On the latest episode of The Throw-In podcast, Will Slattery and Michael Verney are joined by Martin Breheny and Vincent Hogan to discuss Martin's 20-20-50 rankings. This week Martin has ranked the top 20 footballers and hurlers from every county in the Irish Independent and on Independent.ie - with provincial and national top 20 lists still to come - and he joins the lads to debate some of the selections. From picking Brian Corcoran over Jimmy Barry-Murphy in Cork to the ultra-competitive rankings in Dublin and Kerry, there was plenty to discuss. Michael even took Martin to task over one omission from the Offaly football list!

The Throw-In

Corcoran over JBM, King Henry vs DJ and tough calls in Dublin

There was to be no unbridled Christmas celebrations for Mayo – or Waterford – fans this year with the favourites in both codes winning out comfortably at the end of the 2020 All Ireland series but the fall-out from Dublin’s historic six-in-a-row continues to be debated. Ciarán Whelan and David Brady joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on the last Throw-In of the year as they discussed where it went wrong for James Horan’s men and why Dublin’s strength in depth saw them winning out once again. “In every sense of the word they really put it up to Dublin and competed,” said David Brady. “Yes you're disappointed when you lose an All Ireland final but I seen a lot of positives and a lot of things to work on from a Mayo perspective.” For Whelan, it was Dublin’s clutch players that proved the difference. “I think Dessie Farrell probably played it smart and knew that he had to finish strong coming into that last 15-20 minutes. You've real clutch players that can come in and make a difference and they have the experience that they're going to make a difference and Dublin have that depth where Mayo are probably trying to get their best fifteen on the field at the start and trying to kind of hang in there.” Elsewhere, Will and Michael also discussed Sunday’s Ladies Football final with Dublin marking their own four-in-a-row with a five-point victory over Cork. Remarkably, you have to go back to 2004 and Galway when neither Dublin nor Cork have won the title and similar to the men, Dublin Ladies endured their own heartache of losing finals along the way. At the end of one of the toughest of years, the panel agreed, it was a testament to the GAA , the players and the counties that the Championships were started and finished bringing some much needed excitement, entertainment and hope during this winter period. We can but hope for even better things to come in 2021. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Dublin's historic 6-in-a-row and where does Mayo and the rest of the counties go from here?

The GAA Championship is set to say goodbye to 2020 this Sunday with the clash between Mayo and Dublin in the All Ireland Football Final - their third final meeting in the last five years. The possibility of a team winning six-in-a-row scarcely seemed credible years ago but now Dublin’s dominance of the game has people wondering how far they can go and whether their incredible levels of success are causing more harm than good. If one team can break their bubble however, it’s Mayo, and on this Throw-In preview special, Conor McKeon joins Will Slattery and Michael Verney to discuss where the game will be won and lost come Sunday. Of the three final defeats Mayo have suffered to Dublin in the last decade, each has been only by a point so James Horan men won’t be over-awed or cowed by the opponents they’re facing. The problem however is Dublin and with their match-winning experience, strength in-depth and calm mindset, it’s hard to see how Mayo can do enough to overcome Dessie Farrell’s team. The Throw-In team are all predicting a Dublin win on Sunday but don’t forget to listen in to Monday’s post-mortem as David Brady and Ciarán Whelan join the lads to either celebrate or commiserate after what promises to be another close encounter. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Can Mayo make it a memorable 2020 or will Dublin’s stranglehold on the game continue?

Waterford’s wait for another All Ireland hurling title goes on but in the aftermath of this year’s hurling decider, all the plaudits are rightly on Limerick’s incredible performance to win their second Liam MacCarthy in three years. On this week’s Throw In podcast, Ursula Jacob and John Mullane join Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on all the action. As Ursula Jacob points out, this was John Kiely's fourth year in charge and in twenty Championship games with Limerick, he's only lost five. “I think they're going to build on this year again,” says Jacob. “They look unstoppable at times when they're in full flow.” For John Mullane, he’s proud of Waterford’s campaign this year but also proud in what the GAA has given the Irish people during Covid. “The last six, seven weeks have just been magical, absolutely magical,” says Mullane. “It's been so uplifting for the whole country and you know, it answers all the questions should this Championship went ahead? Absolutely. Look at the joy that it brought to everyone. It's after shortening our winter, Christmas is upon us but it's just the pride of being involved in such an organisation.” Plus, also on the show, the panel looked back on Antrim’s Joe McDonagh Cup victory over Kerry and Ursula Jacob hailed Kilkenny’s resilient three-point win over Galway in the camogie having lost five of their six previous finals. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Is this the beginning of a Limerick dynasty?

In the year of Covid and a delayed, truncated season without fans, the 2020 All Ireland Hurling Final will be remembered no matter what. But with red-hot Limerick facing a Waterford team with unshakeable belief and a growing momentum behind them, Sunday’s Croke Park showdown looks set to be a classic on the pitch, no matter what’s been going on off the field. Can Waterford finally end their pain of sixty-one years and bring back Liam MacCarthy for the first time since 1959? One of the Throw-In’s regular guests, Waterford legend, John Mullane, certainly thinks so and he has been bullish on the show about the Déise’s chances saying it will be the best Christmas yet for Waterford fans. However, the Irish Independent’s Vincent Hogan, joins Will Slattery and Michael Verney for a special Throw-In hurling final preview show and reckons, despite Waterford’s perfect storm in terms of aggression and tactical strategy, that Limerick will have the edge. “There is a kind of been there-done that feeling to this Limerick team,” he tells Will and Michael. “I think Waterford will throw the kitchen sink at them and what's interesting about this is we saw how Limerick went after Éanna Murphy's puck-outs in the semi-final. I think Galway won only eight out of fifteen of their own long puck-outs; Kilkenny had the same problem against Waterford, in the second half particularly when Waterford scored an astonishing 2-16 from play. They went after Eoin Murphy's puck-outs. So there's a self-sufficiency in both teams. It's making for a classic, they're the two in-form teams. You just have to give Limerick the edge in terms of their big game experience.” For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Vincent Hogan's All Ireland Hurling Final Preview

It might have been a weekend of Football Championship semi-finals but the aftermath of the games has seen more negatives than positives and this week’s Throw-In with Will Slattery, Michael Verney, Conor McKeon and Martin Breheny looks back on the big talking points on and off the field. Dublin’s fifteen point winning margin over Cavan sees them attempting an unprecedented six-in-a-row but the focus has all been on Dublin’s seemingly unstoppable advantage due to county size and funding. But what exactly is the issue that critics say needs to be addressed and how? Conor McKeon describes it as ‘hysteria’ while Martin Breheny dismisses calls to split the county or amalgamate other ones. Meanwhile, Mayo’s thirteen point victory over Tipperary also saw them ship 3-13 and many are fearful for their chances against the Dublin ‘machine’ and what it may mean for the long-term future of the game if they lose badly. And in the ladies football, while Cork beat Galway by ten points to reach the final against Dublin, the talk has all been about the multiple change of venues and throw-in time which has seen Galway manager, Tim Rabbitt, hitting out at the ‘disgraceful’ treatment of the players. Michael Verney was in Croke Park for the game and explains to Will just what went on and why he believes it is a ‘regressive’ day for women’s sport in Ireland. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Is Dublin really the problem? Mayo’s slim chance and a regressive day for women’s sport

Could this be Waterford’s greatest Christmas ever? Despite the pandemic and the lockdown, the Déise will be celebrating come the evening of Sunday December 13th says John Mullane on this week’s Throw-In. He joined Will Slattery, Michael Verney and Ursula Jacob as they looked back on the action from the weekend All Ireland hurling and camogie semi-finals and he’s ebullient about how the final against Limerick is going to go. “I think you're going to see the end of a massive famine in two weeks’ time,” Mullane said. “And unfortunately, the celebrations might have to be put on hold or there'll probably be some form of low-key ones but I don't care, I don't think any Waterfordian will care. Once Liam MacCarthy is coming back to Suirside it will be the greatest Christmas of all time. I think Waterford are going to do it.” Limerick’s victory over Galway was a hard-fought one despite Kiely’s men having the better chances and it is the ‘fear factor, being afraid to lose’ that Ursula Jacob thinks might prove to be a stumbling block for them. While in the camogie semis, Galway beat Tipperary by six points while Kilkenny saw off Cork by two points for their fifth consecutive final and a repeat of last year’s clash. But Galway’s defensive strength should see them retain their title reckons Jacob. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Waterford's greatest half, Limerick's fear factor and Galway v Kilkenny in the camogie final

