Month: September 2021

FOXROCK-CABINTEELY MANAGER PAT Ring has paid tribute to his daughter Amy’s resilience – as the Dublin and Leinster champions gear up for Sunday’s All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Football semi-final showdown with crack Monaghan outfit Donaghmoyne (Bray Emmets, 1pm).

This fixture is a repeat of the 2016 Final showdown between the sides – which Donaghmoyne won at Parnell Park, while the Ulster standard-bearers also won a 2015 semi-final clash.

It could be a case of third time lucky against Donaghmoyne for Fox-Cab as they chase a place in another All-Ireland Final, and their form to date has certainly been impressive.

Sinéad Goldrick, Niamh Collins, Amy Connolly, Hannah O’Neill, Emma McDonagh and Tarah O’Sullivan are all TG4 All-Ireland Senior championship winners with Dublin – and they’ve been performing extremely well at club level since returning to the fold.

But another former Dublin star – Amy Ring – has caught the eye with a series of superb displays.

From the outside looking in, one might wonder why she’s not involved with the Dublin set-up but a spate of injuries, particularly ongoing knee issues, saw Ring call time on her inter-county career in 2016.

Dad Pat, who shares team management duties with Peter Clarke, explains: “She (Amy) had to make a very conscious decision two years ago.

“She had tendonitis in both knees, and had one operated on. Rather than have an operation on the second one, she’s been managing it.

“After a game or after training, she has to rest and recover for three days. It wouldn’t be conducive to inter-county but club-wise, we’ve benefited from that.”

Ring’s roll of honour with the Sky Blues saw her claim All-Ireland U14, U16, minor and Aisling McGing medals, and she was a key member of Dublin senior panels for over a decade.

Now 28 years of age, Ring is playing some of the best football of her life – and the stats are reflecting that.

Last time out, against Sarsfields of Laois in the Leinster Final, Ring grabbed 2-4, having collected 1-3 in the semi-final victory over Meath’s Simonstown Gaels.

Previous to that, she scored 0-2 against Shelmaliers (Wexford) in the quarter-final, and 0-4 in both the county semi-final and final.

Pat adds: “It was purely a decision (to step away from inter-county) based on her health and well-being. She couldn’t do both – it would have shortened her career.

“We’re very close. Her brother and I, and Amy, are all very close and would have discussed it a couple of years back.”

Ring describes the recent run of games for Fox-Cab as “intense” – but he’s confident that the team is in a good place as they prepare to tackle the five-time All-Ireland Senior champions.

He says: “Everyone’s in good form – it’s all come fairly intense, the Dublin semi-final and final weren’t until the end of September and since then it’s been hot and heavy.

“We had three games in Leinster and three League matches in between and yet we’ve managed to stay injury-free.

“The other thing we have done, probably different from other years, is that we’ve taken into account the very long seasons that a number of players had with their counties.

“Rest and recovery have been a big part of if this year. The Dubs went to the very last day and we have six of those.

“We had only five or six days preparation for the Dublin semi-final and it came hot and heave but it suited. We haven’t had many training sessions – it’s about getting the bodies and minds healed.”

Assessing the formidable Donaghmoyne challenge, Ring says: “We’re under no illusions – they’re five-time All-Ireland champions and have won 11 Ulsters in the last 15 years.

“We’ve been knocking around a fair bit but if you look back on our defeats, we knew we left them behind.

“We had jobs to do and didn’t finish the job. We’re a few years older and with more experience – and we would hope that might stand to us on the day.”

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ON SUNDAY EVENING, we’ll have our 2018 All-Ireland ladies football senior club finalists and the focus will turn to the duel-battle for the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup at Parnell Park.

Between now and then though, there’s two huge semi-finals down for decision — and they throw in at opposite ends of the country on Sunday afternoon, at 1pm and 2pm respectively.

60 minutes of football later, at least, and we’ll have the last two standing. With holders Carnacon out of the race, we’re guaranteed new champions for 2018.

Donaghmoyne and Fox-Cab met in the 2016 showpiece.

Source: Tommy Grealy/INPHO

Bray Emmets plays host to the highly-anticipated meeting of four in-a-row Dublin and Leinster kingpins Foxrock-Cabinteely and back-to-back All-Ireland champions in 2015 and 2016, Donaghmoyne (throw-in 1pm).

