal. Beating Foxrock-Cabinteely on Sunday would also mean club history for the Monaghan side, as they would win back-to-back titles for the first time.

“Last year, I had a baby and I came back. I didn’t even think I’d get back to fitness or whatever but I was delighted to be back. We won an All-Ireland and now I think, the more you win, the more you want to win. It’s amazing,” she tells The42.

“Back-to-back is the big thing after winning last year. A lot of the years, the following year after winning we haven’t performed very well but this year it seems to be a lot different. We’re really performing well, and that’s a big thing so we’re really gonna go for it and see where it takes us.”

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A tough battle with Cork and Munster champions Mourneabbey two weeks ago saw Donaghmoyne through to their seventh All-Ireland senior final, and in line to win the club’s fifth title.

“I think a big advantage for us was that we had our home ground. We knew [Mourneabbey] would come up fighting, and we knew if we were going to win we’d have to fight even harder. There was nothing in the game, it could have went to either team.

“It was injury time and we scored two points from the reliable boot of Caitriona McConnell and Cora Courtney just grabbed a point at the end too. At the end of the day, there was nothing between the two teams, and they were devastated. You could see how upset they were at the end.

“It’s a hard place to be but they’ll be back next year, they’ll probably be even stronger again. We lost a lot of All-Irelands before we won one, so I’ve no doubt that Mourneabbey will be back stronger than ever next year.”

Source: Matt Browne/SPORTSFILE

Casey, who owns her own gym in Castleblayney, has quite a challenging time balancing family, football and work commitments. She finds it easier than others may though.

“When you love something, it’s very easy to motivate yourself. You want to play, you want to win and you want to play your best.

“I’m very very busy with the gym, thank God, and I work most evenings. Although, just lately I have a few more people in to help me so I’m not finding it as hard. For a long time there I was teaching classes, and then going on from there to training. And your body can’t do that, especially when you’re over 25!”

That said, she’s unsure if she can commit to the inter-county set-up again having taken a step back after her son was born last year.

“I never officially retired [from Monaghan], I never ruled anything out. I was taking it one day at a time. And then at the start of last year I decided that I wasn’t going to go back, I was busy with work, and it was just too hard with the kids and everything.

“As time goes on, your priorities change a little bit and it’s hard to fit everything in. If there was more days in the week I definitely would play. It’s just hard to fit everything in. I do miss it. If I had more time I’d love to go back, but look, you never say never.

“I think my husband would divorce me first of all if I told him I was going back! He’d be worried about his dinner every evening,” she laughs.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know what next year is going to bring. At the minute I’m probably saying I probably won’t go back, but you never say never.”

Reflecting on the last few years with Donaghmoyne, the former All-Star midfielder looks back fondly.

“Playing with the club now for 18 years, it’s a long time. A lot of brilliant times. We’ve four All-Irelands now so that’s amazing. A lot of bad times too, we lost a lot of All-Irelands as well, but that’s where you want to be.”

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

“It’s still the same crop we’ve had a long time. A lot of us started playing together whenever we were 14 or 15 and we’re still together.  A large bunch of that team probably won the All-Ireland in ‘06, you have probably 10 players still playing.”

Donaghmoyne are a side that dominate the inter-county panel in Monaghan, with Casey alongside Sharon and Cora Courtney, Caitriona McConnell and Linda Martin to name a few, representing the Farney County year after year.

This year, however, several players decided against committing to the panel.

“I think what had happened to the Donaghmoyne players is it’s year in year out, our club runs on till December, and an awful lot of the girls end up going back in January or February, so they just got tired, and it just gets harder.

“It wasn’t to do with the team, it was to do with my own time. I think some girls just needed a little break.

“It probably is an advantage [for the club]. I think a lot of the girls are very fresh come the end of the year, whereas other years they mightn’t be as fresh. You can see some girls are only peaking now.”

And Casey is certainly hoping her side can peak on Sunday, with just 60 minutes between themselves and their coveted fifth All-Ireland title.

She’s determined to captain her club to their first consecutive All-Ireland victory, but opposition comes in the form of a strong Foxrock-Cabinteely side.

The Dublin and Leinster champions are making their first All-Ireland final appearance, and boast some of the finest footballers in the country including Sinead Goldrick and Niamh Collins.

