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Eric Lowndes leaves Dublin panel

Seven-time All-Ireland winner Eric Lowndes has left the Dublin senior panel for the upcoming season.

The St Peregrine’s corner-back made his senior debut for the Dubs in 2014, during their 2014 Allianz League win.

The 27-year-old has been on the fringes of snatching a starting place, but due to Dublin’s great depth, he has struggled for game time under former manager Jim Gavin and more recently under current manager Dessie Farrell.

Lowndes has featured in all of Dublin’s league games this season, playing four and adding another league title to his already glistering senior career, sharing the crown with Kerry.

His departure from the panel was said to have been made clear to the Dublin management team after their Leinster opening victory over Wexford.

However, the defender has not made a championship appearance since last season’s Leinster senior football final against rivals Meath, coming off the bench.

His last championship start goes back even further, with his last inclusion in the starting 15 being against Tyrone back in 2019 in a Super 8 tie in Omagh.

Part of the Dublin minor side that captured the All-Ireland in 2012, alongside the likes of current senior players Jack McCaffrey and Ciarán Kilkenny, Lowndes also was a respected hurler for his county, winning two Leinster Minor titles back to back from 2011 to 2012.

This news will be a blow to Dessie Farrell and his side, as many of Dublin’s go-to defenders are set for late fitness tests against Meath in Sunday’s Leinster semi-final.

Alongside Lowndes, the team from the capital have seen senior departures from Cian O’Sullivan, Paddy Andrews, Michael Darragh MacAuley and reports of goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton still up in the air, the level of insecurity within the Dublin panel is yet to be put to rest by Farrell and his backroom staff.

 

 

Limerick prepared for new penalty rule and fullback Mike Casey injured

Limerick manager John Kiely has reviewed the new penalty rule with his team ahead of clash with Tipperary. Speaking to Michael Moynihan of the Irish Examiner, he also said that full-back Mike Casey will miss the Munster final

The hurling world has been very confused since a controversial moment in the Munster Senior hurling semi-final between Tipperary and Clare.

At a pivotal moment in last week’s game, Clare’s Aidan McCarthy slide tackled Tippman Jake Morris near the side-line of the 21-yard line. The new rule allows the referee to use their own opinion to decide the severity of a foul near the goals.

The referee that day, James Owens believed that it was a clear goal-scoring chance and awarded Tipperary a penalty while the Clare defender was sin-binned.

This view incensed many viewers and pundits who thought there were enough Clare defenders back to stop a goal. The Limerick boss Kiely agrees with this view after he was at the game in the Gaelic Grounds.

He has decided that the best way to deal with the rule is to prepare his side so that the same incident will not happen to them.

“I think all our cards have been marked at this stage, and nothing will be a surprise to us going forward. I think we’ll have to be careful and not be inviting trouble on ourselves. Hopefully, that’ll be the case,” Kiely said to the Examiner.

 

Former Limerick hurler Shane Dowling spoke on the incident as well and he believes that there should be more assistance for referees in these cases.

Although the implementation of a VAR-like system would have its critics, Dowling thinks it would really help referees in this very high-paced sport.

“Referees are going to make mistakes but if they have that bit of help it will take that extra pressure off them and ensure that any big calls that are going to be made will be made in the right way,” he said while speaking to BoyleSports’s Leon Blanche.

Mike Casey injury

The Munster Hurling final between Tipperary and Limerick will throw-in at 16:15 on Sunday, 18th July in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Limerick’s sole injury is to full-back, Mike Casey. The hurler recently recovered from an ACL injury but has received a different injury to the same knee.

Although the injury is not as serious as first believed, he will still miss out on the final on Sunday.

Connacht Final to take place in Croke Park

The Connacht Final between Mayo and Galway will now take place in Croke Park to accommodate more fans.

Sunday week’s Connacht SFC final was due to take place at Elvery’s MacHale Park, with Mayo having home advantage.

Now, the reigning Connacht champions have given up home advantage for their clash with their long-time rivals.

Connacht GAA has decided to avail the decision for extra capacity.

It means over 18,000 supporters of Mayo and Galway followers will be able to watch the game in the capital.

