Tyrone refuse to answer any questions on COVID from Press that threatened their All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry at their media event in Garvaghey on Tuesday.
Before the start of the event, co-manager Feargal Logan announced to the media on call, that any questions revolving around COVID will be swiftly and politely declined for answering.
Logan stated;
“You will understand that we’re looking at a very important day on Saturday week, a very important footballing day for Tyrone generally, and all of ourselves,” he said.
“So in the circumstances, feel free to ask whatever you want to ask. If it strays beyond football and it enters arenas of Covid or vaccinations, we don’t feel it’s appropriate.
“We don’t mean any disrespect or ill-will if we say to you: ‘Listen, have you a football question please?’ That’s the way we’ll be dealing with it. There’s a time and a place. It’s a very serious issue, what’s happening around our own county at the moment. So we don’t think it’s appropriate to be batting it about.
“We’re happy to answer all your football questions. There will be a time and a place, if there’s further enquiry needed, we’ve absolutely no difficulty. But tonight is a good football night for everyone, so we look forward to it.”
🗣'We have a bit of work to do before we meet Mayo'
🗣'Last week was a bit too last minute for my liking'@TyroneGAALive joint-manager Brian Dooher spoke to @ashoreilly in the build-up to their All-Ireland final against Mayo next Saturday | 🏐 pic.twitter.com/ZNmDGA9EJX
Tyrone refuse to answer any questions on COVID from Press
Speaking on the full panel’s fitness and injury concerns ahead of the final against Mayo, Logan declined to speak;
“Whatever about any other debate, in the privacy of the squad we would just honour our position,” he said.
“We’ll review it all and see where it lands us, but be assured that there were several players that we just felt were not right.”
Logan also spoke about his hopes that Croke Park will allow more allocation from 40,000 people to a rumoured 75% full capacity if all ticket holders are fully vaccinated.
“On a very practical level, it would ease a bit of difficulty around this county on pure tickets but those are things that are way beyond our control and whatever number of thousand, we were appreciative and glad that there was 24,000 in last weekend and it added to the occasion.
“And, of course, in an All-Ireland final you would like to be there with 82,000, but whatever happens, we will just have to deal with it. I am sure everyone involved in it will deal with it sensibly and as best as possible in all the circumstances of a public health emergency we are dealing with.”
Connacht Rugby extends partnership with Bank of Ireland
Connacht Rugby has announced that they will continue to partner with Bank of Ireland as a shirt sponsor after a deal was struck between the two parties to extend Connachts partnership with Bank of Ireland.
The partnership between the two will continue to see the Bank of Ireland logo on the back of the senior team for both men’s and women’s Connacht jerseys. Whilst also being extended to deliver significant support for the expanding youth and adult club competitions within the province.
Along with this news, Connacht Rugby has recently revealed their new away and European jerseys for the upcoming 2021/2022 season on their website.
Connacht’s Head of Commercial and Marketing Philp Patterson was more than happy with the extension, stating;
“Bank of Ireland have been a wonderful supporter of rugby in the West of Ireland and I’m delighted that both parties have agreed on an extension of our partnership. Supporters are well used to seeing the logo on the back of the men’s and women’s jerseys, and their support of Adult and Youth club competitions is also a significant boost. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership in the years ahead.”
Connacht Rugby extends partnership with Bank of Ireland
Head of Bank of Ireland Galway, Marie Meehan spoke at the launch and said;
“Bank of Ireland is delighted to continue our partnership with Connacht Rugby for the next two seasons. We’ve been working together to make sure we can support them in their huge ambitions for their whole community. As a result, we will now be supporting the women’s team, expanding our current sponsorship of the men’s game, and sponsoring all club and community tournaments across Connacht.”
For more News and Stories on all things Connacht Rugby, click here.
Ready for Round 3? As Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz rejuvenate feud on Twitter
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz rejuvenated their long-lasting feud after a series of back and forth tweets between the rivals took over MMA Twitter last night. Their two fights in 2016 were some of the greatest in UFC history.
Diaz defeated the two-weight world champion back at UFC 196 via submission in March 2016, with McGregor avenging his loss to Diaz at UFC 202 with a majority decision victory in August 2016.
Both men have lost their last two fights, with McGregor breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July.
Nate Diaz lost to Leon Edwards back in June that saw him outclassed before stunning the British fighter in the closing minutes in what was almost a shock victory for the Stockton native upon his return to the octagon after his loss to Jorge Masvidal back in 2019.
