At last, the sun turned up this past weekend, and the football championship stirred into action. Donegal particularly enjoyed their outing at Celtic Park, a feat described as “out-Derrying Derry” by Michael Murphy. Murphy highlights the team effort of Donegal as exemplary and credits head coach Jim McGuinness for his superior ability to clearly and emphatically articulate match strategies, backed by data-driven evidence. Despite this, Murphy isn’t discounting Derry, guided by the seasoned manager Mickey Harte known for his successful All-Ireland comeback stories mid-season.
As for the upcoming Sunday match, either Cork or Clare’s hurlers may find their season on the brink, if April concludes in defeat, observes Denis Walsh. Their earlier losses to Waterford and Limerick respectively, in the first round of Munster championship, has piled on enormous pressue.
Limerick’s pursuit for five successive titles initially staggered against an aggressive Clare side, nevertheless, they pulled it off. Witnessing them surge to a three-point victory from a nine-point deficit was quite a spectacle, comments Gordon Manning. He spoke to Gearóid Hegarty who was instrumental to that win.
In rugby related news, Gerry Thornley recollects on Munster’s URC victory over the Bulls in Pretoria. He considers it among their most significant away wins in recent time. Meanwhile, Leinster’s 44-12 defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg was a major letdown, for which head coach Leo Cullen refused to blame on travel and revised team selection.
Owen Doyle, on the other hand, uses his column Whistleblower to speculate on the forthcoming critical World Rugby council meeting. The meet will discuss major rule issues, including a proposal to test the southern hemisphere’s 20-minute red card replacement globally.
Ian O’Riordan has a chat with Israel Olatunde, the Irish 21-year-old who holds the record for the 100m dash and is looking to match his top form from 2022. The young aspiring athlete hasn’t secured a place in the Olympics yet, but harbours dreams of making it to the starting line in Paris.
Meanwhile, Ted Scott is on top of the world. Philip Reid tells us that Scottie Scheffler’s caddy has earned more on the PGA Tour this year than the world’s second-best golfer, Rory McIlroy, representing a significant elevation in the status of caddying.
For those who are passionate about snooker, there’s no reason to leave the comfort of their sofas today. BBC2, BBC Four, and Eurosport are offering nearly 12 hours of uninterrupted coverage of the World Championships. Football fans have a treat to look forward to as well, with a Premier League face-off between Arsenal and Chelsea (on TNT Sports 1 at 8.0), followed by a Championship clash between Leicester City and Southampton (on Sky Sports Football at 8.0).