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Finuge 2-12 Duagh 1-7. H.T. 2-3 to 0-4 The longer this game advanced the more pronounced Finuge's superiority became. Duagh gave as good as they got for long stages in the first half but when James Flaherty scored two goals it was clear that the game was decided. It was too one sided to be enjoyable but at least it was played in a good spirit and, paying just five euro to get in, one cannot complain too much. Duagh were missing a good few players, notably Anthony Maher. Seemingly, Anthony has had an operation on his ankle so it would appear that he will be missing for a long stretch during the NFL. The impish James Flaherty was too elusive for Keran Quirke, scoring 2-1 from play before going off with about fifteen minutes to go. Kieran looked well short of inter county standard today. Declan Griffin was the dominant midfielder for about twenty minutes, making several fine catches. Unfortunately, he took a heavy knock towards the end of the first half and was never the same force th...

The Gaa must go back to school to win the field battles. Colm O Rourke. Sunday November 29 2009 A fter a year of 125th anniversary celebrations, largely carried out in a tasteful and reserved manner, the focus for the GAA now must be the future. There is always a certain fear of the unknown and with uncertainty all round many will wonder if the role of the GAA can be as central going forward as it has been, especially over the last 30 years. In that period, the GAA has blossomed. When I started playing adult football there were few really good club pitches and the standard of dressing rooms was pretty basic. Showers were a rarity and a player with a bottle of shampoo was liable to assault. They were not the good old days. Since then the development of infrastructure has been phenomenal and there is a much more organised games programme in every county, even if club players are still neglected in getting sufficient matches on a regular rather than haphazard basis. County football is als...

Sunday November 29 2009 WE were inundated with entries from all over the country for my Team of the Decade competition. One thing that impressed me was the way in which many entrants tried to get inside my head and pick the team they thought I would select, perhaps not entirely their own choice. For instance, one group of six customers in a Co Tyrone pub sent in their entries by e-mail, and all six teams they selected had my nephews, Darragh, Marc and Tomás, included. I also got a huge reaction for my selection from the 1984 compilation 'Vintage Carbery', but it was remiss of me to omit one great footballer mentioned in the book, no less a man than Batt Garvey from my own Ventry. Batt is credited with inventing the solo run, but on a very personal level he was my inspiration and my mentor. He inculcated in me the idea of spending hours practising alone in order to develop my skills which would come into play with great effect in the heat of the fray on the field. Under Batt...

Kerry duo impressing Down Under 27 November 2009 Kerry's Tommy Walsh and David Moran have impressed St Kilda coaches after two weeks of gruelling pre-season training in the Melbourne heat. Walsh has already signed a two-year international rookie contract with this year's beaten AFL Grand Finalists, while Moran is hoping to secure a similar deal before the December 2 deadline. After accusing Moran of being overweight and laid back last week, players' agent Ricky Nixon has been impressed by his response to the criticism and says he has not done his chances any harm if his pre-season efforts are anything to go. Nixon said in the Irish Times: "Dave's quite a laid-back character so when people don't know him they can misconstrue that as him not trying but he's impressed everyone with both his attitude and endeavour. "Tommy's very similar but there's no doubt they have both behaved impeccably and endeared themselves to their team-mates for the way th...

29 November: Tesco Ladies Football All Ireland Junior Club Final - Clonakilty (Cork) v Drumcliffe Rosses Point (Sligo) (1:00 pm) Munster Club SHC Final - Newtownshandrum v Ballygunner (2:00 pm) All Ireland Senior Club Camogie Final - Cashel v Athenry - Match Off (2:00 pm) AIB Munster GAA Intermediate Football Final - Spa (Kerry) v Cratloe (Clare) (2:00 pm) AIB Munster GAA Junior Football Championship Semi-Final - Castlegregory (Kerry) v Glanworth (Cork) (2:00 pm) AIB Munster GAA Junior Football Championship Semi-Final - Kilgobnet (Waterford) v Mountcollins (Limerick) (2:00 pm) All-Ireland Junior Club Camogie Final - St. Anne’s, Dunhill (Waterford) v Lavey (Derry) - Match Off (2:30 pm) Tesco Ladies Football All Ireland Senior Club Final - Donoughmore (Cork) v Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) (2:30 pm)

Munster Club SFC S-Final – Kerins O’Rahilly’s v Moyle Rovers Kerins O’Rahillys (Kerry) defeated Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) by 1-9 to 0-10 in the AIB Munster GAA Football Senior Club Championship Semi-Final on Sunday at Austin Stack Park Tralee. Quill right on cue for O’Rahillys Kerins O’Rahillys 1-8 Moyle Rovers 0-9 By Jim O’Sullivan for the Irish Examiner newspaper Monday, November 23, 2009 THERE was a serious question mark hanging over Kerins O’Rahillys ability to win in Austin Stack Park yesterday until Declan Quill inspired them with a 53rd-minute goal. Coming immediately after a hard-earned Barry John Walsh point restored their lead, following an admirable third quarter recovery from a brave Moyle Rovers side, its timing as much as its execution was decisive in earning them a place in the AIB Munster club SFC final for the first time in their history. And, they were also grateful for the save made by their goalkeeper David Hennessy less than half a minute aft...