And in the West, Carnacon’s victors Kilkerrin/Clonberne from Galway are relishing the visit of five in-a-row Cork and Munster champions Mourneabbey (throw-in 2pm). 

Mourneabbey have come so close over the last few years.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

With each of the four sides in question sharing colourful histories between rivalries, victories and coming agonizingly close through the past few years (you can read more here), it’s cruel that we’ll only be left with two standing on Sunday evening. 

But that’s sport.

With some of the finest players from Dublin, Cork, Monaghan and Galway in action, they’re sure to be two cracking encounters. And we’ve picked two from each club — and mentioned many more throughout — for you to keep an eye on.

 1. Ciara O’Sullivan (Mourneabbey)

The Cork captain’s leadership is invaluable to this Mourneabbey side. A key player for her county, she brings that expertise to the club scene and pretty much every piece of play goes through the 2018 Players’ Player of the Year nominee. 

O’Sullivan and Mourneabbey fell short again last year.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

While Bríd O’Sullivan — no relation — is the Clyda side’s skipper, her namesake’s experience from down through the years on the inter-county scene comes as a huge asset. With a deadly instinct to attack and an eye for goal too, she’ll cause problems for Kilkerrin-Clonberne if she’s let play.

Backed up accordingly by her younger sister and fellow scoring star Doireann, as well as several other really talented forwards, Ciara will have a huge say if the five in-a-row Cork and Munster champions are to reach a fourth final in five years.

2. Sinead Goldrick (Foxrock-Cabinteely)

Evergreen Goldrick has been a huge driving force for Dublin through the years, hitting her prime in their back-to-back All-Ireland victories in 2017 and 2018. A total footballer, Goldrick is a rock-solid defender; nothing short of a workhorse and a real harrier in the tackle.

Sinead Goldrick has starred for Dublin and Fox-Cab for years now.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

Her athleticism and speed is another huge factor of her game and there’s no doubt about it, she loves getting forward. A huge ambassador for ladies football, Goldrick chipped in with a lovely point in the latter stages of September’s Croke Park showdown, and does so more often than not with Fox-Cab.

Her link-up with fellow Dublin star Amy Connolly in the forward line is a notable one, and will play a huge part if the Southside outfit are to come out on top. Captain Amy Ring is another who should have a big say in attack on Sunday.

3. Cathriona McConnell (Donaghmoyne)

Cathriona McConnell will take a serious amount of watching if Fox-Cab are to stop the Monaghan kingpins’ bid for a third All-Ireland title in four years. In their last final appearance in 2016, she finished with 1-5 while her nine-point haul saw them come out on top in this year’s Ulster final.

McConnell’s scoring returns are always impressive.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Her scoring exploits and trusty boot have been a central component of Donaghmoyne’s success over the years. A key player for Monaghan, ‘Teeny’ hasn’t featured of late, but her 100% commitment to the club cause has paid dividends.

Her strength and physicality plays in her favour too, winning ball and laying off to Donaghmoyne’s many young, fast runners including the Garland twins, Lauren and Amy.

4. Louise Ward (Kilkerrin-Clonberne)

A well-established name with the Galway seniors, Louise Ward skippers the Galway and Connacht champions from the 40. Her leadership and attacking prowess is a massive boost to the Tribeswomen, and was key as they knocked Carnacon out of the race for All-Ireland glory.

Her battle against the O’Sullivan sisters of Mourneabbey will be one to watch.

Captain Louise Ward celebrates with team -mates.

Source: Sportsfile.

Without her own sister Nicola, who’s injured at the minute, she’s flying the Ward flag solo. It’s always been Nicola and Louise, Louise and Nicola, leading the charge and bouncing off each other for club and county the whole way up.  

But Louise is sure to do a good job, as per, on her own come Sunday.

5. Eimear Meaney (Mourneabbey)

In a pack of extremely hard-working and tenacious defenders, Eimear Meaney is one that really takes control and leads by example. Still only 21, the UCC student has been making waves on the club, county and college scene over the past few years.

Meaney has been making waves of late.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

Rightfully rewarded with a 2018 All-Star nomination for her contribution to Ephie Fitzgerald’s Cork side’s year, she’s made the transition back to her roots at club level seamlessly.

