Indo GAA

The return of hurling and Gaelic football has seen fans not roaring in delight at the games being played but instead throwing their hands up in the air at the new rule changes in both codes and wondering why?

“Who in the name of God decided that the game needed this to happen and on what basis did they make it on?” asks Brendan Cummins on this week’s Throw-In joining Will Slattery, Michael Verney, Conor McKeon and Dick Clerkin to look back on the weekend action.

“My hope is that the GAA will come out and say 'look lads this is why' and give us a little Powerpoint presentation as to what the thinking was behind it, why it passed Congress, and then we might be able to see. But I don't see it happening because I can't see any reason in the world why we've changed this, it's mad stuff.”

The rest of the panel was equally vociferous when it came to the amended black card rule in Gaelic football with them all wondering what way the games will be come the Championship.

But back on the pitch, Limerick’s six point defeat to Galway in the hurling has shown their vulnerability while Kerry’s twenty-two point annihilation over Galway has fans licking their lips for the weekend clash with Dublin.

“We want a competitive Championship,” says Dick Clerkin. “Something to look forward to. Kerry gave everybody a sign that ye, come August there's a real challenge on the cards. For Kerry it's good to see they're as good as that because that's what the game needs at the minute.”

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The Throw-In podcast is in association with Allianz.ie.

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The Allianz Football League is back this weekend with a new format and mini local competitions that promise plenty of fireworks, especially in the Ulster counties.

The latest Throw-In looks ahead to the return of inter-county gaelic football action and Will Slattery is joined by Donnchadh Boyle and Dick Clerkin to preview all the big games where Division 1 North with Tyrone v Donegal and Monaghan v Armagh the pick of the ties.

Division 1 South sees Kerry at home to Galway while Dublin face Roscommon. Pointing to Dublin’s self-belief, Dick Clerkin says this is what other teams to do work on if they really want to de-throne the Dubs.

“People talk about resources, they talk about players, they talk about all this stuff. I had the privilege of going down to watch Dublin three times last year in the empty stadium and you got to appreciate the intensity, the focus and the pure confidence that they play with on the pitch and I've never seen another team play like that.

“They back their tactics, they back themselves and they play off the front foot. So if a Kerry, a Mayo, a Donegal, a Tyrone, a Monaghan, any of these teams want to beat Dublin, they have to bring that confidence that Dublin bring because that's what keeps them up at that top level of consistency and other teams just can't get up to there. It's not always just ability, it's just not backing themselves and backing the talent that many of them have in their ranks.”

The question is whether Kerry are the only team that can put it up to them or whether Donegal’s promise or Mayo’s youth can stand up and deliver. The next few weeks in the football league will give us all a better idea come the summer.

For more from the Throw-In podcast go to:
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The Throw-In podcast is in association with Allianz.ie.

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The opening weekend of the Allianz Hurling League threw up a welcome shock with Antrim’s two point win over Clare and joining Will Slattery and Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In was Brendan Cummins and Colm Keys to look back on all the hurling action.

“I think the narrative out of the game,” says Cummins. “Was 'oh my God, Clare were bet by Antrim, they must have given Antrim a loan of the hurleys to play 'em'. Certainly that's not what I see of Antrim but for Clare it is certainly a bit of a set back but I wasn't overly-surprised now to be honest with you that Clare got beaten up there.”

Next up for Brian Lohan’s Clare is a grudge match against Davy Fitzgerald’s Wexford, who were 19 point winners over Laois, but he was an unhappy coach, not least with the new advantage rule brought into the game.

“There are some things that need to be changed about hurling,” says Michael Verney. “And stopping the cynical element was definitely one. This advantage rule I'm not so sure. I just think we're changing the game too much and I don't think there's a need for it. I just don't like it.”

Elsewhere, the panel discussed Cork’s impressive over Waterford and whether they can be contenders in the League and Championship come the summer, while Tipp’s draw over Limerick was courtesy of a Jason Forde masterclass of 14 points, including 11 from frees.