Source: Matt Browne/SPORTSFILE

Donaghmoyne, however, are no strangers to the south Dublin side, having met them in last year’s semi-final.

“They were super. They’re very fast, very strong, very physical. Very like Donaghmoyne, maybe they’re an all-round team, it’s not like one or two really strong players and a few weak links. Sometimes you get certain players dominating on a club team but they’re very strong all round, very fit, very fast.

“That game that day, we were lucky Linda Martin pulled off a couple of saves, as usual, to really keep us in the game. We were really lucky, saves that she had no right saving. But I think we played well that day, it was at home as well, and we really dug deep and it’s going to take the same effort again.

“They have a year extra now, they’re a year stronger. I just think the game is going to go right down to the wire, and I think maybe a little bit of luck on the day might determine the game, or a little bit more fight.

“But there’s no doubt about it, there’s still plenty of fight left in Donaghmoyne, that’s for sure.”

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IRELAND CAPPED OFF a memorable November Series last weekend with a scalp over Australia to ensure we finish 2016 with a clean sweep of the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights.

Later in the week we saw Brian Cody commit to another season in charge of Kilkenny, although some pundits feel this was an unwise move. Controversy surrounding the mark coming into Gaelic Football continued, and the Melbourne FC captain got tangled up in his words in a cup-winning speech.

Here’s what you had to say.

Source: Daniel Ochoa de Olza

Sloop John G had an interesting response to the discussion which followed the story that Zinedine Zidane’s son Enzo scored a goal on his senior debut during the week.

Steve & Alex Bruce. Paul & Tom Ince. Harry & Jamie Redknap. Johnny & Michael Giles. All legends in their own lunchtime 🙂

Source: Mike Egerton

Gareth Southgate has been confirmed as the permanent manager of the England football team on a four-year deal. Joe Bloggs got an interesting debate going in light of the news.

What vegetable will the sun call him after the world cup?

Source: Francisco Seco

Cristiano Ronaldo was accused of using a Dublin-based company to minimise taxes paid in Spain during the week. John wanted to make a comment about his own tax affairs.

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I’m using Ireland to increase the amount of tax I pay!

Source: Tom Beary/INPHO

The mark is going to be introduced to Gaelic Football next year and it continues to cause division among fans. Here’s what Donncha Ó Ríordáin had to say on the matter.

Only the GAA can make something so simple so complicated.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Ger Loughnane criticised Brian Cody’s decision to re-commit to his role with the Kilkenny hurlers. But Ruairi Kinsella feels that Loughnane’s words have had no such effect in Kilkenny.

Reignited the debate?? I can tell ya there’s fxck all debate in Kilkenny anyway

Melbourne City FC captain Bruno Fornaroli, dropped the ‘F’ bomb at the end of a cup acceptance speech. Interupting Sheep suspects that the Uruguayan born player might have been set-up by his teammates.

Yea, yea Bruno. I swear, it means ‘come on’. Go on ahead and say it at the end. It’ll be great….”

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Alan Mulcahy had this to say in response to the theory that Tadhg Furlong is inspiring a new generation of young rugby players in Leinster.

For me, the exciting bit is that kids are coming through the provincial club game. In the old days Leinster players from outside Dublin were typically from the top rugby schools, today they are from the clubs. As a Leinster fan, I am supporting up and coming stars who played as kids n New Ross and Athy (as well as the old reliables). The Leinster branch has been doing great work in helping to nurture the talent in the clubs.

Source: Frank Augstein

Things got heated between David Haye and Tony Bellew at the press conference ahead of their showdown next year. Haye was afforded the opportunity on Sky Sports to send a message to Bellew, which he did with a crude amendment of his opponent’s second name.

The Sky Sports reporter conducting the interview was none too pleased with Haye’s choice of words but Anthony Campion feels it was a slight over-reaction.

The Sky reporter went a bit overboard Jesus fella it’s not the fall of the Berlin Wall your doing, it’s showbiz baby.

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St Maurs (Dublin) 2-13
Kinsale (Cork) 3-8

By Jackie Cahill at Dr. Cullen Park, Carlow

DUBLIN senior panellist Olivia Leonard was superb as St Maurs claimed All-Ireland junior club glory on Saturday.