However, last night, the pair were involved in a mouthwatering piece of trash talk after the Irishman reignited the feud after tweeting a photo of the two facing off prior to their second fight, with the caption ”Now add 30lb of muscle on to me and say ‘ding, ding’ in a Dublin accent.
After the post, Diaz responded by questioning McGregors motivation to trash talk after back-to-back losses and a broken leg sustained against Dustin Poirier.
Below is the back-and-forth between the pair. As Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz rejuvenate feud on Twitter
Nah bitch u should’ve learned how to not break ur leg when I checked ur shit and u crutched outta the fight with me And how u gonna fight me when u can’t run for your life this time wit ur broken ass you lost the last fight and ran for the hills just like kabob ur a pussy too
He fled the cage and I boxed his whole family around. And nobody finished me mate. I broke MY leg. No one or nothing else done anything to me. And anyway. Don’t worry bout them. I’m here in Cali months doing what I want. It’s 3 on the street now mate fuck your little sport.
It’s just business remember your the sports man I showed Uguys this street shit I fought both your teams out the cage before any of Uguys realized the real fight game sporty lil bitches
I ended this guys career lol what happened to him get him back here u need some help and why u just throw ur friends away shithead pic.twitter.com/wepc2qc7ph
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final – Mayo v Tyrone – Croke Park – 5. 00 pm – RTÉ
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final – Mayo v Tyrone Preview
Mayo will go head to head with Tyrone at Croke Park on the 11th of September at 5.00 pm in the first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final between the two counties live on RTÉ.
Coming into this game, Mayo will hope they can finally break their duck in the Ireland finals. If they do come out victorious against Tyrone, it will be their first All-Ireland win since 1951, where they have lost ten finals in a row (1989, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020).
Tyrone are aiming to win their first All-Ireland title since 2008 when they defeated Kerry 1-15 to 0-14.
This will be only the fifth final between two partaking counties from Connacht and Ulster, the other finals were in 1925 (Galway beat Cavan), 1943 (Roscommon beat Cavan), 1948 (Cavan beat Mayo) and 2012 (Donegal beat Mayo).
Provincial Outings
Both teams are coming into this game, winning their provincial titles.
Mayo came back from a lacklustre first half against Galway in the Connacht final to win another Connacht title with a scoreline of 2-14 (20) to 2-08 (14).
Tyrone fought hard in a thrilling and close-knit affair against Monaghan to claim their first Ulster title since 2017, winning the Anglo-Celt Cup with a 0-16 to 0-15 scoreline, putting them joint second with Monaghan on 16 Ulster titles.
Mayo Retrospective
Throughout their league campaign, Mayo has been on tip-top form, after their shock relegation. They have bounced back to Division 1 in style.
Before hammering Sligo and Leitrim on their way to facing Galway.
During the first half of their game against Galway, Mayo looked void of ideas for much of the opening 30 minutes.
Mayo came out and blitzed Galway, nullifying their attack, keeping them scoreless until the 61st minute from a free. They came out with a ruthless running game, tough tackling, with Padraig O’Hora and Aidan O’Shea making three exceptional turnovers.
After their Connacht final win, they faced old foes Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park. After a dismal first-half display that was manifested by Aidan O’Shea missing a 13 metre free, Mayo was down by 6 points at half-time and looked down and out.
But, the second half was anything but dismal from a Mayo standpoint. Trailing by 5 points with 10 minutes to go, Mayo’s young bucks came up and clawed it back to within a point before Rob Hennelly stood up and kicked a dramatic 45” to bring the game to extra time.
Mayo in extra-time controlled Dublin, only conceding one point. Eventually, the Westerners came out 0-14 to 0-17 winners, the first time Mayo have beaten Dublin since 2012.
James Horan’s side will know Tyrone are no pushover and will just be as difficult as Dublin or Kerry. But, they will be confident enough in potentially winning the ultimate prize in Gaelic football that has alluded them for seven pain soaked decades.
Tyrone Retrospective
At the start of this years campaign, Tyrone looked like a team void of idea’s, running on empty and in desperate need of a facelift.
Not much was expected from Tyrone by the time the Ulster championship came around.
In the quarter-finals, they defeated reigning Ulster champions, Cavan.
By the time the Ulster semi-final came around, pundits and fans alike already had Donegal steamrolling Tyrone.
