Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue tell Ronan Early about their standout memories of 2025: best games, players, moments and also their biggest disappointments and hopes for next year. Fintan reviews Ballygunner’s win over St Martin’s. And the lads discuss the chances of a successful appeal for Loughrea’s Cullen Killen, who was red carded in the closing moments of his side’s decisive win over Slaughtneil. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Declan Bogue sits down with National Head of Hurling Willie Maher this week. The Tipperary man talks openly about the injury that prematurely ended his playing career, his enduring love of the game and his sense of mission to make sure as many people as possible have the chance to play it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O’Toole joins Ronan Early to delve into the talking points of the weekend, the main one being the controversy over the conclusion of Dingle versus St Finbarr’s.The lads examine the letter of the law and how it was interpreted in those final frenetic moments in a thrilling Munster final in Thurles. Has there been a more stark example of the punishment exceeding the adjudged crime? Is the rule fair? Is it unfair to put officials in a spot where they have to make disproportionate and game-swinging calls in crucial moments?Also, the lads talk about the grace of St Finbarr’s and Jimmy Barry Murphy, who showed their essence in the minutes after a most gut-wrenching outcome.St Martin’s thrilling victory over Ballyhale Shamrocks is dissected, while Emma Duffy joins the pod to preview the weekend’s LGFA and Camogie finals at Croke Park. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 joins Ronan Early to discuss whether the GAA’s amateur status can continue to endure a growing number of players at the top level who are not content with the status quo.For how long is it sustainable that managers are paid and players are not?But what GAA administrator wants to tackle this most delicate issue? As Declan says, nobody wants to be in that seat the day the music dies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Declan and Fintan join Ronan to discuss the news that we’ll not see Limerick’s history-making captain in the green jersey again.The lads track Hannon’s career from an attacking teenage sensation to the centre back and brain of Limerick’s multiple All-Ireland winners. Why was this smiley and, at first glance, unassuming man the standout leader in this team full of big personalities?What happens now with Limerick? How many young players will be fast tracked, as the most experienced campaigners rack up the miles? Or is there a sting in the tail of this great side, a la Kerry in the mid 80s, Kilkenny in the 2010s and Dublin in 2023?Also, the AFL factor in this weekend’s football finals and Hogan v Shefflin in Kilkenny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The likes of Éire Og Ennis, Loughmore–Castleiney, Naas and Dunloy among many others are enjoying life on the GAA’s open dual carriageway, while countless rivals prefer to stay in their lane.Does being a dual club inhibit All-Ireland success? Or is ultimate success as many people participating in as many sports as possible?Declan Bogue and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to debate everything dual and wonder whether the demands of hurling and football leave both adult and child players with not a whole lot of time to do other things.The lads also discuss the upcoming county finals in Cork, Limerick, Mayo and Dublin and exchange views on how much is too much for admission to these games. €25 for the SHC in final in Kildare raised eyebrows at the weekend, but it seems the Lilywhite county are not outliers in their pricing structure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sinead Farrell and Fintan O’Toole join Ronan Early to look ahead to Sunday’s camogie finals at Croke Park. Can Cork succeed where they have failed previously in achieving a three-in-a-row? Can Galway gain revenge for 2024? And where will this game between the two undisputed strongest sides in the sport be won and lost? Also, was Camogie president Brian Molloy right in how he worded his call to arms for supporters to come out in force on Sunday? Everyone from TikTokers to politicians got a shout out as he urged them to put something real behind their skort protestations in May. . . . But can you browbeat people into going to a game? Might he and the Camogie Association be better off extolling the value of their impressive product; what promises to be a stellar senior final along with the intermediate and junior finals which are also full of intriguing storylines? In the second half of the pod, we look at some of the managerial comings and goings in men’s GAA and discuss what will inform Pat Ryan’s decision on whether he wants to give it another crack with Cork in 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Emma Duffy and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to look ahead to the Meath-Dublin clash on Sunday, and also to try to pick a winner in the intermediate final between Tyrone and Laois and the junior decider featuring Antrim and Louth. Also, we discuss Kerry’s tour de force against Donegal and ponder what it means for both counties, and the direction of the game in the coming years as coaches see what styles of play work most effectively under the new rules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Declan Bogue and Fintan O'Toole provide their post-match thoughts LIVE from Croke Park after Kerry claimed their 39th Sam Maguire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to look ahead to an All-Ireland final full of promise and intrigue.The lads discuss the clash of the totems, David Clifford and Michael Murphy. Which one can shape the day to their will and how will both defences cope with the threat they possess?Can Kerry thwart Donegal’s hard running? Can the Ulster champions find a way to limit the supply to the Kingdom’s multi-faceted attack?What would a second All-Ireland title mean for Jim McGuiness, still haunted by loss to Kerry at this stage in 2014.And how great is the pressure in the clubs and villages and townlands of Kerry to add to the one All-Ireland title that has been claimed since then?All that and a bit more, including a look back at the hurling final, are coming at you in this week’s extended podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O’Toole and Declan Bogue come to us from Croke Park, where they watched Tipperary being crowned the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions.The lads try to make sense of how the Premier County turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 15-point victory, and how Cork managed to add just two points in the second period.Liam Cahill adds another championship to his collection of underage triumphs with Tipperary, while Pat Ryan and the Rebels are left licking their wounds from another heartbreaking defeat in the capital. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O'Toole joins Ronan Early ahead of Cork and Tipperary's All-Ireland final on Sunday.The lads chat about everything from what it was like to witness pitch invasion after pitch invasion from the wrong end of the ground in 1991, to seeing Cork claim the U21 title in 1997 but not being able to wait for the trophy presentation because your Tipp-supporting father was too vexed to hang around.On Sunday, which defensive unit can best cope with the opposition's goal-hungry attack? Who will win the midfield battle? How have both managers overcome criticism to get their sides to this stage?Noel McGrath or Patrick Horgan: which of these long-serving greats will have a fairytale ending to 2025?And why Conor Lehane is a case study in resilience and quiet determination to anybody who has ever been overlooked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O'Toole and Paul Keane break down both of the weekend's All-Ireland SFC semi-finals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O'Toole and Declan Bogue join Ronan Early to chat about the games in Croke Park on Saturday and Sunday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fintan O'Toole and Declan Bogue give their immediate reaction from Croke Park as Tipp beat Kilkenny to advance to the final. A thrilling semi-final, but there is controversy over the final score . . . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.