Mayo’s win over Leitrim in the Connacht SFC semi-final held in Castlebar had a 3,000 seater capacity.

After announcing the change of venue, Connacht Council said;

“Following a meeting of the Connacht GAA Management Committee (Tuesday) evening, the decision has been taken to stage the Connacht Senior Football Final between Mayo and Galway on Sunday the 25th July in Croke Park.

“Due to current Covid restrictions, had the game been held in Elvery’s MacHale Park the crowd would only have been 3,600 so the game has been moved to Croke Park to accommodate 18,000 supporters on the day.”

The news comes as a surprise for many, with this being the first time that a Connacht football final will be played outside the province of Connacht.

After 8,000 supporters were able to attend last Saturday’s two Leinster Hurling Championship semi-finals at Croke Park, the biggest crowd in Ireland since COVID-19.

The return of an extra 10,000 fans gives hope for later games when the All-Ireland series comes around in the coming weeks.

The fixture change has been confirmed by Connacht GAA for a 1:30 start on Sunday afternoon.

Mayo defeated both Leitrim and Sligo in their last outings, hammering both in one-sided affairs to book their place in Sunday week’s decider. While Galway overcame Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park in their semi-final.

 

 

 

Golfer DeChambeau responds to claims of a spat with Brooks Koepka

Bryson DeChambeau has been in the tabloids a lot lately and all for the wrong reasons. First, he had to deny claims that he does not shout ‘Fore’ when his wayward shot goes into a crowd and now, he is against the idea of a feud with Brooks Koepka.

Many viewers and pundits have shown their disappointment towards DeChambeau for how he didn’t appear to shout the warning term ‘Fore’ when a few of his shouts landed in a crowd of people at the US Open last month.

Ireland’s Gary Murphy branded this behavior as “disgraceful” and not good for the sport. For more about this incident click here.

Speaking at Royal St George’s yesterday ahead of the Open, the world number six insisted that he does shout fore on almost every time.

“I do shout fore. I don’t know what you’re talking about. There are plenty of people on the tee-box that do shout fore,” said DeChambeau.

“You’re bringing up a very controversial thing, which is unfortunate, but 99% of the time I do, and unfortunately people think I don’t. But that’s okay, they can say whatever they want.”

 

The Brooks v DeChambeau fued

Fellow American golfer Brooks Koepka also made claims about a public spat with DeChambeau.

Koepka believes that the golfer had broken an agreement not to criticize each other in public or to the media.

DeChambeau responded to the claims by saying that he does not understand what Koepka is talking about, preferring to focus on his golfing.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about in that regard, maybe that’s on me, maybe I didn’t, I really don’t remember anything about that.

“I’m just here to play golf and focus on that. If we keep bantering back and forth, obviously being respectful and keeping lines where they aren’t getting crossed, yeah, I think it’s fun and a good environment for people in golf.”

The pair are set to be teammates for the Ryder Cup in September where they plan to reclaim the trophy from Padraig Harrington’s European team.

U20 Football Preview: Down v Fermanagh – Live Scores, Team News, Betting

Here is all the information you will need to know for the Ulster u20 Football semifinal between Down and Fermanagh

Throw in for this match will be at 20:00 on Friday, 16th July in the Athletic Grounds.

Down look to be a very strong side after thrashing a poor Cavan side, scoring 2-17 in the match.

Their goalkeeper has shown his class as well, keeping a clean sheet and coming up the field to score two frees and two 45s.

Fermanagh also had a very comfortable victory over Antrim by nine points. They have shown their class in front of goal, hitting the back of the net twice.

Corner forward Conor Love managed six points from play in the game and will want to get on the score sheet on Friday.

 

Predicted Starting 15

Down

Smyth (GK); T. Fettes, S. Campbell, P. McCarthy; T. Smyth, P. McMullan, R. Magill; A. Morgan, T. Close; D. Magill, S. Johnston, J. McGovern; A. Gilmore, E. Brown, R. O’Hare.

