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Boxers Kellie Harrington and Brendan Irvine Are Team Ireland Flag Bearers

Team Ireland boxers Kellie Harrington and Brendan Irvine will be the flag bearers for the Irish Olympians in Friday’s opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

For the first time ever, there can be two flag bearers from each nation – one male, one female.

The opening ceremony will begin at 12:00 pm Irish time and will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

Boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, with 16 of the 31 Irish medals having been won by boxers.

The list of Irish Olympian boxing medallists includes the undisputed lightweight champion in women’s boxing, Katie Taylor and fellow Gold Medal winner Michael Carruth.

Brendan Irvine is competing in his second Olympic Games after taking part in Rio 2016 while Harrington is embarking on her first, and is going into the tournament as one of the top-seeded boxers in the lightweight (-60kg) category.

Speaking on her selection, Harrington said: “This means so much to me, to be able to represent not only myself as a person, but as a boxer, for boxing, for my family and for Ireland. It’s an amazing honour, there are so many athletes out here, and to be chosen as one of the flagbearers is absolutely fantastic.

“I can’t believe it really. Walking out there and realising I’m the flagbearer, it’s the start of the Olympic Games, and I’m at the pinnacle of our sport.”

Her teammate Irvine is also the boxing team captain, competing in the Flyweight category (-49kg).

“I know Brendy a long time now, and he is a fantastic person. He is what you call a leader; he leads the team.

“I’m so happy that it’s him out there with me. I just know we will be looking at each other and smiling. We will be feeling so proud, and I know his family and friends and community are quite like mine and everyone will be so proud of our achievements. I’m absolutely delighted.”

Almost half of the 116 Team Ireland athletes are currently residing in the Olympic village, as well as teams who are settling into the satellite venues.

Team Ireland action begins on Friday, with the rowers in action just ahead of the Opening Ceremony. The Olympic Games in Tokyo run from Friday, July 23rd – Sunday, August 8th, with 116 Irish athletes competing.

Euro 2020 Goalkeeper Rankings

It took a year for Euro 2020 to get underway but it did not disappoint and in the end, it was the Azzurri who took home the hardware and ended a 53-year drought for mother Italy. And although the tournament is over, it is interesting to look back and give credit where it is most assuredly due as we applaud the top five goalkeepers of Euro 2020. Let’s discuss this below. 

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy) 

The 22-year-old was exactly what the Azzurri needed guarding the woodwork and over the course of seven matches, Donnarumma conceded four goals but won two pivotal shootouts to send the Italians to the winner’s circle. And now with the prestigious Euro 2020 trophy added to his mantle, there will be plenty of money to decorate around it after he signed a five-year contract worth a total of €60 million with Paris Saint-Germain on July 15th of 2021

Although some of the best online sportsbooks like YouWager were dealing Italy as one of the favorites of the tournament, it had been so long since the Azzurri had won, that many of the team’s most ardent fans still had their doubts. However, Donnarumma proved the naysayers wrong and he will get paid as one of the best keepers in the world, as he should.

As an aside, when Donnarumma saved the game-winning penalty kick against England and clinched the Euro Cup win for Italy, he calmly walked away from the keep before being mobbed by his teammates. Many questioned his unemotional reaction but the truth was far less complicated. When asked about it, Donnarumma told Sky Sport Italia: “I didn’t celebrate because I didn’t realize we had won!”

Jordan Pickford (England)

The 27-year-old had been going through a rough patch last year and into 2021 before he got back on track and kept the engine humming right through the Euro 2020 before his team ultimately bowed to Italy in a shootout. However, Pickford proved to be worthy of his lofty reputation and had clearly shaken off whatever funk ailed him. 

Pickford would end with five clean sheets and plenty of highlight-reel saves. His Everton coach, Alan Kelly, described his performance thusly, “On a personal level, Jordan was superb in the final, as he has been throughout the tournament. He’s really stepped up and been a shining light for his country.

“It wasn’t just his penalty saves in the final, his performance throughout the 120 minutes was superb. He was faultless.

“He was calm, cool, and controlled. He stood up and was counted on when the big moments happened. In terms of the penalties, you can do no more than he did as a goalkeeper, making two brilliant saves.”

Yann Sommer (Switzerland)

Like his counterpart from England, Jordan Pickford, Sommer had been having his fair share of difficulties leading up to the Euro 2020 but he rose to the occasion and played magnificently despite shoddy defense from his Swiss teammates. When the dust settled, Sommer had recorded a whopping 21 saves, the most in the tournament, despite playing in only five games. 