One hundred years, eighty-five years and twenty-three years in the making. It was the GAA weekend that saw history being made in the Football Championship and joining Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on it all on this week’s Throw-In podcast were Brendan Cummins and Ciarán Whelan. “We were worried about no crowds being at the grounds and they are eerie and it is different and you're saying 'ye it's not the same', but yesterday made it all worthwhile,” Whelan told the show. “Ironic that it's the same four provincial winners as a hundred years, you just couldn't write that sort of stuff so it was just an incredible day to be a GAA follower.” For Cummins who was also previously involved with the Tipp footballers, it was an amazing day for Tipperary and not one that he was surprised about when it finally came. In the rest of the football, Cavan’s win over Donegal probably raised more eyebrows when it came but it’s showing the strength of belief in the so-called smaller counties and with no backdoor anything can happen on the day. In contrast to the other provinces, the Dublin machine in Leinster keeps rolling over all opposition with the county’s tenth Leinster title in a row captured in a twenty-one point victory over a very disappointing Meath. Football may have garnered much of the headlines from the weekend, but Saturday’s hurling qualifiers were also of the highest quality with Galway ousting reigning All Ireland champions, Tipperary, and Waterford beating Clare convincingly to reach an All Ireland semi final against Kilkenny. Could Waterford be the dark horses for this year’s All Ireland where history is being made every step of the way? For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Football’s history makers, the Dublin machine and Waterford dark horses?

It was another weekend of scintillating GAA action with Limerick retaining their Munster title over a spirited Waterford team, while in Mayo, their good form continued with a one point victory over Galway in the Connacht Final and to look back on all the talking points from the games, Will Slattery and Michael Verney were joined by John Mullane and David Brady on this week’s Throw-In. For John Mullane, despite Waterford’s defeat, the manner of their performance gave him hope and he reckons they’ll have enough to overcome Clare to reach an All Ireland semi-final. ‘We’re back on the horse again and heading in the right direction,’ he says. In Leinster, Brian Cody’s Kilkenny won the provincial crown for the first time since 2016 and while everyone focuses on Limerick, could the Cats be coming in under the radar for a tilt at the All Ireland? Meanwhile, in the football, Donegal are being spoken of as serious contenders to Dublin’s title after an impressive twelve point victory over Armagh in the Ulster semi-final facing Cavan in the provincial decider. He might not want to say it but for David Brady, Mayo’s Connacht final victory sees them only two games away from capturing Sam Maguire the week before Christmas. Could 2020 be the unlikeliest of years for them to reach the promised land? “It was good from a Mayo perspective to get on the right side of the result,” says Brady. “I think it will give a lot of confidence to the younger and older players as well from winning a Connacht title and I say that because silverware is important and especially in Connacht and especially for your confidence.” For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Mayo's confidence rising, Waterford back on the horse and beware the Cats

The Championship has ignited. Cork’s last-gasp winning goal has dumped Kerry out of the Championship without any backdoor for the Kingdom to go through. 2020 is over for Kerry football and on this week’s Throw-In, David Brady and Martin Breheny join Will Slattery and Michael Verney to look back on a weekend of GAA fireworks. “We haven't seen that in a lot of GAA over the last number of years,” said Brady. “It was an epic battle in monsoon conditions but the outcome, no one could have scripted it. But let me say, I do think that the pen was very heavy from a Kerry point of view in completely and utterly writing off a Cork team who have the bones of a very good footballing team.” In Connacht, Mayo march on to a Connacht final against Galway with their tails up after beating Roscommon and with Kerry now out of the way, one from Cork, Tipp, Mayo or Galway will reach the 2020 All Ireland decider. In the hurling qualifiers, Cork saw off the challenge of Dublin setting up a mouth-watering tie against Tipperary in the quarter finals while Clare squeezed past Laois to face Wexford. With no more room for error, Kerry’s shock defeat to Cork has shown just how quickly the season can end for some. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Kerry dumped out while Cork and Mayo roll on

