Irish Daily Mail, Tuesday, July 24, 2018 Gaelic Games 53

Farney feeling the Last-eight woes Philip It is 30 years since Monaghan last reached an All- semi-final, losing to , but they have had plenty of opportunities in Lanigan the meantime. Saturday week’s clash with will present a seventh opportunity to reach the last four, but here are the six phases of last-eight hell they have already endured. 2007 Monaghan 1-11 Kerry 1-12 GAA must not forget Kerry never led in 69 minutes of this game — an early Tommy Freeman penalty putting Monaghan in the driving seat — kindness shown by until Tomás Ó Sé popped up to punch the winning point right at the death. 2013 Monaghan 0-12 Tyrone 0-14 rival sporting codes A game that will always be remembered for the tackle by Seán Cavanagh on Conor Like the much-trumpeted McManus that denied a clear goalscoring arrival of a baby elephant at chance, but what may be forgotten is the Zoo, the birth of a clear one–on-one goal chance which Stephen Gollogly failed to take earlier in new GAA club is that rare the half. and novel event, one that also involves special care 2014 Monaghan 0-11 Dublin 2-22 and attention. No hard luck story here, although for 25 Fifteen years ago, Ranelagh minutes they defended bravely and trailed Gaels came into this world blink- by just a point before two goals inside ing at the light and determined to thrive, not just survive. If a new three minutes from and club is like a protected species proved decisive. that needs a world conservation order and added security to stop 2015 Monaghan 0-14 Tyrone 0-18 the poachers taking aim, a new Best remembered for ‘hair gate’ after city club is like a genetic freak that Darren Hughes earned a red card for has really defied the odds, the tousling Tiernan McCann’s follicles, but that equivalent of an albino elephant. was as far as Monaghan’s sense of Based on the southside fringes of the city centre otherwise known as grievance could extend. They were Dublin 6, where gentrification and outplayed here, pretty much from pillar to rising rents act as a continuous post. pressure on locals to uproot, a can-do attitude and welcoming 2017 Monaghan 0-12 Dublin 1-19 policy attracted such support that With in fine shooting form, it is arguably the biggest success racking up 1-7, they never even had a sniff story of Dublin Gaelic Games this and were beaten out the gate at half-time, past decade. when they trailed by eight points, 0-11 to 0-3. What started out with one junior Testimonial match: The late football team and a hodgepodge of 2018 Monaghan 1-17 Kerry 1-17 country and city lads who just Liam Miller INPHO wanted to play ball – with Smyth’s Their opening round win over Kildare the growth of Gaelic Games abroad pub in Ranelagh the unofficial hub is arguably the biggest success presented them with their best chance yet – has now grown beyond all story of the association in the 21st and it seemed certain they would take it expectations. century. Clubs are sprouting up all when Karl O’Connell pushed them five Last summer, Ranelagh Gaels over the world and thriving. Again, points clear in the 60th minute. Then, had one of the biggest Cúl Camps their success is dependent on the Dejection: Conor James O’Donoghue pumped a high ball in in the country, 220 boys and girls shared use of facilities from other McManus (main) and a golden opportunity got away. enjoying Gaelic Games. Putting sporting organisations. and the Monaghan down deep roots into the commu- Not opening up all its own clubs Still, they get one more chance to grasp it nity and catering to all, it is every- panel (inset) SPORTSFILE in Salthill. along the same lines has brought thing positive that the GAA us to a point where the associa- represents. tion has been roundly hammered And get this, on a Saturday by its own, by politicians and by have left them in obvious bother. and we want to be in it.’ that’s the main thing. That’s what morning, their academy section, sports stars across the various Secondly, they remain in control Therein lies the crucial, and not we have to take out of this,’ added which caters for children from four codes to the extent that it has of their own destiny and should be so subtle, difference in what is at McManus. years up, takes place in a prized become an international embar- the more motivated side in stake for Galway and Monaghan ‘Kerry came here as favourites sporting venue on Dublin’s south rassment. BBC Sport even carried Salthill. next month. and as one of the top teams in the side. a critique of the backlash on its ‘It will be tough but our season Galway are playing — again a country and we gave them a run That venue? Donnybrook Sta- website over the weekend. is on the line now,’ insisted Conor draw will suffice — to avoid Dub- for about 74 minutes there, we dium, the spiritual home of Lein- Against a backdrop of govern- McManus, who produced one of lin in the semi-final, while Mona- just forgot about the last ster rugby. ment pressure to make a decision the great individual performances ghan are playing to simply stay minute.’ The ground is available thanks in keeping with the conditions of of this summer in shooting 1-9, 1-5 alive. From here, they just need to for- to the kindness of strangers. Lein- €30million in state grant aid given from play on Sunday. That gifts an edge to Monaghan get every minute that has gone ster Rugby rent it out with no to Páirc Uí Chaoimh, GAA direc- ‘There’s an All-Ireland semi-final and it is one they must take. before as they put it all on the thought to sporting apartheid. tor general Tom Ryan and presi- up for grabs in two weeks’ time ‘We’re still in the Championship, line. The rugby club just did what felt dent John Horan are today meet- like the honourable thing and put ing the event organisers to see sporting rivalries aside for the whether the charity fundraiser needs of a community. There is involving a Manchester United also the bigger picture of a coun- legends selection against a joint Flynn remains hopeful of a GAA U-turn try beset with an obesity crisis Celtic/ XI will among children, and the mental actually take place in the ground. From Back Page secretary Jack and Simon Coveney, to ‘People got ahead of health problems attached to the Anderson, have claimed reconsider its position. themselves and made an Two summers ago, in a different smartphone generation enabled ground where Brian O’Driscoll be moved to Páirc Uí that by declaring the ‘I welcome it; I think it announcement that was by a government who cosies up to Chaoimh, Cork GAA’s used to tog out, Ranelagh Gaels game a charity event it is a very positive move. I absolutely untrue. the tech giants a short drive held a club day for all its members. 45,000-capacity stadium would circumvent a think everyone can be ‘I wanted to clarify the away. which was redeveloped After the adult men’s and women’s violation of rule. winners here if we can position so there is not It’s a part of Dublin where land teams played a mixed fun match at a cost in excess of Michael Flynn, the find a way and I am fully more confusion and that and pitches are at such a premium ¤80million. at Donnybrook Stadium, and the property developer who respectful of their social media that the adult teams which oper- academy and juvenile section did Today’s sitdown comes is chairing the situation,’ said Flynn, misinformation is ate out of Bushy Park in Terenure a version of the same, they trooped just four days after organising committee speaking on Cork’s Red corrected because that also depend on the kindness of inside to the Bective Rangers Croke Park issued a for the memorial game, FM yesterday. is not helpful. strangers, training sessions taking clubhouse for refreshments and to statement that it could warned that today’s Flynn took to the ‘I don’t want the GAA or place previously at Monkstown’s watch the Republic of Ireland’s not accede to the meeting should not be airwaves after erroneous anyone else thinking we rugby club or the hockey pitch in Euro 2016 qualifier against request to play a soccer interpreted as a change reports on social media, have taken this for St Killian’s School, Clonskeagh. Belgium. match at the ground. of position by the GAA, which had claimed that granted already and All of which exposes the double A group of GAA members watch- However, a number of who have come under a decision had been that this is happening. standards at work in the venue ing a soccer game in a rugby club. legal experts, including pressure from senior taken on Saturday to ‘Nothing could be debacle at the heart of the Liam And the sky didn’t fall in. former Disputes government ministers, move the game to Páirc further from the truth,’ Miller testimonial controversy. Resolution Authority including Shane Ross Uí Chaoimh. insisted Flynn. No more than Ranelagh Gaels, @lanno10 Irish Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 28, 2018 53 Philip Lanigan @lanno10

