DUBLIN have failed in their bid to have captain Chris Crummey available for their All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Cork.

The Lucan Sarsfields half-back was red-carded for a 15th- minute challenge on the Treaty’s Gearóid Hegarty in last weekend’s shock win over Limerick.

In an effort to clear Crummey to face the Rebels on Saturday week, his case was taken to the Central Hearings Committee.

But a one-match suspension is to be served after the CHC found that ref Liam Gordon made the correct call in dismissing the All-Star nominee, who was charged with striking with the elbow with minimal force.

Crummey can now consider bringing the matter to the Central Appeals Committee in a last-ditch attempt to be eligible to play a part in Dublin’s quest to reach a first All-Ireland hurling final since 1951.

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SWELTERING Brits can claim free ice creams and ice lollies this weekend from a major mobile network.

The giveaway couldn’t come at a better time, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 32C on Sunday.

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The voucher can be used in Sainsbury’s[/caption]

Vodafone is dishing out the freebie for a limited time, starting today.

It’s all within the provider’s VeryMe reward programme, which customers can find in the Vodafone app.

The voucher can be exchanged for a pack of ice creams or ice lollies in Sainsbury’s.

It’s worth up to £2 – so depending on the cost of the treat you fancy this can cover the entire cost or be used to knock some money off.

Only 80,000 codes are available, until midnight on Monday, so you’ll have to move fast to claims yours.

The voucher can only be used in store and not for purchases via the Sainsbury’s Groceries app, over the phone nor at Sainbury’s petrol stations.

Vodafone’s latest offer comes less than two weeks after the firm announced a big change affecting millions of customers.

The network’s merger with Three has been finalised meaning there will be a boost for everyone over the coming months.

Three and its budget sub-brand SMARTY will receive a 20 per cent average speed uplift on 4G soon.

And within a few months, 27million mobile subscribers across both Vodafone and Three will start to benefit from better signal with shared access across both networks at no extra cost, the new joint VodafoneThree firm claims.

This will eradicate dreaded “not spots” from 16,500 sq/km of the country – the equivalent to 10x the size of London.

Both brands are to remain separate with their own offers and products despite sharing network resources going forward.

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Claim yours before they’re gone[/caption]

MAYO legend Lee Keegan blasted county board chiefs for their handling of Kevin McStay’s ousting as manager.

With a year to run on a four-year term, McStay and his backroom team were axed at a Mayo GAA management committee meeting on Wednesday night.

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Tom Beary/Sportsfile

And Keegan told SunSport: “It’s the most disrespectful and least empathetic thing you could see.

“With his health and everything else, the likelihood is that Kevin might not be able to fulfil a managerial role.

“It’s just really disappointing that we can’t seem to do things in a proper manner in Mayo.”

McStay and his management team, which included Stephen Rochford and Donie Buckley, were ‘relieved from their roles with immediate effect’ according to Mayo GAA in a statement.

Their tenure was cut short following a season that saw Mayo fail to advance from the All-Ireland group stages.

Rochford deputised as McStay was absent from the sideline for the recent games against Tyrone and Donegal due to health issues.

Keegan added: “It’s probably no coincidence that it happened at a time when he had the pressure of managing Mayo.

“That could have been a factor because it’s a high-pressure thing when you’re dealing with massive expectations.

“People want mountains to be moved and it’s just not realistic.

“That’s one of the reasons why it’s so disappointing that it has ended like this.

“Kevin gave it his best and should have been shown more empathy and respect. Maybe as a management it ran its course after three years and that’s fair enough.

“But at least let them present their findings and let them have their meeting. It’s not good enough for the players and it’s not good enough for Mayo in general.”

News of McStay’s exit emerged on the same evening that saw Antrim express gratitude to Andy McEntee in what Keegan felt was a more fitting tribute.

The 2016 Footballer of the Year said: “Andy McEntee didn’t have a lot of success there but it’s not the point.

“They showed a bit of class in their statement and how they handled it.

“We’re talking here about Kevin, who’s a man that has given a lot to Mayo and to GAA.

“But it’s just as if they had a meeting, decided he was gone and that was it. Nothing from Kevin, Stephen, Donie or anybody.

“I played with Mayo long enough, so I know the situation and I’m not surprised by this.

“But we’re into the knockout stages of the season, a brilliant All-Ireland quarter-final line-up this weekend, yet Mayo are in the headlines again and we’re not even in the Championship.”

Bookies have installed former boss James Horan, ex-Mayo star Andy Moran and All-Ireland-winning Cuala boss Austin O’Malley as front-runners to succeed McStay.

