17 April 2026; Zane Myers of Bohemians in action against Tunmise Sobowale of Shamrock Rovers during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Paul Phelan/Sportsfile
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Youth is most definitely not being wasted on the League of Ireland
Dublin derby the real showcase
Cathal Dervan, Editor
Graham Burke stole the headlines and the Player of the Match award with not one but two goals as Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians served up a Friday night feast at Tallaght Stadium in a Dublin derby that was indeed one for the ages.
This was always going to be a game and a half, the league leaders against a Bohs side that had set the early season pace, and it certainly delivered and then some as Burke inspired Rovers to a 2-1 win.
The immediate afterthoughts centred on Burke’s brilliance, two contentious penalties and the fact that Bohemians have just gone six games and a full month without a Premier Division win.
But now that the dust has settled, there’s another storyline from South Dublin that deserves an airing, one that sits nicely alongside a pre-match conversation in the West Stand with a man who remembers the old days as well as I do.
As we exchanged greetings, about half an hour before kick-off, we started a conversation about how much League of Ireland football has changed over the years since Milltown was still open and Dalymount Park could accommodate fans on all four sides of the ground.
Before a ball was kicked in anger, we came to an inevitable conclusion - the hard men of previous Dublin derbies are a thing of the past. And to prove the point we settled on the example of one particular player who could hold his own when needed to but probably wouldn’t fit into the modern derby player mould.
Michael Noonan in action against Bohs’ Sam Todd at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Dermot Keely was the common denominator as we discussed former players whose bite wouldn’t suit such a modern game - the fact that his recent and really entertaining biography is called ‘Better Without The Ball’ suggests that the self-effacing LOI Legend would probably agree with us.
What transpired on the pitch for the next two hours proved it. The game moved at pace, some of the passing was top class, some of the challenges were robust as they should be on such an occasion but the big takeaway was the impact of youth on this pivotal match.
Senan Mullen of Bohs is just 21 but Rovers had four players younger than that in their starting team. Victor Ozhianvuna and Michael Noonan are just 17. Cory O’Sullivan is 19. John O’Sullivan is 20. All five looked at home in the heat of a top of the table clash, all five benefited from the faith their respective managers have in them, regardless of age.
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That’s a huge turnaround as far as our national league is concerned. For Stephen Bradley to trust three teenagers to start against Bohs is a vindication of his own beliefs as a manager but also of the academy system that Rovers are working on, even since before Brexit forced more young players to stay at home until their 18th birthday.
Rovers have the best academy system in the country at their Roadstone training HQ and the emergence of so many young players in their first team squad proves it.
But the upcoming investment by the Government into academies across the country will give everyone else the chance to play catch-up with Rovers in terms of player development.
Given how well those five kids mentioned did on Friday night, particularly John O’Sullivan in central midfield for the home side, the advent of youth in LOI football and the prospect of even more talent emerging in the very near future is to be applauded.
Graham Burke, a veteran at 32, got the goals and the headlines this time and rightly so. But not for the first time, the sub-plot on a Friday night in the Premier Division was just as interesting. Long may it stay that way.
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With over 2000 games between them as managers, Mick McCarthy and Tony Pullis have a story or two to tell - and they know a few people in the game as well. Their entertaining podcast is called The Managers and this recent episode with Chris Coleman typifies what’s so good about the series.
The key stories developing today
Martin O’Neill is already winding his Scottish Cup final opponent Neil Lennon up after telling a hilarious story about the one-time state of Lenny’s house live on Premier Sports.
Celtic eventually thumped St Mirren 6-2 but needed extra-time, and four unanswered goals, to get the job done at Hampden Park.
The Bhoys will now meet their former captain and manager Lennon in next month’s final after he masterminded a penalty shoot-out win for Championship side Dunfermline against Falkirk in Saturday’s first semi-final.
Lennon was on pundit duty for Premier Sports at the Celtic game and was reunited with his former boss for the post-match interviews with O’Neill revealing how he stayed in Lennon’s house before signing him for Leicester from Crewe.
Reminded that it’s 30 years since that signing, O’Neill went on to highlight how he insisted on visiting Lennon at home to convince him to move to the Foxes and then revealed he needed to wipe his feet - on the way out!
O’Neill also complimented Lennon’s work as a manager and as a player with the Daily Record quoting him as saying: “He has been fantastic for me, there is no point in praising him any higher, both at Leicester and at Celtic. A major player for us, yeah, and his record in management is second to none.”
Shamrock Rovers enjoyed a statement 2-1 win over Bohemians in a pulsating Dublin derby at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night but not even two ‘disputed’ penalties could persuade Stephen Bradley to back the introduction of VAR to the League of Ireland.
Bradley was the happier of the two managers by a distance after Graham Burke scored from play and from the spot to put the Hoops 2-0 up before the break but Colm Whelan gave the visitors hope when he netted an 80th minute penalty.
Opposite number Alan Reynolds wasn’t happy about ref Rob Hennessy’s decision to award Rovers their 44th minute penalty but Bradley had no issue with either decision and told the Irish Mirror’s Mark McCadden about his distaste for VAR.
“They’re both penalties in my opinion but, yeah, we don’t want VAR, that’s for sure,” said Bradley. “I think VAR is killing the game. They were supposed to bring it in to make it more black and white. It’s mad, it’s created more grey areas. It’s nonsense.
“You’re still going to a video room, but it’s someone else’s opinion. It doesn’t make sense. I think it’s actually made the game worse.”
Local hero Denise O’Sullivan will miss the return of international football to Leeside when Holland visit her native Cork for a World Cup qualifier in June but the Irish midfielder still took the positives from Saturday’s 1-0 win over Poland at the Aviva.
The Liverpool midfielder will miss that home fixture after she picked up a yellow card against the Poles and told Extratime’s Macdara Ferris of her disappointment.
“It’s frustrating that I’m missing the game in Cork,” admitted O’Sullivan. “It’s a massive game for the team so of course I’m really gutted but it is what it is. It’s part of football, it happens.
“I’ll take the positives, and that’s the three points tonight. I’m sure I’ll be there cheering the girls on in Cork. I trust them, I trust the staff that they’re going to go out and do everything in their power to get something in those games. I’m keeping my head up. That’s the mentality.”
Troy Parrott’s incredible season continued on Sunday with the Dubliner on the scoresheet as AZ Alkmaar defeated NEC Nijmegen 5-1 to lift the Dutch Cup at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam.
The Irish Examiner reports that Parrott scored the fifth and final goal five minutes into stoppage time when a close-range effort took a wicked deflection.
Manager Pep Guardiola and striker Erling Haaland had plenty to say as Manchester City did their title hopes a huge favour with Sunday’s 2-1 home win against Premier League leaders Arsenal with Haaland scoring the 65th minute winner.
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