The Throw-in

Dublin relegated to Division 2 was just one of the many storylines from a fascinating and enthralling final round of football league games, but did the GAA miss a trick in not maximising the audience for an incredible, frantic day of football? Will we see the introduction of Friday night football as a way to whet people’s appetites even more? Ciarán Whelan joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on the latest Throw-In podcast to discuss all the main talking points from the weekend with Dublin’s relegation dominating. “They can't complain,” said Whelan. “Their performance throughout the League was just far too patchy at times and it looked like they were getting a bit of structure back over the last two weeks but that wasn't prevalent in the first half yesterday and again they looked very, very disjointed, particularly from a defensive perspective.” Elsewhere, there’s special mention also for Kerry and Mayo who meeting in the Division 1 final, and for Roscommon’s return to the top flight, plus Limerick an

With a second win in-a-row, have Dublin now steadied the ship? Philly McMahon joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In podcast and he thinks there’s now a calmness to their play and a leadership that was previously lacking which are all good signs for the months ahead. Philly also discusses Kerry’s top of the table form and believes their dominance means they are now more in the heads of the players from the other counties. On David Clifford and how to stop him, Philly remembers the 2019 All-Ireland final when he he was marking Tommy Walsh but was still keen to get in Clifford’s ear. “I'm sure Walsh was looking at me going 'you're marking me, why are you talking to him?' But there was still bits where he bit - you know you could say 'fair play to him for standing back up to you' blah, blah, blah but he bit and that for me was something that I always wanted to test. I would have definitely, in the last two managements, had conversations before games that I wanted to get a chance to

The football league action dominated over the weekend but it was off-pitch that was generating much of the headlines with Tom Parsons saying the GPA were prepared to take further action in the players’ stand-off with the GAA over expenses. However, Dick Clerkin, who joined Will Slattery, Sinéad Kissane and Donnchadh Boyle on this week’s Throw-In podcast believes that a conversation over player welfare needs to take precedence over expenses first. “What are the GPA looking for in terms of a sustainable model for the intercounty game?” he asked on the show. “Because I don't think anybody could agree that it should be ok that a county team should be asked to train seven days a week around the Championship season and that can be funded carte blanche because that's effectively what Tom Parsons was saying. If it is the case with the county teams now that it's the norm to be asked to train five to six times a week, that's not sustainable, that's not fair and it's not sustainable.” Back to on-pitch matters, Dubl

With Wexford’s hurlers making it four wins from four in the League and booking their semi-final spot, Martin Storey joins Will, Michael and John Mullane to discuss the rise of his county under Darragh Egan and how 2022 could pan out for them. “We need some sort of silverware in Wexford to get the ball rolling again and get everyone totally flying and get everyone in the county jizzed up,” says Storey. “It's the players that were improving gradually I think, they won three U21 Championships so it was a natural progression for them to start coming to their peak at 24, 25, 26 years of age to see are they able to compete at the top level in Ireland and they are competing but we still need to get a little bit more to be winning.” Martin also discussed his club’s disappointing defeat in the camogie final on Sunday with Sarsfields beating Oulart 3-12 to 4-5 and had nothing but high praise for the commitment and skill on show by both teams and management. Elsewhere in the hurling, Waterford laid down a marker wit

Philly McMahon joins Sinéad Kissane and Conor McKeon on this week’s Throw-In to look back on the main football league action and with the Dubs fourth loss in a row the big talking point. It’s too easy and too lazy to blame the manager or the players he tells Sinéad when trying to explain the Dubs’ defeat to Kildare. “It's complex, it's a collective shift of mindset that's needed right now. I think there has to be a spin off of you know this is what you've been fed in terms of information from outside that's impacted on the pitch, so what I'm saying basically is in a nutshell, the players are performing what they are thinking, right? You essentially are what you think.” The panel also discuss the other Division 1 games including Mayo and Kerry leading the charge while, looking ahead to the Dubs’ next game against Tyrone, it’s a battle, says Philly that he would have relished and should be a challenge to excite the players. Meanwhile, John Mullane was on the show to look back on the weekend hurling action

