Caoimhin Kelleher is reportedly set for a return from injury this weekend after being ruled out of action since last month.
Stephen Kenny confirmed Kelleher is a doubt for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Luxembourg in a Q&A last Thursday. However, an appearance on the bench or otherwise at the weekend would suggest a return to fitness.
Kieren Westwood also started for Sheffield Wednesday yesterday, making a swift return from a rib injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago.
Other than the aforementioned two, there are a handful of other choices available for selection.
Perhaps the most exciting being Gavin Bazunu. The current Rochdale ‘keeper has enjoyed a constructive spell this season while on loan from Manchester City.
The 19-year-old was recently voted as the Supporters’ Player of the Month for February after a string of impressive performances. Form which he has carried into this month, also.
The Irish senior squad is set to be announced on Thursday for the fixtures starting on the 24th of March.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker is currently on loan at Ipswich Town.
It’s been a arduous debut season for Troy Parrott so far. A combination of injury, inconsistent playing time and lack of form have all contributed to a difficult time for the 19-year-old.
His spell at Millwall was particularly underwhelming. He started off well, scoring a handful of goals in pre-season, however an injury kept him out for the start of the league season. After that, he never really got going and his loan spell with The Lions was cut short.
Parrott joined League One side Ipswich Town shortly after his spell at Millwall was terminated and has shown signs of improvement since.
He scored his first goal for the club yesterday in a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle and was awarded man of the match for his display.
Although it wasn’t the best goal he’ll ever score, it exhibited his anticipation and composure in front of goal. He capitalised from a poor crossfield pass from an opposition defender as he intercepted from just outside the 6-yard box before rounding the keeper and slotting coolly into the net.
Prior to his goal yesterday, Parrott had played 9 matches without a goal for Ipswich. However, he was praised for his link-up play and work rate despite his lack of goals.
Now that he’s scored his first goal for the club, could he kick on and emulate the form he displayed at underage level for both club and country?
Dundalk kicked off their League of Ireland season with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup last night.
Dundalk opened the scoring in the 42nd minute through new signing and Faroese international Sonni Nattestad. The towering 6’6 centre back made his presence known by scoring a bullet header into the back of the net from a corner.
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Up until then, the match had been evenly contested with few chances at both ends of the pitch.
Shamrock Rovers got their equaliser just after half time with a Dennis Bergkamp-esque strike from Liam Scales. The Ireland u21 international managed to control a cross which had went slightly behind him, take the ball around his marker with an exquisite touch and strike with perfect technique into the bottom right corner.
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Sonni Nattestad – who scored the opening goal for Dundalk – went from hero to villain in the 59th minute as he was sent off for a late challenge on Graham Burke. The decision by the referee to award a red was controversial, many felt the tackle was a yellow card at most while others felt that Nattestad got the ball. Nevertheless, though, he received his marching orders and left his side to play the remainder of the game with 10 men.
Dundalk showed their defensive resilience and spirit, though, as they held out and reached the full time whistle on level terms despite pressure from Shamrock Rovers.
PENALTY SHOOTOUT
There’s no extra time in the President’s Cup meaning the game was decided by a penalty shootout, which likely favoured Dundalk given their numbers disadvantage.
After a handful of penalties, some of which were missed by Dundalk, Graham Burke had the chance to win the tie for Shamrock Rovers with his opportunity. He, however, blasted over the bar meaning the shootout went to sudden death.
Darragh Leahy stepped up to take the penalty for Dundalk which he scored meaning all the pressure was on Shamrock Rovers to score there.
One of their best players last year and League of Ireland stalwart Roberto Lopes stepped up to take the penalty. However, it was the newcomer Alessio Abibi who had the final say. He produced a strong save from the penalty to cap a brilliant performance and win the cup for Dundalk.
The 2021 league season officially kicks off next Friday. Dundalk travel to The Showgrounds to take on Sligo Rovers. Shamrock Rovers, on the other hand, are at home to St Patrick’s Athletic.
Six Nations 2021 – Scotland v Ireland – Starting team news for what should be a great match, start time is 3pm on Sunday.
Ireland team News
There are three changes to the starting XV from the game against Italy with Keith Earls coming into the back line and Cian Healy and Rob Herring starting up front.
CJ Stander will win his 50th cap when he runs out in green on Sunday afternoon. He made his debut against Wales in 2016 and has notched up 60 points to date for Ireland.
Johnny Sexton captains the side and is again partnered at half-back by Jamison Gibson Park.
Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose line out in midfield while Earls returns to the back three alongside James Lowe and Hugo Keenan.
Up front Healy and Herring are back in the the front row alongside Tadhg Furlong with James Ryan and Iain Henderson again packing down in the second row.
Tadhg Beirne and Will Connors line out alongside Stander in an unchanged back row.
