Ryan McAnespie says Monaghan are frustrated their performances are not reflecting the passion of their manager Gabriel Bannigan and the time and effort the squad are putting in.

Monaghan struggled this Spring without the likes of McAnespie, Conor McCarthy and Killian Lavelle.

They were relegated from Division 1 without winning a game, but McAnespie says that injuries or not the manner of some of their performances were disappointing.

Their losses were by 12 (Armagh), 6 (Roscommon), 4 (Dublin), 19 (Mayo), 14 (Kerry), 8 (Galway) and 5 (Donegal) as they finished the lowest scorers in the division, while conceding the most.

It’s been a difficult campaign to date, but McAnespie says it helps that they have a passionate Monaghan man in charge of the side as they look towards tomorrow’s Ulster quarter-final encounter with Cavan at Clones.

“He's a Monaghan man (Bannigan) and his nephew, Michéal is obviously the captain,” said McAnespie (30). “It definitely helps. His belief in the squad. His passion for the team. You can definitely sense it.

“The performance we put in probably doesn't reflect the time and effort - and the training - that the boys have been doing this last while. That's probably the most frustrating thing.

“The likes of Gabriel, the time they've been giving up and his passion for Monaghan as well. We’re probably not doing it any justice and that's probably the most frustrating thing over the league campaign. Hopefully we can get it right.

“He's a great man. He's a great man to talk to the players. He's a good way of going on with the squad as well. Hopefully we can be fit to turn it around.”

Emyvale club man McAnespie continued: “It (the League) definitely didn't go to plan. A lot of games were quite disappointing in performance.

“I know you can get beat in games but it's sort of the nature of some of the defeats that was probably the most disappointing bit. It's something we just have to work on. We had a couple of changes personnel wise.

“The League was definitely disappointing for us but the big thing we can take from it is that a lot of boys got game time and hopefully pushed the squad on. For the younger boys, to get that experience to early, it will definitely stand to them.

“Particularly in Division 1. You're playing the top teams day in and day out.”

McAnespie has lost count of the number of hamstring injuries he’d had at this stage.

The Monaghan Town secondary school teacher has had a difficult 18 months at a time when he had established himself as a real leader in the Farney ranks with Bannigan appointing him vice captain last year.

McAnespie’s loss has been huge with so many experienced campaigners stepping aside in the last two seasons, including stalwarts like Conor McManus, Darren Hughes and Kieran Duffy.

“I don’t know what number of hamstring injury this is now,” he continued.

“We haven't really put a date in terms of return. It's more so how I'm feeling. You only really know when you get back fully training what way it is. We'll have to take it from there.

“At the minute I'm just tipping over with the rehab and see how it goes. It's frustrating surely. You're back for a couple of weeks and then it just goes again. It's something that I've learned to get on with.

“I suppose you can't really moan about it either. You don't really have time to. It's frustrating especially when you get to the stage of the year, the championship and all that.

“It's the time of year you want to be playing football. Just knuckle down. Hopefully not too long.”

“If you look across the country, you have a lot of counties struggling in the same way.

“There's a lot of teams where five or six boys that started last year are all out injured.

“I think we're not probably the only team to suffer but again, our performances just haven't been as good as other teams.

“The likes of Galway are probably the same with injuries but they're still pushing on. We've just struggled in that sense of things.”

Electric Ireland Connacht MFC

MAYO 1-12 (1-1-10) GALWAY 2-10 (2-1-8)

LEITRIM 0-11 (0-1-9) SLIGO 3-19 (3-3-13)

An injury-time goal from a Conor Hoban penalty wasn’t quite enough to prevent Mayo from becoming the high profile casualty of the round robin stage of the Electric Ireland Connacht MFC tonight, with Galway and Sligo advancing to a semi-final clash to see who will get the chance to dethrone reigning provincial champions Roscommon next month.

Leitrim were still mathematically in the hunt to reach the knockout stages as well, but they needed a Galway win and to pick up at least a five-point victory themselves at Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada.

Éanna Giblin sent in a wonderful ball for Ryan Lang to kick the opening score for Sligo after just 80 seconds to kick off yet another freescoring night for the St. Molaise Gaels full forward.

With the breeze at their backs Leitrim dug in well and a two-pointer from Seán Keaney briefly put them 0-7 to 0-3 to the good. It could have been even more as Colm McLoughlin hit a shot inches over the crossbar when put through by a sublime Senan Kelly pass.

Jack Kelly kicked a point for Sligo to help shift the game’s momentum and the visitors struck a killer blow shortly before half-time when Pól Arnold’s deflected shot looped over Elvis Shehaj, making it 1-7 to 0-8 at the interval.

It took just 20 seconds for Lang to curl over a shot to increase the lead after half-time and Sligo didn’t take long to take care of business. Lang (twice) and Kelly hit doubles with Ryan Healy and Danny Feeney on the mark with goals to ensure that Sligo march on with the wind in their sails.

That result still wouldn’t have been enough for Sligo if Mayo had beaten Galway, but the Tribesmen, who just needed to avoid a defeat of eight points or more to be sure of progression, prevailed thanks to two Shane Heneghan goals in the third quarter.

Mayo needed to build up a lead before half-time with the breeze at their backs but mustered up a mere two point advantage, 0-8 to 0-6. Aidan Brogan was superb for the home team, getting out of the traps with a good point to cancel out a Joey Cullinane score, while Conor Hoban stirred the orange flag with a fine kick from range, but they couldn’t quite shake Galway off.

Tiernan Mitchell’s point before the break was ominous and once Shane Heneghan rattled the roof of the net with a blasted finish from close range two minutes into the second half, Galway were in trouble. Heneghan got his second goal thanks to a fingertip touch on Oisín Ó Neachtain’s long ball and while Mayo fought tigerishly into the breeze, Hoban’s penalty came too late to give them a real chance to snatch the win they needed.

By Paul Fitzpatrick

The oneills.com All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Doubles semi-finals are down for decision on Saturday at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park, with a couple of compelling contests in store.

In the men’s draw, holders Peter and Patrick Funchion bid to move a step closer to retaining the title they captured last year, a landmark success which marked the first Kilkenny victory in the grade in 27 years. The Kells brothers were impressive again on their way to the last four, accounting for Mayo’s Paddy Murphy and Dessie Keegan (21-6, 21-19) before easing past Eoghan McGinnity, a former two-time minor champion, and Ramunas Ramanauskas in the quarter-final (21-8, 21-9).

They now face one of the stories of this year’s championship in Antrim’s Jordan O’Neill and Mark Rainey. Former Intermediate champions, O’Neill and Rainey have become the first Antrim pairing in over 20 years to reach a Senior Doubles semi-final and arrive in Croke Park with momentum after a standout tie-break victory over Mallow duo Tadhg O’Neill and David Walsh, recovering from the loss of the opening game to win 18-21, 21-10, 11-3. Their athleticism and confidence make them dangerous opponents but they will need another step up to unsettle the experienced Funchions.

The other men’s semi-final pits Clare’s Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan, one of the most decorated partnerships still in contention, against Cork’s former winners Daniel Relihan and Michael Hedigan in what promises to be a high-quality rematch of the 2024 final. Nash and Crehan are three-time champions and have also been beaten in two finals. They advanced with composed wins over Galway’s Oisín Ó Cualáin and Conor Noone, 21-8, 21-10, before accounting for Wicklow’s Michael Gregan and Jerome Willoughby, 21-13, 21-6.

Relihan and Hedigan, from Liscarroll, edged that dramatic 2024 decider in an 11-10 tie-breaker and have again shown strong form this season. They opened with victory over Clare pair Colin Corbett and Niall Bolton and followed up with an authoritative win against former champions Gary McConnell and Brian Carroll of Meath, prevailing 21-16, 21-8. With recent final history between the sides and both partnerships well matched stylistically, this tie has the potential to be the stand-out contest of the afternoon.

