FRC Rule Enhancements Explainer Video

 

Football Review Committee members Jim Gavin, Eamonn Fitzmaurice, and James Horan explain the new rule enhancements for 2025.

FRC chairperson Jim Gavin explains the reasons why the committee was established and the vision to help Gaelic Games become the most enjoyable amateur games in the world to play and watch.

This video should help to familiarise yourself with the new rules.

Watch the FRC committee members break down each new enhancement in our latest explainer video.

Russell Rovers’ Brave Effort Falls Short in All-Ireland Junior Hurling Final

Russell Rovers fought valiantly in the AIB All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship final but were edged out by Kilkenny’s St Lachtain’s, 1-18 to 0-16, at Croke Park.

Despite an early goal from Shane Donnelly giving St Lachtain’s the edge, Russell Rovers stayed competitive throughout. Josh Beausang was pivotal, opening the scoring and contributing crucial frees, while captain Ciarán Sheehan inspired with key points. Wing-backs James Kennefick and Fintan Murray also impressed.

However, a 15-minute scoring drought in the first half and missed opportunities, including a saved goal attempt by Brian Hartnett, proved costly. St Lachtain’s, led by a towering performance from Brian Kennedy, maintained their lead with excellent scoring from Liam Hickey, Shane Donnelly, and goalkeeper Darren Brennan, who was named man-of-the-match.

A late surge by Russell Rovers, including points from Luke Duggan Murray and Beausang, narrowed the gap to three, but time ran out.

While the result was disappointing, Russell Rovers showcased immense heart and skill, representing Cork with pride on the national stage.

Scorers for St Lachtain’s: S Donnelly (1-1), L Hickey (0-1 free, 0-1 sl) and A Rafter (0-3 each), C Hickey and J Maher (0-2 each), B Kennedy, B Quinn, M Donnelly, P Killeen, D Brennan (free), D Maher and C O’Leary (0-1 each).

Scorers for Russell Rovers: J Beausang (0-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 65), L Duggan Murray (0-2), J Kennefick, F Murray, K Moynihan, C Sheehan, J McGrath and M O’Dwyer (0-1 each).

ST LACHTAIN’S: D Brennan; S Rafter, C Bergin (Capt), S Dawson; P Donnelly, B Kennedy, C Hickey; B Quinn, M Donnelly; A Rafter, P Killeen, C O’Leary; S Donnelly, J Maher, L Hickey.

Subs: D Maher for C O’Leary (51), J Fitzpatrick for J Maher (52), C Dawson for S Donnelly (57), J Bergin for A Rafter (62).

RUSSELL ROVERS: R Walsh; E O’Sullivan, P Cummins, K Tattan; F Murray, P Lane, J Kennefick; K Walsh, R Cummins; L Duggan Murray, K Moynihan, D Ruddy; B Hartnett, C Sheehan (Capt), J Beausang.

Subs: M O’Dwyer for P Lane (28 inj), J McGrath for D Ruddy (half-time), K O’Brien for K Moynihan (57).

Referee: Peter Owens (Down).

Desmond nets decisive goal for Watergrasshill

AIB Club IHC: Desmond nets decisive goal for Watergrasshill

All-Ireland Club IHC Final

Watergrasshill 2-15 Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry 0-18

By Kevin Egan at Croke Park

The knife-edge nature of sport, and how the break of the ball can make all the difference in the world, was plain to see in the dramatic finish that crowned a memorable AIB All-Ireland IHC final this afternoon at Croke Park.

A spellbinding hour’s hurling ended with Watergrasshill crowned the All-Ireland champions thanks to Seán Desmond’s winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry, who had , dug and foraged their way back into the game, will know that it could just as easily have gone their way.

The last minute of the five that referee Colm McDonald added on, began with Shane Fitzpatrick sending a long delivery into the left corner of the Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry attack, aimed at Paul Killeen.

Watergrasshill corner-back Shane Field put up his hurl and the sliotar skidded off it towards his own goal, but close enough for the defender to gather and play it on to Anthony Cronin.

In a piece of cruel symmetry, Cronin’s long strike deflected off the outstretched hurl of Fitzpatrick, also towards his own goal, but this worked out perfectly for Desmond, who was now left with just goalkeeper Brendan Lynch to beat.

With history there to be written, the rangy attacker fired the ball inside the Galwayman’s near post, and Watergrasshill were crowned as the first Cork club to win this title since Kanturk seven years ago.

It was a heartbreaking finale from a Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry perspective, after they had to grind out a painstaking comeback, despite making no impact close to the Watergrasshill goal. After making an explosive start to lead by 0-4 to 0-1, with David Jordan pointing after 12 seconds and Kevin Moloney adding another excellent score off the stick, Watergrasshill took over, and looked to be much the more potent side.

Seán Desmond and Adam Murphy were outstanding along the spine of the North Cork club’s attack, picking off some majestic points. Murphy also struck a goal while Garry McHugo did brilliantly to deny Brendan Lehane another green flag, but the pressure continued to mount at the Davin End.