On this week’s Throw-In, Donnchadh Boyle, Dick Clerkin and Angela Walsh join Sinead Kissane to look back on the weekend’s football league action. Dublin’s third loss in a row came at the hands of Mayo on Saturday night, and Dick Clerkin feels they are going to be in a dogfight to remain in Division 1 next season. ‘’There's no question about it, the pressure's on and they're in a place that they've never been having to fight for survival, so how that impacts on their squad and performance remains, well, I wouldn't say remains to be seen, it's not looking good at the minute, because I say they were in that going into the Mayo game, that sort of mindset and it didn't get them a whole pile further in terms of performance and obviously not in the result.’’ Kerry put on a dominant display on home soil in Killarney, with Donegal struggling to find any foothold into the game. Are Donegal facing into a similar battle with relegation as Dublin find themselves in? Donegal will be finding themselves under pressure to

Croke Park has seen some history and dramatic days and the 2022 club finals at the weekend delivered in spades with Kilcoo’s heroics and Ballygunner’s history-making. On this week’s Throw-In, John Mullane and Vincent Hogan join Will and Michael to look back on another pulsating weekend of GAA action. The first club hurling title in Waterford’s history will be a boost to the county for the coming year says Mullane. “This is coming a long time. Ballygunner have been knocking on the door for long enough. They've been getting to Munster club finals, it's well stated now their dominance in Waterford hurling and they got their just rewards on Saturday. I think it's going to have a massive, massive knock-on effect for Waterford hurling going forwards.” Meanwhile, Tipp’s win over Kilkenny has increased the unrest in the county under Brian Cody – should they have done a Tyrone on it by replacing a long-term manager? And with Henry Shefflin’s impressive start to his county management career with Galway, the sp

Dublin’s woes continued in Tralee on Saturday night and Ciarán Whelan joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In podcast to look back on all the weekend football action. “I really thought Dublin would have been set up with a little bit more structure defensively going into the game,” says Whelan. “And then particularly in that fifteen minute period where Kerry just ate them. There was no effort to stem the flow of that period and it just meant Kerry could control the game.” Meanwhile, elsewhere in Division 1, Armagh beat Tyrone as the All Ireland champions saw four players dismissed in a remarkable game; Donegal picked up their first win over Kildare; and Mayo overcame Monaghan. In Division 2, Andy McEntee’s troubles continue with Meath’s loss to Roscommon who are joint top with Galway and Derry. The hurling Leagues also began over the weekend with John Mullane joining the show and the biggest surprise of all coming from Wexford’s three point win over Limerick, pointing to Limerick’s

There weren’t many positives for Dublin after their opening league defeat to Armagh in Croke Park and on this week’s Throw-In podcast, Dick Clerkin joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on all the league football action. “There was nothing new or fresh and that's probably the concerning thing if I was a Dublin fan looking at them,” said Clerkin. “It was the same sort of style of play that they developed in Jim Gavin's later years, very methodical, not much creativity.” It promises to be a pressure cooker of a game for Dessie Farrell’s team next weekend against Kerry in Tralee, and with the Kingdom struggling in their draw against Kildare, both Dublin and Kerry will not want to be no wins from two after their clash. Elsewhere in Division 1, Donegal let their lead slip against Mayo with pundits wondering if their intensity and aggression levels have dropped from years gone by? Tyrone and Monaghan also played out a draw in Omagh and every point is going to be hard fought with little between t

The Allianz Football Leagues are back and so is the Throw-In with Will Slattery and Michael Verney as they’re joined by Martin Breheny and Colm Keys to preview the likely contenders and relegation fights in the weeks ahead. One of the burning questions is how will Dublin react since the end of their historic All Ireland winning run and Michael Verney says write Dublin off at your peril. ‘A defeat can almost send people running away with themselves, they were going for 7-in-a-row last year and now all of a sudden a lot of people are potentially writing them off, so I think the reaction is going to be fascinating this year.’ Dublin face Armagh in Croke Park in their opening game. And what of Kerry under Jack O’Connor again? They’ll be going for every game and every title, with a point to prove to themselves most of all and start their campaign away to Kildare. Elsewhere in Division 1 sees reigning All-Ireland Champions, Tyrone, against Monaghan in Omagh and Mayo v Donegal. The real tussles promise to be