However, Donegal was dumped out of the championship with a motivated performance by The Red Hand County, winning 0-23 (23) to 1-14 (17) to set up an Ulster final clash with Monaghan. Capturing their 16th title in the process.
Managers Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher have transformed Tyrone from the defensive team that won 3 All-Ireland’s in 6 years to a more well-rounded team with more emphasis on ability and skill rather than strict tactics that stopped opposition.
After the COVID-19 debacle that almost saw Tyrone pull out of the championship, they met old foes, Kerry, in the All-Ireland semi-final and were fully deserving of their victory.
Defeating Kerry by a single point after extra-time, with a scoreline of 0-22 (22) to 3-14 (23).
Coming into the final Tyrone will be seen as the underdogs. Dooher and Logan deserve all the credit coming their way, and if they do win on the 11th of September, they will be worthy champions.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Connacht side has been hit badly with injuries this season, with star forward Cillian O’Connor picking up an Achilles injury in the league while highly-rated defender Oisin Mullin sustained a pulled quad days prior to their semi-final win against Dublin.
Captain Aidan O’Shea had a disappointing game against Dublin, he was substituted by Horan after 48 minutes and Mayo’s fortunes changed, they looked faster and not as reliant on the big man. He will be more than motivated to put in a performance and to finally lift the All-Ireland if given the chance.
For Tyrone, Mattie Donnelly is their star player, a leader and has been a massive presence for this panel for many years now. Peter Harte was immaculate against Kerry, showcased by throwing his body at the ball to stop a Kerry goal.
With Cathal McShane back and scoring, Conor McKenna looking dangerous, Ronan McNamee and his partners in defence looking solid and Niall Morgan kicking scores from 70 metres, Tyrone does indeed look deadly.
Conclusion
This game could go either way as it stands, both teams have shown how good they can be, while Mayo has been more vulnerable. Against Galway and Dublin, their first-half display’s were a sign of worry. They do manage to pull it back in the second half but against a Tyrone side as rugged as this, they won’t get the chance.
That is why it is extremely important they do not give away any goals early on, which has been Mayo’s kryptonite in All-Ireland finals.
Both teams have always been known for their resilience and spirit, with Mayo carrying more baggage and pain in finals, Tyrone will and should be more than confident they can capitalise.
It’s not the ability or talent Mayo have lacked in finals, it’s their mental aptitude that has seen them fall against Dublin sides that were just that bit better than them on the day.
Tyrone will be more than capable of winning this match, but given the level of teams Mayo have defeated, the young and hungry team they have and knowing they have what it takes, I believe Mayo will finally be crowned All-Ireland football champions.
This comes after the Irish government’s latest announcement which informed us that the majority of restrictions are set to be lifted by Friday, October 22.
Basketball Ireland have stated that, until October 22, there will be a capacity limit of 100 people for indoor group activities where all those involved are immune – either fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 within the last 6 months, or accompanied minors (under 18).
“This has been a long arduous 17 months or so for the basketball community,” said Basketball Ireland CEO Paddy Boyd. “Our clubs, players, officials and volunteers have suffered and to finally have a return date for all levels of our sport is excellent news.
“The fact that our clubs can have spectators at events, up to 60% of venue capacity, is brilliant. It is great timing with our senior National League sides allowed to resume pre-season fixtures from September 13th and the National League starting from October 9th/10th.”
From September 6th, indoor events can take place with a 60% capacity limit where patrons are immune – those attending must be fully seated at arenas.
Where patrons have mixed immunity status, there will be no change to the current restrictions during September.
Chair of Basketball Ireland’s ‘Return to Play’ group, Charles Higgins, said: “We will issue a full breakdown of the new restrictions later this week to our basketball community, so they can plan in anticipation of September 20th. We shall be seeking clarifications from Sport Ireland on some of the guidelines issued by government today.
“I really want to express my gratitude to the basketball community who have persevered throughout this elongated period without the sport. They have shown huge resilience, adapting to outdoor basketball when indoor wasn’t possible. Now the reward is there and there is huge excitement to finally get the chance to be back indoors on a court and get our sport up and running fully again.
“I’d also like to thank my fellow members of the ‘Return to Play’ group who have helped navigate our sport through this torrid time, with situations changing regularly. We have tried to guide our basketball community through it all as best as possible and we shall continue to do so.”