It fell to Paul Killeen to stride forward and split the uprights against the run of play before half-time to make it 1-8 to 0-7, leaving a little chink of light for Mattie Kenny’s side.

Whatever the former Galway and Dublin county manager said to his home club men at the interval, it worked. They dialled up the intensity and fervour in defence, they got much more pressure on Watergrasshill players in possession, and their attacking strategy for the third quarter was simple – find a way to get Shane Moloney on the ball in a position to shoot.

In the third quarter, Moloney shot six points the other 29 players on the field struck one between them, that from Murphy after he blocked down a Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry clearance.

In fact, such was Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry’s dependence on Moloney that it wasn’t until the 49th minute, when Ben Moran pointed a free from out on the Hogan Stand sideline, that any of the starting six forwards for the Connacht champions had a shot on goal.

Moran quickly made up for lost time however, tacking on four points in the closing stages, including a memorable equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time.

By that stage of the game, Watergrasshill had found their feet again. Murphy was devastating from open play, but he did miss three scorable dead ball chances, however at least the opportunities were being created and he – along with Desmond and Dylan Roche, got the scores that left the contest so delicately poised, ready to be seized by whichever team would be able to take advantage of the break of the ball, if it fell their way.

This afternoon, that team was Watergrasshill.

Scorers for Watergrasshill: Adam Murphy 1-8 (2fs, 1 65), Seán Desmond 1-3, Anthony Cronin 0-1, Brendan Lehane 0-1, Pádraig O’Leary 0-1, Dylan Roche 0-1.

Scorers for Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry: Shane Moloney 0-10 (4fs, 1 sideline), Ben Moran 0-4 (2fs), David Jordan 0-1, Kevin Moloney 0-1, Paul Killeen 0-1, Niall Moloney 0-1.

Watergrasshill: Aiden Foley; Shane Field, Dylan McCarthy, Ian O’Callaghan; Aaron Spriggs, Daire O’Leary, Kevin O’Neill; Anthony Cronin, Shane O’Regan; Ciarán O’Leary, Seán Desmond, Liam Foley; Brendan Lehane, Adam Murphy, Pádraig O’Leary.

Subs: Dylan Roche for Foley (46), Patrick Cronin for Spriggs (49), James McCarthy for O’Leary (60).

Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry: Brendan Lynch; Garry McHugo, Micheál Power, John Whelan; Shane Fitzpatrick, David Jordan, Kevin Moloney; Shane Moloney, Paul Killeen; Ben Moran, Johnny Conroy, Niall Moloney; Pádraig Breheny, John Dervan, Conor Jordan.

Subs: Patrick McHugo for Power (30-30+2, temp), Niall Quirke for Jordan (53).

Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim).

Cork hurlers win Canon O’Brien Cup

On Friday night, Cork reclaimed the Canon O’Brien Cup with a 6-24 to 0-13 victory over UCC at the Mardyke. After narrowly losing by a point last year, Pat Ryan’s side ensured there was no doubt this time. Cork led 1-11 to 0-5 at halftime, with Shane Kingston contributing 1-7, including a superbly taken goal.

The Rebels extended their lead after the break as Kingston converted a penalty following a foul on Alan Walsh, bringing his tally to 2-8. While UCC enjoyed a brief purple patch midway through the second half, scoring four points in a row through Darragh Flynn and others, they never truly threatened a goal. Cork’s defence, led by Cormac O’Brien and Conor Cahalane, held firm throughout.

Cork’s midfield, anchored by Brian Roche, impressed, while Diarmuid Healy caused problems with his powerful running from wing-forward. The Rebels emptied their bench in the second half, adding further attacking firepower. Robbie Cotter, Brian Hayes, and Declan Dalton found the net late, ensuring a resounding victory.

UCC goalkeeper Paudie O’Sullivan produced several outstanding saves to deny Cork additional first-half goals, but the gap at the break was already nine points. UCC will now turn their focus to the Fitzgibbon Cup.

 

Scorers for Cork: S Kingston 2-8 (1-0 penalty, 0-5 f), R Cotter 2-1, B Hayes, D Dalton 1-0 each, P Power, T O’Mahony (0-1 f, 0-1 65) 0-2 each, A Walsh, C Cahalane, D Healy, B Roche, E Carey, G Millerick, P Horgan (0-1 f), D Fitzgibbon, L Meade 0-1 each.

Scorers for UCC: B Cunningham 0-5 (0-4 f), F Coleman, D Flynn, W Buckley (0-1 f) 0-2 each, B Keating, E O’Leary, D McSweeney 0-1 each.

CORK: B Saunderson; S O’Donoghue, N O’Leary, E Roche; C Cahalane, R Downey (capt), C O’Brien; T O’Mahony, B Roche; D Healy, S Barrett, S Kingston; P Power, A Walsh, J Cahalane.

Subs: E Carey for O’Brien, L Meade for Power, D Fitzgibbon for Downey (all half-time), G Millerick for C Cahalane (35), B Hayes for Barrett, P Horgan for Kingston (both 39), R Cotter for J Cahalane, D Dalton for Walsh (both 42).