In the ladies championship, Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin and Niamh Heffernan enter as strong favourites to retain their title. Representing the Michael Breathnachs and Claregalway clubs respectively, the reigning champions have established themselves as the leading pairing in the game and will be expected to bring their trademark control and power to bear again.

Their opponents are Cork’s Carmel Kelleher and Aishling O’Keeffe, a vastly experienced doubles operator who won 17 senior All-Ireland medals alongside Catriona Casey across both 40x20 and 60x30. O’Keeffe’s strength on the right side remains a key asset, while Kelleher arrives in excellent form after recently claiming the Intermediate Singles crown. If they can impose themselves early, the Cork pair have the tools to test the champions but Galway are deserved favourites.

The second ladies semi-final sees sisters Mollie and Hannah Dagg from Leixlip take on Clare duo Caitríona Millane and Leah Minogue. Mollie Dagg has emerged as one of the leading senior players while Hannah, a stand-out underage player, is stepping up to the top level.

Millane and Minogue bring strong recent credentials. Minogue captured the All-Ireland Intermediate Singles title in 2025 while Millane reached the quarter-finals of this year’s Senior Singles Championship before losing to Fiona Tully, evidence of the level she is operating at individually.

Action throws in at 2pm at Croke Park, with the matches streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.

* The match day panels for all of this weekend's inter-county championship matches can be viewed and downloaded at the bottom of this article.

Joe McDonagh Cup Round 1

Saturday, April 18

Antrim v Down, Dunloy, 1.30pm

When these two teams met in the League Down pulled off a surprise victory courtesy of a last-gasp Donal Hughes goal.

It wasn’t ultimately enough to save Down from relegation with Antrim staying up on scoring difference, but it was still a huge victory for a county that has long shivered in Antrim’s hurling shadow.

Antrim will keen to take a measure of revenge here in front of their home support but it’s likely to be another tight match.

Both teams have attacks capable of putting up big scores with the likes of Keelan Molloy, Conal Cunning, James McNaugton, Seaan Elliott to the fore for Antrim and Pearse Óg McCrickard, Daithi Sands, Tom McGrattan, and Shea Pucci threats for Down.

But an Antrim defence anchored by Paddy Burke looks a little bit more robust than Down’s and could be the decisive factor.

Carlow v Laois, Netwatch Cullen Park, 6pm

These two teams come into this match off contrasting League campaigns.

Carlow were relegated from Division 1B whereas Laois won Division Two in some style.

It might ultimately be the case that the higher level of competition that Carlow were faced with in the higher tier will have them better prepped for this McDonagh Cup campaign, but momentum and confidence counts for a lot and Laois should have more of those qualities.

It’s generally a very tight game when these two teams meet and both have plenty of firepower in their ranks.

Laois look a little more robust around the middle third though where Padraig Delaney, David Dooley, and Aidan Corby can give them a winning platform.

Sunday, April 19

London v Westmeath, McGovern Park, Ruislip, 1pm

When these two teams met in the League at Ruislip Westmeath came out on top by a margin of 11 points.

London showed better form in subsequent matches in the competition and in Sean Glynn and Fionn O’Riain Broin have two inside forwards capable of doing a lot of damage if they get a decent supply of ball.

Westmeath have greater quality throughout their team though, with strong players down the middle like Conor Shaw, Johnny Bermingham, Andrew Shaw, David Williams, and Eoin Keyes giving them a powerful platform to build on.

The Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups continue this weekend.

Christy Ring Cup

Roscommon and Meath will both be targeting their first points of this year’s Christy Ring Cup when they clash in Ballyforan on Saturday.

Meath, who won three titles at this level between 2016 and 2023, lost out to Kerry in round one. Roscommon, who have been boosted by their U-20s qualifying for the All-Ireland ‘B’ final, were unable to get to grips with Derry. Meath will be looking to the likes of Tom Shine, Simon Ennis and Mikey Cole to get their campaign up and running. Seán Canning could return to the starting team for Roscommon, who will be depending on Enda Lawless, Conor Mulry and Paddy Fallon.

Sunday’s Christy Ring Cup games involve long trips for both away teams.

Derry will be chasing a second win when they travel to Aughrim to face Wicklow.

Derry, who fell at the final hurdle in the last three Christy Ring Cups, were convincing winners over Roscommon in their 2026 opener. Wicklow entered the championship on the back of a dramatic win in the Division III league decider, but that result was reversed by Donegal last weekend.

Derry had 13 scorers against Roscommon, with Cormac O’Doherty, Shea Cassidy, Conor Coyle and Déaglán Foley to the fore. Wicklow will need John Henderson, Pádraig Doran, Pádraig Doyle and Seánie Germaine to lead the way.

The last tie of the round in Tralee will see Kerry and Donegal vying to build on winning starts.

Three-time Joe McDonagh finalists Kerry kicked off their bid for a quick return to that grade in impressive style by beating Meath. Both counties reached finals in the league, with Donegal putting their Division III final loss to Wicklow behind them by defeating the Garden County last week.

Jordan Brick (who was voted as GAA.ie Hurler of the Week after round one) should be joined by the likes of Ronan Walsh, Tom Doyle and James O’Connor in playing key roles for Kerry. Gerard Gilmore, Liam McKinney and goal threat Richie Ryan could be crucial to Donegal’s prospects of an upset.

Nickey Rackard Cup

Round two of the Nickey Rackard Cup includes an all-Ulster clash between Fermanagh and Armagh on Saturday.

Both counties were relegated from Division III of the league, where they played out a draw in the final round, while they lost their opening Nickey Rackard games: Fermanagh to Louth and Armagh v Mayo. Caolán Duffy and Luca McCusker, Seán Corrigan and Danann McKeogh could play central roles for Fermanagh, with Barry Shortt, Odhrán Curry and Jack Loughran set to do the same for Armagh in what looks likely to be a close contest.

Also on Saturday, Sligo welcome Louth to Markievicz Park.

Division IV league winners Sligo’s 100% record for 2026 slipped away when they lost to Tyrone last week. Meanwhile, Louth made a winning start to the championship at the expense of Fermanagh. Andrew Kilcullen, Thomas Cawley and Robert and Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch give Sligo plenty of scoring power, while Darren Geoghegan, Andrew La Touche Cosgrave, Ciarán McKelvey and Peter Fortune will be integral to Louth’s chances of making it two wins from two.

Sunday sees Mayo and Tyrone attempt to build on their opening-round wins.

Mayo – runners-up in both 2024 and ’25 – had a convincing win over Armagh on the opening day, while Tyrone began their bid for a quick return to Christy Ring level with a four-goal victory against Sligo. Corey Scahill, Cormac Phillips and Shane Boland can lead the way for Mayo, with Michael Little, Aidy Kelly and Shea Monroe on form for Tyrone.

Lory Meagher Cup

Two of this weekend’s Lory Meagher Cup games take place at Páirc na hÉireann, starting with Warwickshire v Longford on Saturday.

Two-time Lory Meagher winners Longford continued their strong form with a comprehensive win over Lancashire last time out, while a battling performance by Warwickshire wasn’t enough to deny Cavan. Reuben Murray, Martin Farrell and Ronan Courtney were on song for Longford in round one. Warwickshire will hope that Jack Grealish, John Collins and Darragh McGuinness can inspire an upset.

The same venue hosts Lancashire v Leitrim on Sunday.

Lancashire couldn’t get to grips with Longford last Saturday, while Leitrim extended their winning streak to five by holding off a late rally from Monaghan. Philip Burgess, Gavin O’Hagan, Daniel Miller and Joe Murray are among the main men for Leitrim. Lancashire will need Peter Boylan, Pádraic Burke and Shane Nugent to be at the top of their game.

