By Patrick Morrison IN 2015, my first year with the Armagh team, we played a challenge game against Dublin down in the DCU sports complex. This was the first year of their five-in-a-row dominance. We had started with a strong team with a handful of our regular starters rested. Dublin on the other hand, had […]
JOE BROLLY: Steven Cluxton, rule changes and Piggy in the Middle
‘THE rules of Piggy in the Middle: Two players pass a ball to each other, while a third player tries to intercept the pass. The third player is called the Piggy in the Middle. After each successful pass, the players on the outside chant ‘Piggy in the Middle.’ Little did the creator of Piggy in […]
Howard shocked but happy with Cluxton return
By Michael McMullan WHEN Stephen Cluxton walked through the doors of the Parnell Park dressing room in the middle of last year’s championship, Brian Howard thought it was a windup. Fast forward to the All-Ireland final and when Kerry dropped off Howard, the Raheny man became Cluxton and Dublin’s kick-out pathway to get a hold […]
KEVIN CASSIDY – Festive thoughts
T’S mad to think that we are turning towards the end of another GAA season. Time seems to be passing more rapidly as the years progress. Nonetheless, we have had a fantastic season when we look back on our Gaelic Games. Limerick’s juggernaut continues in the hurling. The Dubs are back on top in the […]
JOE BROLLY: Dr Joseph P Brolly, motivational guru
WHEN Glen, Maghera played Dungiven in the first round of the championship last week, Fergal McCusker and Enda Gormley took up position on either side of the ground with an abacus, to count the opposition players. They are believed to be the first tally men appointed to a backroom team. Dublin won again and will […]
JACK MADDEN: The imbalance of power
By Jack Madden PATRICK McCarry of Sports Joe summated what has become an alternate dimension. “Manchester United take the money and run on distasteful visit to Dublin.” Too many shirts and ties. Elite level soccer is no longer a game of the people. The RTÉ Kevin Moran documentary a few months back was an insight […]
PATRICK MORRISON: Restarts – they’re a team thing!
THE kickout has changed so much tactically over the past thirty years. So much so, that the name has been changed along with it. From punting the ball out to the midfield areas where players would compete for the ball in 50/50 challenges to try and catch, break or attain possession; they have now evolved […]
STEVEN POACHER: One for the road?
THERE we have it, the end of the inter-county season and the Dubs are the 2023 All-Ireland champions for the 31st time. Not many would have envisaged this coming after a National League defeat in Celtic Park back at the start of March, 1-11 to 0-13, in a Division Two clash. When Dublin got relegated […]
JACK MADDEN: The holy trinity
Kerry and Dublin, the much anticipated tussle. For a while it was anti climatic. With the game in the melting pot and the last blast of the whistling drawing ever and inevitably nearer, it was anything but. Kerry downed, the Dubs crowned. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, […]
KEVIN CLIFFORD: Clifford had decent game by the standards of mere mortals
THE first thing to do is to applaud both sets of players for serving up a game for the ages last weekend. It was absorbing, exhilarating and full of incident from the first whistle to the last. Both teams gave absolutely everything out there and died with their boots on. We knew going into the […]