Kyle Hayes is in at left half-back after his stunning goal at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the 2021 Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.

The Kildimo-Pallaskenry player started his run from the halfway line and finished off an electrifying move by firing the ball past Barry Hogan into the Tipperary net.

Cian Lynch joins him in the side, taking his place as the right-sided midfielder.

His performance on Sunday against Tipperary was fantastic and he composed the Limerick orchestra perfectly, leading the side’s second-half revival to secure a dominant win over their Munster rivals.

Dan McCormack did well against Lynch at times but could not contain the Limerick talisman who earned the Man of the Match in the Munster final.

Peter Casey and Seamus Flanagan are the other two Limerick GAA players that make the XV.

The pair were firing on all cylinders and were lethal when they got a hold of the sliotar.

Peter Casey tallied up five points for his side while Seamus Flanagan got three and nabbed a goal too, pouncing on a loose ball after Hogan denied Limerick’s Aaron Gillane.

Leinster Champions Kilkenny and Brian Lohan’s Clare have two players on the side each after their wins at the weekend.

Wexford GAA also have two players in the side following their All-Ireland exit at the hands of Clare.

Dublin, Waterford, Laois, Tipperary and Westmeath all have one player on the side.

GAA.ie Hurling Team Of The Week

Alan Nolan (Dublin); Rory Hayes (Clare), Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny), Shane Reck (Wexford); Calum Lyons (Waterford), James Maher (Kilkenny), Kyle Hayes (Limerick); Cian Lynch (Limerick), Paddy Purcell (Laois); Ryan Taylor (Clare), Jason Forde (Tipperary), Robbie Greville (Westmeath); Peter Casey (Limerick), Seamus Flanagan (Limerick), Cathal Dunbar (Wexford).

The post GAA: Hurling Team Of The Week Announced appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Click for Kildare vs Westmeath Leinster Semi-finals – Listen Live & Live Scores
Kildare will go head to head with Leinster rivals Westmeath at Croke Park this coming Sunday at 2:00 as the first of a doubleheader in the first Leinster Senior Football Championship semi-final.

The lily whites have been impressive this term, topping their Division 2 South group before defeating narrowly defeated Meath in the semi-final, gaining promotion to Divison 1 along with Mayo.

Their only defeat being against Clare, Jack O’Connor has improved his side since his appointment in 2019.

They overcame a strong-willed Offaly side in the quarter-final by a score of 1-15 to 0-13 last week and come into this game as favourites.

Westmeath endured a horrible league run, losing all three games, but playing heroically for the vast majority of those games.

Eventually losing to fellow strugglers Cork in the relegation semi-final, they were relegated down to Division 3 along with the team they faced in the Leinster quarter-finals Laois.

Last year, neither side looked strong enough to challenge Dublin, or at least compete with them.

Meath hammered Kildare in the semi-final, while Westmeath held their own against the Dubs, being eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Jack O’Connor has not put his stamp on his side as of yet, playing a decent style of football throughout the league and looking good going forward.

They do, however, lack something of a clinical nature in their squad, not being able to finish of teams nor having that one standout player to see them through games.

Their opponents on the other hand lack a noticeable style to their game. Throughout the league, and especially in their loss to Mayo they leaned towards playing the long ball into the full-forward line.

If that didn’t work, the players would retreat and look void of ideas.

Conclusion

No matter what, Dublin will beat both sides with relative ease, but out of the two contenders, I can only see Kildare winning this one.

Stronger going forward, a better and experienced manager who is a proven winner. The lily whites should have enough to progress.

Prediction: Kildare by 12 points

Starting Teams

Westmeath: Jason Daly; Jamie Gonoud, Kevin Maguire (captain), Boidu Sayeh; James Dolan, Ronan Wallace, Sam McCartan; Ray Connellan, Sam Duncan; Denis Corroon, Ger Egan, David Lynch; Lorcan Dolan, John Heslin, Ronan O’Toole.