Up for grabs: the recent Super 8s match between Tyrone and Dublin summed ometimes, the up the modern game ‘Blue Wave’ washes SPORTSFILE up into the most u n e x p e c t e d o f corners. SRarely has the name of Dublin’s famous Strategic Plan of late 2011 and its attempt to play Nostrada- mus by charting out future All-Ire- land success seemed so apposite, rolling like a tsunami across Lein- ster and then the All-Ireland landscape. Its authors, though, hardly imag- ined getting a grip on the imagina- tion of a visiting Canadian indie rock band. On a Monday evening at the end of May, Broken Social Scene packed out the Tivoli Thea- tre, one band member clearly riff- ing on the weekend’s footballing vibes when Dublin left the hopes and dreams of the Wicklow senior football team hopelessly sub- merged, on a 4-25 to 1-11 Leinster quarter-final scoreline. When the band emerged for an encore, bass player Brendan Man- ning appeared in an AIG embla- zoned Dublin top. A band with a message for the times, front man Kevin Drew gave a short treatise on the perils of being a Silicon Val- ley prop as he urged fans to put any smartphones away before hopping down into the crowd amidst a frantic finale that ended in a blow-the-roof-off instrumen- tal, the singer closing the gig with Dublin have developed a clinical code Progress has been

the line: ‘Don’t become an algorithm.’ His words of warning were spo- ken against the backdrop of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the mining of Facebook data by a political consulting firm tied to blinded by science the Trump campaign but rhymed with the first shots fired in the mirroring the warm-up games ton because Mayo had scrambled the Super 8s encounter between football Championship. that the teams break out into his kicking frequency. Like a bunch Kerry and Galway, or Tyrone-Dub- ’s biggest problem before throw-in, mini games of of provocateurs listening to the lin in — and put that deserves to look back right now is that it is heading keep-ball inside a confined space. police channel, it was as if they recording into fast forward (just on his legacy as Mayo down such a road. ‘A process or In one of the rare moments of knew in advance where the trou- the slightly speeded up x2 option). manager with pride. The set of rules to be followed in calcu- goalmouth threat, ble was coming from. The patterns become clear: over- level of detail in the lations or other problem-solving — a gilded Dublin corner-forward It needed an aerial camera to and-back, sideline to sideline, in management and coaching operations,’ might just as well be — stripped Tyrone number 13 keep track of the whirligig of and back out again. All the time on view in last year’s All- the tagline for Sunday’s All-Ire- Cathal McShane of possession. match-ups and dizzying tactical stretching any zonal defensive set- land final between Dublin and It was only in the endgame when shifts going on, the various man- up. And then the incision. Ireland final alone — one of Tyrone. Tyrone went for broke and con- to-man battles amidst the The tech heads of Silicon Valley the truly great deciders – Gaelic football, reimagined as a sistently pressed up on Dublin maelstrom. will shape the final in their own was testament to the man at computer algorithm. that the match took on a chaotic, Before the kicking tees were way, via social media, Facebook the helm. No manager, or The Super 8s encounter in unstructured air. Tyrone turned thrown away, never mind the GPS shares, or the digital documentary team, did more to test the Omagh provided the perfect over ’s kick-out, tracker, there was ’s taken by supporters on their limit of Dublin’s talent and example. Football’s answer to a pressuring him to hit a ball out elusive running, ’s smartphones at the match, ready ambition in recent seasons. computer program: over the sideline, acting as a light- tour-de-force, James McCarthy’s to be uploaded. has spent years now writing a ning rod for the partisan home towering final quarter, Dean It didn’t take the visit of Pope Dublin Stephen defensive code; Dublin have spent support who were suddenly elec- Rock’s ice-cold nerve. Francis to show that this is the Cluxton is poised to the same amount of time learning trified by the fightback. Wildly unpredictable and age of science and technology, not extend his current record to break it. This Sunday, Harte’s team need unscripted. This summer’s Cham- religion. for all-time Championship If ‘x’ happens (Tyrone set up to balance modern football sci- pionship, has been the antithesis Dublin now have developed their appearances to 98 on with a double