Fermanagh

McNally (GK); A. Jones, J. Horan, M. Flanagan; J. Largo-Elis, A. McManus, R. McHugh; J. McDade, J. McDade; F. O’Brien, T. Keenan, J. Largo-Elis; R. McCaffrey, D. McBrien, C. Love.

 

Betting

Down 1/10

Draw 14/1

Fermanagh 13/2

 

Score Prediction

Both sides faced poor teams in the quarter-finals and showed their quality to create scores.

Down seemed to be the more capable and tenacious side and should have the edge over Fermanagh on Friday. Expect Down to take the win in a close tie only separated by a few points.

2020 Minor Football Final – Derry v Kerry – Starting News, Live Scores & TV Coverage

All-Ireland Minor Football 2020 Final – Derry v Kerry – Bord Na Mona O’Connor Park – 1:00 pm – TG4

Kings from the Kingdom dominate

16-time All-Ireland Minor football champions Kerry will go head to head in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final this Sunday at 1.00 pm live on TG4.

The Kingdom is coming into this match after coming out victorious against 4-time Connacht winners Roscommon in the All-Ireland Minor semi-final last Sunday.

Far from dull, the game itself saw Kerry come out 11 points victors, with a score of 3-21 to 2-13 at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.

The standouts from a Kerry point-of-view is their forward line. With Cian McMahon scoring 1-5, along with Keith Evans and Darragh O’Sullivan who scored 1-4.

Dazzling in front of goal, possession and won the midfield battle from the start.

Looking out of sorts at times with Roscommon’s kicking game but made up for that by making the Rossie’s give possession back to Kerry from their own kick-outs.

They booked their place in the final with style.

Derry’s youngsters impress

Derry, on the other hand, had a much tougher game on their hands with their 7-point victory over Leinster outfit Meath at Páirc Esler in County Down last Saturday.

Winning by a score-line of 1-14 to 1-7, Derry looked promising throughout, with midfield commander Dan Higgins and half-forward Matthew Downey playing blinders on their way to a gracious victory.

Downey scored an impressive 8 points and was the main factor in his side’s victory alongside Higgins, who won every ball and played without fear throughout.

Both teams coming into this game have only one competitive game between them since Christmas time and looking like not an ounce of fitness has diminished, it will be a close encounter.

The last time these two sides met in an All-Ireland Minor football Final was all the way back in 2017 when Kerry dismantled Derry with a score of 6-17 to 1-8, with David Clifford scoring 4-4.

The Oak-Leaf County will be hoping to redeem that embarrassing loss with a win here, to make it their first minor win since 2002.

While Kerry is looking to add their 17th minor title and their first since 2018 after defeating Galway.

Conclusion

For a neutral, it is a hard game to call, both teams have shown how capable they are when on form, boasting great young players and have a willingness to attack.

From past games of this calibre, Kerry is the obvious option to favour heading into Sunday’s final.

Having already beaten Derry before in a final, they know what it takes, and have an overall much more talented side than Derry.

The Munster side usually shows up for games like these and expect nothing different here.

Prediction: Kerry by 4 points

Predicted Teams – Subject to Change

Derry
  1. Kian McGonigle
  2. Adam McGonigle
  3. Eoin McEvoy
  4. Connor Shiels
  5. Donncha Gilmore
  6. Patrick McGurk
  7. Lee Brady
  8. Dan Higgins
  9. Patrick O’Kane
  10. Mark Doherty
  11. Matthew Downey
  12. Jody McDermott
  13. Charlie Diamond
  14. Lachlan Murray
  15. Niall O’Donnell
Kerry
  1. Sean Broderick
2. Cian O’Donoghue
3. Joey Nagle
4. Dara O’Callaghan
5. Paudie O’Leary
6. Armin Heinrich
7. Killian O’Sullivan
8. Caolan O Conaill
9. Oisin Maunsell
10. Keith Evans
11. William Shine
12. Thomas O’Donnell
13. Cian McMahon
14. Cian Foley
15. Darragh O’Sullivan

Hurling – Laois v Waterford – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting &; TV Coverage

All-Ireland SHC Qualifiers Round 1 – Laois v Waterford – UMPC Nowlan Park – 2:00 pm – GAAGO

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORE COMMENTARY ON LAOIS V WATERFORD

Laois and Waterford will go head to head in Round 1 of the All-Ireland Championship Qualifiers at the UMPC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny in the second championship Qualifier live on GAAGO.