Fellow Cork defender Maire O’Callaghan, who made a real breakthrough this year, and rising star Aisling O’Sullivan will also bring inspiration to the side.

6. Sharon Courtney (Donaghmoyne)

Another player with oceans of inter-county experience, Courtney is a massive leader on this Donaghmoyne team. Herself and the likes of her sister Cora and goalkeeper Linda Martin have been through it all time and time again, and form the backbone of the side.

Courtney breaks away against Kerry in 2016.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

Deployed at centre-half back on the club scene, the three-time All-Star is always solid and a consistent performer in a competitive defensive unit.

She’ll have plenty to do on Sunday with some threatening Fox-Cab forwards coming at her in the form of Connolly and Ring to name just two, but Courtney’s experience at the top, extensive knowledge and sheer ability to read a game will surely counteract the danger. 

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7. Olivia Divilly (Kilkerrin-Clonberne)

22-year-old Divilly is a graceful forward who likes to run at pace and directly at opposition defences. She’s always one to come away from a game with an impressive score or two, and is well able to kick frees from distance too.

Olivia Divilly has been a huge find for Galway.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Tall in stature, she’s risen through the Galway ranks and has become a well-known name  in ladies football circles of late.

Her sister and fellow Galway ace, Siobhan, is another to watch, and while there’s plenty of youth on the panel, the experience of Galway’s 2004 All-Ireland-winning captain Anette Clarke will be of huge importance as Kilkerrin-Clonberne eye the silverware.

8. Niamh Collins (Foxrock-Cabinteely)

Another star of both the Fox-Cab and Dublin shows, Niamh Collins is pivotal in defence.

She’s incredibly consistent and a huge addition to any team she plays on. In 2016, she played 180 minutes of All-Ireland finals; winning the O’Connor Cup with UCD before falling short later on in the year with both club and county.

Collins is another Fox-Cab player to keep a close eye on.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

Collins, Goldrick, Connolly are three of six of Mick Bohan’s freshly-crowned All-Ireland champions, along with Hannah O’Neill, Emma McDonagh and Tarah O’Sullivan, that feature strongly. Their experience of the big day, along with the impressive crop of youth coming through, will benefit them as they hope to do enough to book another decider spot.

Their familiar surroundings at Bray Emmets will also help as they welcome familiar foes Donaghmoyne.

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AN GHAELTACHT AND Kerry legend Dara Ó Cinnéide says there was an “emotional” atmosphere in the dressing room following Marc Ó Sé’s final game for the club at the weekend.

Marc Ó Sé [file photo].

Source: ©INPHO

It marked the end of a special era as the last of the famous Ó Sé brothers called time on his playing career with the Kerry side, a legacy that stretches back some 30 years when the eldest brother Fergal first lined out for An Ghaeltacht in 1988.

Darragh and Tomás followed before Marc joined in 1997 when they were in the intermediate grade before going on to play an integral role in their rise to the senior ranks.

After 21 seasons, his final act for An Ghaeltacht ended in defeat to Dingle and there was a weight of emotion in the dressing room as players came over to express their gratitude to a legend of the club who was also joint-manager of the team alongside Conall Ó Cruadhlaoich.

“We were all kind of emotional,” Ó Cinnéide tells The42.

Even before the game the last day I shook his hand which is something I would never do because we’ve all had our last day with the club. It’s a day you do remember.

“When you’re playing, you’re always saying ‘we’ll be retired long enough.’ But when the day comes it’s emotional and Conall was very emotional the last day after the game. Marc held it together but the players were emotional.

“A lot of them would be very grateful to him for taking the job for the last two years because it would have been a bit more of a sacrifice [for him] than it would have been for previous managers.”

Darragh Ó Sé in action for An Ghaeltach in 2003.

Source: INPHO

Ó Cinnéide has known Ó Sé since he was young, having grown up with brother Darragh as well as lining out alongside the brothers for An Ghaeltacht.

He recalls the youngest of the four Ó Sés as someone who was ‘always keen to learn’ and soak up information that would make him a better footballer to help him compete with his siblings.

The club held a fundraiser last year to honour the decades of service that the Ó Sé clan gave to An Ghaeltacht, and that sense of respect was still evident last weekend.

“It was a realisation as well that he’s the last of the O’Sés to play with the club,” says Ó Cinnéide, who is also part of the An Ghaeltacht management team. “Four of them had given great service.