sweeper in Colm ence and the temptation to turn of that, in so many ways. own cold, clinical, measured code Sunday. Not only that but he Cavanagh and Frank Burns), then the game into a giant-sized petri Much of modern management to answer Tyrone’s. Their own has 102 National League ‘y’ follows (Dublin play keep-ball, dish à la Jim McGuinness with has become about trying, as far as algorithm, based on how to win probing around the fringes until spirit and attacking bravery and is possible, to take all the unpre- the All-Ireland for the fourth suc- appearances. Combined, it engineering the space to get a the intangibles that have defined dictability out of the game. cessive year. makes for a tantalising shot off). Gaelic football since its The problem for Gaelic football Now the pressure is on the chal- prospect: that he marks his What passed at was a inception. at the moment that what consti- lengers to produce the plot device 200th competitive tackle-fest, intriguing and absorb- Last year’s final between Dublin tutes ‘progress’ is turning people that sprung from the convention appearance by lifting Sam ing in equal measure. At different and Mayo was a modern classic, away from the game and reducing of Greek tragedy: a ‘deus ex Maguire for the fourth time points, it resembled a conditioned by virtue of its unpredictability. it as a spectacle. machina’, a ‘god from the in a row, another record, his game, with the majority of the Remember run- Look at a recording of certain machine’. fifth in total and what would players packed inside either of the ning on to the field to have a word games — say the National League be his sixth All-Ireland win. 65-metre lines. Matches are now in the ear of Dublin captain Clux- final between Dublin and Galway, @lanno10 BECOME A DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER TO YOUR FAVOURITE PAPER Go to www.mailsubscriptions.ie Irish Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 21, 2018 53 Philip Lanigan @lanno10

h e e s t e e m e d was another moment per- Sports Illustrated fectly suited to Sports Illustrated. tipped its hat to The art of goalkeeping goal - has evolved now to a point k e e p e r N i c k i e where Eoin Murphy of Kil- TQuaid. On a weekend of kenny will have to sit still for a portrait to go with the world sporting action, the one of legendary publication decided the goalkeeper Ollie Walsh combination of timing, pre- which hangs in the upstairs cision and bravery to flick room of the county board offices at Nowlan Park. the ball away from Cork’s Take the one-handed Séamus Harnedy — as he bounce. Once a training looked to pull the trigger to ground party trick; it is now settle the All-Ireland semi- perfected as a means of cre- ating more time for players final — merited the acco- on the ball in full flight. lade of ‘Highlight of the They’re all at it now. Weekend’. Likewise, the chop pick-up A player-turned-model from the that is ’s Offaly heartland of Birr trademark. featured on the pages of Vogue At the Hurling for Cancer Paris, nonchalantly posing in boy- charity game last Tuesday meets-girl scene with a hurley and night at St Conleth’s Park, a helmet in hand. staggering total of 5,523 peo- The beautifully crafted series The ple turned up. They lapped Game screened on RTÉ — a three- up the light-hearted exhibi- part love letter to the ancient, war- tion match where comedy duo rior game, this gift from the hurl- The 2 Johnnies were living out ing gods. It was timed perfectly to their ‘Junior B All-Star’ fit the hyperbolic narrative of the dreams, strutting their stuff summer and what is currently on a pitch with occupying the status of greatest and Conor McDonald. hurling championship ever. It was a night which saw Paul What next? McGrath in the dug-out, All that’s left is for Time maga- Stephen Hunt scoring goals zine to clear a space on its front and Ireland prop Tadhg Fur- cover and just feature a hurley. long taking puck-outs. After all, the signature edition A half-hour after the final can be taken up with not just a whistle, there were three main person or group but ‘an idea or This is hurling’s pockets of autograph hunters object’ that has influenced the and selfie-seekers still going: year. around Kilkenny’s TJ Reid, A single curved stick of ash ’s Lee Chin and Cork’s would do the trick nicely. Anna Geary, camogie clearly surfing the wave of the summer success story. n KICKING down heav- en’s door, Limerick pro- moment, vided the perfect post- t Citywest Hotel yes- s c r i p t . Ky l e