Kildare : Mark Donnellan; Mark Dempsey, Mick O’Grady, Eoin Doyle; Kevin Flynn, David Hyland, Ryan Houlihan; Kevin Feely, Aaron Masterson; Conor Hartley, Fergal Conway, Neil Flynn; Darragh Kirwan, Ben McCormack, Jimmy Hyland.

Betting

Kildare: 2/7

Westmeath: 10/3

Draw: 9/1

The post Football – Kildare v Westmeath – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Throw in for this Gaelic football game will be at 19:30 on Thursday, 15^th July in Cusack Park in Mullingar.

The Lake County made it to the semifinal after beating Longford last week in a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

Westmeath’s man to look out for is center-forward, Brandon Kelly, who scored an important 1-05 in their win last week.

Eirgrid Leinster U20 Championship

Apologies!! Battery issues!

Westmeath win on penalties!

Westmeath 6
Longford 5#WestmeathGaa

— Westmeath GAA (@westmeath_gaa) July 8, 2021

Similar to their opponent’s this week, Offaly beat Wexford by a single point in a nerving game last week

Their goal scorer Jack Bryant will be looking to get a few more scores in this match to take his team to the final.

Goal scorer Jack Bryant and team manager Declan Kelly pictured after a hard-earned win for Offaly tonight in the Leinster Under 20 Football Championship in Wexford.
Final score: Offaly 1-10, Wexford 1-9 pic.twitter.com/Xk6WIemIPy

— Official Offaly GAA (@Offaly_GAA) July 8, 2021

Predicted Starting 15

Westmeath

Martin (GK); J. Gahan, C. Drumm, C. Daly; E. Gaffney, D. Seery, M. Byrne; J. Murtagh, C. Daly; S. Fleming, B. Kelly, K. O’Sullivan; J. Torpey, B. McGauran, D. Hill

Offaly

O’Toole (GK); F. Dempsey, K. Dolan, L. Pearson; R. Egan, J. Furlong, A. Brazil; E. Cullen, M. Tynan; C. Egan, C. Flynn, C. Donoghue; C. Delaney, J. Bryant, A. Kellaghan.

Betting

Westmeath 11/8

Draw 15/2

Offaly 8/11

Offaly u20 #u20football warming up at Wexford Park Leinster u20 Football Quarter Final pic.twitter.com/AXo4T67rZK

— UnitedRed (@ChrisCu91793156) July 8, 2021

Score Prediction

Both teams showed their nerve to win tight matches last week and expect this match to be the same. This game will go down to the last minute.

Westmeath looks like they have the stronger squad so expect them to score the winning point late on.

The post U20 Football Preview: Westmeath v Offaly – Watch Live, Team News, Betting appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

CLick here for live scores on Laois v Westmeath

Tullamore – 1:30 pm – Live on GAAGO.

Laois and Westmeath will go head-to-head in the Leinster Senior Football Championship on Sunday, 4th, July 2021 at O’Connor Park in Tullamore live on GAAGO.

Both teams played in Division two during their league campaign, however, they suffered greatly. Enduring terrible league runs with both sides getting relegated. Boasting an identical league record.

Jack Cooney’s men will be hoping to lay the foundations for a potential semi-final and beyond.

Form – last three results

Laois – LLL (Loss, Loss, Loss) – Includes League Form

Westmeath – LLL (Win, Loss, Loss) -Includes League Form

Players to watch:

Laois:  Kieran Lillis

Westmeath: Ray Connellan

Team News

Laois v Westmeath – Teams to be confirmed

Betting

Laois: 15/8

Westmeath: 8/15

Draw: 15/2

Prediction: Laois

A Twitter List by IrishScoresGAA

The post Football – Laois v Westmeath – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting &; TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

What a score!

