Nicky Rackard success to boost club SHC
Micheál Byrne of St. Dominic's launches an attack against Pádraig Pearses during the Senior League Hurling Final at King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park on Sunday. Pic: Ger O’Loughlin
It’s said that a rising tide lifts all boats. While the Roscommon senior hurlers’ Nicky Rackard Cup success doesn't guarantee that the impending club hurling championship will deliver a five star rating. it should breathe life into the race for the Mickey Cunniffe Cup.
Next year Roscommon will play Christy Ring Cup championship hurling, a level the county players haven’t being used to. With that in mind, the club hurlers who have ambition of wearing the Primrose & Blue Jersey in 2026 should be going full tilt over the summer to elevate their game to reach the levels required for tier three.
Last year’s club championship got a massive facelift thanks to St. Dominic’s and Roscommon Gaels. The Knockcroghery boys reached their first final in twenty three years while Roscommon Gaels had a semi-final date at the top table for the first time in over two decades.
The freshness both teams brought to the championship must be repeated and Pádraig Pearses must also be biting at the bit to get back on the winners rostrum for the first time since 2020. While these three teams have a job on their hands to chase down perennial kingpins Four Roads who are seeking a four-in-a-row, they must believe it can be done.
The signs are positive as Pádraig Pearses and St. Dominic’s had a fantastic dress rehearsal as they fought out a thrilling league final last Sunday and will be aiming to bring that momentum into the opening round in Knockcroghery.
While the championship loses only one team after the round robin phase, it does afford clubs games before the knock-out arrives. Over 30 players will have All-Ireland Nicky Rackard Cup medals in their gear bag and hopefully it will inspire them to produce the goods over the course of the club championship.
It was St. Dominic’s inexperience coming down the home stretch in last season’s county final that saw them sucked in by Four Roads. If Thady Beirne’s side get into the same position again, they will be a year older and wiser to deal with the Black & Amber cuteness.
Ronan O Meara has done a super job building Roscommon Gaels up from the boot laces and while they fell short at the penultimate hurdle, they will be all the better for it. Pádraig Pearses have the talent if they can put the jig-saw pieces together. Getting everyone singing from the same hymn sheet is their top priority.
Athleague, Tremane and Oran will not want to be left on the shelf, so they will also be hoping to be in the hunt come Friday night when the opening auditions of this year's championship begins.
Everyone knows what Four Roads bring to the party. It hurt the champions that their hurling ability was questioned with talk of the old dog for the hard road going to be overtaken by a young pup. The chase is now on with Four Roads the one to catch.
The two best teams in this year's All-Ireland U-17 football championship, Tyrone and Kerry, meet in the final on Sunday with the Kingdom trying to shake off the unwanted record against Red Hands underage teams over the past few seasons. In the 2023 Hogan Cup semi-final, Omagh CBS defeated Mercy Mounthawk Tralee en route to glory over Summerhill College. They repeated the trick in the 2024 Hogan Cup final beating Mercy Mounthawk before Tyrone claimed the All-Ireland U-20 title, leaving another Kerry team managed by Tomás Ó Sé on the canvas.
The pattern continued this season as Tyrone claimed another victory over the Kingdom in the All-Ireland U-20 semi-final en route to an impressive victory over Louth which completed an All-Ireland U-20 double. For the second successive season, the Northern underage powerhouse seek another double over Kerry in this season’s All-Ireland U-17 football final. Roscommon beat Mayo twice in this year's Connacht U-17 football championship and two weeks ago the Green and Red lost out to Kerry in injury time in a game the Connacht boys should have won.
In the other semi-final, Tyrone took care of Roscommon with a strong and controlled performance which suggests the Ulster champions are primed to inflict more misery on Kerry. The most striking feature of the Tyrone team was their physical presence as they looked like men compared to Roscommon’s light appearance. The Ulster champions were brilliantly conditioned and in excellent physical shape. Not having seen Kerry in the flesh it’s hard to make a proper call on this final but it will take a very good side to beat Tyrone.
