THE SUNDAY GAME was back on our screens and it was the first major Sunday of the 2015 GAA championship.
We were following all the action from Ballybofey, Carrick-on-Shannon and Drogheda.
Get in touch in the usual ways. Tweet us @The42GAA, find us on Facebook, send your emails to fintan@the42.ie or leave a comment below.
‘We’re back’ is the roar of The Sunday Game. It’s the first big Sunday of the 2015 GAA season and we’re following the action all the way.
Here’s what’s in store today:
- Connacht SFC quarter-final: Galway v Leitrim, Páirc Sean MacDiarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon, 3.30pm
- Leinster SFC first round: Louth v Westmeath, Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda, 3.30pm
- Ulster SFC preliminary round: Donegal v Tyrone, Ballybofey, 4pm
The lads are out in force on a wet and miserable day in Ballybofey. Everyone happy to see them back debating?
Here’s how they’ll line out in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
The Louth team that starts in Drogheda.
And here’s the Westmeath side they will face.
The first flicker of a row between Joe Brolly and Pat Spillane over last year’s All-Ireland final but it’s quickly quelled by Michael Lyster as he moves swiftly on.
You can take the boy out of Louth but not Louth out of the boy. Carlton’s Ciaran Byrne interested in seeing how his former teammates fare today.
Early season Connacht silverware for Mayo football. They’ve won the provincial junior final against Galway, the curtain-raiser today in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Result: Connacht JFC final – Mayo 1-12 Galway 0-13
Louth 0-2 Westmeath 0-1
Lively start in the scoring stakes. Derek Maguire and Colm Judge on target for Louth.
Leitrim 0-2 Galway 0-1
Sean McWeeney and Ronan Kennedy grab points for Leitrim after Paul Conroy had got Galway off the mark.
All over in the Ulster minor football championship opener with Donegal seeing off Tyrone by 1-11 to 0-8.
Couple of interesting late changes to the Tyrone team. Both Brennan and McShane are graduates from the recent triumphant U21 team.
Galway 0-3 Leitrim 0-2
Paul Conroy edges Galway in front.
Westmeath 0-5 Louth 0-3
Two point advantage for Tom Cribben’s side.
Westmeath 0-6 Louth 0-3
John Heslin wins a free, converts the free and Westmeath go three clear.
Interesting sign in Drogheda.
Donegal 0-1 Tyrone 0-0
Lightning start by Donegal as Frank McGlynn tears forward and pops over a neat point.
Donegal 0-2 Tyrone 0-0
Really good play from Donegal. Patient play around the middle before Michael Murphy’s delivery finds Patrick McBrearty. He skins his man and come in off the right flank to take his point.
Galway 0-6 Leitrim 0-3
Paul Conroy knocks over a free to stretch Galway’s lead to three.
Donegal 0-3 Tyrone 0-0
Tyrone are getting unlocked here at the back. Odhran MacNiallais does great approach work, plays it across to Neil Gallagher who finds Christy Toye in plenty space and he picks off his point.
Galway 1-7 Leitrim 0-4
Damien Comer was the start of Galway’s win over New York and he’s making a big impact again today as he fires in a the game’s opening goal.
Donegal 0-4 Tyrone 0-0
Martin McElhinney with another point, Donegal are absolutely flying.
Donegal 0-4 Tyrone 1-0
Where did that come from?! Tyrone have looked very tentative early on with Donegal dictating the terms but Mickey Harte’s have just rattled the back of the net. It’s a cracking finish by Darren McCurry but Donegal’s defence was surprisingly prised apart with Peter Harte finding McCurry in aces of room.
Half-Time: Westmeath 0-7 Louth 0-6
Delicately balanced in Drogheda.
Half-Time: Galway 1-7 Leitrim 0-6
Four point advantage for the Tribesmen.
Donegal 0-5 Tyrone 1-0
Colm McFadden settles Donegal after the concession of that goal as he hooks over a point off his right.
Donegal 0-6 Tyrone 1-1
Justin McMahon hits a point but Tyrone could have got a greater reward with the score coming from a rebound after Peter Harte came closing to hitting the net only for Paul Durcan to block his shot.