But Keegan said: “When you look at how they’ve been about it, would you want to work under that? That’s the other side of it.

“This is a good Mayo side with really good players. But what would put you off is working with that county board. You couldn’t trust them.”

DAN SHEEHAN insists the Lions will use their pride in the jersey to match the determination of a Western Force side who are targeting a famous win in Perth.

Captain Maro Itoje has been stood down for the opening fixture on Australian soil so Ireland hooker Sheehan takes charge of Andy Farrell’s men tomorrow morning.

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Henry Pollock makes his first start after being picked at No  8 while Finn Russell, the favourite to take the playmaking duties against the Wallabies, is given his maiden outing of the tour at fly-half.

The Lions know they are being targeted by Super Rugby teams eager to make history.

But Leinster ace Sheehan — who skippered Ireland against Wales in the Six Nations — declared the Aussie club team will not have a monopoly on passion.

The debutant, 26, said: “It’s important to know where the opposition’s mindset is and how they approach a game that only comes around every 12 years, like it does for the Western Force.

“I’m sure the Force will be 150 per cent of what they usually are.

“They will be flying into it and that bit of extra hunger can produce some powerful things.

“They would have been eyeing this game up since they probably first stepped into that Western Force change room. It’ll mean an awful lot to them.

“But I don’t want them to think that they’re going to be hungrier than us. We have to demonstrate our own mindset because this will be the first time I will be putting on the jersey, along with a few other lads.”

The Force is the second game of a tour that began with a 28-24 defeat by Argentina in Dublin.

And while matches will soon come thick and fast, chances to impress Lions boss Faz will be limited.

Ireland head coach Farrell, however, has cautioned over the danger of players wanting a Test place too much.

The boss said: “That’s desperation and that’s what we don’t want because desperation leads to people being distorted in the way they go about the game.”

There are two survivors from the side that faced the Pumas in Sione Tuipulotu and Munster’s Tadhg Beirne, although they have been switched to inside centre and blindside flanker respectively.

Leinster ace Tadhg Furlong is given the chance to improve his match fitness with a start at tighthead prop following an injury-hit season.

The Wexford man, 32, said: “There wasn’t a big bang moment when you’re out for six months and you’re trying to scramble back, they were all short-term.

“It was tough because as the weeks went on we thought we had a fighting chance for getting back for Leinster at the end of the season. But it just wasn’t right. As desperate as you are to get on to the pitch, you have a situation where you can’t push.

“In some ways you can live with yourself because you’re doing everything you can to get out there. When you can’t, you can’t.”

JOHN MOUNTNEY was never in any doubt that Bohemians would turn the corner — as he was sure they were always on the right road.

Bohs face Sligo Rovers at Dalymount Park this evening buoyant from Monday’s 2-0 Dublin derby win over Shamrock Rovers that saw them climb to second in the table.

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Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Gypsies since the Bit O’Red last visited Dublin 7 on April 4. At the time, it was a clash of the bottom two after Bohs lost five of their first seven matches.

And 14 games on, Alan Reynolds’ team have still not drawn a game.

Ten wins have seen them rocket up the table to where they are now seen as title contenders.

But Mountney — a winter signing from Dundalk where he won every honour in Irish football — was always confident this run would come.

He said: “I didn’t think the position reflected where we were.

“We had a strong squad but hadn’t found a settled XI.

“As the season’s gone on, we’ve picked up results. There’s still not been a settled XI as such, which just shows the quality in the squad.

“And of course you have to go and win a few games with a new team and lads came together to really build belief and momentum.”

But Mountney knows a first win of the year at Dalymount Park — against Sligo Rovers last April — was also key as Reynolds’ troops have won five of six at home since then.

He added: “It was coming. It was just about getting a win.

“It was just a case of once we got our win, this place is a fortress. You can hear it when things are going well, so that’s a big factor as well, is getting the crowd behind.

“I just think it’s down to belief.

“You get really down when you lose and things aren’t going your way.

“And sometimes when it goes your way, then it’s about not getting too high.

“We’ve found that sort of base now and have picked up results.

“It’s a very grounded squad and we know that we have to work hard every week.”

Despite their lofty position, the veteran Bohs defender, 32, insists that his side are not title challengers just yet.

But that is only because he refuses to look at the table at this stage of the season.

Mountney explained: “It’s too early to say it like that. Even if Shamrock Rovers had beaten us, I think it’s too early to say it.

“The gap would have been bigger.

“The games in hand are obviously great but you have to go and win them as well. Every game is massive for us.

“It’s an up-and-coming team and there’s a lot of good young talent here.

“We have to take it game by game but there’s definitely a belief and there’s definitely real quality for us to achieve something this year.