Westmeath trail at the break, but this was the score of the half! pic.twitter.com/9DjQ02FDNl

— Sky Sports GAA (@SkySportsGAA) November 7, 2020

• 75′

  Dublin 0-22 0-11 Westmeath, O’Moore Park Result

   
• 68′
  

  Wonderfull score again from Ray Connellan

   
• 67′

  Eoin Murchan off injured

   
• 66′
  

  Another point from Ciaran Kilkenny

   
• 65′
  

  Free from Dean Rock

   
• 63′

  Ray Connellan

   
• 62′
  

  Jack Smith with a nice score

   
• 56′
  

  Conor Dolan with a lovely point for Westmeath

   
• 55′
  

  Easy free for Dean Rock

   
• 54′

  Poor wide from Heslin

   
• 52′
  

  Paddy Small point

   
• 51′

  Brian Howard comes into the Dublin team

   
• 50′
  

  4th point for Kilkenny

   
• 50′
  

  Kieran Martin point

   
• 44′
  

  John Heslin point

   
• 42′
  

  James McCarthy point

   
• 40′
  

  Robbie McDaide puts Dublin 10pts up

   
• 40′

  No score in second half yet

   
• 36′

  Second half underway

   
• 35′

  Dublin 0-15 0-06 Westmeath, Half time

   
• 35′
  

  Ray Connellan with the last point of the half

   
• 35′
  

  Another easy free for Dean Rock

   
• 32′
  

  Ciaran Kilkenny with a nice score

   
• 30′
  

  Sean Bugler hits the 13th point of the evening for Dublin

   
• 28′

  James Dolan

   
• 28′
  

  Dean Rock free

   
• 28′
  

  Con O’Callaghan point

   
• 26′
  

  Kieran Martin is fouled and John Heslin kicks the free

   
• 24′
  

  Kieran Martin with his second point from a mark

   
• 24′
  

  Jonny Cooper with the 10th Dublin score

   
• 22′
  

  Super score from Ronan O’Toole

   
• 20′
  

  Easy free for Rock

   
• 20′
  

  Scully with a nice point after a shocking kick out

   
• 17′

  Dublin with a strong breeze in the first half

   
• 16′
  

  Paddy Small kicks Dublin 5pts up at the Waterbreak

   
• 13′
  

  Eoin Merchant puts Dublin 4pts up

   
• 11′
  

  A lovely point from play from Ciaran Kilkenny

   
• 10′
  

  Luke Loughlin with the second Westmeath score

   
• 7′
  

  John Heslin with the opening score for Westmeath

   
• 6′
  

  Dean Rock point

   
• 6′
  

  Seán Bugler point

   
• 5′
  

  Ciaran Kilkenny doubles the lead

   
• 4′
  

  Point for Dean Rock

   
• 3′

  No score for first three min

   
• Westmeath : Jason Daly; Jack Smith, Kevin Maguire, Boidu Sayeh; Jamie Gonoud, Ronan Wallace, James Dolan; Ray Connellan, Sam Duncan; David Lynch, Ronan O’Toole, Killian Daly; Luke Loughlin, John Heslin, Kieran Martin.

   
• Dublin team Stephen Cluxton, Cian Murphy, David Byrne, Michael Fitzsimons, John Small, Jonny Cooper, Robert McDaid, Brian Fenton, James McCarthy, Eric Lowndes, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Paddy Small, Con O’Callaghan, Dean Rock

PREVIEW

CLICK for Live Commentary Stream

Last year, Westmeath lost to Laois at this stage before going out in round 3 of the qualifiers. However, there is no back door in this year’s competition so Jack Cooney’s side will have to do the seemingly impossible and dethrone Dublin.

Westmeath returned to action a few weeks ago with a promising win over Laois. However, they couldn’t do the same a week later against Kildare. As a result, they remain in Division 2.

Originally, this game was supposed to be a home fixture for Westmeath. But, Sky are televising the game so floodlights were required to accommodate the 6.15pm throw-in time.

Cooney was less than pleased with the decision.