A Monaghan v Cavan double-header in Clones on Sunday starts with their Lory Meagher derby.

2023 winners Monaghan need to get off the mark after losing to Leitrim, while Cavan got their campaign up and running by seeing off Warwickshire. Just four points separated these teams when Cavan edged past their neighbours in the league last month. Mark Moffett was the first-round hat-trick hero for Cavan, with Seán Keating, Daniel Martin and Jack McGuinness also chipping in. Monaghan need to give more support up front to Niall Arthur, via the likes of Eithan Flynn, Niall Garland and Jack Guinan.

FIXTURES

Saturday, April 18

Christy Ring Cup Round 2

Roscommon v Meath, Ballyforan, 3pm

Nickey Rackard Cup Round 2

Fermanagh v Armagh, Kinawley, 3pm

Sligo v Louth, Markievicz Park, 3pm

Lory Meagher Cup Round 2

Warwickshire v Longford, Páirc na hÉireann, 2pm

Sunday, April 19

Christy Ring Cup Round 2

Wicklow v Derry, Aughrim, 12.30pm

Kerry v Donegal, Tralee, 1pm

Nickey Rackard Cup Round 2

Mayo v Tyrone, Castlebar, 1.30pm

Lory Meagher Cup Round 2

Lancashire v Leitrim, Páirc na hÉireann, 12pm

Monaghan v Cavan, Clones, 1pm

* The match day panels for all of this weekend's inter-county championship matches can be viewed and downloaded at the bottom of this article.

Saturday, April 18

Ulster SFC quarter-final

Derry v Antrim, Find Insurance Celtic Park, 5pm – BBC

Derry have named a strong looking team for this Ulster SFC quarter-final against Antrim that includes three changes from their last outing, a League victory over Cavan.

Eoin McEvoy makes his first start of the season, Conor McCluskey makes his first start since the win over Tyrone in February, and Conor Doherty is back after missing the Cavan game.

Antrim improved over the course of their Division Four League campaign but are still massive underdogs here.

Derry’s greater scoring power should make it a comfortable enough win by the end.

Sunday, April 19

Leinster SFC quarter-finals

Kildare v Laois, Cedral St Conleth's Park, 3.45pm

Laois got their championship campaign off to a very positive start with a nine-point win over Offaly last weekend whereas Kildare are coming into the match cold.

The Lilywhites were relegated from Division Two of the League as their young team seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence after a decent start to the campaign.

Laois have a tendency to blow hot and cold so it’s hard to know what to expect from them.

They’re capable of winning this game if they play like they did last weekend, but home advantage and the scoring power of players like Ben Loakman, Darragh Kirwan, and Brian McLoughlin could swing it for Kildare

Dublin v Wicklow, Echelon Park Aughrim, 3pm

Wicklow got their championship campaign off to a flier last weekend when defeating Division 4 League champions Carlow, but Dublin represent a big step up in quality.

Ger Brennan’s team might be in a period of transition, but they’ve still named a strong looking starting XV for this match that includes Con O’Callaghan, Paddy Smally, Sean Bugler, and Niall Scully in a potent attack.

If Wicklow get a decent supply of ball into the likes of Padraig O’Toole and Oisin McGraynor they’re capable of making life uncomfortable for a new-look Dublin defence, but a shock result doesn’t really look on the cards.

Louth v Wexford, Netwatch Cullen Park, 2.30pm

Defending champions Louth will go into this game as warm favourites but Wexford will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset.

The Slaneysiders made it consecutive promotions in the League and were very unlucky to lose to Down in the Division Three Final so they’re bringing some good form into the contest.

If it is match of fine margins then Louth’s bench could swing it for them. Players like Ryan Burns, Craig Lennon, Tommy Durnin, and Ciaran Downey are all capable of making a big impact.

Meath v Westmeath, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm

Meath have named the same XV that beat Cork in the Division Two Final and on the strength of their impressive performance in that match will go into this game as warm favourites.

The Westmeath challenge shouldn’t be discounted though. They were very impressive when beating Longford by 5-25 to 1-16 in the first round and have clinical finishers in attack like Luke Loughlin, Brandon Kelly, Shane Corcoran and Ray Connellan.

Meath could have the edge in the middle third though where men like Jack Flynn, Cian McBride and Bryan Menton give them a great ball-winning platform.

If the Royals can dominate possession like they did in the League Final, then forwards like Jordan Morris, Eoghan Frayne, and Ruairí Kinsella can shoot them to victory.

Ulster SFC quarter-final

Monaghan v Cavan, St Tiernach's Park, Clones, 3pm - BBC

A Monaghan team in transition endured a torrid League campaign in Division 1 that saw them lose seven games from seven by an average of 10 points each.

They did finish on something of a relative high though by scoring 3-15 in their final match of the campaign against Donegal when they lost to the eventual champions by just five points.

Cavan didn’t have a great League campaign themselves, just about avoiding relegation to Division Three.

It’s likely to be a tight match, but Monaghan look like they have a bit more firepower with players like Mícheál Bannigan, Stephen O’Hanlon, and David Garland in attack.

* The match day panels for all of this weekend's inter-county championship matches can be viewed and downloaded at the bottom of this article.

Saturday, April 18

Leinster SHC Round 1

Galway v Kilkenny, Pearse Stadium, 4.30pm - GAA+

When these teams met in the League last March Galway romped to a 0-35 to 0-17 win over the Cats.

It was the fifth biggest competitive defeat that the Kilkenny senior hurlers have suffered in their history, and the manner in which they were outworked as well as out-hurled was most un-Kilkenny like.

They’ll surely be ferociously determined to make amends for that performance here, but are they good enough to flip the result?

Until their draw with Tipperary in the final round of the League when they scored 3-24, Kilkenny’s attack had looked toothless. TJ Reid make a big difference that day on his first start of the year and is named at full-forward again for this game.

His clash with Cillian Trayers will be an important battle. Trayers has been excellent for Galway in the League, but containing Reid will be his biggest test yet.

Other young Galway hurlers like Cian Daniels, John Fleming, Jason Rabbitte, and Aaron Niland also played some brilliant hurling in the League and start this match, but championship hurling is a different beast altogether so they too still have a lot to prove.

Based on the respective form of both teams you would make this exciting, young Galway side favourites, but don’t be surprised if the Cats really show their claws here.

Kildare v Wexford, Cedral St Conleth's Park, 6.30pm

When these two teams met in the final round of the League on March 21 Wexford triumphed by 21 points but it’s reasonable to expect a much closer game this time around.

Kildare experimented with their selection a bit on that occasion but have named a stronger looking team for this match that includes Jack Travers who had been sidelined with injury since the League win over Antrim.

He’s named in a full-forward line that also includes Jack Sheridan and Muiris Curtin, and the trio will certainly pose a big threat if given a good supply of ball.

Wexford are in a period of transition but they improved as the League progressed and gave good accounts of themselves against Division 1B finalists Dublin and Clare.

There’s a strong look to the spine of their team with Conor Foley, Richie Lawlor, Conor Hearne, Lee Chin, and Jack Redmond down the middle.

Kildare will make this a real battle, but Wexford have enough quality to edge it.

Offaly v Dublin, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 6.30pm - GAA+

Offaly had a difficult League campaign that saw them lose their six matches in Division 1A by an average of 12 points each.

Their campaign concluded with a 24-point hammering at the hands of Cork, and they’ve named 13 of the players that started that game in their XV for this match with Patrick Taaffe and Shane Rigney coming in for Donal Shirley and Eimhin Kelly.

Shirley has been a very important player at centre-back for Offaly in the last couple of years and his absence is a big blow.

Dublin make just one change to the team that was beaten by Clare in the Allianz Hurling League Division 1B Final with Dara Purcell coming in for Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing.