Manager Marcelo Bielsa has had a busy summer in the transfer window to ensure the club competes for a top 10 place this season
The team finished in ninth using Bielsa’s distinctive energetic style of play to surprise many teams last year.
The Whites were able to lock down five new and returning players to permanents contracts before the closing of Deadline Day.
5. Kristoffer Klaesson – €2.2 million
This is not necessarily a bad signing but it has excited the Elland Road faithful the least. Leeds signed Klaesson from the Norweigan league side, Valeranga.
The 20-year-old goalkeeper signed for a relatively small amount and is most likely to be the new backup stopper for Leeds behind club favorite Ilan Meslier.
Last season Klaesson made 14 appearances for the Norweigan club, keeping two clean sheets. So far at Leeds, he has found game-time playing for the youth team.
4. Leo Hjelde – €1 million
This is another signing for the future as the 17-year-old is highly rated by his former club Celtic. While on loan last year at Ross County, comparisons were made to star Virgil Van Dijk due to some strong performances.
The deal was only confirmed on Saturday but the defender has already been molded in the Leeds U19 team.
He is yet to make an appearance but has shown his flexibility to play in any position across the backline.
Harrison signing a full-time deal at Leeds was an important move for the club. The Whites already know how good he is after a great season last year in which he scored eight and got eight assists in 36 appearances.
He has joined from Manchester City for a relatively cheap price for a young English winger. At 24 years old he is expected to have a few strong years for Leeds in the future.
1. Daniel James – €29 million
The only player that could excite more than Harrison will also be competing for a position against him. James has signed on Deadline Day for a Leeds transfer record from Manchester United.
Bielsa has been a major admirer of the Welshman before his two-year stint at the Reds and was very close to signing him in 2019. Although he never managed to get a proper run in the United starting lineup, he has still shown his fitness, energy, and tenacity down the wing.
He will now challenge Raphinha and Tyler Roberts for the right-wing spot but is also able to play on the left if needed.
I always wore the @ManUtd shirt with honour and pride.
Thank you to everyone at the club who I have worked with over the last 2 years.
I’ve made fantastic friends and memories, but now is time to move on to the next step.
Team Ireland have two more swimmers that have qualified for finals this morning in the Tokyo Aquatic Centre
Ellen Keane – Women’s 200m IM – SM9 Final
Keane qualified for this medal race after a good swim this morning in the heats. She finished in a clear second place with a time of 2:40.99.
She has said that she is very relaxed going into these races knowing it is not her strongest event.
Although she will not be nervous, this is her last race in what has been a historic Paralympics for the 26-year-old. The gold medal she claimed in the breaststroke a few days ago could give her confidence to push on for a medal again.
The Dublin woman lined out in lane one and starting with the Butterfly she found herself in fourth at the turn. Backstroke is her weakest swim and she dropped off the top three a bit. Next was her favorite the breaststroke and she closed the gap on the medal places.
She finished with the freestyle but it was not enough as she hit the wall at 2:38.64, tiring and dropping into fifth.
The gold went to Australia’s Sophie Pascoe with Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly taking silver and Spain’s Nuria Marques Soto getting bronze.
Keane can be proud of her performance after coming into the final ranked in seventh to only finish seconds off a medal.
#ParaSwimming S9 100m Breaststroke Champion, Ellen Keane finishes joint 5th in the SM9 200 IM with a time of 2:38.64, setting a new PB 🔥
Róisín Ní Ríaín – Women’s 100m Breaststroke – SB13 Final
This has been a monumental debut Paralympics for Róisín Ní Ríaín as she has taken part in six events.
In the heat for this event, she broke yet another personal best finishing in a time of 1:20.81. She is now ranked in fifth place overall going into the final and hoping to push for her first-ever Paralympic medal.
She started the race in lane two and sprung from the block. The Limerick woman could not find her best form by the turn and found herself in eighth. She pushed on in the last 50m and finished the race in seventh place in a time of 1:20.34, another personal best.
The gold medal went to Germany’s Elena Krawzow, Team GB’s Rebecca Redfern received the silver, and USA’s Colleen Young got the bronze.
Ní Ríaín can still be proud as this was her sixth event, fourth and last final for the 16-year-old at her first Paralympic Games. She will be treated as a hero when she returns home to Limerick in the next few days.
With the dust settling after the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa, attention is starting to turn to the Autumn Internationals, which get underway from the end of October. It’s usually a great opportunity to see some of the world’s best teams in action, and this year will be no different.