“Why not bring it to Cusack Park is what I would ask. They could bring it forward a few hours and give us a right crack at it.” However, he continued to say his team will bring their best to Portlaoise regardless for a crack at the holders.

Meanwhile, Dublin are entering their first Championship of the post-Gavin era. Dessie Farrell has taken control of the helm and so far the Dubs have shown no signs of slowing down.

Two wins from two since football returned was nothing less than expected. But, they had to work for the win in both games. Teething issues are nothing unusual as a team transitions to new management. In spite of this, Dublin retain most of their five-time All-Ireland winners. Thus, their dominance in Leinster will likely continue.

Paddy Power are offering 20/1 for Westmeath to cause an upset. Dublin are a very short 1/500 and a draw is 50/1.

You can watch the game on Sky Sports Mix.

Prediction: Dublin.

Team News

Westmeath : Jason Daly; Jack Smith, Kevin Maguire, Boidu Sayeh; Jamie Gonoud, Ronan Wallace, James Dolan; Ray Connellan, Sam Duncan; David Lynch, Ronan O’Toole, Killian Daly; Luke Loughlin, John Heslin, Kieran Martin.

Dublin : Stephen Cluxton, Cian Murphy, David Byrne, Michael Fitzsimons, John Small, Jonny Cooper, Robert McDaid, Brian Fenton, James McCarthy, Eric Lowndes, Ciaran Kilkenny, Niall Scully, Paddy Small, Con O’Callaghan, Dean Rock

Leinster Football Championship Quarter-Final: Westmeath vs Dublin, Saturday, November 7th, 18:15 (O’Moore Park, Portlaoise).

The Westmeath Footballers take centre stage this weekend as they take on All Ireland Champions Dublin at O'Moore Park this Saturday evening. We wish the team and managment the very best of luck!#WestmeathGaa pic.twitter.com/XLUWAQU39s

— Westmeath GAA (@westmeath_gaa) November 3, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/a-combined-15-of-gaelic-footballers-with-only-one-player-per-county/

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/a-combined-15-of-gaelic-footballers-with-only-one-player-per-county/

https://twitter.com/westmeath_gaa/status/1323600662605766662

The post Dublin Footballers beat Westmeath by 11pts in Leinster Championship appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

One player returned a positive test on Tuesday, leading to the entire squad then being tested.

On Wednesday evening, Croke Park facilitated ‘rapid-testing’ on the entire squad.

As a result, four more players and one member of the backroom staff have tested positive. Another player is also self-isolating having been identified as a close contact.

Antrim are scheduled to play Westmeath in the Joe McDonagh Cup in Belfast on Sunday.

The Saffrons intend to fulfil the fixture, but with a depleted squad.

In a statement, the Antrim County Board said:

“We in Antrim have confidence in all panel members and we put our best foot forward on Sunday.”

The post More positive Covid-19 cases in Antrim hurling squad appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Firstly, Kildare racked up 1-21 against Cavan. 2018 U20 Player of the Year Jimmy Hyland had 0-9 of his own. Fergal Conway’s 52nd minute goal was the only major of the game. It came in the third quarter that saw Kildare outscore Cavan 1-5 vs 0-2. However, Kildare took their foot off the gas then. Cavan were unlucky to not find the net in injury time when there was just three points in it. Jack O’Connor will be looking for a strong 70 minutes from his side in round 7.

Secondly, Westmeath outshone Laois in Mullingar. Johnny Heslin was the standout performer with 8 points. Leading 0-12 vs 0-5 at the midway point, Westmeath demonstrated great game management. They kept the scoreboard ticking over as the game went on. As a result, Jamie Gonoud’s goal in the 63rd minute effectively killed the game.

If Sunday’s game is as close as to be expected, Kildare cannot afford to pull up early again. If they do, Westmeath have shown they can punish them by finishing strongly.