Inconsistency is a recurring issue for Dublin both within games and from match to match, but if they hurl to their full potential then they should win this game.

Sunday, April 19

Munster SHC Round 1

Clare v Waterford, Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg, 2pm - RTE

Clare have been boosted by the inclusion of Tony Kelly, Adam Hogan, and Mark Rodgers in their XV for Sunday’s clash with Wateford.

Kelly and Hogan missed the Division 1B League Final win over Dublin and Rodgers picked up a knock in that game, but all have been deemed fit to face the Déise.

Shane O’Donnell was also forced off in the League Final against Dublin but he’s named among the subs.

Austin Gleeson is named on the bench for Waterford after recently returning to the panel. Mark Fitzgerald will captain the Deise in the place of injured full-back Conor Prunty who’s a big loss.

The big question is whether a spring spent in Division 1B will have prepared Clare sufficiently for the pace of a Munster Hurling Championship match. Waterford were relegated from Division 1A but had some good performances and should benefit from the higher level of opposition.

It’s likely to be tight match decided by the impact from the bench. Clare have good options there in Shane O’Donnell, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald, and Ian Galvin.

But Waterford have strong options too like Gleeson, Peter Hogan, Patrick Curran, and Tadgh de Burca.

Tipperary v Cork, FBD Semple Stadium, 4pm - RTE

Cork have named two championship debutants for this match while Tipperary have named one.

Barry Walsh and William Buckley are the Cork duo, with the exciting young attackers named at wing-forward and corner-forward respectively.

Perhaps a bigger surprise is the inclusion of Tipperary’s debutant, Stefan Tobin, at corner-forward in the Premier County attack, as it means last year’s break-out star, Darragh McCarthy, must be satisfied with a place on the bench.

Teenager Tobin will still be eligible for the U20 grade next year, but he’s a hurler of rich promise as he showed in Tipperary’s League win over Waterford when he scored four points on his first senior start.

The other interesting inclusion in the Tipperary team is Oisín O’Donoghue who makes his first championship start at wing-back. He’s better known as a forward and did well off the bench in that role last year for Tipperary, so this is another big call by Tipp manager Liam Cahill.

Based on the XV that he has selected with Conor Stakelum named at wing-forward and Craig Morgan at midfield, it seems likely that Tipperary will once again play with a sweeper like they did to such good effect in last year’s All-Ireland Final.

Cork were caught cold by the tactic that day, but they’ll surely be much better prepared for it this time around.

Cork go into the match as slight favourites, but it’s likely to be a contest of fine margins.

By John Harrington

The Kilkenny hurlers will surely feel like they have a point to prove when they play Galway in the first round of the Leinster SHC on Saturday in Pearse Stadium.

When the teams met in the League on March 7 Galway romped to a 0-35 to 0-17 win over the Cats.

It was the fifth biggest defeat that the Kilkenny senior hurlers have suffered in their history, and the manner in which they were outworked as well as out-hurled was most un-Kilkenny like.

The criticism that followed the loss was significant, and Kilkenny defender Paddy Deegan admits it was difficult to ignore.

“I think after a performance like that it's important for teams to kind of really stick together,” says Deegan.

“I know it's hard to do in kind of today's society, but it's important to kind of block out that noise as much as possible, or limit it.

“You spoke about the criticism...I always say don't take criticism from people you wouldn't ask for advice from. And I think that's really, really important in situations like that because you have a lot of young lads in and around the squad.

“When criticism is coming from all angles after a performance like that we know as players and as management that we didn't perform, and it wasn't up to the standard.

“I think then when you have it coming from all angles then it can be hard on younger lads particularly who probably weren't exposed to it for the last number of years.

“So it's just really important to kind of block it out as much as possible. But, like I said, with social media and everything like that, it is hard at times.”

The criticism that followed the loss to Galway wasn’t just external, with team manager Derek Lyng declaring afterwards the level of Kilkenny’s performance was “unacceptable”.

“The comments he made after the match, he was 100 per cent correct,” says Deegan.

“That should not happen. It is not good enough and we knew that as players. Derek was disappointed after the game but he knew what he needed to work on.

“We did as well. That was the most important thing. Instead of being overly negative, we were positive towards getting us better rather than putting us down.

“I think that day against Galway, I suppose the effort and the work rate just wasn't up to the standard that we're used to. And I think that's probably one of the main reasons why we performed so poorly.

“If you're a fraction off even in terms of work rate or anything like that, you're under pressure straight away. The way teams are so dialled in these days, you just have to be on the ball every day you go out.”

Kilkenny responded to that defeat against Galway with a much better performance in the final round of the League against Tipperary when they drew a game they could just as easily have won.

How important was it to the group to restore some pride in the manner that they did?

“Yeah, it was really important. Look, the game against Galway was a really poor performance And I think everybody knew that. But, yeah, the performance against Tipp was a good kind of reaction to it.

“We could have won it in the end and I know we got the point but I thought we performed fairly well throughout the game and I think it was really important.

“We still have a lot to build on that as well and we have been over the last couple of weeks, we've been doing a good bit of training. So I think we've made good improvements there in the lead-up to the championship.”

A large and vocal Kilkenny support travelled to that match against Tipperary in Semple Stadium and made plenty of noise which reassured Deegan the players still have their backing.

“Yeah, I think they're still fully behind us,” he says. “Fans that are genuinely supporting us and are real hurling people, I think they're still behind us.

“They were probably as disappointed as us just with the performance but I think they saw the reaction against Tipp and they saw the difference in terms of the work rate and the effort and everything that went into it.”

The draw with Tipperary was Kilkenny’s best performance of the League, and it’s surely no coincidence that it was also the only game that TJ Reid started during the campaign.

He was outstanding on the night, scoring 1-4 from play and giving the Kilkenny attack a hugely effective focal point that they’d lacked in the previous five matches.

Reid will turn 39 later this year, but he’s clearly still a hugely important player for Kilkenny.

“He was excellent the last day out,” says Deegan. “He just shows his class. He's hurling at a standard, even with the club last year, he's hurling at a standard that it's hard to believe.

“He's just unbelievable, to be fair to him. A lot of people are probably saying he's slowing down because of his age. But I actually think he's getting faster, to be honest, the way he's moving. He just looks after himself incredibly well.

“Lads ask him for advice, he's no problem. I'd be still picking his brains on things as well. He's great to have around. He's a great leader. He's great to have around the dressing him.

“To be fair, he brings an incredible amount of energy to the thing. When he's there, there's very few times when the ball goes into him, his man is coming out with it.

“He doesn't mind what ball goes into him, high or low, he just wants to be around the ball. It gives us a massive lift, having him there.”

When Kilkenny won the 2015 All-Ireland title it was their 11^th in a period of 15 years and at that time it would have be unthinkable they’d fail to win any in the following 11 years.

In that period they’ve reached eight All-Ireland semi-finals and four finals so they’ve remained a consistent force, but Deegan doesn’t take any pride in that achievement.

“I wouldn’t say we take pride,” he says. “When we go out every year the aim is to win an All-Ireland and when you are not doing that and you are only reaching semi-finals, you don’t take pride in that.

“I don’t think it is something you would take pride in. You only do that when you are winning All-Irelands. And we have not done that in 11 years. It is there and is going to be there until we actually get over the line and that is the focus going forward.”

Over 10,000 young players and over 1,000 volunteer coaches will participate in the Musco Talent Academy programme of games in the coming weeks.

The new youth development partnership with Musco Lighting supports underage Talent Academy Squads established in every county that complement the GAA’s existing Games Development structures and pathways.

The multi-year partnership is an investment in youth development programmes, equipment and coaching supports aimed at county-based U14–U16 Talent Academy Squads in both football and hurling.