“There was a lot of weight on it. His first cousin Pádraig Óg Ó Sé [son of Kerry icon Páidí] was captain for the year and he was quite emotional. We’ve a very young team and I think it was a realistion for the young lads that they have to stand on their own two feet now.

Tomás Ó Sé playing for An Ghaeltacht in the 2004 All-Ireland club semi-final.

Source: INPHO

“The lesser known of them Fergal, the eldest brother, probably contributed as much if not more than any of them. He was our coach for 10 years when we got to the All-Ireland club final in 2004. Darragh, Tomás and Marc got a lot of kudos for what they did for the club.

“They always played the big games as well and were always available within reason. 

“His first cousin Padraig will be playing for another 10 years hopefully but there was that weight coming down on the dressing room the last day of ‘Jesus, this is it. He’s gone.’”

Táim taréis os cionn triocha bliana a chaitheamh ag imirt leis an nGaeltacht. Cuireann sé seo bród orm go n-imríos comh fada san le morán foirne difriúla. Cuimhní iontacha a fhanfaidh liom go deo.
Tá mo chuid déanta áfach agus ní féidir an clog a chur siar! An Ghaeltacht go deo pic.twitter.com/v9hBYJtwA6

— Marc Ó Sé (@osemarc2) November 12, 2018

38-year-old Ó Sé opted to publish his retirement announcement As Gaelige on Twitter, a decision which didn’t surprise Ó Cinnéide who says that the Irish language is central to both the club and their local community.

Ó Sé finishes up his his football career with five All-Ireland SFC medals with Kerry and a slew of individual accolades including the 2007 Footballer of the Year award.

As joint-manager of An Ghaletacht, he helped his side to a Kerry intermediate crown as well as provincial success last year.

Dara Ó Cinnéide in action during the 2004 All-Ireland final against Caltra.

Source: INPHO

But Ó Cinnéide suspects he would consider trading in some of those Celtic Crosses to get the All-Ireland club title which evaded them in 2004.

“It’s very hard to accept, even to this day. We were beaten by a better team fairly and squarely. It was our one and only shot at glory and small clubs like Caltra and An Ghaeltacht don’t get there that often. I think last year’s intermediate title meant so much to Marc.

Personally, I would swap my All-Ireland medals for the club medal and I think Marc would probably give four of the five for an All-Ireland club medal. It just goes deeper.”

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MICKEY MORAN HAS moved on to Down club Kilcoo for his next management role after a career that has seen him manage five county senior sides and enjoying huge success recently with Derry club Slaughtneil, 

Kilcoo last night confirmed that Moran will manage their senior football side for the next three years.

“Mickey was unanimously ratified at a club committee meeting this evening and the club are over the moon that the Glen Maghera man has agreed to become our manager,” outlined the club in a statement. 

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Moran brought his time with Slaughtneil to a close in March, in the wake of their extra-time loss the previous month in an All-Ireland club semi-final against Nemo Rangers.

He had guided the club to Derry senior football titles between 2014 and 2017, along with three Ulster triumphs in that time frame. In 2015 Slaughtneil reached the All-Ireland decider where they lost out to Galway’s Corofin while they were also defeated by Kerry’s Dr Crokes in the final on St Patrick’s Day in 2017.

Moran also has extensive inter-county experience having managed Derry, Sligo, Donegal, Mayo and Leitrim. He coached Derry to win the 1993 All-Ireland title and guided Mayo to the 2006 decider where they lost to Kerry.

Kilcoo lost out to Burren in the recent Down senior final but have been the dominant club in the county in recent times. After winning a first title in 72 years in 2009, they went on to complete six-in-a-row between 2012 and 2017.

They contested two Ulster club finals, losing out to Crossmaglen Rangers in 2012 and to a Moran-managed Slaughtneil side in 2016.

Kilcoo players celebrate their 2017 county final victory.

Source: Matt Mackey/INPHO

Moran will be joined by Conleith Gilligan, the former Derry county player, as team trainer. 2002 All-Ireland club winner Gilligan recently brought his playing career with Ballinderry to a close. Another Oak Leaf native Paul Devlin will also be part of the management team.