Leonard ruled the roost at midfield and scored 1-5 from play as St Maurs won the battle of the first-time finalists at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow.

It was an exceptional game of football played out in front of a bumper crowd and St Maurs managed to hold off a second half fightback from Cork opponents Kinsale to win by two points.

Kinsale’s All-Star forward Orla Finn scored five points, with All-Ireland minor medallist Sadhbh O’Leary finishing with 2-2, but this was an exceptional defensive effort from St Maurs, who had Jessica Kelly excellent in the spare role at the back.

At half-time, St Maurs were 2-8 to 1-4 clear and it was a devastating spell of scoring approaching the break that opened up a seven-point advantage.

The sides were level at 1-3 apiece after 20 minutes but St Maurs opened up with an unanswered 1-5 to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

Kinsale went without another score until late in the half, when Finn’s third point of the game, and second free, completed the scoring before the interval.

St Maurs could have had even more on the scoreboard by half-time after registering 10 wides, Kinsale notching six themselves.

St Maurs were determined to stop Finn and O’Leary causing havoc in the Kinsale inside line and dropping back an extra player helped to clog up the space in which the dynamic duo were keen to operate.

Leonard in action for Dublin.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

And with Leonard running the show in the centre of the park, lethal sisters Niamh and Laura Carthy were free to do their stuff in attack.

And it was Laura Carthy who struck for the game’s opening goal in the ninth minute, a stunning finish after Leonard and Niamh Carthy created the opening.

But Kinsale’s goal was an equalising effort, Aoife Keating following the ball in to make sure after Francesca Towers had brilliantly saved the midfielder’s initial effort.

St Maurs took over from there until the break, however, and it was Laura Carthy’s off-load that allowed Leonard to power through the Kinsale defence for a clinical finish in the 25^th minute, and a second goal for the Dubliners put them in the driving seat.

Leonard kick-started the second half scoring with another super effort from play but Kinsale, who lost goalkeeper and captain Aisling Judge to injury in the first half, stuck at it.

They were back in contention when O’Leary converted a 36^th minute penalty and it was very much game on nine minutes later when the corner forward’s effort snuck past Towers at her near post, with the goalkeeper confident that the ball was drifting wide.

Finn’s 46^th minute point had the margin down to two, St Maurs ahead by 2-11 to 3-6, but the Metropolitans steadied the ship with fine points from Áine Pyne and Leonard, who was the stand-out player on show.

O’Leary and Finn replied with points for Kinsale, who refused to die, but they lost Emma O’Brien to the sin-bin late on and couldn’t reel St Maurs in.

Scorers for St Maurs: O Leonard 1-5, L Carthy 1-2, N Carthy 0-3 (1f), J Kelly, S McGuinness & Á Pyne 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kinsale: S O’Leary 2-2 (1-0 pen), O Finn 0-5 (2f), A Keating 1-0, F Ahern 0-1.

St Maurs:

F Towers; S.A. O’Brien, N Thorne, J Kelly; G Thorne, S McGuinness, S Moran; E McGuinness (capt.), O Leonard; N Carthy, E Conway, Á Pyne; L Harford, M Foley, L Carthy.

Subs: M Benson for O’Brien (35), M Moran for Harford (35), A McGuinness for Pyne (58), N Tynan for L Carthy (60+2).

Kinsale:

A Judge (capt..); T McCarthy, E O’Brien, C Keohane; G Buckley, C O’Callaghan, G Gould; A Keating, L Copithorne; J Cronin, J Murphy, E Murphy; F Ahern, O Finn, S O’Leary.

Subs: D Tyner for Judge (inj., 28), R Murphy for Gould (h.t.), A Lee for O’Callaghan (60+3).

Referee: S Mulvihill (Kerry).

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Carrickshock (Kilkenny) 3-12
Celbridge (Kildare) 1-16

St. Conleth’s Park, Newbridge hosted what can only be described as a classic encounter between Carrickshock and Celbridge, where the Kilkenny kingpins struck late to crush Celbridge dreams.

