Tailteann Cup semi-finals: All You Need to Know

SUNDAY 23 JUNE

Antrim v Laois, Croke Park, 2pm
Down v Sligo, Croke Park, 4pm

ONLINE
Live blogs on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app. Highlights also available across the weekend.

TV
Live coverage of both semi-finals on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, with The Sunday Game Live beginning at 1.30pm. Highlights of all the weekend’s action on The Sunday Game, RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, from 10.30pm.

RADIO
Live commentary and updates on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport and on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Spórt an Lae.

WEATHER
After a rather cloudy, mild and perhaps damp start in some parts with patchy light rain and drizzle, it looks like Sunday it will brighten up through the day with warm sunny spells developing. Highest temperatures of 17 to 22 degrees, in light southwest or variable breezes. For more go to met.ie.

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And now that the fixture furore is over

In a week where GAA president Jarlath Burns said that changes to the All-Ireland football championship from 2025 are likely given the lack of “jeopardy” in the current round-robin format, we also had the GAA’s Central Council narrowly voting against flipping this weekend’s All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals and Tailteann semi-finals.

It was a month ago that Wexford GAA first alerted Croke Park to their potential involvement in the last eight of the Liam MacCarthy race on Saturday, 22 June – a double-header with 1.15pm and 3.15pm throw-in times at Semple Stadium.

With the county hosting the national Féile na nGael U-15 hurling competition on that day, and with it the number of volunteers involved, they requested that the hurling quarter-finals be pushed back a day to the Sunday. Such a request would then see a Saturday afternoon billing for the Tailteann semis.

With Wexford accounting for Laois last weekend, securing them a place in the quarter-finals, their request was out there for all to take in and a special central council meeting was convened for Sunday evening. The expectation was that the flip would happen. There was resistance, however, with Sligo boss Tony McEntee telling RTÉ Sport: “It’s the integrity of the competition and more so that when the hurling teams lobby the GAA, the GAA will readily switch the dates for the competitions at a whim’s notice.

“It’s highlighting, endorsing and promoting the fact that the Tailteann Cup is just a lower ranked, secondary competition.

And while McEntee understood hurling wanting a higher profile for the upcoming knockout games, he questioned the timing, and added: “The thing is though, that argument should have been made before this week.”

In the end, the vote to change the schedule was narrowly defeated – just shy of the 60% needed. Semple Stadium will host the hurling on Saturday and the Taliteann semi-finalists will be the focus of attention at GAA HQ a day later. And that is what was laid out in the master fixture list at the start of the year.

The hurling fraternity are not happy with the earlier starts at Semple, and it’s something they want changed for next year. Broadcasting schedules, with the URC final and three Euro 2024 games also adding to the number of events being shown live on RTÉ on the same day. As it happens, the URC decider (involving no Irish teams) is now on the RTÉ News Channel.

All told, this 11th-hour call to flip the schedule also adds to the view that the current championship calendar is really not fit for purpose, with pressure points all too visible.

The hurling family, incensed that some of this year’s championship crackers were behind a paywall, will also point to the number of high-profile games being played at the same time. And with Jarlath Burns willing to listen to Wexford’s request and then have it before central council, it was seen that the Armagh native was being true to his word in wanting to push the hurling gospel.

And so in this calendar squeeze, the Tailteann Cup keeps its prized Sunday semi-final slot. It’s what the competition was promised some three years ago. It looks 2025 and beyond will see changes in the schedule, but football’s secondary competition will hope to keep that prime slot. Maybe in early July?

Antrim, Laois, Down and Sligo will look to do their best in showcasing the best of it on Sunday afternoon. And then the two remaining will have another day out with more attention on them on the 13 July.

Antrim and Laois head to Croker on the back of satisfying wins

After getting to the semis last year, Andy McEntee’s Antrim now look to go one better, with Laois, managed by Justin McNulty, standing in their way. It’s not the pairing we envisaged, with most expecting Kildare, despite their league and Leinster woes, to reach the final and offer Glenn Ryan and co respite.

However, goals in either half from Mark Barry and Evan O’Carroll helped Laois inflict their first Championship win over the Lilywhites since 2005. A deserved success; joy unconfined afterwards for the O’Moore County, while Ryan was informing the Kildare players that he was stepping down.