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LAOIS MANAGER JOHN Sugrue has written an open letter hitting out at the GAA’s decision to sanction their county side for breaching training camp rules by removing home advantage for one of their league games in 2019.

Laois are one of four county sides – along with the Armagh footballers and the hurlers of Waterford and Wexford – to be penalised.

GAA inter-county squads are not permitted to travel for training weekends after the league campaign, except in the 10 days before their first championship game.

Laois are being punished for going to a training camp in Kerry this year before their Leinster opener against Wexford.

But Sugrue has expressed his personal views on the Laois Today website in relation to the matter. He has pointed out the number of counties who were investigated for contravening the rule and that not sanctioning all counties ‘continues the trend in seriously questionable stories’.

The Dublin footballers travelled to France during the period but argued their trip was a historical pursuit and did not involve training. 

Sugrue hints at this case by stating Laois may have to ‘head back to Kerry and collect receipts from a visit to Daniel O’Connell’s birthplace to ensure we have a historical purpose as the main aspect of our trip’.

The Laois boss also outlines that they allowed their players to play a full month’s worth of club league games, that they supported the ‘Buy Irish’ ethos of the GAA by staying in the country.

The Laois players before this year’s Munster final against Dublin.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The open letter in full reads:

“I am writing on my own initiative as manager of the Laois Senior Football team from 2018 and into 2019.

“My views are in no way tied to the sentiments of the players, County Board or the people of Laois though I feel they may agree on certain points.

“This situation has arose whereby as a direct result of breaking a GAA ruling we are to lose home venue on one of our National League games this year coming. There are a few points I feel are pertinent to highlight in this situation.

• We as a County allowed our players play a full month’s worth of All County League games (4 games completed in the month with all players made available for games. Will the GAA please check what other counties did the same for their clubs?)
• We as a management team under my leadership did take our team on a training weekend two weeks prior to our championship. We stayed within the country and spent our budget in Irish facilities staying with the ‘Buy Irish’ ethos of the GAA.
• We felt that given the intensive nature of a training camp one week would not allow adequate physical or mental recovery from such an intensive training environment. (Our first championship game against Wexford was scheduled for 12 days after the ‘club month’).
• The GAA identified that a number of counties (I believe up to 17) contravened this rule.
• The GAA sent out an email to clarify what each county had done in this respect.
• We stated straight up what we had done.
• We got a punishment for our actions (which we were totally aware of prior to undertaking the trip).
• We have no issue with OUR punishment.

Laois players celebrating after their Leinster semi-final win over Carlow.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

“To flesh out this debate I feel that the situation where one county does the right thing and stands up for what it has done and takes the consequences is suffering far more than the county who cowers behind mistruths and gets off with any sanctions.

“This to my mind continues the trend in seriously questionable stories as well as legal jargon being used in the GAA to excuse ourselves from the consequences of our actions.

“2019 in this light appears like it will be a very entertaining year of creative stories used to navigate their way through the rule book. Counties might make it look a little like this:

• We might undertake overnight stays in a hotel with a training camp within our own county.
• We might book individual flights to two or three airports in a foreign region and then assemble for a hidden training camp (not a new initiative)
• We will head back to Kerry and collect receipts from a visit to Daniel O’Connell’s birthplace to ensure we have a historical purpose as the main aspect of our trip.

“Further to the above three scenarios I am certain we will see a new raft of evasive stories thought up by those with far better imagination than mine for the 2019 rule evasion.

“It’s disappointing in this day and age that we find ourselves in a situation like this where rules that are brought in are not enacted with a gravity of leadership that shows we are intent on doing things better within our Association.

“Rules in any land are only as effective as those who enforce them. The other counties have not held up an appropriate level of moral standing in the field of sport, yet I believe that they are not overly responsible for this, rather they have been ushered this way with our rules and rule enforcement that encourage flouting.

“So to the crux of the current situation, is it too late to do anything corrective or will we just plough on ahead and further foster this type of activity in our Association?

“One rule for all means all should take the consequences for breaking that rule or else the rule is deemed ineffective and don’t enforce it at all in it’s current guise. We have no issue with OUR punishment.”

Yours in sport,

John Sugrue.

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HIS CLUB IS one win away from an Ulster final, but Aaron McCarey insists that he won’t be looking to revive his GAA career with Monaghan kingpins Scotstown.