Team News

Darragh Kirwan made a very impressive debut that saw him kick 0-4 from full-forward. In the absence of Niall Kelly, Daniel Flynn, and Jack Robinson, Jack O’Connor’s new-look forward line more than sufficed.

Kirwan, Hyland, and Ben McCormack hit 0-15 of Kildare’s 1-21. Therefore, you can expect O’Connor to capitalise on this momentum and use the same formula against Westmeath.

Elsewhere, O’Connor has a full squad to choose from.

Westmeath face Dublin in the Leinster Championship. Thus, Jack Cooney could decide to throw all his cards on the table for round 7 of the league and go for promotion. Dublin may be a team in transition. But, in a knock-out Championship they could have a short season unless they play the game of their lives.

With that in mind, it would be understandable to see Cooney use his strongest selection at every opportunity.

Prediction: Draw. Remarkably, no game finished all-square last weekend. But, with the cobwebs now dusted off, teams have expectations going into games. Kildare are impressive up top. Yet, Westmeath are going to go all-out for this one. So, a stalemate in Newbridge is highly possible.

Kildare vs Westmeath: Division 1, Saturday, October 24th, 2pm (Newbridge). 

GAANOW have the highlights from last weekend's #AllianzLeagues Football action. Watch the round-up here! pic.twitter.com/HlRQePTUVZ

— The GAA (@officialgaa) October 20, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/weekend-gaa-fixtures-results-25th-26th-27th-july-2020/

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/weekend-gaa-fixtures-results-25th-26th-27th-july-2020/

https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1318509012535644160

The post Kildare vs Westmeath: Division 2 Preview, team news and live scores appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Allianz Football Division 2 round 6
Westmeath v Laois, Cusack Park, 2pm Preview and live score updates

Before the world of inter-county football was put on hold, these two sides were flying along under the radar in Division 2. Their records are equal with Westmeath edging the standing on points difference. Therefore, this will be a competitive restart as Westmeath and Laois battle it out to pip the other. Importantly, a loss could leave either of these counties in relegation territory ahead of round 7. On the other hand, a win could project them towards the summit with just one game remaining.

Previously, Westmeath suffered defeats to Roscommon and Cavan. But, wins over Clare and Fermanagh made amends for this. In February, they played out a thrilling 3-12 to 2-15 draw with table toppers Armagh.

Likewise, Laois had wins over Clare and Armagh cancelled out by losses to Cavan and Kildare. A draw on the opening weekend in January in Roscommon has them equal with Westmeath.

These are the two sides who won promotion from Division 3 in 2019. In the final, Westmeath were three-point victors. Nonetheless, both sides have justified their presence in Division 2 so far. As a result, Westmeath and Laois’ primary concern will be remaining where they are. But, a win for either side in this fixture could tee them up for a hopeful final position.

The Championship is played in a straight knock-out format this year. Therefore, Westmeath and Laois will need to use their League games to get them as prepared as possible. To illustrate, Westmeath have the toughest of starts available as they face Dublin in the Leinster quarter-final. That same weekend (7/8 November), Laois face the winners of Longford and Louth.

Allianz National League Division 2: Westmeath vs Laois, Saturday October 17th, 2pm (Cusack Park).

#GAA news: @SkySportsGAA Championship schedule released

— The GAA (@officialgaa) October 7, 2020

https://3.249.64.60/gaa/weekend-gaa-fixtures-results-25th-26th-27th-july-2020/

https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1313789219576438786

The post Westmeath vs Laois: Division 2 Preview appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Carlow aided with the wind in the opening didn’t play well. They in fact were seven points at the break. Westmeath showed they wanted to win it more, winning the important challenges, coming out of the ball when they shouldn’t have and landing some superb scores. Killian Doyle had the home side three points ahead early on, but Carlow responded through scores from Marty Kavanagh, Jack Kavanagh and Diarmuid Byrne. The game now level.

