RTÉ announce new pundits and ‘The Saturday Game’ for championship season

Joanne Cantwell will now be sharing the workload with Jacqui Hurley and Damian Lawlor.

RTÉ has launched its GAA Championship 2023 coverage and announced some new shows, pundits and presenters. There will also be 'The Saturday Game' on to cover extra analysis and debate. The big launch took place in Donnybrook, on Wednesday, with a host of pundits and presenters on hand to preview the coming championship and do some additional interviews. Ever since Des Cahill announced he would be finishing up with The Sunday Game, there was speculation as to how the new line-up would look. An RTÉ release clarifies matters in terms of who is presenting what:

'The live action on The Sunday Game Live will continue to be presented by Joanne Cantwell. Alongside the enduring Sunday night staple that is The Sunday Game with new presenter Jacqui Hurley. 'Saturday evenings will see new highlights show, The Saturday Game, presented by Damian Lawlor. RTÉ’s commitment to its camogie coverage has gone from strength to strength as we will see 11 live matches televised this year.'

With The Saturday Game, RTÉ have done what many GAA fans have been urging for years and make more of their extensive coverage and rights. The only big trick missed is a midweek talk show that focuses more on analysis and debate.

RTÉ GAA pundits

The RTÉ launch also featured news on how GAA fans could see and hear the games, over the course of the 2023 championship. '2023 will see more live GAA Championship coverage across RTÉ and GAAGO in English and as Gaeilge with 31 live games on RTÉ television and RTÉ Player as well as the Joe McDonagh Cup final, and both Tailteann Cup semi-finals and final,' the release reads. 'For the first time ever, this season will see individual match highlights available on the RTÉ website and social media.' In short, it would appear that RTÉ is finally getting its' act together in terms of getting the most out of their GAA rights. Among the pundits that will be commentating on, and analysing, games over the course of the championship are:

• Peter Canavan, Joe Canning, Lee Keegan, Ursula Jacob, David Tubridy, Jackie Tyrrell and Cora Staunton.
• Gráinne McElwain will lead new analysis teams in both codes including analysts Michael Murphy, Marc Ó Sé and Paddy Andrews (football), Seamus Hickey, Tommy Walsh, and Eoin Cadogan (hurling), with more to be announced.

GAA GO has exclusive rights to 38 All-Ireland Championship games in 2023: 22 Football Championship games, nine from the Hurling Championship and seven Tailteann Cup games. Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport will have GAA fans covered, on RTÉ Radio 1. The Championship, presented by Damian Lawlor, will air every Friday evening on Radio 1 at 10pm and will be available on podcast from lunchtime every Friday. Match commentators will include Pauric Lodge, Darragh Maloney, Marty Morrissey, Ger Canning, Adrian Eames, and John Kenny. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta holds the Irish-language rights to all championship matches. Their football analysts will include Dara Ó Cinnéide, Lorcán Ó Máirtín, Coman Goggins, Máire Ní Bhraonáin, Tomás Ó Flatharta, Gary Brennan, Stephen Joyce and Charlie Vernon. The hurling analysts are Michael Rice, Joe Connolly, Cathal Moore, Pat Fleury and Claire O’Connor. On the RTÉ website, Lee Keegan, Enda McGinley and Shane McGrath will have columns over the course of the championship. Related links:

• Darran O'Sullivan thinks Stephen Cluxton's Dublin return will be "sideshow"
• Brian Fenton mistake shows why Dublin need to kick the ball into the forwards more
• Lorcan O'Dell scores goal of the season as Dublin find Derry's net four times
• The GAA Hour: Shane Walsh's positioning, Dublin's target-men, great goalies

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