McCarey, who was one of the goalkeepers in the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the friendly against Turkey in March, was a promising Gaelic footballer before he was signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2010, just before his 18th birthday.

McCarey playing for Wolves in 2012.

Source: PA Archive/PA Images

He was a powerful forward on the Monaghan minor team for two years. In 2008 they reached an All-Ireland quarter-final, losing after extra-time to Mayo, with McCarey contributing 0-3.

Now 26, he went on to spend six and a half years at Wolves before having a two-year spell at Ross County in the Scottish Premiership. Seeking to make a fresh start, McCarey recently returned home and signed for Warrenpoint Town in Northern Ireland’s top flight.

After his contract at Ross County expired in May, McCarey did some training with Scotstown, who recently won their fourth successive Monaghan senior football title.

Despite being a professional athlete in the UK for nearly a decade, it didn’t take long for him to realise how difficult it would be to make a comeback at that level of Gaelic football. 

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“When I was out of contract earlier in the year I actually went back and did a bit of training with the club, but the first couple of sessions made up my mind for me,” he said.

“I’ve got no ambition to go back. Those lads are on a different level and I’ve got serious admiration for them. A lot of them are still close friends of mine. The game has moved on a lot since I played it last.”

McCarey in possession for Monaghan minors against Derry in 2009.

Source: Presseye/Russell Pritchar/INPHO

Backboned by Monaghan stars like Rory Beggan, Darren Hughes and Shane Carey, Scotstown will face Derry champions Eoghan Rua in Sunday’s Ulster club senior football semi-final.

Instead of playing a part, McCarey will be watching from the stands at Healy Park in Omagh as Scotstown look to move a step closer to winning their first provincial crown since 1989.

“I still get great enjoyment out of watching the club and the county, and I’m so proud of the lads for what they’ve achieved,” he said. “Hopefully they can go on and do a little bit more.”

McCarey’s form for Warrenpoint Town has generated plenty of interest in his services, with League of Ireland Premier Division champions and FAI Cup holders Dundalk among several clubs keen to sign him when his contract expires in January.

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BRÍD O’SULLIVAN MAY decide to ease off on the homework next week if Mourneabbey make it through to another All-Ireland ladies senior club football final.

Mourneabbey captain Bríd O’Sullivan.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

That’s because captain O’Sullivan teaches six of her club-mates at St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow.

Aisling Cronin, Kate O’Brien, Ciara O’Callaghan, Ciara Lawlee, Eva Langford and Anna Ryan are all members of the Mourneabbey squad preparing for Sunday’s trip to Clonberne Sports Field (2pm), where the Cork and Munster champions will tackle Galway’s Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the All-Ireland semi-final.

O’Sullivan revealed last year that the various age groups in the Mourneabbey are ranked as ‘Nazareth’, ‘half-way’ and the ‘creche.

Nazareth refers to a local nursing home in Mallow while O’Sullivan reckons that her students have firmly taken over the creche mantle.

The 25-year-old smiles: “They’re great girls, brilliant footballers and they’re a pleasure to deal with at training.

“We’re able to find the right balance between me being their team-mate and their teacher at school!”

When Mourneabbey defeated West Cork after a replay to land a fifth successive county title recently, O’Callaghan, Ryan and Cronin all made appearances off the bench.

Indeed, Ryan started the drawn game against West Cork, and the emergence of talented young players supplements what’s already a formidable squad.

On Sunday, Mourneabbey face Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the club championship for the first time since 2015.

In the semi-final three years ago, Mourneabbey made home advantage count but only just, as they dug out a one-point win, 2-11 to 2-10.

Lining out for Cork earlier this year.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

And while the perception might be that there’s an elusive All-Ireland title there for the taking after Kilkerrin-Clonberne knocked out last year’s winners Carnacon, O’Sullivan is under no illusions about the scale of the weekend’s task.

The versatile O’Sullivan, who can operate in attack or midfield, recalls: “The last time we played them, it was a point in the difference in Mourneabbey.

“It’s the reverse this time – we’re heading up to them.

“They’re very similar to us, they have a very young team and lots of pace all over the pitch.I think that we would be very well matched – and it’s a really big challenge for us.”

Semi-Finalists Mourneabbey, Kilkerrin-Clonberne, Donaghmoyne and Foxrock-Cabinteely are no strangers to this stage of the competition in recent years but of that quartet, only Monaghan stars Donaghmoyne have gone all the way.