The seven-time Kildare champions couldn’t have asked for a better start. After a Gerry Keegan free, the prolific youngster then turned provided and found Thomas Fitzgerald in the square. Fitzgerald’s deft touch found the net to give the boys in blue an unexpected early lead.

The Kilkenny champions who boast the fact that they have 22 senior All-Ireland hurling medals between them, appeared to find it hard to settle. However, Kevin Farrell had his eye in and kept his side in touch.

The sides traded scores, with Celbridge edging ahead as the first half entered its final exchanges. With a monster score from inside his own half, Kildare footballer of the year Fergal Conway split the posts as Celbridge found themselves leading 1-09 to 0-09 at the break.

Would Celbridge be able to sustain the level of play they showed in the opening half? Only time would tell.

As play recommenced, Keegan continued his fine form pointing from distance. With the deficit at six points, Carrickshock introduced eight time All-Ireland winner, Richie Power.

Power in action for Kilkenny.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

With his first touch, Power set up half forward John Power but the latter was denied by an excellent point blank save from Niall Lanigan.

It was clear that the tide was turning and that there was a Carrickshock comeback on the cards. Firstly John Dalton found the net in the 53rd minute as Celbridge began to wilt. Moments later Kevin Farrell added to his seven points with his side’s second goal.

With the score line reading 1-15 to 2-12, Gerry Keegan stepped up to edge underdogs Celbridge in front once again. However the experience of the Kilkenny side was on show again and second half sub, Michael Rohan slotted his effort home to grant Carrickshock the title in the 63rd minute to grant them their first Leinster title.

For Celbridge, it’s again so close but yet so far as they fall short at the Leinster Final stage for the third time since 2010.

Celbridge Scorers: Gerry Keegan 0-10 (6f), Thomas Fitzgerald 1-00, Fergal Conway 0-02, Leo Quinn 0-02, Mark Maloney 0-01, Sam White 0-01

Carrickshock Scorers: Kevin Farrell 1-07 (4f), John Dalton 1-00, Michael Rohan 1-00, John Tennyson 0-01, Brian Donovan 0-01, Mark O’Dwyer 0-01, John Power 0-01, John Butler 0-01

Celbridge:

1. Niall Lanigan

2. Tom Finnerty
3. Fiachra O’Muineacháin
4. Patrick Curtin

5. Kevin Murphy
6. Donal Maloney
7. Niall O’Muineacháin

8. Paddy Maloney
9. Billy White

10. Sam White
11. Leo Quinn
12. Gerry Keegan

13. Thomas Fitzgerald
14. Mark Maloney
21. Fergal Conway

Subs: 22. Brendan Lyng for Paddy Maloney

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Carrickshock:

1. Jamie Power

2. David Franks
3. John Dalton
4. James Grace

5. John Cahill
6. John Tennyson
7. Niall Tennyson

8. Brian Donovan
9. Damien Walsh

10. John Power
11. Michael Rice
12. Kevin Farrell

13. Darragh Brennan
14. Mark O’Dwyer
18. Shane Power

Subs:

20. John Butler for David Franks,
22. Richie Power for Brian Donovan
15. Micheal Rohan for Mark O’Dwyer

Referee: Alfie Devine (Westmeath)

– This article was updated as a previous version read that the score line was 1-15 to 2-12 in favour of Celbridge, when in fact that score line meant that it was a draw at the time.

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O’LOUGHLIN GAELS HAVE proved time and again this season they have resilience in abundance but their habit of starting slow is a trend they are desperate to buck in Portlaoise this afternoon (2pm).

This time last year the pain of a county final defeat to Clara was still raw, a two-point loss ending their hopes of landing a first Kilkenny title since 2010.

But the group rallied this year under manager Aidan Fogarty to win their fourth county crown, against the odds, seeing off Ballyhale Shamrocks in the final.

The Gaels have reeled in top-class opponents in their last two outings, in the county decider and then against Wexford champions Oulart-The Ballagh in the provincial semi-final, but club chairman Brian Murphy has warned they can’t afford to do the same in the Leinster club showpiece today.

Another sluggish start could prove costly against a Cuala attack containing the likes of Mark Schutte, David Treacy and the electric Con O’Callaghan, the Cork dual All-Ireland winner warns.