The southern hemisphere sides are set to return to the fold, after the coronavirus pandemic led to the formation of the Autumn Nations Cup, which was held instead of the Autumn Internationals last year. But with New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and more descending upon the UK to take on the home nations, it’s set to be a cracking few weeks of action.
Let’s have a look at five of the most exciting fixtures which are slated to take place this autumn — the matches that will have rugby fans everywhere scouring the rugby betting odds.
Wales v New Zealand (October 30th)
The first weekend of the Autumn Internationals sees a classic in Cardiff. There is a rich history of matches between Wales and the All Blacks, and the two teams will go head-to-head once again on October 30th. Coming off the back of an unexpected Six Nations triumph, Wales will be full of confidence, and you’d expect them to give New Zealand a stern test. However, it must be borne in mind that the Welsh haven’t beaten the All Blacks since 1953.
Ireland v Japan (November 6th)
A match-up that has taken on added significance over the last few years. Everyone remembers Japan’s sensational victory over Ireland on home soil at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a match that has gone down as a modern classic. Ireland gained a semblance of revenge earlier this year by beating Japan 39-31 in Dublin, and the two teams will meet once again at the Aviva Stadium this autumn. Ireland’s loss to Japan at the World Cup set them on a collision course with New Zealand, who duly knocked them out, so you’d expect there to be plenty of motivation to give Japan a good drubbing.
Scotland v South Africa (November 13th)
A respectable Six Nations campaign will have given Scotland some hope that they could pull off a scalp in the upcoming Autumn Internationals, although they may look at that Six Nations as an opportunity missed. Nonetheless, a mammoth clash with South Africa at Murrayfield in November will provide Gregor Townsend’s side with a chance to make a real statement. The Springboks will not go down easily, but with a vociferous home crowd behind Scotland, who knows what could happen?
Ireland v New Zealand (November 13th)
There were jubilant scenes in Dublin a few years ago when Ireland beat the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium, and they’ll be hoping to repeat the trick when New Zealand come to town once again this autumn. As previously mentioned, it was the All Blacks who sent Ireland packing at the Rugby World Cup two years ago, and the players will undoubtedly be motivated to gain revenge. Ireland are not at the same level as when they beat New Zealand in 2018, but anything could happen on the day.
England v South Africa (November 20th)
There will be plenty of anticipation for this repeat of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. It’s fair to say that England did not give a full account of themselves in that showpiece match in Japan, but Eddie Jones’ side will have a chance to exact a measure of revenge when the two sides meet at Twickenham in November. The recent Lions matches against the Springboks will have provided clues as to how they can be defeated, and Jones will be hoping to capitalise.
Team Ireland had one member of very successful cyclists taking to the roads of Tokyo early this morning
Gary O'Reilly shares his amazing story after winning bronze at the #Paralympics just four years after taking up hand-cycling. pic.twitter.com/0i7HxlPHvO
This morning at 01:30, Gary O’Reilly took to his handcycle for the men’s Time Trial final. This was his second race of what is his debut at the Paralympic Games.
The young cyclist is still probably relishing his bronze medal finish in the time trial yesterday. He has become one of the tournament’s biggest surprises having only taken up the sport in 2017 after a workplace injury in 2014.
He has now laid a marker as one to watch for the rest of the competition and now with the final this morning he could prove he is one of the best in the world in his category.
This would be a much longer race than the final yesterday with this event stretching over 79.2km.
The Laois man did not get off to his strongest of starts as he tried to steady himself. Going by his historic race yesterday, he is a much better cyclist after the halfway mark, being able to push himself hard.
After 53km in the race, O’Reilly had himself sitting in fifth place needing a lot more work if he was to make the medal places. Over the next 20km, he pushed himself hard and work his way into fourth but it was not enough for a medal.
He finished in a time of 2:24:57 only 27 seconds behind the gold medallist, Netherland’s unstoppable cyclist Valize. A close silver went to France’s Vergnaud and bronze went to Netherland’s De Vries.
This will be a tough result for O’Reilly after fighting back only to lose out on a medal by 17 seconds.
On a more positive note, this race has now ensured that he will be remembered as one of the world’s strongest handcyclists, competing consistently and he will look forward to Paris in three years’ time.
#ParaCycling On the back of his bronze medal win yesterday, Gary O’Reilly finished in 4th place with a time of 2:24:57 in the H5 Road Race today.
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