Mahony fires revival as De La Salle stun Kerry Thursday November 19 2009 DE LA SALLE College of Waterford made it to the knockout stages of the Dr Harty Cup after getting the better of Kerry Colleges by 2-12 to 2-9 at Cork IT yesterday. The All-Ireland champions of 2007 and '08 did not have it easy, and a late deflected goal from full-back Aidan Walsh proved key. Needing to win by nine points or more to qualify from the group stages, Kerry Colleges got off to a blistering start, as they led 2-4 to no score after 16 minutes. Padraig Boyle got both the goals and, with Luke Fitzell playing excellently as a sweeper, Kerry were well on top, but slowly De La Salle began to come back into the game. Their cause was greatly helped when Robin Spencer flicked a Brendan Fitzgerald ball to the net just before half-time and by the break Kerry's lead was 2-7 to 1-3. With the wind behind them after the break, De La Salle began to whittle down the deficit and Pauric Mahony scored six consecutiv...

By Martin Breheny Saturday November 28 2009 PARAIC Duffy has hit back at the most trenchant critics of the GAA's decision to formally recognise the GPA as the players' representative body and to provide financial backing of €1.6m by the end of 2010. He is especially disappointed with the reaction from the mainly Ulster-based 'Of One Belief' lobby group, who branded the deal "a sad and sordid mess". It also criticised the GAA leadership, accusing them of selling out and went on to query whether the Association was getting value for money from their Croke Park employees. Duffy, who took over as Director-General from Liam Mulvihill early last year, said that while every member of the GAA had a right to express their views, it should be done in a measured way after serious consideration. "I don't like the sort of personalised stuff we got early in the week. It was aimed at full-time officials in Croke Park who were on the team that negotiated with the GPA...

IRB welcomes Argentina Four Nations Invite Former Pumas captain Agustín Pichot (L) describes the invitation as an "historic moment" The International Rugby Board welcomes the announcement that SANZAR has invited Argentina to join an expanded Tri Nations tournament from 2012. Argentina's invitation is the culmination of an IRB-led process that kicked off in November 2007 with the historic Woking Accord where the Game's major stakeholders agreed that a transition programme for Argentina's full integration into the senior international playing calendar was a key priority. It is proposed that Argentina, bronze medallists at Rugby World Cup 2007, will join Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to create a new Four Nations tournament. The proposed format will see the four teams playing on a home and away basis meaning six matches per team and a total of 12 matches overall. The Four Nations would be played from mid-August (following the end of the new Super Rugby comp...

FULL-TIME: Wales 12-33 Australia The Wallaby defence is superb and eventually they turn the ball over. Sums up the match. The ball is booted out and the final whistle goes. There are a smattering of boos from the crowd as the players make their way off the field. Interesting. 80 mins: Wales are inches from the Aussie line. Second to go. 79 mins: Wales are hunting for a consolation and they get a scrum on the Aussie 22. Giteau named as man-of-the-match. The decision is greeted by applause from the Cardiff crowd. He deserved that. BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce on Twitter: "Been some lovely stuff from the Wallabies. That Gen-Git combo's looking like half-back heaven." 75 mins: Wales sub Sam Warburton finds a gap around the fringes but he is brought down short of the line. Australia's defence are reading Wales' probes well and the hosts are driven back. The b...

Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll attempts a drop goal during their match against South Africa at Croke Park which the home side won 15-10. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images There is life yet in the battered game. Ireland completed the year unbeaten and gave November a late boost with victory over the world champions. They did nothing so extravagant as score a try but for fortitude and willpower this was right up there with their grand slam of the earlier part of the year. The game had a backdrop of animosity stretching back a decade, based on Ireland's two successive wins in Dublin and some after-taste from the Lions tour of the summer. It also had the immediate setting of heavy mist lingering overhead, which made the whole occasion even more atmospheric. Influenced by the ambience the players played out their roles. Schalk Burger was the perfect pantomime villain – he who had eye-gouged Luke Fitzgerald in Pretoria was booed roundly in D...

Ireland 15-10 South Africa Ireland (6) 15 Pens: Sexton 5 South Africa (10) 10 Try: Burger Con: Steyn Drop-Goal : Steyn Jonathan Sexton's five penalties proved enough for Ireland as they edged out South Africa...

PRESS RELEASE 18 November 2009 As part of the final stages of the GAA's 125 Year Celebrations events organised to honour the founding fathers of the Association took place today at Deansgrange and Glasnevin Cemeteries in Dublin. A new headstone was unveiled at Deansgrange at the final resting place of Thomas St George McCarthy. This ceremony was attended by representatives of both an Garda Siochána and the PSNI as an acknowledgement of McCarthy's membership of the RIC. Afterwards a wreath was placed at the grave of Michael Cusack and a refurbished headstone for John Wyse Power was also unveiled. Yesterday's events mean that all resting places of the seven founding fathers of the Association are marked and completes a project established as part of the Association's 125 Celebrations. Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Criostóir Ó Cuana lauded the vision of the Association's fathers and singled out John Arnold and Jarlath Burns for their work in tracing th...

Weeshie Fogarty says: No County has a publication that even comes close to the level of detail presented in Niall Flynn's "36 and Counting...Kerry's Football Story to 2009" It's amazing despite being the most successful football county in Ireland that some scribe has not put pen to paper earlier and record for posterity the names and achievements of the long list of Kerry men who have worn the green and gold with such distinction. This book rights a terrible wrong; that of not remembering our past as it should be. This magnificent publication is a tribute to all those great men who donned the green and gold for their county through the decades. Between the covers of this book are the names and achievements, not alone of the Kerry players who have won the coveted Celtic cross on All Ireland final day in Croke Park, but also, and for me more importantly, the names of the unknown and almost-forgotten men who gave their all for the sake of their county ...