Hurling needs a big game, and why football could do with more new rules
Fintan O’Toole joins Ronan Early to look ahead to the weekend’s big games: Ballyhale against St Martin’s, Athy v Ballyboden and the showdown of Dingle and St Finbarr’s.After a couple of hurling weekends which lacked shocks or pulsating contests, Fintan expects an improved spectacle in Croke Park as the Wexford champions try to derail Ballyhale. Awaiting the winners are Ballygunner, who gave an exhibition of control and poise in unsympathetic conditions at Semple Stadium last weekend. The lads marvel at their skill level and decision-making under pressure.Can Athy do what Kildare rivals Naas struggled to do over the previous four seasons and eliminate a Dublin opponent? And, in Munster, Dingle take the long road to Thurles where the Barrs await. Are the Kerry champions right to feel hard done by on the venue choice?Also, does football need further rule tweaks to address lateral passing, possession hoarding and suspense-killing tactics which can still be deployed at any moment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Heavyweight club showdowns | 2026 inter-county season takes shape
Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole preview Thursday’s draw for the 2026 provincial championships, and look ahead to the Munster hurling, Connacht football, and Ulster hurling club finals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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44:23
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Is David Clifford cool enough to sell hoodies? | The GAA in boomtimes for soccer
Following David Clifford’s shimmy into the world of apparel, Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to discuss the big questions: Is Clifford cool enough to sell hoodies? If not, then which GAA players are?Is it ever acceptable to wear initialled club gear in non-club settings? Why do managers need to have their job title scrawled on their back? What would happen if they went rogue and wore normal clothes?Also, Fintan chats us through following Ireland-Hungary on a delayed stream in Sixmilebridge. We discuss why a boom for soccer has never meant a bust for GAA.We reflect on the words of Jimmy Barry Murphy and Shane O’Donnell, who have achieved everything but are in dreamland as their clubs head towards a provincial final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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51:57
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Battle of the hurlers of the year, how Ballygunner do it, and when did Junior B hurling get so good?
County finals have yielded to the provincial championships as we move deeper into winter of the split season of 2025. Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue tell Ronan Early why this time of year continues to throw up interesting storylines and matches.The hurler of the year 2025 faces the hurler of the year 2024 as Éire Óg Ennis take on Loughmore-Castleiney in the Munster SHC semi-final. John McGrath and Shane O’Donnell are just two of the decorated players who will line out in a fascinating encounter of the dual clubs, who met on the football field last year.Ballygunner are heavy favourites to reverse last year’s loss to Sarsfields. We dig into the reasons beyond their Waterford hegemony and extraordinary run of Munster final appearances.Also, Fintan reckons Ulster club hurling has never been as strong as it is now, but Declan is not convinced.We chat about the general standard of hurling down to Junior B level - when did skill and athleticism levels across the board go through the roof? How and why did this happen? In these days of extraordinary progress, are there any skills that have been lost from the game?Plus, for the time of year that’s in it, tangents abound. Should clubs be mandated to go with inside managers? And, most controversially, are Monday clubs not that great? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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57:39
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Why are Gaelic footballers so attractive to AFL clubs? | How the All Stars are judged
The ‘Irish experiment’ began in the 1980s and continues to this day, with Kobe McDonald and Ben Murphy the latest promising young footballers to be recruited by AFL clubs.But what makes GAA athletes desirable to professional teams in a different sport? Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to consider the appeal for the Geelongs and Carltons and Brisbane Lions of this world.Plus, can GAA clubs and counties make staying in Ireland more attractive to talented young men and women - or is the lure of professional sport and the Australian lifestyle simply too great in the majority of cases?Is there an argument for compensation for GAA clubs and counties? If so, how does that square with the Association’s amateur ethos?Also today, Fintan and Declan tell us what it’s like to be an All Star judge.Plus, Declan pays tribute to the great Nudie Hughes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Declan Bogue, Fintan O’Toole and Ronan Early unpick the week’s biggest GAA stories to explore what they really say about the modern game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland