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1 week ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
WHEN Jack O’Connor was asked after the league final about the absence of two-pointers from his team’s scoring regimen, he gave a succinct analysis. “I wouldn’t care if we never kicked a two-pointer for the rest of the year if we can keep winning matches. “But we’ve kept up our record of getting goals. I think that’s 17 goals in the league. So if we can get enough goals, hopefully it’s compensate for not getting two-pointers,” he said.
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1 week ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
BEN Hogan was one of the four golf Grand Slam winners that existed prior to Sunday night. Famed for his work ethic, Hogan also leaned heavily on his self-confidence. His British Open success came at Carnoustie in 1953. When he arrived, he told the media that he was there to win it because he didn’t plan on ever returning. That was what was in his head. Hogan won the Open. And then he never played in it again. Did he win it just because he believed he would?
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1 week ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
ANDY McEntee said his Antrim side’s first half performance was the best of his reign and that it “justified” their stance over Corrigan Park. The Saffrons had to fight tooth and nail in the boardroom to have the game at home, with Ulster GAA having initially fixed it for Newry over issues primarily relating to the over-subscription of season ticket holders from Armagh in comparison to the capacity of Corrigan. Antrim dug their heels in and won the battle.
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1 week ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Antrim 1-23 Armagh 1-34IN the end it got comfortable but the All-Ireland champions beginning their championship campaign with victory wasn’t really the story here. As the hooter sounded and the teams left the pitch for half-time, Antrim were 0-14 to 0-13 ahead. There had been a bit of a breeze in their favour but nothing massively significant. Having fought in the boardroom to get their home game, they brought that to the pitch.
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1 week ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
Ulster SFC quarter-final: Tyrone v Cavan (Sunday, 4pm, Healy Park, live on RTÉ & BBC)THE week before Tyrone faced Donegal in last April’s Ulster SFC semi-final, the TeamTalkMag crew touched on a burning topic in their popular podcast. “Where has all the Tyrone support gone?” they pondered. Noel McGinn pinpointed the last day a Tyrone team felt well supported on the terraces as being the 2016 Ulster final against Donegal.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
WHEN Shaun Patton was at Sligo Rovers, he was fighting with former Mayo All-Ireland minor winning ‘keeper Michael Schlingermann for the number one jersey. There was one drill they’d do all the time to work on distribution. The goalkeeping coach would put the ball back to them. One touch out of their feet and then clip it to the other man who’d be standing somewhere up over halfway. When most goalkeepers do that drill, the second ‘keeper is running ten yards left or right, chasing them.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
IN the summer of 2016, Glenswilly beat St Eunan’s in an infamous Donegal club league match. Its infamy owes entirely to the scoreline. Glenswilly 0-3 St Eunan’s 0-2. Local journalist Alan Foley was reporting at the game. “The fixture was brought forward from 3pm to 12 noon to accommodate the Tractor Run, a charity event for the Glenswilly Chapel Restoration Fund. Those who didn’t learn of the change in time until it was too late were probably better off,” he wrote.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
Neill McNicholl: Struggled all afternoon with his kickouts, shanking some, overhitting others. Lost one in the sun, got away with it. Drained of confidence and Donegal were able to poach 1-10 off Derry restarts. No chance with the goal. 5Diarmuid Baker: Lost Conor O’Donnell for Donegal’s opening score and Oisin Gallen for his point. Didn’t really make any impact on his individual battle. 5.5Eoin McEvoy: Wasn’t as troubled by Michael Murphy in open play as he might have expected.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
Ulster SFC preliminary round: Donegal 1-25 Derry 1-15THIRTEEN years ago, Donegal’s running game in Fortress Ballybofey overwhelmed a Derry side they’d beaten in a heavyweight clash the previous summer. It was Jim McGuinness’ second year. They ended up as All-Ireland champions. All of that bar the last bit repeated itself in MacCumhaill Park today. It might yet follow suit, albeit not quite on this evidence. Derry have, as they did in 2012, fallen pretty swiftly back into the pack.
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2 weeks ago | 
irishnews.com | Cahair O'Kane
Ulster SFC preliminary round: Donegal v Derry (Sunday, 2pm, MacCumhaill Park, live on RTÉ & BBC)NEVER has a substitutes bench told so much about a strategy. At first glance, you’re almost inclined to think that Jim McGuinness is throwing us off with his starting team. Aaron Doherty is a surprise inclusion. Not a regular, he started in Celtic Park last year as well but his 35 minutes against Mayo were his only 35 minutes of this year’s league. Niall O’Donnell’s form has been patchy.
