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The second All-Ireland Football Semi-Final sees defending champions Dublin take on James Horan’s Mayo. Emmet Ryan looks at the tactical issues that will decide Sunday’s game.
The Andy Moran non-factor
The loss of Andy Moran may cost Mayo their shot at an All-Ireland but it’s unlikely to have a huge impact in this game. The full-forward was [...]
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A second half comeback saw Meath book their place in the All-Ireland Minor Football Final at the expense of Mayo but Emmet Ryan says both teams left a lot to be desired in terms of tactics and execution.
Meath fail to exploit Mayo’s soft centre
Defensively Mayo allowed Meath to charge up the gut at will in [...]
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Donegal booked their place in the All-Ireland Final with victory in Croke Park on Sunday. Emmet Ryan breaks down the tactical battles that decided their encounter with Cork.
Rebels look to adapt early
The longbow proved devastatingly effective for the English during the Hundred Years War. Most notably at Agincourt, this tactic gave them the upper hand [...]
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The first of this year’s All-Ireland Football Semi-Finals pits Munster champions Cork against Ulster champions Donegal. Emmet Ryan breaks down the tactical battles that will decide this clash of the leading powers in the game.
Donegal’s passing under pressure
Hand-passing at the back is at the core of what Donegal do defensively. Quick movement across defence enables [...]
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In his latest column on life in the Irish Baseball League, Peter Kavanagh remembers one of the greats of sports writing.
The late, great Con Houlihan had an affinity with stadia that were located adjacent to rivers or canals. They would often play a prominent role in the big Kerryman’s match reports; football internationals at [...]
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The Olympics may be over but we’re only half-way through London 2012 as the Paralympics get under way on 29 August. Ireland’s Daráine Mulvihill will be presenting the morning sessions of Channel 4’s extensive coverage alongside former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards. Emmet Ryan spoke with the Dublin City University (DCU) graduate, who is [...]
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The Olympic men’s Basketball Final on Sunday sees a re-match from Beijing 2008, when Spain pushed the USA to the brink before the Redeem Team pulled away late. Emmet Ryan looks at the last chance for three of Europe’s best ever exponents of Basketball to win gold.
The noise has been building since the Dream Team [...]
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Our man in Bray, Henry Bridge, went back to a field he knew well from his childhood to join the thousands cheering on Katie Taylor.
A field in Ballywaltrim, Bray. A place where I played football, come rain or shine, but usually rain, every week for nigh on ten years, where the goalmouths were bare patches [...]
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He came, we saw, she conquered. Emmet Ryan looks back on two emotional days at the ExCel Arena in London 2012 as Katie Taylor turned bronze into gold.
She just stood there smiling quietly. An Olympic bronze medallist, proudly wearing her medal, within arm’s reach of me. In the traditional attire of Tajikistan, Mavzuna Chorieva was [...]
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Breifne Earley crunches the numbers at London 2012 and bemoans the lack of funding for Ireland’s elite athletes.
What is a cynic? “A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” answered Oscar Wilde to that question. It’s an interesting response and I’m left asking about the price of sport versus the [...]
Tactics Not Passion, the book looks at the strategies that defined Gaelic Football over the last year. It's available in paperback from Original Writing and as an e-book from amazon.com, iBooks and most other online stores.