Limerick are the complete team and only Covid can stop them reckons John Mullane who joined Will Slattery, Michael Verney and Ursula Jacob on this week’s Throw In as the panel looked back on a bumper weekend of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football and Ladies football. “They're after sending out a serious, serious statement of intent there,” said Mullane. “To score 3-23 in the conditions was just incredible and I honestly think they're a penalty kick from winning this All Ireland. The only thing that could stop them realistically could be Covid 19 if they were to get struck down with a couple of cases of it. I think they're on a mission.” With Cork’s defeat to Waterford, Ursula Jacob questions their ability and hunger now to lift themselves against Dublin while in Leinster, Galway are Mullane’s other contenders to rival Limerick. In the football, it was a short-lived Championship for Tyrone after defeat to Donegal and many are now asking if Mickey Harte’s time is up while in contrast, Michael Verney lauds Wicklow’s rise under their young manager, Davey Burke. Plus there’s a round-up of the camogie action with Galway easing past Offaly and Clare knowing Dublin out while Cork beat Wexford while in the Ladies football Michael Verney reviews Dublin’s Halloween scare to Donegal, Galway’s win over Tipperary and Kerry’s blitz over Cavan. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Only Covid can stop John Kiely’s team now, Cork’s demise and pressure grows on Mickey Harte

What a way for the Championship to start back. Limerick’s thirty-six point haul against Clare has put them firmly in the driving seat and John Mullane joins Will Slattery, Michael Verney and Roy Curtis to look ahead to all the Championship action. While empty stadiums have been something all of us have to get used to, it doesn’t lessen the pressure on the players and teams as they are all knock-out matches now and this weekend sees the Munster hurling semi-finals of Cork v Waterford and the hotly anticipated clash of Tipperary v Limerick while in Leinster it’s Dublin v Kilkenny and Galway v Wexford. “To run out on the field, to run out to your own supporters…it's those few minutes before the match before the ball is thrown in that gets you going and obviously it’s all very surreal and it's going to take a couple of games to get used to,” says Mullane. In the Football Championship, Mayo have a chance to forget about their League relegation with a win over Leitrim while in Ulster, two favourites in the province, Donegal and Tyrone, face off in Ballybofey. But the big question still remains: can Dublin be toppled? Michael Verney certainly thinks so and is tipping Kerry to do it. “Just with everything that has changed in the Dublin camp in the last twelve months and the absence of Jack McCaffrey and a lot of elder statesmen from the dressing room, the role of all these older guys within the panel was huge. So Kerry will definitely sense that the door is ever so slightly ajar and the last two games have definitely suggested that they'll be able to go through that door if the opportunity arises.” For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Kerry to derail the Dubs and is this Limerick’s year?

In the strangest of League finales, this weekend saw Limerick post a massive 36 points over Clare in the hurling decider which also doubled up as the Munster Championship opener, while Kerry’s 14 point win over Donegal saw them collect their first League title since 2017. Donnchadh Boyle and Ciaran Whelan joined Will Slattery and Michael Verney on this week’s Throw-In as they analysed all the weekend action, assessing how the teams are also faring for the up-coming Championship games. It was certainly the statement of intent from John Kiely’s men who retained their League crown and march on to a crunch Munster hurling semi-final tie next Sunday with Michael Verney describing Limerick as ‘the complete side’ who are laying down the marker for the others to follow. Meanwhile, in the football, Ciaran Whelan was impressed with Kerry’s continued progress under Peter Keane and says they are the team to rival Dublin for the Championship. Since returning from the AFL, Tyrone’s Conor McKenna has also starred for his county and Whelan says he is one to watch but it is still Dublin who are the team to beat. Away from the top of the table, Mayo were relegated to Division 2 after their narrow defeat to Tyrone but they can set their season right against Leitrim in the opening round of Connacht next Sunday. With focus turning to the Championship between now and Christmas, the League’s final games have whetted appetites and given GAA fans the hope that the games will continue and some sense of normality can return ending 2020 on some sort of high. For more from the Throw-In podcast go to the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ And don’t forget to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The Throw-In League series in association with Allianz.ie.