After the Swiss stunned France in a 3-3 game that was ultimately decided by penalty kicks, Sommer stated, “What an evening of football,” Sommer said. “It was our chance to finally go through the round of 16 because we never made it before. It’s incredible. We played with heart and with character. It’s amazing.”

 

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Courtois has settled nicely into his role with his team, Real Madrid, after an initial season in which the road was rather rocky. And that confidence carried over into his performance at the Euro Cup. The 6’7” tower of power enjoyed three clean sheets in four games and was a star for Belgium until they fell, 2-1, to Italy. 

After his outstanding performance against Portugal, in which the Red Devils triumphed, 1-0, Belgium coach, Roberto Martinez, made this observation when chatting with Belgian channel RTBF, “I liked his performance and his dribbling. He is at the level of the World Cup, if not more. And in the World Cup, he was designated the best goalkeeper.”

Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark) 

The Leicester City legend had a stellar tournament for Denmark and nearly took his team to the finals but ultimately bowed to England in a 2-1 thriller. But the game was marred by allegations of a laser being pointed at Schmeichel’s face as he faced a penalty kick that he initially saved but was scored on the rebound.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Schmeichel said: “Yes, I did not experience it (the laser) on the penalty kick because it was behind me on my right side. But I experienced it in the second half. I told the referee and he went to say something to the other officials.”

 

BBC Panorama Horse Racing Investigation Reaction

The BBC Panorama programme on horse racing on Monday night had a large reach and fueled a lot of discourse on social media last night.

‘Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing’ was aired at 8:30 pm on BBC One and is available to watch on the iPlayer.

The topic that the show covered in its latest instalment – the unethical killing of racehorses – led to some people making their minds up on the programme before it had even begun.

Some lovers of horse racing chose to shine a light on the brighter side of horse racing rather than talk about the downsides that Panorama covered.

One Twitter user championed his ex-racehorse Kavi, a horse trained by Simon Earle and one that took part in competitive horse racing events for 10 years of its life.

‘@Kavismate’ said that Kavi lives a “happy semi-retirement on Dartmoor”.

However, others who knew of the show chose to watch it and were not happy with what they saw.

One social media user attacked the horse racing industry and included the greyhound industry in their comment on the programme.

User ‘@Stu93375301’ believes that both racing industries are “barbaric.”

Newstalk spoke to the founder of the Animal Rights Animal Network John Carnaby who did not watch the programme but said that the issues raised by it are “inherent in that industry.”

Several viewers defended horse racing online with these viewers choosing to declare the issue solely a problem of those that work in the abattoir that was filmed by Animal Aid.

Sky Sports’ Alex Hammond spoke of the treatment her own horse received under a post by trainer Fergal O’Brien.

She said he “lived every day like the start he was” and “was treated like a king.”

Another user underneath O’Brien’s post, ‘@kevinrogers687’, also said that racehorses are “treated like royalty and are loved like they are one of the family.”

Furthermore, they do not believe the topic is a racing issue when they leave the stables, instead they become the sole responsibility of the owners at that point.

Their declaration of the topic not affecting racing earned the user six likes.

The programme saw opinions divided online and the topic may continue to follow that trend.

Séamus Power Wins First PGA Tour Tournament

Séamus Power has won the Barbasol Championship via a play-off to get his first win on the PGA Tour after 106 starts.

He becomes the latest Irish winner on the PGA Tour and the fifth ever, following in the footsteps of the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry in recent history.

Power is the first Irish champion of the Barbasol Championship, with his five-under-par Sunday taking him into a playoff against the overnight leader J.T. Potson who, much like Louis Oosthuizen at The Open, squandered his advantage.

Potson allowed Power to gain the advantage with his poor display on three of the final four holes and the Waterford native didn’t let go of it.

The pair birdied the first extra hole and parred the next four in the play-off but a shot into the water from Potson doomed the American’s title hopes.

The Olympian missed his first putt but stroked in his second from close range to par the sixth extra hole and win the tournament.

The 34-year-old has seen a remarkable turnaround in fortune in recent weeks, with the Tooraneena man achieving six top-20 finishes in his last six starts after nine straight cuts.

Four of those finishes are in the top 10 with his first PGA Tour win granting Power the praise he deserves after an impressive three-month spell.

The win in Kentucky earned Power his PGA Tour card for the 2022 season and his highest-ever world ranking of 113th, three of 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett.

He currently ranks 69th in the FedEx Cup rankings and has 665 points to his name – nine events previous, his points tally was 20.