Next up is the visit of Cork and a real test of the Rebel county’s credentials.

For more from the Throw-In podcast go to:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In podcast is in association with Allianz.ie.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2021 GAA season is back and finally fans can feel some sense of normalcy return. It may be a truncated League this year but what an opening hurling fixture to whet the appetite between reigning champions, Limerick, and the team most eager to prove a point against them, Tipperary.

Previewing the Allianz Hurling Leagues, Will Slattery and Michael Verney were joined by Vincent Hogan and John Mullane who assess the teams and players to watch out for and why.

For Vincent Hogan, Limerick v Tipp is an important game for both teams to lay down a marker, but for Tipperary especially.

“Over the last couple of years, there's no doubt about it that Limerick have had their number and they've had their number quite comfortably and I think that's a big thing for Liam Sheedy going into this. Saturday night is a big enough game because he's got to convince his own players that they can match Limerick.”

For John Mullane meanwhile, he’s keeping an eye on Wexford, Dublin and Cork, the teams that under-performed in the Championship last year, particularly Cork.

“They need to have a good League campaign. They need to build up a level of consistency where they're consistent in performance and I think if they're consistent in performance, I think the results will come. Of the five games Kieran Kingston will be targeting will probably be winning three to four of those matches and then bringing it into the Championship.”

For more from the Throw-In podcast go to:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In podcast is in association with Allianz.ie.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Verney is joined by Vincent Hogan, Martin Breheny and Colm Keys for a special episode of the Throw-In to reflect on the Top 50 GAA controversies.

This Saturday will see Colm take a forensic look at the controversies which have shaped the GAA over the past 50 years as he ranks their importance in the Irish Independent and on Independent.ie

From Rule 42 to the three Cork strikes, the dramatic summer of 1998 and the Tony Keady affair, the quartet delve deep into history to discuss how the GAA and controversy have always gone hand in hand.

Memories are also rekindled of controversial sponsorship deals, the removal of the 'ban', the 12 Apostles and everything else in between so sit back and enjoy the Top 50 GAA controversies on the Throw-In.

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Will Slattery and Michael Verney are joined by Martin Breheny for a special episode of the Throw-In to reflect on 50 years of All-Star teams.
Starting on Tuesday, Martin has a series running this week in the Irish Independent and on Independent.ie reflecting on the scheme, looking at the biggest winners as well as the best players that were never selected.
Martin explains to the lads what the selection meetings are like with the All-Stars voters, and also tells them why he resigned from the committee in 1985 and didn't return for 15 years!
The representation of smaller counties, the Brian Whelahan debacle in 1994 and the foundation of the scheme are all discussed too.

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There was to be no unbridled Christmas celebrations for Mayo – or Waterford – fans this year with the favourites in both codes winning out comfortably at the end of the 2020 All Ireland series but the fall-out from Dublin’s historic six-in-a-row continues to be debated.

Ciarán Whelan and David Brady joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on the last Throw-In of the year as they discussed where it went wrong for James Horan’s men and why Dublin’s strength in depth saw them winning out once again.

“In every sense of the word they really put it up to Dublin and competed,” said David Brady. “Yes you're disappointed when you lose an All Ireland final but I seen a lot of positives and a lot of things to work on from a Mayo perspective.”

For Whelan, it was Dublin’s clutch players that proved the difference.
“I think Dessie Farrell probably played it smart and knew that he had to finish strong coming into that last 15-20 minutes. You've real clutch players that can come in and make a difference and they have the experience that they're going to make a difference and Dublin have that depth where Mayo are probably trying to get their best fifteen on the field at the start and trying to kind of hang in there.”

Elsewhere, Will and Michael also discussed Sunday’s Ladies Football final with Dublin marking their own four-in-a-row with a five-point victory over Cork. Remarkably, you have to go back to 2004 and Galway when neither Dublin nor Cork have won the title and similar to the men, Dublin Ladies endured their own heartache of losing finals along the way.