Limerick the team to beat, Kerry’s progress and Conor McKenna stars for Tyrone

The inter-county hurlers finally to get back out onto the field of battle this weekend as the delayed and truncated All Ireland Championship for 2020 finally gets underway. It’s a return to the old ways of course with just straight knock-out ties deciding the match winners and on this Hurling Championship preview, Will Slattery and Michael Verney give the run down on the likely winners and losers. Unusually, All Ireland champions, Tipperary, are not the favourites, and are instead behind Limerick in the odds but, Michael Verney believes that with Mike Casey now ruled out action for Limerick, that the pendulum has swung back in Tipperary’s favour. “In the Irish Independent magazine last Saturday nobody tipped Tipp to win the All Ireland which is unbelievable in itself, including myself, now my opinion might have changed a small bit when I saw Mike Casey is out and they have basically two of their full back players, Mike Casey and Richie English, both out, whereas Tipperary I think have a clean bill of health coming into this year's Championship.” It could be Tipperary’s title in the craziest of years says Verney. For more from the Throw-In, visit the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ The Throw-In’s All Ireland Championship series is in association with Bord Gáis Energy.

Who's tipping Tipp? It's the Throw-In's All Ireland Hurling Championship preview

The inter-county GAA season is back and while it may be changed circumstances, some things still stay the same. A thumping Mayo win over Galway has the fans reaching for superlatives and whispers of glory, while there was another Dublin win over Meath in Leinster, this time with two record-breaking appearances by Stephen Cluxton and Dean Rock. With great games and performances across the country, the Throw-In’s Will Slattery and Michael Verney, joined by Conor McKeon and former Mayo star David Brady, all agreed that the return of the GAA season at inter county level has meant so much to fans. They discussed all the opening League football action including what is shaping up to be a promising Division 2 final weekend with six teams in contention for promotion. Plus there was a look at the Division 2 Hurling League final win for Antrim over Kerry. For more from the Throw-In podcast go to the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ And don’t forget to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The Throw-In is in association with Allianz.ie.

While the nation holds its breath, the GAA at least is back

Finally, the inter-county GAA gets set to resume with the resumption of the final two rounds of the Allianz Football Leagues which means the Throw-In is also back and for this week’s show Will Slattery and Michael Verney look ahead to what GAA fans can expect. Known unknowns is probably the best way to sum it all up in this Covid-affected season and being able to adapt to changing circumstances will be the new norm believes Michael Verney. “You have to be so versatile,” he says. “You have to be willing to just flick a switch almost when a decision is made but hopefully things will go smoothly enough over the next couple of months because we all need it really.” “We all need something every Saturday and Sunday, something to be following, something to be watching, something to be digesting over the weekend and then reviewing on the Monday and you need that conversation starter.” There’ll be plenty of conversation starters come next Monday that’s for sure and none more so than west of the Shannon with Galway looking to demote Mayo to Division 2 and with the involvement of Jim McGuiness to the Galway training giving it a bit more spice. “We're not getting like a slow burner like we might normally get in the League,” says Verney. “This is going in and it's high stakes stuff. We don't know what teams have been doing for the last God knows how long but everything will be on the line. There's so many interesting things and I suppose the unpredictability of it all you just don't know what level teams are at, you don't know how much they're going to have done, you don't know how cohesive they're going to be. But most teams will be in the same boat because they'll have the similar levels of preparation done but it's very, very interesting.” For more from the Throw-In podcast go to the show page at: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-throw-in/ And don’t forget to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The Throw-In is in association with Allianz.ie.

Why everything is on the line with the resumption of the Football Leagues

From talking points, solo-runs and head-to-heads, we bring you the best Gaelic Football and Hurling insight and analysis, from our award winning team at Independent.ie.

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Corcoran over JBM, King Henry vs DJ and tough calls in Dubli...

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