For Justin McNulty, it’s another positive in his first year back at helm in this his second stint in charge of the Midlanders. Promotion to Division 3 was achieved in the spring and while there was disappointment at their loss to Offaly in Leinster, they regrouped for this competition, saving their best display for last Sunday in Tullamore.

Mark Barry, Evan O’Carroll and Eoin Lowry lead the scoring charge, and the onus on them and the rest of the squad will be ratcheted up another level against the Saffrons.

Andy McEntee’s men no doubt had a few regrets after losing to Meath at this stage last year. They then watched on as the Royals lifted the trophy.

After losing to Down in Ulster, a match devoid of much quality, Antrim dusted themselves down and accounted for Tipperary and Wexford, before drawing with Sligo in their final group game. Not enough to top the section, but credit in the way they kicked the last four points to gain parity against the Yeats County.

Fermanagh v Antrim highlights

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There was less to catch the eye in the subsequent win over London. And then the trip to Enniskillen last weekend. Just after half-time, Fermanagh lead by seven points; Antrim looked lost and and confused.

McEntee looked to the bench. On came Peter Healy, Dominic McEnhill, Conor Hand and Eoin Hynds. Between them they would score six points in the Saffron revival.

Midfielder Cathal Hynds would find the net with three minutes left. In the end, Antrim were a goal to the good in a classic game of two halves.

Ruairí McCann did not score on Saturday evening last, but remains a key presence for Antrim as they look build on the promise they’ve shown under McEntee. A slight nod here goes to the Ulster side.

Battle Royale likely as Down and Sligo square up

Down manager Conor Laverty could yet end up pitting his wits against four of the Armagh class of 2002.

The Ulster semi-final saw him come out the wrong side of a narrow defeat to Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh. Last weekend saw the Mourne County account for a Wicklow wide, managed by Oisín McConville. And now he’s up against Tony McEntee, before a possible face off against Justin McNulty should Down and Laois meet in the July decider.

From the get-go, Down have been bestowed with the favourites tag here to right the wrongs of last year and deliver long-awaited silverware to the county. After the loss to Armagh at the end of April, the Tailteann group they were drawn into was handy; they were never tested against Limerick and London in securing their passage to the quarters.

Wicklow did give them a few moments of concern the last day but Down eventually found their groove to win comfortably, though nothing eye-catching in the performance. A case of Laverty’s side doing what they had to do, with the manager more than happy with the performance and the squad he has at his disposal.

Down v Wicklow highlights

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“I was happy with our points tally and I thought our bench made a massive impact coming in,” Laverty told reporters.

“It’s probably the strongest 26 that Down have named in my time. In my two years, I think that’s the strongest panel that we’ve named.

“That’s what the group stages of the competition was for, to try and blood players. Jamie Doran came in after the U20s and got game time, Finn Murdock started the last day after a good run for the U20s,” he said.

“So we felt that we got a lot of players opportunities and that’s what keeps your squad healthy.”

Down, a county with a strong footballing pedigree, winning five of the six All-Irelands they have played in, no doubt long to be back amongst the big boys in the Sam Maguire mix. Two more wins will guarantee them that, though they are set to face their toughest task to date in dealing with a Sligo side, who have chalked up some big scores en route to this stage.

McEntee’s men hit 2-20 against Limerick, this after 0-20 in the draw with Antrim. Seven players got in on the scoring act against the Shannonsiders, with Seán Carrabine again impressing, while Pat Spillane got some game time after a lengthy injury lay-off.

Sligo, Tailteann semi-finalists in 2022, have improved since then, winning Division 4, contesting a Connacht final, playing in the All-Ireland group stage, and then this year running Galway close in the Connacht semi-final. While accepting the quality of the opposition since has not been at Galway’s level, McEntee feels the side have improved.

“From my angle, we are making less mistakes, we are shooting from better angles on the field, and are converting more chances, he told The Sligo Champion after last weekend’s victory.

“In our training sessions, we can see where we make mistakes and we want to improve on that. So I think better teams will force more mistakes on us, that is for sure. But I think we are in a better position since the Galway game.”

The latter remark will be put to the test against Down. Both sides here should relish the wide open spaces of Croker in what could be a high-scoring affair. The Mournemen are a little more advanced in their desire to scale greater heights. That looks like being the difference here.