The academies support the development of young players as they progress through club and school competition and ensure they have access to structured coaching, development opportunities and high-quality games environments designed to help them reach their full potential.

Conor O'Donoghue, Chairperson National Development CCC, said: "The Talent Academy provides clear alignment with the player pathway by supporting young players at that key adolescent stage. The games provide a higher standard of playing opportunity for the players which allows for further development"

This weekend sees the commencement of the football academy programme with 37 fixtures down for decision. They can be viewed and downloaded below.

Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship phase 2 round 2

Cork 0-10 (0-2-6) Kerry 0-9 (0-0-9)

Clare 2-13 (2-2-9) Waterford 2-14 (2-0-14)

By Stephen Barry

Despite losing senior starter Dara Sheedy to injury, Cork recorded their first Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship victory over Kerry in seven attempts with a nerve-jangling triumph at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Meanwhile, Waterford’s rising tide saw Paddy McCarthy slot a last-kick winner against Clare for their third win of this campaign.

All four sides could yet qualify for the final heading into the third round, with Cork on three points, Kerry and Waterford on two, and Clare on one.

For Cork, it was a win they needed more after drawing away to the Banner in the first round.

The worry for Ray Keane after beating his native county concerned centre-forward Sheedy, who pulled up seemingly clutching his hamstring after 20 minutes.

Having chosen to play with the swirling wind, Kerry owned the ball for the first 10 minutes. Seán Ó Cúinn pointed after 30 seconds, followed by a Paddy Lane free and a deflected Ronan Carroll effort. That ninth-minute flag would be their last score of the half.

In a game of baffling swings, a Cork side who took six minutes to touch the ball were level by the 15th minute. Seán O’Leary, a solo Sheedy score, and Danny Miskella’s free made it 0-3 apiece.

For the next twist, the second quarter passed without any score, although Evan Boyle had a good point waved wide despite the ball coming in off the post on its way over the bar.

Cork hit the front within 20 seconds of the resumption. Mark O’Brien lofted over a two-pointer from outside the 45-metre line and half-time substitute Dylan O’Neill soon made it double scores.

Kerry senior Tomás Kennedy (0-2), a Lane free, and Máirtín McKivergan had them level at 0-7 apiece.
Odhran Foley edged Cork back ahead. After Kerry’s 13th wide, Danny Miskella’s orange flag gave the hosts a three-point cushion with five minutes remaining.

Kerry began to nibble into the deficit entering the three added minutes, but after scores from Daniel Kirby and a Kennedy free, they didn’t get the ball forward in time for one last shot.

Meanwhile, Waterford emerged 2-14 to 2-13 victors over Clare in a game switched from Quilty to Kilmihill.
Donnacha O’Dwyer had a quickfire 1-1 to build an early home lead before two-pointers from goalkeeper

Harry O’Gorman (free) and Seán Fennell made it 1-8 to 0-5 at half-time.

When Daire Culligan netted a brilliant goal after 37 minutes, Clare led by double scores, 2-8 to 0-7. That advantage didn’t last long as David Nyhan and Joe Brennan blasted to the net to level.

Waterford extended that for a 2-3 streak to lead 2-10 to 2-8. Clare reeled off four in a row through O’Dwyer, Culligan (0-2), and a O’Gorman 45 to wrestle control.

But Waterford finished stronger through three consecutive McCarthy frees, with the latter pair arriving deep in stoppage time.

By John Harrington

Following in the footsteps of Armagh’s Rory Grugan, Derry footballer Anton Tohill is the latest inter-county player who will take part the International Player Exchange Programme.

On behalf of Gaelic Games Europe and in partnership with the Gaelic Players Association, McKvr Sports, and Modulair, Tohill will spend two months in Iberia this year supporting GAA clubs across the region.

Tohill will travel via Brittany Ferries to Bilbao on Wednesday, April 29, and over the course of his time in Spain and Portugal will visit clubs and schools in Galicia, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Málaga, Marbella, Porto and Lisbon.

He’ll be in Madrid for Gaelic Games Europe’s ‘Europe Day’ activations when 10 European clubs will host Go Games blitzes in collaboration with the European Commission and will attend the Iberian GAA Finals in A Coruña on Saturday 6th June, which are sponsored by Modulair.

“It'll be fantastic,” says Tohill of his upcoming adventure.

“Culture-wise, getting to go and get exposed to Spain over a period like this, for me as somebody who's always enjoyed going there on holidays and trips, I think is fantastic.

“And getting to see the breadth of the country and hopefully making an impact through something that obviously means a lot to us here in Ireland is immense as well, opportunity-wise.

“I couldn't be looking forward to it much more, I must say."

While playing in the AFL with Collingwood, Tohill studied a diploma in Spanish and his fluency in the language has also been helped by extensive travels throughout Spain.

He’s looking forward to experiencing the variety of cultures on the Iberian peninsula and how Gaelic games there is shaped by them.

“Different areas in the Iberian peninsula are very culturally different so that is going to be quite interesting for me to experience,” says Tohill.

“And then the standard of football....there's expats who are going to be playing throughout Spain, but up in the north of Spain, in Galicia especially, it's predominantly locals that have picked it up and they're interested in the game.

“So, it's going to be very, very interesting to see what the level is and then how you can tailor your coaching.

“It's a fantastic experience for them, I suppose, to have somebody coming over that's obviously played the game, but also for me myself to be able to see how they organise it, what kind of structure they have in place, and to try and improve it.

“It’s incredible to me that in Galicia you have children being exposed to Gaelic games through the schooling system whereas in Northern Ireland we’d have schools where there is no Gaelic football. That’s crazy to me.”

Tohill is currently completing his Medical Degree in Queen’s University and for the last three years has been a facilitator with the Movember ‘Ahead of the Game’ mental health literacy programme which highlights the importance of building mental fitness to deal with the challenges life and sport can throw at anyone.

So as well as sharing his Gaelic football knowledge to the International Player Exchange Programme, he’ll also deliver health and wellbeing workshops at construction sites linked to Modulair and Ireland.

“Modulair are looking to try and get the word out there about mental health so I'll covering probably a few of the men's health issues that I probably face in my time as a medical student and I'll be definitely calling upon a lot of my communication skills from my Movember training and how those are facilitated," says Tohill.

"So, yeah, that should be interesting and enjoyable and hopefully those guys that are given the workshops can take something out of it. And it's another opportunity for me to flex the Spanish language muscles a bit.”

The GAA Museum and Bord Gáis Energy have announced the return of the popular GAA Legends Tour Series for 2026, featuring some of the biggest names from the world of Gaelic Games. The series was launched today at Croke Park by Limerick’s Declan Hannon and Kerry’s Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh.

The Legends Tours, which have been supported by Bord Gáis Energy for over a decade, gives fans a chance to meet their GAA, Camogie & LGFA heroes and listen as they delve into some of the biggest moments from their careers. Attendees will learn what it’s like inside the dressing room before the biggest matches and what really happens during the half-time speech.

All Legends Tours include a trip to the GAA Museum, which vividly illustrates the story of Gaelic games from ancient times to the present day. Featured exhibitions include the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy Cups, the official GAA Hall of Fame and the recently renovated Interactive Games Zone, where everyone can test their Hurling and Football skills.

This year’s tours begin in May and Legends lined up to lead a tour this summer include John Small (Dublin), David Burke (Galway), Dickie Murphy (Wexford), Brian ‘Beano’ McDonald (Laois), Declan Hannon (Limerick), Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh (Kerry) and Grace Walsh (Kilkenny), with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Booking is essential as these tours sell out quickly. For bookings and more information about the Legends for this summer’s tours, visit crokepark.ie/legends.

Bord Gáis Energy customers can win tickets to the Legends Tours, as well as matches, through the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Programme.