Whoops!
We couldn't find this Tweet
Two scoring chances for Tyrone from frees but Darren McCurry off target with both. Those could be costly.
Donegal 0-6 Tyrone 1-2
Tyrone hanging in there as Sean Cavanagh knocks over a close-range free.
Goal for Westmeath’s Callum McCormack!
Donegal 0-7 Tyrone 1-2
Christy Toye relieves the pressure on Donegal with a point.
Donegal 0-7 Tyrone 1-3
Sean Cavanagh points a free for Tyrone after Peter Harte is fouled by Neil Gallagher. Tyrone have to be happy with this state of affairs given Donegal’s powerful start to the game.
Donegal 0-7 Tyrone 1-4
Great individual score by Matthew Donnelly, he shrugs off the challenge of Ryan McHugh and clips over a foot off his left.
Goal for Westmeath from Shane Dempsey.
Tyrone 1-5 Donegal 0-7
And now Tyrone go in front! Fine point from Sean Cavanagh after a mistake from Karl Lacey.
Tyrone 1-6 Donegal 0-7
Tyrone playing really good stuff now. Ronan McNamee adds a point to stretch their lead. Cavanagh, Harte and Donnelly really driving them on.
Goal for Donegal by Martin McElhinney!
Donegal 1-8 Tyrone 1-6
MacNiallais with the initial chance for Donegal but Michael O’Neill produces a brilliant block to deny him. The rebound falls to McElhinney and he strikes first time superbly to the net. McFadden has just knocked over a fine point to put Donegal two ahead.
Half-Time: Donegal 1-8 Tyrone 1-6
Some shenanigans at half-time as both sides come off the pitch in Ballybofey. A schemozzle being the correct term.
A third goal for Westmeath from Ray Connellan.
Westmeath 3-11 Louth 0-14
Thirteen minutes left and the advantage is with Westemath.
Can’t argue with this.
Galway 1-10 Leitrim 0-6
Kevin Walsh’s side are seven points clear with ten minutes left in Carrick-on-Shannon.
Schemozzle alert.
Galway 1-12 Leitrim 0-8
Time running out and Galway in control at Carrick-on-Shannon.
Donegal 1-8 Tyrone 1-7
Sean Cavanagh knocks over a free after his brother Colm is fouled.
Full-Time: Westmeath 3-14 Louth 0-16
Donegal 1-8 Tyrone 1-8
Now we’re all square thanks to a lovely point by Conor McAliskey.
Full-Time: Galway 1-13 Leitrim 0-8
Donegal 1-10 Tyrone 1-8
Karl Lacey stretches Donegal’s lead further with a neat score.
Donegal 1-10 Tyrone 1-9
Couple of good bits of news for Tyrone. Conor McAliskey points at one end and then at the other, Michael O’Neill produces a fabulous save to deny Patrick McBrearty.
Tyrone 1-11 Donegal 1-10
Good kick by Michael Murphy from a free and that puts Donegal back in front.
Another top-drawer save by Michael O’Neill in the Tyrone goal to deny Colm McFadden this time.
Donegal 1-12 Tyrone 1-10
But Michael Murphy taps over a free as McFadden had been fouled moments before.
Yellow card for Tyrone’s Justin McMahon. Donegal fans very happy to hear that.
Sub: Mark Bradley, another U21 graduate in for Tyrone, for McCurry.
Red card for Donegal’s Neil Gallagher.
Second yellow for Gallagher and that’s 14 men Donegal have to play with for the closing stages.
Sean Cavanagh is sent-off!
High challenge from Cavanagh and he receives a black card, which is followed by a red as he was already on yellow.
We should mention that Paul Durcan produced a brilliant late save to deny Peter Harte a few moments ago, clawing the ball away as Tyrone nearly grabbed a second goal.
Donegal 1-13 Tyrone 1-10
Is that the insurance score? Michael Murphy brilliantly strikes over a ’45.
Colm Cavanagh nearly rescues Tyrone with a goal but he palms the ball against the crossbar.
And Tyrone nearly hit the net again! Mattie Donnelly fires in a rocket of a shot but the balls flies wide.
