A NEW HURLING league season commences this weekend, the pre-season business completed as the major action starts for 2022. A bunch of new managers step out into the county spotlight. What awaits them as they take on major responsibilities for the new campaign? ********** Henry Shefflin – Galway The most eye-catching inter-county appointment this season.  Whenever one of the most celebrated players in the game moved into management, his progress was bound to be tracked closely. Henry Shefflin’s hurling acumen was displayed with the pair of All-Ireland titles he guided his home club Ballyhale Shamrocks to. His first county role entails a switch out west that is as dramatic as…

Cork 1-13 Clare 1-13 CORK AND CLARE played out an entertaining draw in Pairc Uí Chaoimh in Division 2 of the Allianz NFL tonight. In a tie that was level on seven occasions it was the visitors who came from behind to earn a deserved draw as substitutes Emmett McMahon and Daniel Walsh kicked the levelling scores after Brian Hurley had put Cork in pole position to win it. Cork seemed to be in big trouble with ten minutes to go when Podge Collins was fouled inside the square with ten minutes to go. The excellent Keelan Sexton crashed home the resultant penalty as the Bannner men’s hoodoo over Cork…

Kerry 1-15 Dublin 0-11 Paul Brennan reports from Austin Stack Park FIRST BLOOD OF the season to Kerry in what might or might not be a two-game series this year if, as still expected, they meet Dublin in an All-Ireland semi-final down the road in July. What, if anything, this seven-point win will mean in high summer is anyone’s guess, but as making statements in early February go, this was pretty emphatic from Kerry. Sure, they lost the second half by 0-7 to 0-1 – yes, Kerry managed just a single Paul Geaney point in the second period – but context is needed. Kerry won this game in the first half,…

Tipperary 0-21 Laois 1-14 Steven Miller reports at O’Moore Park JASON FORDE HELPED himself to 11 points and Mark Kehoe and Jake Morris hit seven between them from play as Tipperary began Colm Bonnar’s reign as manager with a four-point win over Laois in O’Moore Park. Laois played most of the second half with just 14 men following the sending off of Paddy Purcell but they put up a brave effort before eventually falling short. The home side were made to rue a host of missed chances when they played with the wind in the opening half, hitting eight wides and missing two decent goal chances. But Tipp, who have…

Naas [Kildare] 0-16 Kilmoyley [Kerry] 1-11 Kevin Egan reports at Croke Park NAAS GAA CLUB continues to break new ground across both primary sporting codes, as they became the first club from the county to win an All-Ireland club hurling title this evening. The reigning senior football and hurling champions in the Short Grass County arrived at this evening’s All-Ireland final having won every championship game with something to spare, and when they moved six points clear early in the second half, and with the wind at their back, it looked like a similar tale was unfolding this time around. John Meyler’s side were made of sterner stuff however and they…

Cork 2-30 Clare 2-21 John Coleman reports from Páirc Uí Chaoimh A DEVASTATING BLITZ either side of half time saw Cork see off the challenge of Clare in the opening round of the Allianz Hurling League played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh this evening. Cork hit 1-12 without reply from the twenty-second to the fortieth minute to turn a one goal deficit into an unassailable twelve-point advantage. David Reidy eventually stopped the rot for the Banner men with his third free but Cork, for whom Ciarán Joyce and Darragh Fitzgibbon starred at midfield, were able to keep their Munster rivals comfortably at bay. They had fourteen scorers throughout, with Shane Kingston and…

TIPPERARY ISSUED A very strong signal of their intent to take their incremental progress to the next level, as they put Down to the sword by 3-16 to 0-3 in their opening Littlewoods Ireland camogie league division 1 tie. Defending champions Kilkenny also got their season under way successfully but were made to work much harder by Limerick before recording a 1-18 to 1-10 triumph. Down were extremely competitive at the top tier last year but could never land a blow against a Tipp team that is now firmly entrenched in the top four but is now chasing silverware as a tangible reward for the strides made under Bill Mullaney.…

Mooncoin (Kilkenny) 0-22 Ballygiblin (Cork) 1-18 Kevin Egan reports from Croke Park MOONCOIN’S GREATER OVERALL scoring threat, embodied by two utterly incredible scores from Adam Croke and Martin O’Neill at the end of this incredible and memorable All-Ireland junior club hurling final, proved to be the vital ingredient that edged them over the line against Ballygiblin of Cork this afternoon. As with any one-point game, there were any number of ‘what if’ and ‘what might have been’ moments over the hour’s action from the perspective of both sides, but when the game was there to be won in the closing stages, Croke and O’Neill fired points that would be worthy…

St Jude’s [Dublin] 3-9 Mullinahone [Tipperary] 1-8 Darren Kelly reports in Baltinglass CAPTAIN AOIFE KEYES scored a crucial goal as St Jude’s were crowned the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior club champions following a seven-point victory over Mullinahone in Baltinglass. Click Here: Three first half goals from Caoimhe McGrath, Keyes and Aisling Gannon gave Jeff Kane’s charges a 3-4 to 1-4 half-time lead against the elements, and they kept their opponents at bay afterwards to become the first Dublin club since St Maurs in 2016 to win the title. But it was the Tipperary outfit who got off to a stunning start with a goal after just 28 seconds. Nicole Shelly and Denise…

NAAS CBS HAVE clinched their third Leinster senior A football colleges crown after narrowly defeating Maynooth SLS in an all-Kildare final at St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge. Maynooth, who were competing in the final for the first time, struck for a goal after just four minutes to help them into a 1-1 to 0-1 lead. But it was Naas who squeezed over the line with a 0-14 to 2-7 victory. Luke Jennings provided that early goal for Maynooth, while Jack Murnane grabbed their second goal late in the second half to push Naas all the way to the final whistle. Advertisement But Naas recovered from that Jennings effort as Niall Dolan grabbed a…