Bord Gáis Energy Director Customer & Commercial, Catherine Lonergan said: “The Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tours are a great way to bring fans

closer to the rich heritage of Gaelic games and to celebrate the stories that mean so much to communities across Ireland. We’re proud to support experiences like these, which help share the passion of the Legends with fans of all ages.”

Uachtarán CLG, Jarlath Burns said: “The award winning GAA Museum at Croke Park stands as a monument to our great games and to the iconic players who have

enthralled us for generations. The Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tours features some of the most iconic men and women to have graced Gaelic games and offers the public an unrivalled opportunity to walk and talk with them as they relive their glory days.”

GAA Museum Director, Niamh McCoy said: “We have an outstanding selection of Gaelic games stars once again for this year’s Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series, and we hope that all those attending truly relish listening to these legends of the game here in Croke Park. The annual Legends Tour series is always a highlight here at the GAA Museum, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Bord Gáis Energy for another year.”

​By Paul Keane

Seán Brennan remembers his Dad suggesting that he jump in goals back around the time he was playing Féile hurling for Cuala.

"I wasn't great outfield, to be honest," said Brennan, who was lucky enough to have his father involved in the coaching team. "Dad was like, 'Ah jump in goals, sure'. And that's how I kind of ended up doing it."

That's over half a lifetime ago for the 31-year-old who has managed to establish himself in more recent years as Dublin's number one goalkeeper.

Chances are he'll line out again this Saturday evening when Dublin get their Leinster SHC campaign underway against Offaly in Tullamore.

But he does want to make an important point about goalkeeping now - that it isn't for players who aren't good enough to make it outfield, as he felt about himself.

And that's a stereotype that his club, Cuala, are keen to smash as well, putting a big emphasis these days on identifying and developing young players who are interested in exploring their potential as goalkeepers.

"It's often been the case that someone lands in goals rather than saying, 'I really want to be in goals', so that's what we're trying to foster at the club, to get someone at 14 or 15 years of age saying, 'This is what I really want to do' and then you can develop them from a younger age and guide them through the process," said Brennan.

If keeping goals still seems boring or unattractive, consider that no other player on the Dublin team this weekend will be guaranteed as many possessions as Brennan. And it won't be a case of going through the motions and simply striking it as far as possible, hurling restarts are a science all of their own now. And goalkeepers are far more involved in general play too, often presenting themselves as an option for passes from defenders as Brennan regularly does.

"It's completely different to what it was four or five years ago," nodded Brennan. "The in-play involvement has gone up significantly. With the puck-outs, you're probably trying to find men rather than hitting areas. And you do have a lot of influence on the game generally. But ultimately your job is still to keep the ball out of the back of the net. That's first and foremost what you're there to do. Everything else will stem from that."

Brennan was speaking at the announcement that Amgen has extended its title sponsorship of Cuala GAA through to 2029. The launch took place at Croke Park where he played against Wexford in February, saving a penalty in an important draw that evening which went a long way towards securing Dublin's promotion from Division 1B of the Allianz League.

He is proud of his goalkeeping craft and outlined just how much work he puts into it.

"Depth perception would be the biggest thing for me," said Brennan, explaining the preparatory work he undertakes around puckouts. "You're trying to learn the depth perception on the pitch because you've got six-foot-two lads who are holding 35 or 36-inch hurleys and it can be hard to see lines of sight from where you are as the goalkeeper.

"Sometimes, if you're sitting up the stand, you're going 'Why is the goalkeeper not hitting this or that pass or puck-out?' But it's a completely different picture you're getting on the ground so I'd use a lot of high behind cameras to help build that intuition in myself, to trust when the space is there. That helps me to trust the gaps, to trust the space. Like, there can be times when you look back at a puck-out and you didn't realise there was actually 40 yards of space in an area and you're going to yourself, 'Jeez, how did I not hit that?'"

As iron sharpens iron, Brennan and Eddie Gibbons keep the pressure on each other to perform. Brennan started five of Dublin's seven League games this season, including the final against Clare. Kilmacud Crokes man Gibbons was in nets for the wins over Kildare and Down. On both of those occasions, Gibbons kept a clean sheet.

"The competition is absolutely ferocious," said Brennan of how he and Gibbons spark off each other. "Eddie's one of the top class 'keepers in the game. I think we're in a very good position with our goalkeeping team in Dublin. I don't think there's many counties that would have as good of a one and two that are there, in terms of the competition between the two of us.

"Whoever gets the jersey this weekend, they've absolutely deserved it. Because I know it's been an absolute battle for whoever is lucky enough to wear it and that's been the case for the last few years.

"Eddie came in in 2022, it's been that way since he came in. He's phenomenal, and an unbelievable trainer. His skill set is incredible so if I do pip him to it, it won't have been easy."

By John Harrington

As you can see from the video above this article, the construction of Louth GAA’s new county grounds in Dundalk is a very encouraging work in progress.

Fundraising to support the project continues apace through the Field of Fortune draw which started last November and will continue until August when the main draw for a prize of €200,000 takes place.

The second prize is a car to the value of €25,000 and the third prize is a travel voucher from Clinton Travel for €10,000.

From April 20th, weekly draws for €1,000 will also take place until June 22nd.

Tickets for the Field of Fortune fundraiser can be purchased for €50 each on www.fieldoffortune.ie.

“It's very important that we continue to support the project in that there is a funding factor involved and we need to get in behind it and try and make this stadium as debt free as we can when it's finished so as to not impact upon the development of games within the county which are going very well at the moment,” says Louth Stadium Committee Chairperson, John Horan.

“When phase one of this stadium is complete we'll have a fully operational stadium.

“The part of the development of the stadium in regard to phase two is very much dependent on LSSIF funding from the government.

“So we will be hoping that Louth will be prioritised in the next phase of that from the government and that along with the fundraising going on within the county will get the second phase of this stadium up and complete.

“It's very important that people within the county and those outside the county that could support as well get behind the fundraising activities going on within the county at the moment.”

​By Paul Keane

Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne is a big player for Dublin these days, their midfield general.

Still, the Cuala colossus is one of just 56 players to have pulled on the sky blue jersey since the start of January.

It's a high level of experimentation that new boss Ger Brennan felt was necessary, repeating the point several times throughout the Allianz League campaign that he needed to uncover fresh Championship talent.

So it was that of the 33 players that enjoyed game time in their Division 1 campaign, 11 of them made their League debuts.

"The priority is to find more players and the risk-reward is obviously the fine line," explained Brennan after Dublin's League win over Monaghan.

In the end, Dublin fell just the wrong side of that fine line and were relegated to Division 2.

But the investment may yet prove sound if the players that Brennan has blooded make their mark in the Championship which begins for Dublin against Wicklow in Aughrim on Sunday.

Dublin confirmed a 39-man Championship panel on Thursday evening with Tim Deering (Skerries Harps), Cian Dunne (St Vincent's), Sean Guiden (St Sylvesters), Fiachra Potts (Na Fianna), Liam Smith (Ballinteer St John's) and Páidí White (St Sylvesters) among the rookie additions.

Speaking in Croke Park at the announcement that Amgen has extended its title sponsorship of his club, Cuala, through to 2029, Ó Cofaigh Byrne said he anticipates a number of Championship debuts to be doled out.

"I'd say so," nodded the 2025 All-Star nominee. "In fairness to Ger, whoever is playing well is going to be put in there so it doesn't matter how many games you've played before that. But I'd expect so, yeah.

"This year, there's a lot of lads from our club that have been involved, which is great. I think that representation from all the different clubs is great."

Ó Cofaigh Byrne doesn't necessarily agree that Dublin are in transition though, a word that can suggest they're not ready to win big Championship games and to take titles.