“It’ll be the same against Sligo.

“We have to put in the same performance or they could have the quality to turn us over.”

JOHN MAHER understands why Donegal are feeling disgruntled — because he was very briefly in their shoes earlier this week.

Forced to contend with a six-day turnaround, the Ulster champions insisted in a statement that the welfare of their players ‘was not adequately considered’ with the scheduling of tomorrow’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Monaghan.

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Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Donegal booked their place in the last eight with a home win over Louth last Sunday.

Earlier that day, Galway won against Down in Newry.

Having played away from home, the Tribes were given the benefit of an extra day to prepare for this Sunday’s clash with Meath.

But Maher said: “I do feel for the Donegal players.

“I originally saw the wrong schedule so I thought that we were playing on Saturday.

“To put it mildly, I wasn’t happy for the ten minutes until the official schedule came out.

“I kind of got a taste of what they were feeling. It’s not easy for them but they’re a resilient bunch up in Donegal.”

If 2024 runners-up Galway reach another Sam Maguire final, they will have played seven All-Ireland series games in ten weeks for the second year in a row. The new format that will come into effect next season will involve a maximum of six games.

In fact, if a team avoids defeat, All-Ireland glory can be accomplished after five fixtures.

Ahead of Galway’s third consecutive weekend of action on the road under a demanding Championship structure, Maher approved of the 2026 revamp.

The All-Star centre-forward said: “It’s quite funny, but last week I had a cold and last year I had a cold the exact same week going into the prelim.

“It’s nearly like my body is so routined to this format and when it comes to that extra week that you lose, you do slightly break down.

“I’m sure there are players in every squad up and down the country with similar stories.

“Having one less round would certainly be beneficial.

“It’s the mental toll it takes to kind of get on a bus and go again to some part of the country, not just the physical toll.”

Galway were on the ropes in the group stages after a defeat to Dublin was followed by a draw with Derry.

But their campaign was kickstarted by a fine second-half performance against Armagh, as they came from eight points adrift to beat the All-Ireland champions by one.

Maher, 26, said: “We knew that we had that performance in us. We’ve shown it kind of sparsely in games.

“In the second half against Dublin and down the stretch against Derry, we showed resilience and we showed some of our qualities.

“But to put it together for a full 35 against Armagh was encouraging.

“We were delighted with that and then to kind of carry on into a solid performance against Down.”

In a season that has seen them topple two of the game’s heavyweights, the Royals will be looking to take another scalp at Croker on Sunday.

Maher added: “They didn’t beat Kerry or Dublin by fluke.

“Both of those victories were earned by Meath. We’ll have our work cut out.”

l JOHN MAHER was speaking at the official announcement of Toyota as the Official Car Partner to the Camogie Association and GAA/GPA.

AISLING MAHER and her Dublin team-mates know they must keep a tight leash on Derry tomorrow after their male counterparts proved that every underdog has its day.

Last weekend’s defeat to Waterford ended the Dubs’ hopes of advancing to an All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship quarter-finals.

But the campaign is not yet over for the Sky Blues, who know that losing the basement battle against the Oak Leafers would condemn them to a relegation play-off against Wexford.

Maher admitted: “Look, it’s hard. Nobody ever wants to be playing Championship matches knowing that you can’t progress and get to where you want to be.

“Ultimately that’s the knockout stages and going on from there, so I guess it’s a difficult one to keep the focus and to keep the mood right in the camp.

“But the reality is obviously we have a huge game ahead of us on Saturday and Derry are going to be bringing a big challenge.

“They’re in the same position we are — they need a win to keep themselves in a good position and to avoid going towards the bottom of the table and relegation and all the rest.

“We’ve no doubt that they’re going to bring a stiff challenge.

“If we don’t have our heads right and if we’re not in the right space going into it, they’ll punish us for it.

“You’ve no option to kind of sit down and lick your wounds.

“You have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and reset pretty quickly to just try and start righting some of the wrongs from last weekend.”

While the hosts are strongly fancied to overcome Derry at Parnell Park, the seismic upset pulled off by the Dublin hurlers against Limerick last weekend serves as a reminder of the importance of taking nothing for granted.

Speaking as Toyota Ireland announced a new three-year partnership with the Camogie Association and the GAA/GPA, Maher said: “It doesn’t matter who the favourites are or who’s expected to win, especially when you get to Championship time of year.

“Anything can happen on any given day when you have 15 against 15.

“Derry have a lot of good players as well. And I guess the Dublin hurlers getting that big win as underdogs does have us acutely aware of how quickly an upset can happen or how quickly any Championship team can be beaten if anybody’s not fully prepared going into it on the day.”