While the Mayo heartbreak continues, let’s also celebrate Tyrone for what they have achieved and on the final Throw-In podcast of the season, Dick Clerkin and Cora Staunton join Will Slattery and Michael Verney to give credit where credit is due to the 2021 All Ireland champions. “It's everything that you'd want in your team that you'd be involved in or if you were a coach at any level,” says Dick Clerkin. “The confidence, the skill level, that passion, the tackling, the discipline….I've just total respect and admiration for what they done and how they done it.” But for Cora Staunton, there are plenty of questions to be asked about Mayo’s approach to the game. “I'm still wondering what their actual forward game plan or system of play was,” she says. “Because at times it didn't seem like they had one or knew what they were doing. At times we had Aidan O'Shea inside in the square and we couldn't get long ball into. At times we had Kevin McLoughlin in there, our most creative forward, sitting very deep, a

2021 is becoming known as the year of the underdog but there’s one remaining question to be answered and that’s whether Mayo can banish the ghosts of footballing pasts by capturing Sam Maguire for the first time in seventy years at the weekend. On this Throw-In football final preview special, Will Slattery and Michael Verney are joined by Cora Staunton and Peter Canavan as they look ahead to the big game. “It's a little bit surreal down here,” Cora tells the show. “While there's plenty of flags and bunting, cars painted and stuff like that, it's not as hyped or as built up as in other years. I think Mayo fans have learned in the past that the more hype you have it's probably not the best. We're optimistic and there's a confidence down here but things are certainly calmer which is good.” While in Tyrone, Peter Canavan says people are upbeat, never expecting to have got so far this year. “The mood's very good, people are in great form up here, there is a great buzz about the place in the towns and village

After the Dubs dominance of the last six years, the 2021 All-Ireland football final has a unique pairing with Tyrone and Mayo set to meet up following Tyrone’s surprising win over Kerry at the weekend and on this week’s Throw-In, Cora Staunton and Dick Clerkin join Will Slattery and Michael Verney to discuss where and how such an upset was caused. Plus, looking ahead to Mayo’s chances against Tyrone, Cora Staunton says her own county would have preferred not to be facing Kerry. “From a psychological point of view for Mayo it's probably better that it's Tyrone rather than Kerry because obviously we've had All-Ireland final baggage with Kerry in the years past. I think it's going to be a huge tactical battle, Horan is very shrewd in the way he operates and Dooher and Logan are exactly the same. The way they set Tyrone up, their organisation was immense and it's going to be a very difficult final for Mayo.” The camogie final pairing has also been decided with Cork facing Galway in a repeat of the 2015 final

It’s been described as the greatest hurling final display since Kilkenny's demolition of Waterford in 2008 and after Limerick’s record score and victory over Cork this year, just how can they be beaten? Brendan Cummins and John Mullane join Will Slattery and Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In to look back on Limerick’s incredible performance as well as reviewing where Cork got it so wrong and what other counties can do to stop the ‘green machine’ from dominating in the years to come. “It was probably the best half of hurling I've ever seen,” says Mullane. “It was just relentless. They just pushed this button, they went into gear and they just blitzed Cork and it was just a joy to sit back and watch it. The great teams don't let up and they didn't let up in the second half.” Listen and follow the Throw-In on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, with new episodes every Monday throughout the Championship. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In

The countdown to the 2021 All-Ireland Hurling Final is on and the Throw-In looks ahead to the clash of Limerick and Cork with an exclusive interview with Galway legend, Joe Canning, who tells Will Slattery and Michael Verney why all the pressure is on John Kiely’s men. Canning also talks about life post-retirement, his future coaching plans, and the good and bad days of his hurling career. Also on the show, former Limerick All-Star, Andrew O’Shaughnessy, and former Cork manager, John Meyler, run through where they see the game being won and lost. Unsurprisingly, both are tipping their respective counties to win by three points but Meyler says Cork will be in no fear of the reigning champions. “Cork have just quietly gone about their business and they've a new style, a new freshness and certainly won't fear Limerick and Croke Park will suit this kind of running, mobile athletic Cork team.” Listen and follow the Throw-In on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, with new episodes every Monday throughout the Champion