Waterford had a successful league campaign, finishing second from Division 1 Group A, only behind Galway.

Their opponents, Laois endured a drastically different league run compared to Waterford, finishing bottom on their Division 1 Group B, playing 5 and losing 5. Having a points difference of -54 in the process.

In the two sides last game, Laois were played off the park in the Leinster quarter-final loss to Wexford, losing 5-31 to 1-23 in a 20-point margin.

Waterford on the other hand, came up just short against Clare in the Munster quarter-final tie, losing 1-22 to 0-21 in a 4 point winning margin.

The winner of this game will end up facing Galway in round 2 of the qualifiers on the 24th of July.

Conclusion

Coming into this game, there is only one team I consider favourites to progress further in the championship and that is Waterford.

Not a bad team by any stretch of the imagination, but they will be facing a rather poor Laois side, who were awful during the league and looked out of their depth against Wexford.

Losing against Clare by 4 points is not an embarrassment, and they should make a statement by dismantling Laois by some margin.

They will then go on to face off against Galway, who before their shock loss to Dublin, were favourites for the Leinster title.

Prediction: Waterford by 12 points

Predicted Teams – Subject to Change

Laois
  1. Enda Rowland
  2. Lee Cleere
  3. Sean Downey
  4. Donnchadha Hartnett
  5. Stephen Maher
  6. Ciaran McEvoy
  7. Ryan Mullaney
  8. Fiachra C Fennell
  9. Jack Kelly
  10. Paddy Purcell
  11. Charles Dwyer
  12. Ciaran Collier
  13. PJ Sculley
  14. Willie Dunphy
  15. Ross King
Waterford
  1. Billy Nolan
  2. Shane Fives
  3. Conor Gleeson
  4. Shane McNulty
  5. Calum Lyons
  6. Iarlaith Daly
  7. Kevin Moran
  8. Austin Glesson
  9. Darragh Lyons
  10. Peter Hogan
  11. Jack Fagan
  12. Stephen Bennett
  13. Dessie Hutchinson
  14. Shane Bennett
  15. Jack Prendergast

Betting

Laois: 14/1

Waterford: 1/50

Draw: 33/1

Shamrock Rovers Win On Night But Fail To Progress

Shamrock Rovers ran out 2-1 winners in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round tie against Slovan Bratislava but were knocked out of the competition, losing 3-2 on aggregate.

Stephen Bradley’s side needed to overturn a two-goal deficit but failed to progress in front of their fans in Tallaght Stadium.

Rovers started on the backfoot with Bratislava getting the early chances courtesy of Ezekiel Henty but came into the game quickly with Danny Mandriou offering creative ability between the lines.

Graham Burke slotted home a 15th-minute penalty to fuel the belief inside the stadium after being brought down inside the box.

Gary O’Neill, who played Burke through for his chance, was a figure of inspiration in the opening half for Rovers, who prioritised attack throughout the game.

Bratislava struggled to get a foothold after their first 10 minutes and went in at half-time looking very beatable.

Rovers came out in the second half playing with the same intent and came close several times in the first 15 minutes of the half.

Bratislava attempted to sit back and snuff out any chances when Rovers players were in advanced positions but Richie Towell found a way through the sea of dark blue to level the tie.

However, less than ten minutes later, Vladimir Weiss (son and namesake of Slovan Bratislava manager Vladimir Weiss) grabbed the winning goal of the tie and sealed Rovers’ fate.

Shamrock Rovers centre-back Roberto Lopes claimed that he was fouled in the build-up

Lopes came closest to an equaliser but it wasn’t to be for Bradley’s league champions, who brought Aaron Greene on to freshen legs in the attack.

They will now be placed into the draw for the UEFA Europa Conference League Third Qualifying Round having been granted a bye.

The draw will take place next Monday.

Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Joey O’Brien (Sean Hoare 81), Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn, Richie Towell (Aaron Greene 84), Gary O’Neill (Dylan Watts 72), Danny Mandroiu, Liam Scales; Rory Gaffney, Graham Burke.

Slovan Bratislava: Adrián Chovan; Jurij Medveděv, Guram Kashia, Vasil Bozhikov, Vernon De Marco; David Hrnčár (Aleksandar Čavrić 59), Jaba Kankava, Joeri de Kamps (Myenty Abena 90), Rafael Ratão (Jaromír Zmrhal 82); Vladimír Weiss (Alen Mustafić 90); Ezekiel Henty (Rabiu Ibrahim 59).

Social media post sees the departure of CEO Bernard O’Byrne

Bernard O’Byrne is stepping down from his role as CEO and Secretary General of Basketball Ireland with immediate effect. The joint decision has been made by Mr. O’Byrne and the Basketball Ireland Board, to help the organisation move forward following a recent social media post by Mr. O’Byrne from a personal account.

Basketball Ireland chairman, Paul McDevitt, said: “I am very disappointed that Bernard is retiring under these circumstances. We know that the basketball community and beyond has felt particularly let down over the last few days and we will continue to listen to and address any concerns that are raised. Basketball Ireland takes a zero tolerance stance on any form of discrimination, and diversity and inclusion are key pillars in our sport.

“Bernard’s comment on social media was unacceptable. It has subsequently cast him in an unfavourable light, which is very unfortunate as over the last decade he has been a driving force within the basketball community in Ireland in addressing bullying and negative attitudes regarding gender, sexuality and race. His brief lapse in judgement does not reflect the person I know, nor Basketball Ireland as an organisation.”

Mr. O’Byrne stated: “While I am hugely disappointed that this is how my decade with Basketball Ireland has ended, I understand that stepping down is in the best interests of the sport. I am deeply apologetic over the hurt caused by my remark and I am fully cognisant of the struggles with discrimination that many people are having to deal with in day-to-day life. My comment was an off-the-cuff, extremely ill-judged attempt at humour based on wordplay only, that was never intended to be racially insensitive or make light of  organisations which have done so much to help raise awareness of inclusion and discrimination.”

Mr. O’Byrne joined Basketball Ireland in 2011. During his tenure he helped clear the organisation’s legacy debt of €1.2m. In the last five years playing membership has increased by 66% to over 30,000 in 227 clubs, while more than 800 schools now participate in the sport. In 2019 he became the first Basketball Ireland representative to be elected to the FIBA Europe Board, in recognition of his stature in European basketball. The Basketball Ireland Board thanked Mr. O’Byrne for his significant contribution to the organisation and administration of Irish basketball throughout the country and internationally.

Mr. O’Byrne added, “I wish the Basketball Ireland community the very best for the future and hope they continue the impressive work and achievements that I have had the honour to assist with during the last 10 years.”

Connacht U20 Football Result – Mayo win 7-6 on penalties against Galway

All-Ireland champions Galway once again played Mayo in the U20 Connacht championship, it went to penalties again, but this time Mayo came up out on top 7-6.

  • 1′

    (G) Nathan Granger – Scores – Galway 1-0 Mayo (M) Jack Mahon – Scores – Galway 1-1 Mayo (G) Tony Gill – Scores – Galway 2-1 Mayo (M) Dempsey – Scores – Galway 2-2 Mayo (G) Tomo Culhane – Scores – Galway 3-2 Mayo (M) Conall Dempsey – Scores – Galway 3-3 Mayo (G) Warren Seoige – Saved – Galway 3-3 Mayo (M) Paddy Heenan – Saved – Galway 3-3 Mayo (G) McLoughlan – Scores – Galway 4-3 Mayo (M) McHale – Scores – Galway 4-4 Mayo (G) Granger – Scores – Galway 5-4 Mayo (M) Jack Mahon – Scores – Galway 5-5 Mayo (G) Tomo Culhane – Scores – Galway 6-5 Mayo (M) Conall Dempsey – Scores – Galway 6-6 Mayo (G) Tony Gill – Saved – Galway 6-6 Mayo (M) Conor Flynn – Scores – Galway 6-7 Mayo