O’Sullivan says: “Of the four teams left, we’re all familiar with each other.

“We would have played each other over the last few years and all of the teams have been knocking on the door.

“It is interesting that way and when it comes to this stage of the year, anything can happen.

“It’s just down to what team is able to cope with what the day throws up.

“Even in the Cork championship, we drew with West Cork the first day in the county final. We’ve had a few challenges that we’ve had to look back on and look at what happened and what we can do to improve.

“Our experience of this year, in particular, and the experience we’ve had in the last few years might help us this weekend.”

Leading Mourneabbey out on All-Ireland final day in 2017.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

Mourneabbey built on that county final win by adding a fifth successive provincial A title – but the All-Ireland crown is the one they want.

They’ve lost finals in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and O’Sullivan reflects: “You’d look back on all of the finals and say we didn’t play to our potential – but last year (against Carnacon) in particular.

“When you don’t play to your potential, it does give you a reason to come back, you feel you haven’t done yourself justice.

“Hopefully we might be able to do something to right the wrongs of the last couple of years.

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“The thing is with Mourneabbey, we’re so close as a group of friends as well. Even when we’re not playing football, we stick together and because we are great friends outside of it, everyone on the team has the same mission.

“Because of that, nobody want to let anyone down. I think that’s what maybe brings everybody back year on year.”

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MEATH MANAGER ANDY McEntee says Sean Cox’s fundraising game is expected to be sell-out next month. 

A match between Meath and All-Ireland champions Dublin will take place in Navan on 16 December in aid of the Dubliner, who was brutally attacked before a Champions League game at Anfield earlier this year — leaving him with life-changing injuries.

Organisers of the event anticipate a 10,000 capacity sell-out with around 1,000 tickets already sold. It’s hoped that the fixture will raise “north of €100,000″ for the former Dunboyne chairman.

“I know he’s making small progress, it’s a very slow process,” said McEntee of his Dunboyne club-mate, who is expected to remain in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire until March.

After that, his family will be faced with extensive medical and rehabilitation costs with a €2 million target placed on the fundraising drive.

“I think there’s over a thousand tickets sold already, without even launching it,” added McEntee. “I would expect it to sell-out. I always look forward to playing Dublin at any stage.

“If it was a game of marbles, playing Dublin still has its attraction. And I know from talking to the lads they’re looking forward to the thoughts of playing Dublin.”

Sean Cox’s wife, his son and Dunboyne chairman Fergus McNulty.

Source: Ramsey Cardy/SPORTSFILE

McEntee also took the opportunity to hit out at attempts to experiment with a suite of major playing rule changes in the upcoming National Football League.

Meath played Cavan in a recent challenge game and tested out the proposed new rules, which were drawn up by the Standing Committee on the Playing Rules, though McEntee gave a lukewarm reaction.

He was particularly critical of the proposal that all kicks-outs must cross the 45-metre line, stating that it won’t encourage high fielding but will rather promote packed midfields and spoiling tactics.

McEntee also maintained that the league is the wrong place to be ironing out such issues and claimed that it could reduce an important competition to ‘a bit of an experiment’.

Central Council will meet on Saturday week to consider which, if any, of the five proposals will be placed on trial in the 2019 National League.

We need to, and have been trying, to get out of Division 2 for far too long,” said McEntee. “Playing it under experimental rules, I don’t know if it does the league justice.

“My concern about implementing these new rules in the league is that it makes the league a bit of an experiment. And the league is important.

“It’s hugely important. I think everybody will say it’s the best competition we have. At the moment it’s the best competition we have because they’re all close games, it’s all tight and it’s week after week.

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“So are you going to take a chance and play around with a really important competition? Doing it in the O’Byrne Cup or friendlies or whatever, I have no problem with that, but the league is nearly too important to be experimenting with.”

Andy McEntee.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

McEntee revealed that he found faults with a number of the five rules proposals during the recent tie with Cavan.

“We played the adjusted kick-out rule, the most recent proposal, whereby it just had to go outside the 45,” he said. 

“The aim of that I presume is to promote high fielding, the problem with that is that the opposition’s forwards are all going to retreat back outside the 45. So you’re going to have a crowded area out there and I suspect you’ll have less [catching], actually less. That’s the big issue.”