H a y e s terday, Limerick man- Ireimagined himself as a modern ager John Kiely spoke day Cú Chulainn, the boy of the impact on the turned man in the space of a nextA generation of kids this All- single afternoon. Declan Han- let’s make the Ireland triumph will surely have. non stepped out of the long He was sure of its lasting legacy shadow cast by Éamonn as tens of thousands turned out Grimes and into the dizzying, for the homecoming and the bright light that goes with parading of the Liam MacCarthy being a Limerick All-Ireland Cup at the Gaelic Grounds. winning captain. Cian Lynch, And therein lies the biggest chal- approached the field as a most of it... lenge for a game that has belonged blank canvas and attacked it to a core group of just 10 counties with all the colour and dash of at the highest level. an impressionist painter. The Take the single wins of Kerry, game’s original freestyle Laois and London off the All-Ire- hurler. land roll of honour (all dating back This, truly, is hurling’s moment. over a century), and what’s left is a Never has the game been so widely traditional carve-up between Kil- shared, so widely celebrated and The skill level of the players is off the players. It all means the record O l y m p i c m o t t o : kenny (36 titles), Cork (30) and enjoyed. the charts, the depth and quality books are being obliterated — for ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ — ‘Faster, Tipperary (27). Fourth in the list is When Prince Harry and Meghan of competition is pitch perfect, chances created, points scored in Higher, Stronger’. Limerick with eight. Markle visited Ireland on honey- and the new round-robin series in a single match and matches played Peter Duggan’s mesmerising solo The entire combination of Lim- moon, the royal couple took in Leinster and Munster feeding into en route to the final. point for Clare in the drawn semi- erick, Dublin (6), Wexford (6), Gal- Croke Park as part of their short the All-Ireland series has liberated Right now, hurling evokes the old final against Galway at Croke Park way (5), Offaly (4), Clare (4) and tour. Watch the clip of them mar- Waterford (2) is still one shy of velling as Joe Canning put on a what a single county, Kilkenny, personal exhibition of the sideline have amassed. cut just for their delectation. No The inaugural Joe McDonagh doubt, they sat in on Sunday to Cup has been well received and watch the Hurler of the Year bury Harte is right not to back down hurling’s tiered championships a 20-metre free to the net in added have served the game well. But in time and almost change the course Mickey Harte is a eight years, which Omagh, months after confirmed: ‘Tyrone too many counties the game is of hurling history. man of principle and referred to ‘the the murder of Harte’s GAA have informed either a poor relation, an after- Rugby referee Nigel Owens pro- is entitled to stick to complete lack of daughter Michaela. RTÉ Sport that the thought, or not a thought at all. vided his own glowing account of his guns. If he isn’t sensitivity the Refusing to bend on Tyrone management Outside of featuring in Vogue, Limerick’s achievement: ‘What a prepared to make presenter afforded foot of the RTÉ and players do not hurling has become fashionable to game. The All Ireland Hurling himself available for the Harte family and apology that later wish to participate in the extent that the old Cooper hel- Final was full of passion, commit- interview with RTÉ, Michaela’s husband followed is, again, his any such media met — an 80s hockey headguard – ment, speed, excitement, physical- is now the fashion item of choice ity & it seemed not many rules that’s his prerogative. John McAreavey’. At right. RTÉ’s latest activity with RTÉ. We on the field for young and old. The either lol. Really enjoyed it... Bril- Because there is no the heart of the issue statement related to respect that decision.’ same model that Cian Lynch wore liant viewing,’ he tweeted. denying the validity of was a radio sketch All-Ireland final Do the players need to on Sunday. The question now — how does his rationale, as that concluded with coverage with a make the same point This is hurling’s moment. Now hurling harness all of that? Never outlined in a Tyrone the playing of Pretty match against Dublin on his behalf? I guess comes the challenge of translating has the game been in such a prime statement dating back Little Girl from looming and that’s their call. the revolution into boots on the position in the sporting market. ground.