     
  • 1′

    Nathan Granger – Scores – Galway 1-0 Mayo

     
  • 24′

    Penalties to come

     
  • 20′

    Two minutes injury time for a start of penalties if there is no score

     
  • 19′

    Mayo black card – Conor Reid

     
  • 14′

    Dempsey hits a horrible 45\’, drops shot and Mayo get a free. It\’s all level

     
  • 12′

    Wides up to a massive 28

     
  • 10′

    Galway lead 1-08 to 0-10 at half time of extra time

     
  • 10′

    Dempsey has a horror free kick that goes miles wide

     
  • 7′

    Galway down to 14 after a black card

     
  • 9′

    Dempsey gets Mayo within a point

     
  • 3′

    Dempsey with a nice free for Mayo

     
  • 2′

    Granger makes no mistakes as he slots a very soft penalty

     
  • 1′

    Penalty for Galway, Tomo Culhane is pulled back.

     
  • 1′

    Extra time gets underway at 8:36 pm

     
  • 67′

    Into 20min of extra time, should be starting around 8:35pm

     
  • 65′

    Poor wide by Conor Reid, three great chances missed by Mayo to win the match

     
  • 64′

    How did Frank Irwin not score, he could have had a mark but played on and failed to score

     
  • 63′

    Jack Mahon gets a mark but kicks it miles wide

     
  • 62′

    Deep into injury time, looks like we will be going to extra time

     
  • 59′

    Its level as Galway sub kicks a nice point

     
  • 57′

    Connell Dempsey kicks Mayo ahead

     
  • 56′

    Paddy Henaghan responds and its level once again, exciting few minutes left

     
  • 55′

    Tomo Culhane edges Galway ahead with five minutes to play

     
  • 53′

    All level at the second water break, its Galway 0-06 Mayo 0-06

     
  • 51′

    All level with ten minutes to play

     
  • 44′

    Culhane levels it up, its 6pts each

     
  • 41′

    Dempsey point

     
  • 35′

    Ryan Monaghan with a lovely score

     
  • 33′

    Frank Irwin free levels it up, Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-03

     
  • 30′

    Ten wides in the first half with only five scores. Awful shooting – Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-02 #gaa

     
  • 30′

    Matt Cooley with a score before the break – It’s a very poor first half with only five points scored, Galway 0-03 Mayo 0-02

     
  • 29′

    Tomo Culhane kicks a wide

     
  • 23′

    Frank Irwin free levels it up, its a pretty dire game

     
  • 17′

    Galway 0-02 Mayo 0-01 at the waterbreak

     
  • 11′

    Tomo Culhane with a nice free, Galway lead 0-02 to 0-01

     
  • 7′

    Ultan O Reilly levels it up after 7min

     
  • 3′

    Conall Gallagher opens the scoring

 

Preview –

Below is all the information that you need to know for the U20 Connacht semi-final clash between Galway and Mayo this evening

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORE COMMENTARY AND TO LISTEN LIVE ON U20 FOOTBALL GALWAY V MAYO

The game will throw-in at 19:00 tonight in the Tuam Stadium in Galway. Referee John Gilmartin will take charge of the match.

This will be the first competitive match for both sides this year. They last faced each other in the first round of the 2020 u20 Connacht championship.

On that day, the game was decided by Galway winning the penalty shootout 3-2. The Tribesmen continued to dominate the championship, thrashing Leitrim and Roscommon in Connacht before beating Dublin in the All-Ireland final.

These two sides have controlled Connacht Gaelic football at underage and senior level for the last decade. This has led to a big rivalry forming between the neighboring counties.

Predicted Starting 15

Galway

Mayo

Betting

Galway, as All-Ireland champions, are the favourites with odds of 2/5 to win.

The last time they faced; they went to penalties, so bookies have odds of a draw at 8/1.

Mayo are underdogs with odds of 5/2 to win.

 

Score Prediction

This Mayo side will be keen on revenge after last years loss. With the pedigree in their team and management, it looks like they will overcome the reigning champions this time.

This will be a close, entertaining affair with Mayo claiming victory by only a point or two, it will go down to the wire.

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