Goal for @westmeath_gaa!! Killian Doyle brilliantly strikes it in to the bottom corner. pic.twitter.com/QpilxkM8bf

— The GAA (@officialgaa) March 8, 2020

Doyle knocked over another score to give Westmeath the advantage once again. Doyle then found the back of the Carlow net beating Damien Jordan to give the Lake County a four point lead. Colm Bonnar’s side then tagged on a free from Marty Kavanagh, Westmeath though finished strongly with the next four scores. 1-08 to 0-04 at the break.

Chris Nolan registered the first two scores of the second half to cut the gap to five. Once again though Westmeath knocked over four points, the gap now out to nine. Killian Doyle absolutely superb for Shane O’Brien. The game appeared to be all over when Doyle put ten points between the sides. However, Carlow grabbed two goals in quick succession. Marty Kavanagh finishing a penalty on 60 minutes, while Diarmuid Byrne flicked the ball to the net on 64 minutes after Aonghus Clarke was caught in possession. Killian Doyle registered a sideline cut and he would knock over his 14th point of the game from a free to seal a 6 point win for Westmeath. Carlow will now play in Division 2 next season, while Westmeath remain in Division 1. The sides will play each other again in the Joe McDonagh Cup in the coming weeks.

Westmeath: Aaron McHugh; Darragh Egerton, Tommy Doyle, Conor Shaw; Aaron Craig, Aonghus Clarke, Shane Clavin (0-1); Cormac Boyle, Eoin Price; Robbie Greville, Killian Doyle (1-14, 0-10f, 0-1 “65”, 1 S/L), Derek McNicholas (0-1); Darragh Clinton (0-1), Niall Mitchell, Jack Galvin.

Subs: Liam Varley for Craig (h-t), Joey Boyle for McNicholas (44), Josh Coll for Clinton (49), Adam Ennis for Egerton (53), John Gilligan for Clinton (67)

Carlow: Damien Jordan; Ross Smithers, Paul Doyle, Michael Doyle; Alan Corcoran, David English, Gary Bennett; Kevin McDonald, Aaron Amond; Jack Kavanagh (0-1), Diarmuid Byrne (1-1), John Michael Nolan; Chris Nolan (0-3, 0-2f), Martin Kavanagh (1-3, 0-3f, 1-0 pen), Ted Joyce.

Subs: Jon Nolan for John Michael Nolan (18), Edward Byrne for Joyce (44), Paul Coady for J Kavanagh (55), Richard Coady for Bennett (61), Sean Whelan for D Byrne (64)

The post Westmeath relegate Carlow to Division 2 appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Click here for LIVE GAA SCORE UPDATES

Preview

This game decides what team drops down to Division 2 for 2021. It is a big game for both sides and likely the biggest game of the year for them. In truth both sides struggled in Division 1a and 1b.

Westmeath failed to win a game in Division 1a. However they lost five games. They finished with a scoring difference of – 59. They suffered heavy losses to Galway, Tipperary and Limerick in the division. However, they did push Cork close last time out. Shane O’Brien will know home advantage counts for a lot and a big home crowd could spur them to victory here. Westmeath have good players in their ranks like Aonghus Clarke, Eoin Price and Allan Devine in their ranks. The trio will need to be at their best for the Lake County to triumph here.

Colm Bonnars Carlow side come into the game on the back of five losses in Division 1b. The Barrowsiders finished with a scoring difference of – 70. They suffered heavy losses to Wexford, Kilkenny, Clare and Dublin. They lost narrowly to Laois 0-15 to 0-14.  Carlow will need a big performance here to come away from Mullingar with the win. They have the talent to do so. Chris Nolan, Marty Kavanagh and Jack Kavanagh will be key to the Barrowsiders success here.

Team News

Westmeath: TBA

Carlow: TBA

Betting

Westmeath are favourites here to win this game at 4/7. Carlow are 7/4 to come out top. The draw is 8/1. No live coverage of Westmeath v Carlow so be sure to follow our live score updates.

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