The Irish golfer is within the requirements needed to make the playoffs this year, as a result.

The FedEx Cup playoffs begin on August 19th with the first of three events, the Northern Trust, taking place at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.

Liverpool make offer for PSV striker Malen

Liverpool are looking for even more competition in their forward line with PSV Eindhoven striker Donyell Malen according to newspaper O Jogo

There is no other way of looking at it; Liverpool had a poor, challenging season last year. The important thing is that they managed to keep their Champions League status and now they want to bolster their squad to compete for the title again.

Their main problem was the lack of quality backup options they had in defence. With the signing of French centre back Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk back from injury, they hope this is fixed.

Next they are looking to their forwards where, other than Mohamed Salah’s 22 goals, they seemed lack lustre.

According to O Jogo newspaper, Klopp and Liverpool have made an offer for the highly rated goal scorer Donyell Malen. They are also planning to use Marko Grujic in the deal to bring down the asking price.

He currently has a transfer value of around €35 million but this will probably go up after he played at Euro 2020.

How good is Donyell Malen?

The 22-year-old used to be at the books Arsenal when he was a teenager. Since leaving London in 2017, he has scored 61 goals in 133 games for the PSV first team.

Last season, he finished second in the league’s top scorer list which granted him a call up to Netherlands Euro 2020 team. Though the Dutch made a disappointing exit to the Czech Republic, Malen got two assist when while being paired with Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst.

He is a very fast player, capable of some neat finishing but it will be interesting to see if he would adjust to the Premier League this time around.

What does this mean for Liverpool now?

It would be tough to see Malen beating out strikers Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota for a starting place at the beginning of the season.

It is more likely that the Dutchman will be used to create more competition between Liverpool’s strikers in training and improve their performances.

Would Malen be interested in leaving his starting spot at Eindhoven for at least a few weeks on the bench at Liverpool? We will find out in the coming weeks.

 

 

GAA: Hurling Team Of The Week Announced

The GAA.ie Hurling Team of the Week has been announced with Limerick GAA earning four selections – the most in the side.

Kyle Hayes is in at left half-back after his stunning goal at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the 2021 Munster Senior Hurling Championship final.

The Kildimo-Pallaskenry player started his run from the halfway line and finished off an electrifying move by firing the ball past Barry Hogan into the Tipperary net.

Cian Lynch joins him in the side, taking his place as the right-sided midfielder.

His performance on Sunday against Tipperary was fantastic and he composed the Limerick orchestra perfectly, leading the side’s second-half revival to secure a dominant win over their Munster rivals.

Dan McCormack did well against Lynch at times but could not contain the Limerick talisman who earned the Man of the Match in the Munster final.

Peter Casey and Seamus Flanagan are the other two Limerick GAA players that make the XV.

The pair were firing on all cylinders and were lethal when they got a hold of the sliotar.

Peter Casey tallied up five points for his side while Seamus Flanagan got three and nabbed a goal too, pouncing on a loose ball after Hogan denied Limerick’s Aaron Gillane.

Leinster Champions Kilkenny and Brian Lohan’s Clare have two players on the side each after their wins at the weekend.

Wexford GAA also have two players in the side following their All-Ireland exit at the hands of Clare.

Dublin, Waterford, Laois, Tipperary and Westmeath all have one player on the side.

GAA.ie Hurling Team Of The Week

Alan Nolan (Dublin); Rory Hayes (Clare), Huw Lawlor (Kilkenny), Shane Reck (Wexford); Calum Lyons (Waterford), James Maher (Kilkenny), Kyle Hayes (Limerick); Cian Lynch (Limerick), Paddy Purcell (Laois); Ryan Taylor (Clare), Jason Forde (Tipperary), Robbie Greville (Westmeath); Peter Casey (Limerick), Seamus Flanagan (Limerick), Cathal Dunbar (Wexford).

Thousands Of Irish Horses Killed In UK Slaughterhouse – BBC Panorama

A BBC Panorama investigation has reported that thousands of racehorses are being sent to slaughterhouses in Britain and Ireland.

Covert recordings have shown that rules designed to protect horses from cruel deaths have been regularly ignored by one of the UK’s biggest abattoirs.

The BBC article on the investigation says that some of the slaughtered animals were once owned and trained by some of the biggest trainers in racing.

Some of these horses had previous illustrious racing careers and had won thousands of pounds over the course of their careers.

The abattoir in question told the BBC that it did not condone animal abuse but one expert believes the footage from cameras installed by campaign group Animal Aid are breaches of the regulations that abattoirs must follow.

The majority of horses seen in the footage captured came from Ireland and were young.