“It’s going to be a big challenge ahead for O’Loughlins,” Murphy, a four-time All-Ireland club football championship winner with Nemo Rangers, explains.

“They’ll have to start better than they did against Oulart because I think Cuala have the forwards to punish them.”

Finishing games strongly has been a trademark of this O’Loughlin Gaels side, a trait they have in common with this year’s All-Ireland champions Na Piarsaigh, and a lot of the credit for that is being aimed towards strength and conditioning coach Michael Comerford.

But the players have also exhibited excellent character to pull themselves out of the doldrums they were in this time last year.

“It was an awful downer altogether for the players,” recalls Murphy.

“At the start of the year they decided to make another go of it. To win the county final this year was huge.”

Cuala, for their part, know all too well how costly stumbling out of the blocks can be on such a grand stage.

The Dalkey club made a nightmare start to the provincial final last year, falling 1-7 to 0-2 behind to Oulart by half-time and 12 points behind with 16 minutes to play.

Mattie Kenny’s side rallied late on but it was too little too late as they lost out on a 2-13 to 0-13 scoreline and waved goodbye to their shot at Na Piarsaigh in the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Murphy, who joined O’Loughlin Gaels in 1971 while working in the area as a garda, is conscious that their Dublin opponents will have no shortage of motivation this afternoon.

“Cuala will try to make amends for last year, they’ve a very strong team and they’ll be hard to beat.

“I think it’s a very 50-50 game heading into it even though Cuala are slight favourites.”

The Gaels have twice captured Leinster glory yet they have yet to land an All-Ireland crown, having come closest in 2011 when they lost out to Clarinbridge on St Patrick’s Day.

Murphy has seen the Kilkenny city club transform into one of the county’s heavyweights at senior level since the turn of the millennium, their four titles since second only to Ballyhale’s six.

It’s impressive when you consider the club was only founded in 1969. And Murphy expects the good times to keep rolling.

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“Numbers have grown, we’re very strong underage and the camogie is very strong.

“For all clubs really the most important thing is the underage setup, they’re the ones who are going to be the senior players in the future.

“We’re in a good position at the present time, and obviously looking forward to Sunday.”

Win, lose or draw this afternoon, you get the impression O’Loughlin Gaels are a hurling force that are here to stay.

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“ALL THE TIME after that (Oulart) match, we felt it was one we left behind us. We didn’t do ourselves justice. So there is unfinished business there for us.”
-David Treacy, Cuala  

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

The Holden brothers were there from the start. Tom Holden lived in Dún Laoghaire, but his heart still lay back home in South Kilkenny.

Each summer his three sons, PJ, Mick and Vinnie, would pitch up deep in hurling country in Mullinavat. That’s where it all began.

There were a couple of other hurling-mad families in the area and a few adults set up a street league. It took off. Within a few years, the kids from the street league were beginning to dominate the underage hurling scene in the county.

In 1969, Cuala won a clean-sweep of U15, U16 and minor county titles. There was at least one Holden on each team and the same year the trio remarkably all started for the Dublin minors the same year.

Mick, who was only 14 at the time, was the goalkeeper for the minors. He would go on to enjoy an outstanding dual career with the Dubs, winning an All-Ireland SFC title in 1983. He died aged 52 in 2007, but his legacy in the club lives on.

There are plenty of strong links between the Holden brothers and the current crop of trailblazers. The Schuttes are their nephews, while the fathers of The Goughs, the Treacys and the O’Callaghans all hurled with PJ, Mick and Vinnie.

Mattie Kenny’s squad are just about as talented as any group to represent the club. Last year they won a first Dublin SHC since 1994, and backed that up by making it all the way to the Leinster final, before losing to Oulart the Ballagh.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

That defeat was keeping in line with Dublin clubs in the province. Since the competition started in 1970, teams from the capital have appeared in nine finals, losing eight.

UCD were beaten in three provincial deciders since the turn of the century,  while Ballyboden won five straight Dublin titles between 2007-2011 and still couldn’t get over the line.