At the end of one of the toughest of years, the panel agreed, it was a testament to the GAA , the players and the counties that the Championships were started and finished bringing some much needed excitement, entertainment and hope during this winter period. We can but hope for even better things to come in 2021.

For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The GAA Championship is set to say goodbye to 2020 this Sunday with the clash between Mayo and Dublin in the All Ireland Football Final - their third final meeting in the last five years.

The possibility of a team winning six-in-a-row scarcely seemed credible years ago but now Dublin’s dominance of the game has people wondering how far they can go and whether their incredible levels of success are causing more harm than good.

If one team can break their bubble however, it’s Mayo, and on this Throw-In preview special, Conor McKeon joins Will Slattery and Michael Verney to discuss where the game will be won and lost come Sunday.

Of the three final defeats Mayo have suffered to Dublin in the last decade, each has been only by a point so James Horan men won’t be over-awed or cowed by the opponents they’re facing.

The problem however is Dublin and with their match-winning experience, strength in-depth and calm mindset, it’s hard to see how Mayo can do enough to overcome Dessie Farrell’s team.

The Throw-In team are all predicting a Dublin win on Sunday but don’t forget to listen in to Monday’s post-mortem as David Brady and Ciarán Whelan join the lads to either celebrate or commiserate after what promises to be another close encounter.

For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waterford’s wait for another All Ireland hurling title goes on but in the aftermath of this year’s hurling decider, all the plaudits are rightly on Limerick’s incredible performance to win their second Liam MacCarthy in three years. On this week’s Throw In podcast, Ursula Jacob and John Mullane join Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on all the action.

As Ursula Jacob points out, this was John Kiely's fourth year in charge and in twenty Championship games with Limerick, he's only lost five.
“I think they're going to build on this year again,” says Jacob. “They look unstoppable at times when they're in full flow.”

For John Mullane, he’s proud of Waterford’s campaign this year but also proud in what the GAA has given the Irish people during Covid.
“The last six, seven weeks have just been magical, absolutely magical,” says Mullane. “It's been so uplifting for the whole country and you know, it answers all the questions should this Championship went ahead? Absolutely. Look at the joy that it brought to everyone. It's after shortening our winter, Christmas is upon us but it's just the pride of being involved in such an organisation.”

Plus, also on the show, the panel looked back on Antrim’s Joe McDonagh Cup victory over Kerry and Ursula Jacob hailed Kilkenny’s resilient three-point win over Galway in the camogie having lost five of their six previous finals.

For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the year of Covid and a delayed, truncated season without fans, the 2020 All Ireland Hurling Final will be remembered no matter what.

But with red-hot Limerick facing a Waterford team with unshakeable belief and a growing momentum behind them, Sunday’s Croke Park showdown looks set to be a classic on the pitch, no matter what’s been going on off the field.

Can Waterford finally end their pain of sixty-one years and bring back Liam MacCarthy for the first time since 1959?

One of the Throw-In’s regular guests, Waterford legend, John Mullane, certainly thinks so and he has been bullish on the show about the Déise’s chances saying it will be the best Christmas yet for Waterford fans.

However, the Irish Independent’s Vincent Hogan, joins Will Slattery and Michael Verney for a special Throw-In hurling final preview show and reckons, despite Waterford’s perfect storm in terms of aggression and tactical strategy, that Limerick will have the edge.

“There is a kind of been there-done that feeling to this Limerick team,” he tells Will and Michael. “I think Waterford will throw the kitchen sink at them and what's interesting about this is we saw how Limerick went after Éanna Murphy's puck-outs in the semi-final. I think Galway won only eight out of fifteen of their own long puck-outs; Kilkenny had the same problem against Waterford, in the second half particularly when Waterford scored an astonishing 2-16 from play. They went after Eoin Murphy's puck-outs. So there's a self-sufficiency in both teams. It's making for a classic, they're the two in-form teams. You just have to give Limerick the edge in terms of their big game experience.”

For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at:
www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/

The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.