VERDICT: TYRONE
In a week when RTÉ’s political show Up-Front will not be returning next season, our weekly Tuesday teaser series goes from strength to strength. Can you name the last county who after two successive Leinster SFC final defeats won at the third attempt? It was Louth, who after suffering losses in 2023 and 2024, bounced back to beat Meath in this season’s decider. First to make the headlines was QPR, Frenchpark, with Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis; Fr John McManus, PP Castlerea; John Croghan, Bundoran; Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; Gerry Gacquin, Athleague; Joe Coyne, Tremane; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis; Bernard Duffy, Longford/Loughglynn; Mary Giffilan, Kilmore; David Callaghan, Castlerea; Paddy Conlon, Taughmaconnell; Luigi, Ballyhaunis; Mick Fetherston, Dublin; Joseph Langtry, Tralee; Pat, Sligo; Paddy Boland, Youghal; Mary McCarthy, Holloway; Kevin Flanagan, Dartford; Sean Toolan, Heston and Michael Kearns, Clapham, having their voices heard.
This Week’s Teaser: Can you name the three players to have won Young Footballer of the Year twice? Answers by e-mail to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086-8356227. This week’s teaser came from Sligo.
Star Pupil: Sean O'Shea who proved there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded Kerry man as the number 11 scored 0-12 against Armagh.
Crucial win for: Roscommon Intermediate Ladies footballers who secured their IFC status for next season with victory over Wicklow.
Must do better: After a brilliant first period, Monaghan were outscored 1-15 to 0-5 by Donegal in the second-half of the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
Spot of bother: In my opinion Lions head coach Andy Farrell has surrounded himself with too many Irish personnel (18) in his backroom team and Irish players (15) in the squad. If it goes wrong could come back to bite him.
Weekend highlight: In fairness the four All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals lived up to their billing with scores, drama, excitement and individual brilliance on show.
What a cracker: Old foes Tipperary and Kilkenny going head to head in an All-Ireland senior hurling championship semi-final has the perfect ring to it.
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes , including you”.
Dublin lost as many championship games this season (3) as they did in the previous 10 years combined.
Interesting times ahead in Connacht football with three counties Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo on the lookout for new senior team managers. Could there be a fourth coming down the track after Galway’s defeat to Meath.?
For the past ten years, Kilkenny have been winning Leinster SHC titles without any All-Ireland success so the Cats are on a mission in 2025 after winning their sixth successive provincial crown.
Derek Lyng’s side would have been expecting to have been playing Limerick in the semi-final. However, Dublin changed the direction of the wind with the shock of the championship and instead old rivals Tipperary were reunited with the Black & Amber. Tipperary have taken a couple of trimmings from Cork this year but they have been on an upward curve and Liam Cahill has injected real pace into the side.
Hard to believe this is Tipperary’s first game in Croke Park since 2019 which tips the balance in favour of the Leinster champions.
Cork are caught in no-man's land as they will be expected to win but unsure if Dublin can re-produce their incredible Limerick display. If they do will the Rebels be ready to combat the challenge from the Leinster men? Cork will bring to the table what Limerick didn’t - pace, energy, aggression and will be full of running for seventy minutes. Pat Ryan’s side know the pressure is on with the favourites tag resting on their shoulders. Dublin have a level of pressure also to repeat what came out of the oven against Limerick and if they do then this semi-final could develop into a scorefest.
Cork will demand it to be fast and furious, even chaotic at times. If the Rebels hit their groove early, they will be ruthless when they get on top of opposition they expect to beat. Cork are the one team who can pile on scores if their opponent is off colour. If Dublin relishes the occasion, grab the moment and hurl with freedom, it could be a magical evening in Croke Park. The feeling is that Pat Ryan’s men will turn up the heat and Dublin will struggle to stay the pace. Cork sniff goals with the same nose as airport security dogs and should win with a bit to spare.