Conor Murray returns from injury to take a place among the replacements alongside Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Billy Burns and Jordan Larmour.
The game is live on Virgin Media (ROI) and BBC (NI) and kicks off at 3.00pm on Sunday afternoon. You can also follow all the action in our Scotland v Ireland Live Match Centre – with exclusive content, in-game stats, live updates and more.
IRELAND Team & Replacements (v Scotland, 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championship, BT Murrayfield, Sunday, March 14, kick-off 3pm):
Player/Club/Province/Caps –
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) 9
14. Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 91
13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 33
12. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) 50
11. James Lowe (Leinster) 5
10. Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt) 97
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) 8
1. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 107
2. Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 19
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 47
4. Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster) 61
5. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 34
6. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) 20
7. Will Connors (UCD/Leinster) 8
8. CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 49
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) 9
17. Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 41
18. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) 35
19. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster) 1
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 18
21. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 88
22. Billy Burns (Ulster) 6
23. Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 27
Darren Randolph has been ruled out of Ireland’s upcoming World Cup qualification games against Serbia and Luxembourg, Stephen Kenny has confirmed.
He also revealed that current Liverpool backup keeper Caoimhin Kelleher is a doubt, potentially ruling him out of contention of what would be his first senior international cap.
James McCarthy, Jack Byrne, Kieren Westwood and John Egan are also injured, meaning they’ll be unavailable.
In more positive news, Séamus Coleman has been passed fit for the upcoming fixtures as Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti confirmed his availability for their game against Burnley on the weekend.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
With Randolph, Westwood and Kelleher injured, there aren’t many options to pick from as the first-choice goalkeeper.
In fact, the most experienced option of the lot is Mark Travers. The current Bournemouth goalkeeper made two appearances for the national team in 2019 but hasn’t featured since, mainly due to lack of match time at club level and the presence of Darren Randolph.
Gavin Bazunu is another option and one that would certainly excite many Ireland fans. The 19-year-old goalkeeper has long been considered a top prospect in Ireland despite his age. Bazunu is on loan at Rochdale from Manchester City this season and out of all the realistic choices Ireland have in terms of goalkeepers, he’s arguably in the best form and has played the most games.
That said though, throwing a 19-year-old with no prior involvement in the senior national side into the deep end would be a risk, particularly in games of this magnitude.
Also, if he was to make a mistake leading to a goal, it could be detrimental to his confidence.
Other options that could fill in include Max O’Leary, Jack Bonham, Kieran O’Hara, Rob Elliot and Ian Lawlor.
Darren Randolph ruled out of Ireland’s upcoming World Cup games, according to Stephen Kenny on an Ireland fans Q & A.
AC Milan were the opposition as the sides drew 1-1.
Highly touted Italian/Ivorian prospect Amad Diallo scored his first Manchester United senior goal this evening in a 1-1 draw with AC Milan.
Diallo came on as a substitute at half-time and it didn’t take long for him to make his mark. He latched onto a Bruno Fernandes lofted through ball after a good run and produced a fantastic header which found the back of the net.
He’s known for his quick feet, agility and passing ability but his goal this evening demonstrated his intelligence and off the ball ability, as well.
AC Milan would have been slightly unlucky to end up on the losing side considering their performance. They managed to find the back of the net twice through Rafael Leão and Franck Kessié in the first half, however both goals were disallowed for various reasons.
They managed to get their goal in the end, though, as Simon Kjær scored a bullet header in the dying embers of added time.
The two sides are set to meet next Thursday to play out the second leg which will decide who advances to the quarter finals.
AC Milan will feel confident going into the tie given this evening’s result. They also have the advantage of playing at their home ground, the San Siro.
⏰ RESULTS ⏰
✅ Wins for Villarreal and Ajax
👀 All level in Prague and Manchester
Connacht Rugby has announced 21 contracts, big names include Jack Carty, Ultan Dillane and Finlay Bealham who have signed for another year.
Niall Murray who is sponsored by SportsNewsIRELAND also had his contract extended. In all 19 players from the existing Professional squad have renewed deals for next season while a further two players, Oran McNulty and Cian Prendergast, have been promoted from the Connacht Academy.
Today’s announcement includes four Irish internationals – Finlay Bealham, Jack Carty, Ultan Dillane and Dave Heffernan – while joint-leading Guinness PRO14 try scorer Alex Wootton has signed on a permanent contract having joined on loan from Munster last summer. Quin Roux looks to be the major name that has not signed a contract.
“I am delighted to see so many of our current crop of players sign on for another season. This is still a very challenging time for everyone in Irish Rugby so to have them commit to Connacht Rugby again says it all about the belief we have as a group to continue the progress we’re making.
17 of the 21 players were once part of the Connacht Academy, and in that group we have a mix of established Irish internationals, experienced players within the province and plenty of young players still in the early stages of their careers.