BBC Panorama revealed in the article that three racehorses Gordon Elliot had trained in Meath were among the many Irish horses killed at the abattoirs.

The trainer, who is currently suspended after a photo of him on a phone call sitting atop a dead horse was made public, told Panorama that none of the horses were sent to the abattoir by him.

He stated to the BBC that the horses were not under his care when they were killed.

Elliot said to the BBC that two of them were given to a horse dealer to be “rehomed if possible, and if not, to be humanely euthanised” and gave the third horse to another rider as requested by its owner.

He noted that the first time he learned of their fate was when Panorama contacted him and that he has ensured the appropriate and proper treatment and welfare of animals that have been in his possession and has rehomed a substantial number of them.

Animal Aid’s cameras captured multiple instances of apparent regulation breaches, including horses being killed in sight of each other and being shot from a distance.

Horse Racing Ireland said it placed great importance on the welfare of the people and horses in the industry, when asked by the BBC

The British Horseracing Authority said to Panorama that it has a commitment to improving already high standards of care for racehorses and that it has demonstrated that.

The BHA said it would “consider carefully any issues raised” by the Panorama programme.

Dene Stansall of Animal Aid said to the BBC that he can understand why so many people are interested in horse racing.

“[But] because of the poor welfare record, the number of horses dying and being killed in slaughterhouses, I can no longer support that – and I think a lot of the public would feel the same way.”

Panorama: The Dark Side of Horse Racing is on BBC One on Monday at 20:30 and is available on the BBC iPlayer after it is broadcast

Man Utd in ‘advanced negotiations’ with Saul Niguez’s agent

Manchester United are looking to bolster their midfield with highly acclaimed Athletico Madrid player, Saul Niguez according to journalist Frances Aguilar

We are only two months into the transfer window and Man United already been very busy. The Reds have signed Jadon Sancho and returned goalkeeper Tom Heaton to the club.

The club have also been in talks with Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane and have shown they want to bring Kieran Trippier back to England.

Now it seems that they want another player from Spain’s capital. Saul has been linked with a move to Manchester for a few years but it appears it will happen in the coming weeks.

How good is Saul Niguez?

The 26-year-old has already collected over 330 caps for Athleti, finding the net 43 times. Last season was his weakest year, only managing 22 starts in the league. This was also reflected in him not being selected in Spain’s squad for Euro 2020.

The strong midfielder stands at 6ft tall and is known for his strength and fitness. He usually plays as a boisterous box-to-box central midfielder that can get into the opponent’s box to score goals.

Even with his poor year last season, by his standards, he would be a great addition to any team.

What does this mean for Manchester United?

The Reds are looking to fill in the gaps in their squad from last season. They will have a new creative winger and a dominant defender, now they need a midfielder that can complement Paul Pogba.

Last year they used Brazilian player, Fred who splits the opinions of many Man Utd fans. Donny Van de Beek seems to also be looking for a way out of the club after a weak first year that saw him with long spells on the bench.

It is hard to see where Scotsman Scott McTominay and veteran Nemanja Matic will fit in if another defensive midfielder joins the club.

It would be interesting to see if this is a move that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants or if it is the owner’s decision. Saul does not seem to be the player that will bring the best out of Pogba like Ngolo Kante did for France this summer.

If this transfer materialises then there is a good chance that this will be another Van de Beek situation.

All the results of the U16 All-Ireland Camogie finals

All the results from the All-Ireland U16 Camogie Finals as Cork faced Kilkenny, Meath played Offaly, Westmeath v Roscommon and Mayo v Wicklow

Cork (2-12) v Kilkenny (2-10), U16A

Cork survived a late scare to grab a record 14th Tesco All-Ireland U16A Camogie title, defeating Kilkenny in a pulsating affair by 2-12 to 2-10 at St Brendan’s Park in Birr.

The Rebels have now secured their second in three seasons, as reward for redoubled efforts at underage level in the Rebel County.

Kilkenny began best with points from Lauren Ronan and Rachel Dowling but Gráinne Finn and Caoimhe Sheehan brought Cork level. The Leesiders moved two ahead when Rose Kelly struck a goal in the 27th minute.

There is no doubt that the next puck-out was the most significant of the game as Cork hit with an identical score a minute later from Fiona Twohig and that gave her side a lead they would never relinquish.

It was 1-8 to 1-6 at the interval and points from Finn and Sinéád Hurley quickly doubled the margin. Kilkenny kept plugging away but Emily O’Donoghue’s goal at the three-quarter mark gave the Reds some vital breathing space.