Dublin clubs in Leinster finals

2015: Oulart the Ballagh 2-13 Cuala 0-13

2007: Birr 1-11 Ballyboden St Enda’s 0-13
2005: James Stephens 2-13 UCD 1-12
2004: James Stephens 1-13 UCD 1-12
2000: Graigue-Ballycallan 0-14 UCD 1-8
1996: Camross 1-12 O’Toole’s 2-5
1989: Ballyhale Shamrocks 2-11 Cuala 0-7
1979: Crumlin 3-5 Camross 0-11
1978: Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-13 Crumlin 1-6

*Dublin sides are in bold

Ballyboden lost Leinster semi-finals to O’Loughlin Gaels in 2010 and Coolderry in 2011, but there was worse to come.

In 2013 they were shell-sh0cked by Carlow outfit Mount Leinster Rangers in the last four. All three clubs would go on to reach the All-Ireland final.

“Crumlin were the last team to do it in 79,” says former Dublin selector Ciaran Hetherton. “Ballyboden won five-in-a-row in Dublin but couldn’t win Leinster, so it would be a great achievement.

“In fairness to Mattie Kenny he’s doing a great job there. He’s only there two years so far and he’s doing a great job.”

Cuala have undoubtedly benefited from the capital city’s urban sprawl in recent years. The club has 1,600 active members and draws from almost 1,000 homes in the area. On of the south side’s ‘super-clubs,’ Cuala’s numbers have swelled in the last 20 years.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Around 300 kids show up for coaching every Saturday at the club’s Hyde Road pitches. It’s estimated they have the largest GAA nursery in the country on their hands.

As the club has expanded, they’ve seen plenty of representatives on the inter-county scene.

“They seem to be a well balanced team,” continues Hetherton. “The couple of inter-county lads they have have just strengthened that. They have good lads around in other positions as well.

“Obviously the pace of Darragh O’Connell in midfield and the prowess of David Treacy and Mark Schutte up front gives them the edge on some club teams, both in Dublin and Leinster.

“They have had an easy run to get to a Leinster final, playing the Carlow and the Westmeath champions, so they haven’t probably been tested as well as O’Loughlin Gaels have. But it is a great opportunity for them.”

Source: Colm O’Neill/INPHO

“The likes of Paul Schutte and Oisin Gough, they have stars all over each line – Cian O’Callaghan at full-back. They have plenty of options there – even in the full-back line they have three lads that played inter-county hurling there.”

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You’ve also got county footballer Con O’Callaghan in attack, who has posted 5-6 in his last two games.

Despite all that talent, history tells us Cuala are up against it as they play in the club’s third ever Leinster final. They lost by 10 in 1989 and six a year ago.

They’re coming up against a team who’ve been crowned Leinster champions twice, in 2003 and 2010. It will take something pretty special to stop the rot. No doubt Mick Holden will be looking down with pride.

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THE LAST TIME Foxrock-Cabinteely were in an All-Ireland final, Niamh Collins was the water girl.

This time around, she’s one of the stars of the show, operating in the half-back line and making her third All-Ireland appearance of the year.

Although it may be the south Dublin side’s first senior All-Ireland final appearance in their history, Niamh Collins is no stranger to the big stage.

She’s already played 120 minutes of All-Ireland finals this year, winning the O’Connor Cup with UCD in February, and falling just a point short with Dublin in Croke Park in September.

“It’s great to be here again. All-Ireland finals, they don’t come around often for any team. Playing three in a year – college, club and county – is obviously fantastic. It’s tiring. But it is great,” the 24-year-old tells The42.

When commended on the achievement of featuring for sixty minutes in each of the two finals so far, and gearing up to do the same today, Collins’ modesty shines through.

“180 minutes of All-Ireland finals,” she laughs.

“With Dublin, it was our third year to be in the All-Ireland final and our third loss, but this one definitely for me anyway, hurt more, because I was on the pitch. Naturally, being there and having played, it is hard.

“I won’t speak for Sinead [Goldrick], or Niamh Ryan – Niamh Ryan who also did the three this year – it was a very hard turnaround straight from the All-Ireland final to the first round of Leinster with club.

“I think we had five days in between them, I think the All-Ireland final was on the Sunday and the first round of Leinster was the following Saturday. So it was pretty hectic and it was, emotionally, very hard. The club girls are brilliant, they made sure we were okay before going out onto the pitch.”