I have been very impressed by Cian Prendergast and Oran McNulty, and their first Professional contracts is the culmination of years of work from grassroots level to where they are now. Congratulations not just to them but their parents, coaches and all the other volunteers who helped them along the way.
We are continuing to shape the squad for next season, with further discussions ongoing, and supporters should expect more positive news in the weeks and months ahead.”
Connacht Rugby’s retention and recruitment remains ongoing and further announcements will be made in due course.
CONFIRMED NEW CONTRACTS FOR 2021-22
Finlay BEALHAM
Paul BOYLE
Denis BUCKLEY
Matthew BURKE
Jack CARTY
Shane DELAHUNT
Ultan DILLANE
Jordan DUGGAN
Conor FITZGERALD
Dave HEFFERNAN
Eoghan MASTERSON
Sean MASTERSON
Oran MCNULTY
Niall MURRAY
Conor OLIVER
John PORCH
Cian PRENDERGAST
Colm REILLY
Peter SULLIVAN
Gavin THORNBURY
Alex WOOTTON
The draws for the 2021/22 UEFA Women’s Under-19 & Under-17 European Championship Qualifying.
In a change to the structure, both competitions will operate in a UEFA Nations League-style format, which will operate as per the following:
Round 1
In each league, groups of 4 teams will play mini-tournaments
The winners of each mini-tournament in League B will be promoted and the last-placed teams in League A mini-tournaments will be relegated.
Round 2
League A Round 2 will replace the current elite round with the winners (and best runner-up) qualifying for the final tournament.
After Round 2, the winners of mini-tournaments in League B will be promoted and the last-placed teams in League A will be relegated for Round 1 of the next edition of the tournament.
Final Tournament hosts
Final tournament hosts will be drawn into a league according to their coefficient and play as any other team throughout the competition. Their place in the final tournament will nevertheless be guaranteed, irrespective of their results.
The new format will ensure more competitive balance because all teams will play against similarly ranked teams while still giving the opportunity to every team to qualify for every final tournament.
In Thursday’s draw, Dave Connell’s Women’s Under-19s were put into Group A5 alongside England, Northern Ireland and Switzerland. A host nation for the qualifiers – which will start in late October – has yet to be decided.
For James Scott’s Women’s Under-17s, it is a trip to Norway to take on the host nation, as well as Bulgaria and Hungary in Group A1 games scheduled to start in early October.
The Czech Republic will host the Women’s Under-19 finals tournament, while the Women’s Under-17 finals will be in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2021/22 UEFA Women’s Under-19 European Championship Qualifying
England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Switzerland
2021/22 UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship Qualifying
Bulgaria, Hungary, Norway, Republic of Ireland
After coming so close to dethroning Dublin in last year’s Championship, Kerry were heavily backed to do so again in 2020. In fact, the shortened Championship went further in Kerry’s favour as the draw would have seen them avoid Dublin until the final. The first round pitted them against old rivals Cork. However, Cork hadn’t beaten the Kingdom since 2012 and despite topping Division 3 easily they were never expected to challenge Peter Keane’s team. As a result, Mark Keane’s 91st minute goal to eliminate Kerry made this one of the biggest upsets in modern times. With that in mind, here are the 5 biggest GAA upsets of the 21st century (excluding Cork vs Kerry last Sunday).
1. 2002, Dublin 2-11 vs 0-10 Meath – Leinster Semi-Final.
It seems like a distant memory now, but Dublin were not always the juggernaut they are now. Meath were very much the county on top of Leinster at the turn of the century. In 2002, Dublin were entering their seventh season without a Leinster title.
In addition, there was not exactly huge expectations from the capital. A mediocre League campaign was followed by a victory over Wexford in the Championship before the Meath fixture.
Previously, Meath had taken apart a Kerry team in 2001 that had beaten Dublin. While it had been 3 years since the Royals won the Sam Maguire, there was still a huge gap between them and Dublin.
But, once the ball was thrown in this Leinster semi-final the Dubs came out firing. Manager Tommy Lyons worked the magic that saw him bring Kilmacud Crokes to Club glory in 1995. It was Ray Cosgrove who led the charge with two goals to sink Meath.
Since then Meath have only won one Leinster final. In contrast, Dublin have only improved. That game very much marked a power shift in Leinster.
2. 2007, Sligo 1-10 vs 0-12 Galway – Connacht Final.
For the longest time Connacht has been dominated by Galway and Mayo with Roscommon joining them in recent years. Hence, when Sligo upset Galway in 2007 it was a huge upset.
The semi-final was a shock in itself. After being six points down in the second half in Dr Hyde Park, the Yeats County won the final twenty minutes by eight to beat Roscommon.