Having reached the 2024 All-Ireland semi-finals, Maher had high hopes for Dublin this season.

However, their absence from the business end of the Championship demonstrates just how competitive things are at the top.

The 2017 All-Star said: “I think it’s a great thing for camogie, even though it’s not a great thing for Dublin camogie this year.

“It probably shows just how little there is between a lot of those top and mid-table teams. There’s not huge gaps between anyone.

“Obviously Waterford will play Galway at the weekend for that top spot in the group and it could go either way.

“I think either of those two teams could also have not made quarter-finals in our group.

“It’s really positive that there’s so little between teams.

“Obviously for ourselves in Dublin last year, getting to the semi-final was a huge step in the right direction.

“To build on that, we would have wanted to make sure that we got that far again, if not further.

“Unfortunately it hasn’t happened that way but the path forward is rarely smooth. You’ll have ups and downs along the way.

“What’s probably more important for us is how we respond to this in the short term, hopefully getting a win at the weekend, and in the longer term trying to get ourselves back into the knockout stages next year.”

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ROCKING some imported footwear from Australia, Oisín O’Neill is hoping to help Armagh put the boot into another pretender to their All-Ireland throne this weekend.

For O’Neill, ankle reconstruction in 2019 was just the beginning of an injury-plagued period that left him fearing for his career.

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Ben McShane/Sportsfile

He went under the knife again as consecutive Achilles injuries saw him miss most of the 2022 season and the entirety of 2023.

When O’Neill excelled in a January 2024 win over Tyrone in the McKenna Cup, soring 0-7, it was his first appearance in an Armagh jersey in 21 months.

The season culminated in the ultimate glory for the Crossmaglen Rangers ace, who played a vital role in the last quarter of the All-Ireland final.

Having been introduced in place of Rory Grugan, his fingerprints were all over Armagh’s final two scores as the Orchard prevailed to land the Sam Maguire for the first time in 22 years.

O’Neill’s sublime pass set up Niall Grimley to give Kieran McGeeney’s men a badly needed boost that ended their 15-minute dry spell.

With five minutes of normal time remaining, he then landed a brilliant — and ultimately decisive — score in his side’s one-point win over Galway.

O’Neill was back at Croke Park as Armagh’s representative for the recent launch of the knockout stages of the 2025 All-Ireland SFC.

He said: “They’re serious injuries to come back from. When you get days like we got here last year, it’s all worth it. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were dark days in there.

“That’s why last year I was so grateful just to be back and to be able to contribute in some part to the squad.

“I’m very grateful that Kieran and all the management team in Armagh showed a lot of faith in me, because probably for a while no one knew if I was going to get back.”

Used as an impact sub throughout last season, O’Neill featured off the bench in every game of Armagh’s triumphant campaign.

When he was given the nod for this year’s Ulster semi-final victory against Tyrone, it marked his first Championship start in four years.

He retained his place for the provincial decider, kicking 0-7 in the extra-time defeat to Donegal.

Nevertheless, O’Neill admits that there were lingering doubts about his chances of returning to this level of the game when luck seemed to abandon him on the injury front.

The business studies teacher said: “That rehab process can be difficult at times. It’s not a linear, straight line. You have setbacks and niggles and maybe you don’t know what the end result is going to be.

“But maybe something that Kieran has put in probably every player in that Armagh squad as a whole is that perseverance.

“We don’t like to quit or we don’t like to cry about what we can’t have, so you just try and push on as best you can and hope that those better days will come.

“I’m just delighted to be part of the group. It’s a great time for Armagh football. Seeing the joy and the buzz, especially in the young people in Armagh, even in school, at St Colman’s College in Newry where I teach, there’s a bit of craic with Armagh and the Down lads as well.

“But the Armagh boys have one up at the minute.”

KEEPING CAUTIOUS

A calf injury sustained in last month’s All-Ireland group-stage win over Derry forced O’Neill to sit out the games against Dublin and Galway. Yet while there has been no recent recurrence of the Achilles issues, he is still taking precautions to ensure that remains the case.

The 28-year-old said: “I actually wear Asics football boots from Australia that a lot of the Aussie Rules players wear, just to give an extra little bit of support to my Achilles.

“They reckon they’re the best boots for Achilles.

“It’s something that hasn’t bothered me since the second operation in Christmas 2022.

“Once I got back on the pitch that summer, I’ve been lucky enough with the Achilles and I’m happy with how they are.

“Anyone who I see is in Australia or is coming home, I try and get them to take me a pair home in the bottom of the suitcase.”