Full-Time: Donegal 1-13 Tyrone 1-10
Three-point win for Donegal, they macrh on in the Ulster championship to face Armagh in the quarter-final. The qualifiers beckons for Tyrone but they gave it everything today and really pushed Donegal hard. Really interesting, good game to kickstart the 2015 football championship.
The poor mans Sepp Blatter.
And we all know why he got the gig!
It’s all very well giving out about it, but the LOI clubs have a responsibility to join together and look for answers on behalf of their supporters, who are the people who actually care about football in this country.
Strength in numbers etc.
They do Niall, and have tried. Not sure how to link back but I wrote about the PCA a few weeks back, header was about FAI flexing muscles.
Here we are: http://www.the42.ie/john-o-sullivan-2091548-May2015/
league of Ireland winners get a hundred grand, John Delaney gets 3 hundred plus…..
Disgrace. Delaney is a boil on the backside of Irish football. Very unlikeable man.
Thank you for your honest article on the FAI.
there is an old mathematical equation power minus accountability equals corruption delaney should be more open to prevent people feeling that the equation follows
John Delaney and his self appointed cohorts in the FAI are a cancer on.football in the Republic of Ireland. they represent all that is corrupt in the corporate beauocratic ivory towers of Irish political life whereby the normal decent genuine iIrish man or woman.in that field pay the price. it is truly disgusting that Delaney got the top job and ridiculous high salary with absolutely no credentials aside from his father having a top.job preciously in.the FAI. a truly deplorable part of Irish life and the brain drain of young irish people emigrating will continue for future generations while these unethical, scrumbags continue to scheme and manipulate and take their obscene salaries for doing sweet damm.all. it is a disgrace. an absolute disgrace.
It’s very easy to blame the Governing body but what about the clubs and how they are run, the people that run them. Take a look at the lower divisions across the water and they’re in the same boat, complaining about the FA etc. no money. And as for journalists and I use the term lightly these says but it’s all about tearing it apart, rarely have I read a positive story about Delaney or the FAI and they do a great job all things considered and YES they could do a better job just like every other business. If by some miracle we get to France next year and make the quarters or semis all will be forgiven yet there’s more to the FAI than the Boys in Green.
(I think that’s John!^^^)
The reason they are called the ‘Governing’ body is that they are supposed to …. govern! While I may agree with your point that some of the Clubs need to take a bigger responsibility about how they are run or who is in fact running them, if there was real interest and focus from the FAI to set proper standards and guidelines, then I think that could eliminate problems before they arise?
As John Delaney himself was quoted as saying that the SSE Airtricity League was a “difficult child for the organisation”, is it not his sole responsibility to ensure that this issue is addressed? A ‘problem child’ is one who is seeking attention and while their behaviour may be deemed as inappropriate, this tends to be manifested and exacerbated when they feel they are not being listen to or don’t feel valued or wanted. Problem children should not be ignored, what they do need, is to be cared for, valued and nurtured and when all this positive attention is afforded to them, they grow and develop in to much more stable, grounded and mature people.
With that analogy, I would question and challenge your view that John Delaney and the FAI “do a great job all things considered”. If ‘all things’ are going to be considered, then we have to look from grass roots right the way up to the League of Ireland and on to the International teams. Unfortunately, on all fronts, the FAI under the stewardship of John Delaney do not have a glowing record and in all areas, as we should be much more advanced than we find ourselves today. Sport is about participation, sadly, with so much secrecy and very little transparency in the FAI, they do not allow fair participation either from the Clubs or the general supporter. If that be the case, then the FAI must be afforded full responsibility if and when things go wrong, and then they should be allowed justify the salaries that are paid out to all those concerned with responsibility for the future of Irish football.
FORAS? so you recommend pitch invasions and then private talks rather getting public answer to questions?
You might read the last line in the piece again Steve.
What I, or anyone involved in the league might recommend (or like to see happen) doesn’t always match the realities that we continue to deal with. As for FORAS, if your club’s owner ever has you facing extension in the High Court with €1.3million of debt carelessly run up, I’ll be on the pitch next to you.
G’ah. *extinction