McEntee said he felt the proposal limiting consecutive hand passes to three might prevent fluid attacking movements.

“When you get in close to goals, to create any sort of a quick movement, sometimes you need a little short hand pass,” he said. “Three hand passes can happen very quickly in that regard.”

Tickets for next month’s game are available at gaa.tickets.ie and are priced at €20 for adults and €5 for juveniles.

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THE DUNBOYNE GAA club and local community has been “overwhelmed with support” for Sean Cox since he was attacked outside Anfield in April, with Roma’s club president announcing this week that he will make a €150,000 donation to his family.

The 53-year-old father of three was was left in a coma after the attack which took place prior to Roma’s Champions League semi-final first-leg against Liverpool.

The Roma donation is a combined effort between the Serie A side through its Roma Cares foundation, as well as a personal donation from the club president James Pallotta.

Sean is currently receiving extensive rehabilitation care at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire, and Dunboyne chairman Fergus McNulty says they’ve been “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support for Sean, his wife Martina and their family.

“The support from many angles has been huge since April,” he told The42.

Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum and Andrew Robertson holding a banner for Sean Cox.

Source: Oisin Keniry/INPHO

“Sean is going to need an awful lot of help and support over many years. What we’ve tried to do is come together and campaign to see how we could fundraise to give Martina and the family some options with respect to Sean’s care over the long term.

“I think Martina and the family are very strong. They’re grateful for all the support they are getting and I think that certainly helps.

We’ve been overwhelmed with, not just support from the community but the Liverpool community have been great and more recently Roma have been generous, not just with their engagement but also the contribution they’ve made to the campaign.”

A number of fundraising efforts have been launched for Sean since the attack. A GoFundMe Page has raised over €400,000 at time of publication while McNulty says that a community run in Dunboyne last month “far exceeded their expectations” to raise €40,000.

#ASRoma and club president Jim Pallotta have today announced that they will donate an initial sum of €150,000 to the family of Liverpool fan #SeanCox to help with his medical and rehabilitation costs pic.twitter.com/D50D1SSiCD

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) November 15, 2018

A charity game between Meath and All-Ireland champions Dublin is scheduled to take place in Pairc Tailteann next month, and Meath manager Andy McEntee revealed that over 1,000 tickets have already been sold.

“Tickets are going very fast for that and we had our official launch last night which was great,” says McNulty.

“We’re looking forward to it, it’s a fixture we’ve had our eye on for a number of months. Meath and Dublin have been great in their willingness to participate.

Dunboyne is obviously a strong Meath club with a long tradition but it’s just ironic that the Meath manager [McEntee] is from Dunboyne and the Dublin manager [Jim Gavin] is from Sean’s original club in Clondalkin.

“It just adds to the symbolism on many levels. And two great rivals are coming together under sport to try and do their little bit for Sean.”

Sean is expected to remain in Dun Laoghaire until March, and McNulty calls in to see him when he can.

A former chairman and secretary of the club, Sean has played a central role in Dunboyne GAA for many years.

The junior and senior sides collected county championship titles this year to complete a fantastic double for the club, with Sean’s son Jack kicking four points in the junior decider.

Dunboyne players celebrate after defeating Summerhill in the 2018 Meath SFC final.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

After winning their first Meath SFC title since 2005, the Dunboyne seniors advanced to the Leinster quarter-finals where they bowed out against eventual provincial champions Kilmacud Crokes.

Their U21 team is competing in a semi-final this weekend, where Dunboyne are hopeful that more success will follow on the pitch.

“It was a very good year on the playing pitch. To win senior in any given year is fantastic but to do the double is pretty special.

“Jack is an excellent hurler and footballer so I was delighted for him. Seeing him perform the way he did, it was obviously tinged with sadness that Sean wasn’t there to see that because that would have been a proud moment for Sean.

“We brought the cup into him and we made sure he was part of it.

“We’re a very fast growing club, we’d like to think that we are quite a progressive club and Sean has had a major role in that down through the years.

That makes it all the more difficult for everyone on one level but I think everyone feels they need to give something back to Sean.”

You can make a contribution to the Sean Cox GoFundMe Page here.

Tickets for the Meath v Dublin charity game on 16 December are available at www.supportsean.com

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