"In transition? I don't know," he said. "A lot of the players would have been known around Dublin anyway, because they would have been good enough at underage. Just to see them make that step then is great. There's a few players there who made their debuts in the League and will probably make them over the Championship as well, which is great. It just brings a bit of freshness, to be honest."

The Dublin management will be aware that whatever team they pick for Sunday's trip to Aughrim, they need to hit the ground running. The counties met in the exact same fixture 12 months ago and it was a highly competitive game, with Dublin eventually running out nine-point winners. Wicklow also defeated Division 4 champions Carlow last weekend by 11-points despite feeling that they didn't play to their full potential.

"I think the experience we all remember from Aughrim last year was that there was a heatwave before and it was absolutely scorching hot and the pitch was hard," said Ó Cofaigh Byrne. "It was a good game. It was like a cauldron down there, so I imagine it'll be the same. A good Dublin crowd travelled and hopefully that happens again."

Asked about Wicklow's main threats, Ó Cofaigh Byrne immediately pointed towards goalkeeper Mark Jackson, their two-point king. Remarkably, Jackson has converted 19 two-pointers this year, taking into account the O'Byrne Cup, Allianz League and last weekend's Leinster SFC opener when he struck three including one from play.

"He has a huge boot on him," smiled Ó Cofaigh Byrne. "And he's not just kicking them from frees, it's from play as well. He's some asset for them to have and they try to get as much out of him as they can. That'll be something definitely that going into the game we'll be trying to limit that.

"They're very well organised generally. They put it up to us last year so I'm expecting more of the same."

Ó Cofaigh Byrne's feeling around Dublin's own form and preparation for the Championship is that it has been good.

"We had a good four-week break there to go through things," he said. "I'm happy enough with how things have gone in some aspects this year and then obviously probably not as happy in others. Getting relegated isn't great but at the end of the day we kind of have this game now in mind, that's our focus. We only know since last weekend that it was Wicklow we were playing so we're just looking forward to that. We'll put that (relegation) behind us now."

Click here to listen to the full interview with Cork senior hurler Darragh Fitzgibbon.

By Cian O'Connell

Darragh Fitzgibbon is fully aware that a decade has passed quickly. Matches played, memories made.

The next chapter in the journey commences on Sunday. A Munster SHC clash against Tipperary at FBD Semple Stadium. "This is where the whole pre-season and league campaign leads to," Fitzgibbon says.

"You dream about doing this when you're younger. Playing in the Munster Championship, it is the highest level, playing against such good teams. All four opposition teams are going to be of the highest standard.

"Playing in Thurles is seen as the Munster Championship, too. I remember going there watching matches with my Dad and grandad the whole time."

Representing Charleville and his family in the Cork jersey matters deeply to Fitzgibbon. "My family are mad into it, to be fair, they all travel to the games together," Fitzgibbon says.

"The club have got behind me too, it has been a good couple of years since a Charleville player was on the senior team. They've really got behind me over the last 10 years."

Cork manager Ben O'Connor had a stint training Charleville so Fitzgibbon has forged an important bond. "I know him well," Fitzgibbon says.

"First and foremost, I idolised him and Jerry growing up. Obviously, playing with Charleville, Newtown (Newtownshandrum) is a local club beside us. You could see them in the town of Charleville when you were a kid growing up.

"Seeing your heroes, just be normal people on a day to day basis. To be able to play for him with Charleville and now with Cork is another cool thing to have been able to do. Hopefully, we can do him justice on the field on Sunday."

O'Connor's mixture of passion and purpose is appreciated by Fitzgibbon. "I think what you see is what you get with Ben," he replies.

"A thing that is going very underestimated is how much of a players manager he is, and he is always looking out for us both on and off the field.

"He takes into consideration our point of view, within reason, obviously. That empowers players to perform to the best of their ability then when they take to the field.

"Another handy thing he has is that we all probably idolised him and Ronan (Curran), and the other guys growing up. We watched them lifting trophies, winning games, and being unbelievable hurlers. It gives you an extra emphasis to do the best you can for the Cork jersey."

Ultimately, Fitzgibbon cherishes these days and the friendships that are formed. "I think the older you get, the more you appreciate every season, every training session, and almost every drill as much as you can," Fitzgibbon remarks.

"We're going to look back in five or 10 years and think how lucky we were to be able to do this four times a week and to be able to play in such big stadiums for such a good team and such an historical team, to have such good fans, too.

"Every year I really do appreciate every moment you get with the group." Another intriguing trip to Tipp is imminent.

eir has reached another significant moment in its network evolution, having been recognised by Opensignal as Ireland’s No.1 5G network coverage. Now delivering 5G to 99% of Ireland’s population, eir was the first operator to bring 5G to Croke Park and continues to elevate the matchday experience for fans and players alike. For more information visit eir.ie

Click here to listen to the full interview with Galway senior hurler Conor Whelan.

By Cian O'Connell

A dozen years on the inter-county hurling beat, Galway's Conor Whelan is well versed in preparing for Championship action.

Saturday's Leinster SHC opener against Kilkenny will be a revealing encounter for two teams eager to make a significant impact in 2026.

Micheál Donoghue's panel is sprinkled with talented emerging players, who've dovetailed nicely with experienced campaigners recently. "It doesn't be long coming around from the back of the league, Kilkenny on Saturday, we're looking forward to that challenge," Whelan says.

"Those players have been there for the last year or two, they're putting their hands up now, challenging for places.

"It's great to see fresh lads coming through, getting their opportunity, and taking it. We're building on the back of a positive league, but looking forward to a huge challenge on Saturday."

The fact that several of the promising players have been on the extended panel for a considerable spell is important according to Whelan. "I think it has definitely benefitted a lot of the players being around last year," he responds.

"Even, understanding the demands and the standards, what it takes, and they're learning a lot from others, developing and growing. That is very much part and parcel of it.

"I think sometimes with inter-county people are expecting to breakthrough straightaway from minor, where they do need that time to develop. We've seen that across counties, in general."

Kilkenny have claimed six Leinster titles on the spin. So, Whelan knows that Galway will need to be primed for a battle in Salthill. "They've been top of the pile for the last six years, they've shown the standards," Whelan says.

"We've come up short against them on numerous occasions. That's a challenge, it will be a huge challenge at the weekend."

eir has reached another significant moment in its network evolution, having been recognised by Opensignal as Ireland’s No.1 5G network coverage. Now delivering 5G to 99% of Ireland’s population, eir was the first operator to bring 5G to Croke Park and continues to elevate the matchday experience for fans and players alike. For more information visit eir.ie

By John Harrington

Tipperary’s 0-36 to 0-21 defeat to Limerick in Round 4 of the Allianz Hurling League was a dark evening for the Premier County, but it did come with a silver lining.

Noel McGrath proved he still has a lot to contribute to the panel at the age of 35 as he scored six points from play, which was two more than the rest of his team-mates combined.

It’s hard to imagine that someone of McGrath's quality would ever doubt he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level, but he admits he took a lot of reassurance from his own performance in that match, even if disappointment with the team performance was his over-riding emotion.

“No, it is reassuring, it is, because no matter what age I've been over the years, there's times when things aren't going well for you and you're asking yourself, 'am I still able to do this or am I still at the level?'” says McGrath.

“Am I able to compete with the lads that are a few years younger? It is nice to be able to do that. That comes from training as well. Then when it comes to a match day, and you have a decent game, and you feel that you've done yourself justice, it does give you that confidence that you're still able to compete, that you're still at a decent level.

“So, yeah, it does (give reassurance), there's no point in saying it doesn't. Obviously, with such a poor team performance, then you're questioning how you could have helped it to be better as well?

“But, yeah, you're always trying to test yourself to see if you are still at a good level. I felt good that night and even in some of the games that I came on in, I felt good and the body felt good moving around. So that's always a help.”

The match against Limerick was the only one of Tipperary’s League campaign which McGrath started.