O’Neill’s long-range kicking ability is evidenced by the six two-pointers he kicked while racking up 0-16 in three games in this year’s Ulster Championship.

Like his brother Rian, he is well equipped to avail of the bonus points now on offer.

The new rules have ‘definitely improved the game as a spectacle’, O’Neill insists. But he also notes that the physical toll has significantly increased.

He said: “I think probably players need a little bit more breathing room through the Championship. It’s incredibly demanding on players, especially those in the middle eight who maybe don’t get the opportunity to stay in the three-up.

“The players would notice that it’s much more intense. I think the biggest example of it was extra-time in the Ulster final, where it was a really warm day in Clones and I think nearly every player on the pitch was down with cramp.

“Maybe that’s something that the GAA do need to look at because that was nearly unfair on both teams. It just turned that extra-time into a bit of a lottery.”

BOUNCING BACK

Another failed attempt to win a first Anglo-Celt Cup since 2008 notwithstanding, the manner of Armagh’s response was emphatic.

Despite again being placed in the so-called Group of Death, their place in the last eight was booked with a game to spare. In a rematch of the thrilling 2024 semi-final, Kerry are the opponents at HQ on Sunday.

Still, O’Neill explained that their status as Sam Maguire holders did not cushion the blow of a third Ulster final loss on the spin.

He said: “It definitely wasn’t easier. The only thing is unfortunately we’re used to it now at this stage.

“We’ve bounced back really well. That was a Saturday evening and we all gathered on the Sunday evening, had a bite to eat and said that we were going to go fully after the group stage.

“I think that first game against Derry was crucial for us.

“We knew we were at home and we knew there’d be a big crowd there to support us.

“In those first ten, 15 minutes, I think you could tell that we had got the Ulster final out of our system really well and that we were pushing really hard.

“That comes from the competition in our squad. Every night you go to training, you know that you’re under pressure to perform or else you might lose your spot in the 15 or in the 26 on a match day.

“No player wants that, so we’re very lucky that we have that squad that can keep standards high and drive the thing on.”

SATIRICAL news site Waterford Whispers wrote a story this week about football journalists camping outside Damien Duff’s house begging him to return.

It was fairly close to the truth.

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Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Duff dropped a bombshell last Sunday when he informed Shelbourne he was stepping down as boss.

And it wasn’t just Reds fans who shed a tear as the eyeballs he brought to stories and online videos were welcome in a print industry battling each other and the aggregators.

Duff’s absolute dedication to Shels, authenticity and great one-liners made him a dream for the media.

Our audiences seemed to love it too with even non-League of Ireland people reading and listening.

And how could you not? Whether it was wanting to bulldoze FAI HQ or referring to himself as “the fool on the hill”, Duff was box office.

But it still feels to me like all the talk about what he did for the League of Ireland was and is overblown. Yes, his involvement meant it was more likely than not that the average punter knows Shels are champions.

But Rory McIlroy’s win in Augusta means I — unfortunately — know who won The Masters.

And there are no additional benefits to the game of golf from that fact.

I’m sure there were some who read the articles or saw the videos and decided to buy tickets to games.

But the League of Ireland’s success post-Covid has many parents.

Duffer is the most recognisable but others have played their part.

A fortnight ago, when Virgin Media revealed its top-five most-watched LOI ties so far this season, Shels featured twice — highlighting the league’s growth is not just down to Duff.

Nevertheless, while I think the Ireland great’s importance to the LOI has been overestimated, what he did for his club is perhaps underestimated.

He took his first senior managerial role with a newly promoted team that was about to go full-time with all the growing pains that that can bring. The club has also had three different principle owners in his four years as gaffer and has seen many front-office changes as it adjusts to being a top dog.

But through it all, he guided them to an FAI Cup final in his first year, a top-four place in his second and a title in his third.

Yes, he had a decent budget. But it was far from the biggest and the League of Ireland is one where you have to speculate to accumulate and collect the big cheques from Europe.

Which is why it’s even more puzzling that he left two weeks out from a Champions League Wheel of Fortune with Linfield.

But Shels fans will never forget how he restored them to former glories like when they won titles under Dermot Keely and Pat Fenlon. Rival fans won’t forget it either.

Still, flak from opponents will not disappear because Duff got going. Shels were a big club that — in the eyes of their rivals — became a small one.

Duff made them big again and his departure will not change that.

MANILA, Philippines — Three individuals were arrested on Friday for allegedly stealing cables from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras used in the No-Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) program, police said on Friday. A report from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) identified the suspects as a 28-year-old resident of Makati and two 20-year-old residents of Mandaluyong.