Collins, who studied Electronic Engineering in college and now works for Hailo, has been involved with the Dublin inter-county set-up for the past three years. Sinead Goldrick is another well-known Foxrock-Cabinteely name on the Dublin team, while club-mate Niamh Ryan was also involved with the panel this year.

Ryan is targeting her third All-Ireland title this year, having won the U21 honour with her county and she also featured as a substitute in the same UCD O’Connor Cup winning squad as Collins.

As Collins looks back on her final year in the UCD jersey, it’s clear that she’s hoping to recreate similar memories today with Foxrock-Cabinteely.

“Winning college was probably the best thing that happened to me, GAA-wise in those five years, so to win championship with club would just be unbelievable.

“This was the first year that we’d ever qualified [for the O’Connor Cup weekend]. We went to win, but I’m going to be honest, we were just delighted to have even gotten there at that point because we hadn’t before. In final year, we finally got to go. We never had any doubt in ourselves but when we won, it was just the cherry on top of the cake.

I know what it feels like on a pitch when the final whistle goes to be a champion, and I also know what it feels like standing on the pitch when you’ve lost., and I by no means want to be in the latter.

Foxrock-Cabinteely are a club that have made quite a journey over the past few years.

“It’s the first All-Ireland final the club has reached at senior level. The club’s only about ten years old, so to be there now is just unbelievable.

“I was with Foxrock since I was whatever, eight years old, since I started playing football, and then Foxrock and Cabinteely came together in 2005, when I was about twelve. I remember for the first All-Ireland final that Fox-Cab got into, that was the junor, I think I was the watergirl. I was about 15 or 16-years-old.

“For me, this is my first All-Ireland final with the club, it’s the club’s first senior All-Ireland, but my first All-Ireland final ever with Fox-Cab.”

The Dublin and Leinster champions reached the final against the odds, following a tough battle in Bray with Mayo’s Carnacon. The game could have went either way for the most part, but then FoxCab found themselves in trouble. They went down to 14 players but their response was incredible, scoring two goals in as many minutes.

“We got the sin-bin in the backs, and Sinead Goldrick and myself just turned to the team and said ‘there’s no way we’re going to win this unless we lift it by 10%.’ I don’t know, sometimes I find it can happen to teams that a sin-bin actually lifts them because they snap into action and they know that it’s now or never.

“Carnacon were a team I’d heard about my whole underage playing life. Having never played against them, we obviously didn’t know what to expect. We had played a few of the Mayo girls at county level, but never Carnacon as a unit. They were absolutely brilliant, but we were delighted to get away with the win.”

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

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With a strong management team behind them, Collins is hopeful that they can mirror their O’Connor Cup success, as they face four-time All-Ireland champions and ladies club football superpowers Donaghmoyne.

“Pat [Ring], Peter [Clarke], Angie [McNally] and Colm [Kearney] have been involved in college with me, county at one point, and club for so many years. Pat has literally trained me since I was about 14.

“I suppose they have a certain way of playing, and it’s something that having played with them for so many teams now, I’ve adapted to. They’re fantastic, they know how to motivate us anyway.”

It’s not the first time the sides have met however, as Donaghmoyne saw of Collins’ side in last year’s semi-final.

“I think we let that match pass over us. We didn’t show our greatest side that day, I think we had a couple of goal opportunities we let slip, and maybe we weren’t as defensively intent as we can usually be.”

With a year more experience in the top-tier under their belts, and the slight advantage of a Dublin venue (Parnell Park, throw-in 2.45pm), Foxrock-Cabinteely can definitely feel more confident this time around. Collins knows exaclty what to expect though, and one thing’s for sure – she knows it’s going to be a battle.

“I love Parnell Park, every time we’ve played there with club I’ve almost anyway, been successful. It’s a lovely pitch, it’s level, it’s sheltered enough.

“You’re not going to be trudding through muck, so it’s going to be a good fast game.

“Donaghmoyne – they’re fast, they’re fit, they’re brilliant, but hopefully we’ll bring our better side this year and it will be a bit of a better match.”

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1. Slaughtneil GAC

2. Chris Shields

3. Leinster Rugby

4. Pelé

5. Michael Owen

6. Darren Fulletron

7. Patrick Kavanagh

Source: Patrick Kavanagh Instagram

8. Michael Conlan

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