Considering how well he played in it, is he at all frustrated he wasn’t given a place in the first XV more often?

“I was named to start against Waterford the first day before the match was pushed back to the next week, so that would have been a game that I would have started,” he says.

“I came on for 20-25 minutes against Kilkenny. They were the two games that were after that. As I said last year, the few times I've been asked this, you put your trust in the management to pick whatever team they want to pick on any given day.

“There's 36 or 37 of us in there and we all want to play. I'm absolutely no different, I want to play 70 minutes every week when there’s a match. You just have to go with whatever they want to do. I'm not knocking down doors to wonder why.

“You go in training every night and you put your hand up to train. If you're training well and playing well in training, it's out of your hands after that and the management decide whether you're in or not. That's just the way it is.

“I think all sports around the world are the exact same. I suppose in your own head, if you're happy with how you're preparing, how you're training, that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and you feel that you're performing well, well, after that, you can be content with yourself.

“Yeah, you want to play and I always will want to play. Whatever happens over the next few weeks, you have to be ready at all times.

“You could be named to start or you could be asked to come on or whatever it is that you are. If you're sulking because you haven't been playing, then you're in a bad mind frame going into a game.

“If you are asked to come in, then you're not preparing right and you're not doing yourself justice and you're not doing the team justice. You just have to be ready every time you're asked to go on the field.

“Whether that's for 70 minutes or 10 minutes, or whatever it is, you just have to be ready. Hopefully, over the next few weeks, if I can put myself in the minds of the management and see whatever they want to do, then after that, I'll go at that from there.”

Munster Hurling Championship matches between Tipperary and Cork rarely need any extra seasoning to make them a tasty proposition, but Sunday’s first round clash was given a little extra spice by Donal Óg Cusack’s recent comment that Tipperary teams “can rise very fast, but they also fall faster than anybody else.”

McGrath has been playing for 18 years for Tipperary, winning four All-Ireland titles, so he’s entitled to be more annoyed by that comment than anyone else in the current set-up, but it’s water off a duck’s back for the Loughmore-Castliney clubman.

“People have their opinions and that's why I suppose they're on different shows or in different medias just to give their opinion. Whatever their opinion is, it is. At this stage in my career I'm not going to lose sleep over people saying one thing or another.

“It is what it is and that's just the way it goes. It's great I suppose that it creates talking points and gets people talking about the games and what's coming up over the next few weeks. It doesn't bother me too much at all.

“You can make as much or as little of different comments as you want, or different things that are said. I suppose if you're not motivated yourself and want to do well yourself, I suppose looking for things outside you might be only clutching at straws.

“You prepare yourself as best you can and some people if they want to use things that people say, fair play work away and if that helps drive you well that's good too.

“For me myself I suppose you just prepare yourself as best you can and get yourself ready and I suppose you have confidence in your own ability to get yourself ready for games.

“If you're waiting for someone to say something about you individually or as a team, it might never come so you just have to have yourself ready. That's just the way I look at it.”

Dalata Hotel Group Ulster U20 Football Championship Quarter-finals

Tyrone 1-11 Derry 0-12

Monaghan 1-17 Cavan 0-16

All-Ireland U20 football champions Tyrone stunned Derry with a stoppage time goal, smashed home by Conor O’Neill to steal a 1-11 to 0-12 win at Find Insurance Celtic Park as the holders secured a great escape and an Ulster semi-final joust with Donegal.

Derry, playing into the wind, dominated possession, and opened up an early lead with points from Ger Dillon and Cody Rocks.

The Red Hands scored just once in the opening quarter, through Jamie Concannon, and found themselves trailing by four when Dillon slotted over his fourth of the evening.

Wing back Concannon landed a two-pointer to close the gap, but that was cancelled out as Dillon drove a long range free between the posts to raise an orange flag.

Peter Colton’s two-pointer closed the gap to three, with the holders trailing by three at the interval, 0-8 to 0-5.

Tyrone, with Conor Devlin and Conor O’Neill at the heart of it all, powered forward in the second half, closing the gap with scores from Turlough Muldoon, O’Neill, Aodhan Quinn and Peter Colton, who levelled in the 51^st minute.

Derry went two ahead through Conal Higgins and McGuckian, but O’Neill smashed home a 15 metre rocket in the 63^rd minute to turn the game on its head, with Shea McDermott adding an insurance point.

Monaghan came strong in the second half at Kingspan Breffni to overcome Cavan by 1-17 to 0-16 and set up a last four clash with Armagh.

Cavan’s lively start saw a Dylan Edwards score followed by Joe Dugdale’s two-pointer, but the visitors struck back to go level through Matthew Finn and Max Maguire.

Again the Breffni lads gained the upper hand to push ahead with scores from Nathan Quigley and Ben Tully, before Jack Dobson raised their second orange flag of the evening.

Maguire was always a danger up front for the Farney, and he got in for a goal on 26 minutes, after Shane McCabe had opened out a six points lead.

Maguire and Noonan traded points late on, with Cavan going in with a 0-11 to 1-5 interval lead.

But it was the visitors who controlled the second period, with Tom Doherty, Matthew Finn, John McCrystal and Max McGinnity sending over points as they edged in front.

Max Maguire landed a two pointer, and while Cavan had scores from Jamie Clarke and Quigley, it was Monaghan who finished with another orange flag, this time from Matthew Carolan.

Dalata Hotel Group Connacht U20 Football Championship

Roscommon 3-6 Leitrim 2-7

Mayo 3-16 Galway 1-12

Moments of sheer brilliance from Kobe McDonald helped Mayo secure an automatic passage through to the 2026 Dalata Hotel Group Connacht U-20 final, while Galway will meet Roscommon in a semi-final after the Rossies narrowly overcame Leitrim in windy and wet conditions at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park.

Leitrim would have needed to win by seven points or more to overtake Roscommon and Sligo and sneak into third place in the table, and while they would have preferred to see better weather to facilitate high scoring, they did get an early shot in the arm when Colm McLoughlin’s shot evaded the grasp of Patrick Gaynor and slipped into the net.

The mistake count was understandably high for both teams and Roscommon got a break of their own when John Curran took a shot that rebounded off Eanna McNamara and came back into his path for a Roscommon goal in reply.

Curran scored 2-4 in all, his second goal finishing off good work from Eoin Collins and Keelan Kelly, and a third goal before half-time from a deflected John McGuinness shot put Roscommon 3-3 to 1-2 ahead at half-time.

Roscommon scored just three times in the second half, two from Curran and another from the impressive Kelly, but Leitrim were never likely to get to the tally they needed to qualify, and instead chased a win of any description.

Jack Kelly came off the bench to score a two-pointer and there were points for Ronan Fox and Paul Honeyman to reduce the gap further, but by the time Frankie McGuinness added their second goal, they only had one play left to level or win the game, which they were unable to ddo.

There was a strong breeze blowing at Mayo’s backs in the first half of their meeting with Galway at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, but the wind had nothing to with Kobe McDonald’s two incredible goals in the second quarter.

Galway had started well with Ross Coen kicking an outstanding point into the wind and they would have been the happier team after 11 minutes, just a point adrift. In three minutes, however, Joey Holmes, Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne all sent two-pointers sailing over.

Nearly 18 minutes were gone when McDonald took possession at midfield and sprinted through 50 metres of open country before sending a wonderful low drive into the bottom left corner.

McDonald hammered in a second from a similar position before half-time to put 12 between the teams and while that wasn’t game over with the wind as strong as it was, it was a different story when Tom Lydon played in Dylan Flynn and his thunderbolt finish made it 3-13 to 0-4.

Galway finished strongly with Mikey Mulryan getting their goal and 1-7 in all, as they tried to rediscover some momentum before taking on Roscommon next week.