An O’Donoghue point put five between the sides and though Ronan goaled for the Cats right on the hour, victory would be Cork’s.

 

Meath (9-13) v Offaly (4-12), U16B

The All-Ireland B final was a remarkable, high-scoring affair, Meath coming out on top against Offaly at Kingspan Breffni by 9-13 to 4-12.

The margin of defeat is very tough on the Faithful girls, who were excellent but were unable to handle the goal surge of their opposition, who were more than deserving winners in the end. A tally of 4-12 will win you most games but Meath prevailed, thanks to their nine brilliant goals.

Meath only scored two points in the first half but their six goals had them leading comfortably against what must have been a bewildered Offaly unit, who had scored 1-7 but just could not keep the Royal attackers at bay.

A hat-trick of goals from skipper, Laura Kelly inside ten minutes set the tone, the second a classy, doubled effort, the third, after a tremendous team move and Offaly were always playing catch-up thereafter.

Róisín Kinsella, Gráinne Kennedy and Caoimhe O’Donovan and Amy Sullivan were among the point scorers for Offaly, and Sullivan hit the back of the net but it was non-stop goal action at the other end and there was no way Offaly could hold back the tide. Kelly finished with four majors and Ella O’Brien, Aoife Carey, Anna Foley, and Sarah Bryan raised further green flags as Kerrie Cole supplied so much of the ammunition.

Sullivan was accurate for Offaly, who had Nicola Cleary in outstanding form at centre-back. Molly Hogan drilled two goals and Orla Kilmartin another as the tricolours fought all the way to the final whistle.

 

Westmeath (1-01) v Roscommon (0-03), U16C

A goal from Niamh Keogh in the 58th minute grabbed a dramatic 1-1 to 0-3 victory for Westmeath over neighbours Roscommon in a hard-fought, tense though low-scoring C decider at St Brendan’s Park.

It was only 0-1 apiece at the break, with both sets of defences well on top. In that context, Ava Mulry’s two points seemed to have secured the silverware for the westerners but Keogh’s strike was definitive.

 

Wicklow (3-13) v Mayo (0-03), U16D

The D crown went the way of Wicklow, who were dominant throughout before recording a 3-13 to 0-3 triumph over Mayo at Kingspan Breffni.

The Connacht girls never stopped fighting and were still in touch at half-time, trailing by 0-9 to 0-2, Geri Maye Henry and Laura Flanagan hitting points but they were opened up after the restart, Aoife Campbell supplying a brace of goals and Áine Byrne another, while dual talent Laci Jane Shannon was named player of the match as the honours headed for the Garden County.

All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round 2 Draw – Venues, Start Times, and TV Coverage

Round Two of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers will see Clare take on Cork and Waterford play Galway on Saturday, July 24th.

Following the hurling action at the weekend, the draw was made, which saw Kilkenny and Limerick win the Leinster and Munster provincial titles respectively.

All sides involved in the draw were knocked out of their provincial championships at the quarter-final and semi-final stages.

The draw took place on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.

Two of the sides were in action at the weekend in the first round of the qualifiers, with Cork and Galway starting their journey through the backdoor in round two after losses to eventual Munster champions Limerick and Dublin – the pair were awarded a bye for round one.

Brian Lohan’s Clare progressed to the second round after beating Wexford in a match-up against rival Bainisteoir Davy Fitzgerald at Semple Stadium.

Clare’s squad showed their worth and the Banner had another game in recent history that did not showcase an overreliance on the Championship’s top scorer Tony Kelly.

Cathal Malone, David Reidy, Ryan Taylor and Aidan McCarthy all chipped in with scores throughout the game and Clare’s bench also provided 1-02 for the side.

They will face a Cork side who have been inconsistent in 2021, and with five wins from their last six games, Brian Lohan’s men will be confident of progression.

Waterford earned a date with Galway and a repeat of the 2017 All-Ireland final after a five-point win over preliminary round winners Laois.

Waterford’s fortunes have been up-and-down this season with Liam Cahill and his players struggling to get the side back into the vein of form that saw them reach the All-Ireland final last year.

Galway will play their first game after a shock loss to Mattie Kenny’s Dublin hurlers and will want to bounce back from their defeat.

The Déise will have to be on their A-game to earn a date in the All-Ireland quarter-finals with either Dublin or Tipperary.

All-Ireland Hurling Qualifiers Round Two

Clare v Cork 4:30pm Gaelic Grounds – Sky Sports

Waterford v Galway 2pm – Semple Stadium – Sky Sports

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