UCC (Cork unless stated): P O’Sullivan (Fr O’Neills); S Daly (Randal Óg), C Doolan (St Finbarr’s), M Mullaney (Stradbally, Waterford); E Guinane (Valley Rovers), J Dwyer (Ballincollig), T Wilk (Cobh); E Twomey (St Finbarr’s), D Flynn (Ballygiblin); B Cunninghan (St Finbarr’s), B Keating (Ballincollig), E Stokes (Doon, Limerick); D Cremin (Midleton), F Coleman (Blackrock), W Buckley (St Finbarr’s).

Subs: O O’Regan (Erin’s Own) for Daly, C McCarthy (Blarney) for Guinane, E O’Leary (Glen Rovers) for Cremin (all half-time), M Howell (Douglas) for Dwyer, D McSweeney (Blarney) for Flynn (both 42), E Kirby (Blarney) for Coleman (44), C Geary (Youghal) for Mullaney, C O’Mahony (Ballygunner, Waterford) for Stokes (both 47), J McCarthy (St Finbarr’s) for O’Sullivan (49), Flynn for Keating, K Lyons (Ballygarvan) for Cunningham (both 51).

Referee: C O’Regan (Ballyhea).

Sean Desmond enjoying Watergrasshill’s development;

Seán Desmond enjoying Watergrasshill’s development

by Cian O’Connell

“He has brought an awful lot, to be honest with you,” Seán Desmond responds when asked about Watergrasshill manager Eddie Enright’s contribution.

Back in 2001 Enright won an All-Ireland with Tipperary, while also starring in UCC and Thurles Sarsfields colours. Throughout the past decade and a half, though, Enright has been a key figure on and off the field of play for Watergrasshill, who face Tynagh/Abbey-Duniry in Sunday’s AIB All-Ireland IHC Final at Croke Park.

“He has brought a serious amount,” Desmond adds. “Eddie has been down in Watergrasshill for a few years now, he has been involved before with the intermediate team, and he’s back involved this year.

“We probably train Tuesday, Thursday, and at the weekend, but you’d see Eddie there down below at the pitch on a Monday training the kids, he could train another set of kids on a Wednesday night.”

That passion for hurling and development is crucial. “He brings an awful lot to the team, but to the club, too,” Desmond says. “He is a massive part of the club. Eddie runs Cúl Camps in the summer down at the pitch, he’s a massive part of our club.

“He brings an awful lot to the table to help us as a team. We’re grateful to have him, he’s a big part of the success. He’s a big person to have with the squad.”

Winning Intermediate titles in Cork and Munster illustrates Watergrasshill’s potential. Desmond has won an All-Ireland U20 with Cork and acknowledges that something is stirring in the club. “Watergrasshill was always known as a small place, but now it is starting to build,” Desmond says.

“You’ve a lot of new houses going up so you’ve a lot of young fellas. There is probably two teams for a fair few ages along the way. There is a load of young people coming through.”

Securing silverware at adult level helps the next generation. “The success we’ve had is not for us as the players and management from 2024 or whatever,” Desmond remarks.

“It is to benefit the whole lot of the club. You see kids, you’re coming off the pitch after a game, they’re just over the moon watching their adult team in the club getting to finals and winning cups. That is going to drive them on to do the same thing in years to come.

“They’re going to try to push as hard as they can to get up the years, to play with us. It is a snowball effect really, we’ve some serious young underage hurlers, who will be coming through.

“The main goal is to keep them involved, to keep them playing, in the hurling. Hopefully we will get them involved with us down the line.”

Desmond mined three points in Imokilly’s Cork SHC triumph over Sarsfields in October. It was a hectic, but rewarding spell. “It is actually fairly full on, to be honest,” he says. “There is a great understanding between the Imokilly Division and the club.

“In fairness, we’d asked Eddie at the start of the year, what the story was with Imokilly. He was all for us to go about it, the more of us the better, he said the more of us playing with Imokilly, at a higher standard, we’d bring that into our own club games, to rise up the standard there, too. So, it definitely benefited us a lot.”

Planning and plotting was needed, but Watergrasshill found a way. “It wasn’t easy,” Desmond says. “You were probably out Monday night with Imokilly, you were out with your club Tuesday night, you’re probably off on a Wednesday night, but you’re not really. You’re doing a bit of recovery after doing two sessions night after night.

“You’re back in with the club on Thursday, you might have an Imokilly session on the Friday maybe. You’d have club then again at the weekend. So, it was fairly full on. It is what we love doing, we enjoy doing it, and we got to where we’re today, we’re happy enough.”

Croke Park on a Sunday in January is the next stop on Watergrasshill’s adventure. “It isn’t a bad place to be, that is one thing for sure, at the start of the year,” Desmond accepts.

“It is going to be class, in fairness, it is a new one for a lot of us. Everyone is excited for it.”

Watergrasshill face Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry (Galway) at Croke Park on Sunday 12th January 2.30pm. Tickets available from gaa.ie/tickets

Best wishes to Watergrasshill from all in Cork GAA.