After nearly a decade, Mayo have finally shaken off Dublin and taken their fans on another incredible journey to Croke Park. On this week’s Throw-In, Ciarán Whelan and David Brady join Will Slattery and Michael Verney as they look back on an epic clash between the two counties. For Brady, it was the gritty, never-say-die manner of the victory over such a decorated Dublin team that said more about the win. “As a Mayo man, as a Mayo person, as a Mayo supporter, we have always said it, we're on this journey with the team and the team represents the people. Time and time again we've come up short and we have failed and it's been very disappointing against Dublin because their class just eluded us by the smallest of margins in games but it was great to get that one victory to beat such a dominant Dublin team.” For Dublin meanwhile, it’s not quite back to the drawing board but they will certainly be a team in transition for the coming years says Whelan. The Dublin ladies continue to march on however and they

It’s Cork v Limerick in the 2021 All Ireland hurling final and what a mouth-watering game it promises to be. Ultimately Cork got over the line despite Kilkenny’s last gasp heroics, whilst Limerick were too good for Waterford, and on this week’s Throw-In, John Mullane and Frank Roche joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on the semi-finals and preview how they see the final going. Mullane has been singing Cork’s praises for the last number of weeks and he says their tradition and self-belief will count for much in their approach to the final. “The Rebels are the rebels,” says Mullane. “And the Rebel Roar was back yesterday. Cork hurling is in a very good place. Their dander is up, they're hurling very, very well. They can be extremely dangerous opponents for anyone and here we are now, we're going to be in for a thrilling final with both Cork and Limerick.” The panel also discussed Kilkenny’s fight and determination and what the future holds for Brian Cody, while Mullane also says that

Waterford are into another All Ireland semi-final after beating Tipperary at the weekend but the question now is whether their speed and running game will be enough to overcome the country’s best in Limerick? Brendan Cummins and John Mullane join Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In as they give their verdict on Waterford’s win, Cork’s victory over Dublin and rate the counties’ chances in the semis. Plus there’s special mention for Offaly’s 41 points scored against Derry to win the Christy Ring final while in the Nicky Rackard final, Mayo beat Tyrone by sixteen points to win their second title. And with Joe Canning’s retirement from the game, the panel rank Joe Canning’s career amongst the greats, remembering his legacy to his county and the overall game of hurling. In the football, Dick Clerkin and Martin Breheny review the Leinster and Ulster finals and for Clerkin, it was a case of a lost opportunity for his native county in their one-point loss to Tyrone. Dublin’s eight-point victory over Kildare g

It’s official, Kerry are now the bookies favourites and after their historic 22-point demolition of Cork in the Munster final, Sam is there for the taking. On this week’s Throw-In podcast, Tomás Ó’Sé joins Will Slattery and Dermot Crowe and he tells the lads just how far the Kingdom really can go believing that Dublin are the most vulnerable they’ve been in ten years. “Kerry are favourites,” he admits. “They're working like animals all around the pitch. I think they have an edge, the harder edge this year definitely.” The panel also rate Mayo’s chances in the semi-final after their 11-point turn-around in the Connacht final while Kerry face the winner of Tyrone v Monaghan in next weekend’s Ulster final. Meanwhile, in the hurling, John Mullane was on the show celebrating Waterford’s win over Galway and he reckons they will have the speed to topple Tipperary in the quarter-finals. On the other side of the draw, Cork’s win over Clare sees them meet Dublin and Mullane thinks the Rebels have every chance

It’s been called Limerick’s greatest half of hurling and it sealed their first Munster three-in-a-row since the 1930s so can anyone now stop them retaining the All Ireland? On this week’s Throw-In, Michael Verney was joined by Colm Keys and Brendan Cummins to look back on all the weekend hurling action. Kyle Hayes’s goal was reminiscent of New Zealand rugby star Jonah Lomu in his pomp says Keys while Cummins believes that Limerick can be stopped, but only if you bring enough bodies out the field. ‘If you get most of those Limerick players one-on-one, like it was in the second half,’ says Cummins. ‘Unless you're an Olympic sprinter with a hurley in your hand, you're going to be in difficulty, so the only way around that is to pull bodies around the middle of the field. Every time they turn they hit into somebody and try to get them to take risks that they wouldn't normally want to take and Tipp did that in the first half but unfortunately in the second half it obviously petered out.’ Elsewhere, it was ye