The final went to a fro in the first half. Then, in the 24th minute Eamonn O’Hara found the net for Sligo and by half-time they were two up. In the final 20 minutes Sligo only scored one point but their defence held strong.
The win was their first Connacht title since 1975 and it ruptured the Galway/Mayo trend that had developed in Connacht.
3. 2010, Down 1-16 vs 1-10 Kerry – All-Ireland Quarter-Final.
When Down knocked reigning Champions Kerry out of the Championship at the quarter-final stage in 2010, it was the first time the Kingdom weren’t playing football in September since 2003.
Mark Poland scored the crucial goal for Down as the Ulster side raced into a 1-4 to 0-0 lead. Likewise, Marty Clarke was doing serious damage. Kerry came back somewhat but never really managed to get a foothold in the game. Hence, the upset was more than just Down defeating Kerry. It was the comfort with which they did it.
4. 2011, Tipperary 3-09 vs 1-14 Dublin – All-Ireland Minor Final.
Before Dessie Farrell took charge of the Dublin Seniors this year, he had already been successful with the county at minor and u-21 level. However, the 2011 Minor Final is absent from his CV. In Farrell’s first year in charge of the Dublin minors, they were dramatically beaten in the final by Tipperary.
The Tipperary manager that day was David Power who himself took charge of the seniors this year. Goals from Liam McGrath, Michael Quinlivan, and Colman Kennedy saw the Premier County’s first title in 77 years.
Dublin controlled the final and had a two-point lead going into the final 5 minutes. Then, a quick 1-1 from Tipperary stunned the blues and they couldn’t undo the damage in time. That Dublin team contained Ciarán Kilkenny, John Small, Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and Cormac Costello.
Likewise, many of the Tipperary players that day continued to have successful careers. For example, Michael Quinlivan was influential again in 2017 when Tipperary pulled off another upset against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.
5. 2018, Kildare 0-21 vs 0-19 Mayo – Round 3 Qualifier.
Mayo were the real threat to Dublin’s dominance in the 2010s. The Dubs beat the westerners in the 2011, ’13, ’16, and ’17 finals with 2016 requiring a replay. Furthermore, the sides met in the 2015 semi-final and had to replay that game too. So, when Mayo were knocked out of the 2018 Championship in the third qualifying round, it was huge news and Dublin walked to a fourth All-Ireland on the trot.
‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ was the rally call before this game. The Lilywhites refused to sacrifice their home draw for a Croke Park double-header and the performance justified their fight.
Kildare went toe-toe with Mayo. At the time, Mayo had proven themselves as one of the best teams in the country consistently. However, Kildare’s home advantage helped them rattle off six of the last nine scores to knock Mayo out.
Kildare couldn’t replicate the form in the Super 8s but the absence of Mayo sent shockwaves through the Championship.
In a raft of measures designed to show its commitment to responsible gambling, Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of brands like PaddyPower, Betfair, and SkyBet in Ireland, has announced it will ban all Irish customers from using credit cards to bet from April.
It comes at the same time as, across the Irish Sea, the UK government has announced that all credit card betting will be banned from April 14th.
‘In both cases, the rationale is the same. A significant minority of those identified as having a gambling problem, use credit cards as a principal means of payment. They are regarded as particularly problematic as it encourages people to bet more than they can afford. This is especially true where they have access to more than one card, and there have been instances if individuals racking up thousands in losses.
There is also evidence that holding a credit card encourages a gambler to chase losses.
The Irish online casino guide listed here details what payment methods are commonly accepted by operators, and for those who can no longer use their credit card, there are usually a number of alternatives.
At the same time, Flutter has also announced a ban on live sports advertising before the 9pm watershed – this covers sports like football, tennis, boxing, athletes but excludes horse and greyhound racing,
And to demonstrate their commitment to responsible gambling, Flutter has also committed to giving more money to initiatives devoted to tacking the issue of addiction and harmful behaviours.
They have publicly stated that by, by 2023, 1% of all NGR 9net Gambling Revenue) will e allocated top such programmes.
Cynics might argue that the company can afford it. Flutter enjoyed a bumper year in 2020 thanks to a strong performances in the US and Australian markets, where it added another 450,000 customers, it mirrors the general trend that the global pandemic has been a boon to the online casino business.
Flutter also will be aware that the gaming industry is a traditional easy target for governments looking to raise taxes. Many governments have had to go massively into debt to cope with the pandemic, and they will be looking to fill empty exchequers as a matter of priority.
If they are not seen to be proactive when it comes to problem gamblers, then this could just be the excuse needed to attack them, especially by opportunistic politicians looking for some favourable headlines.
Flutter will also be mindful of what is happening in other European countries. In Belgium for example, online gambling advertising has been banned completely, and live sports events are not allowed to carry ads promoting gaming.
Similarly, in Spain, the only time that adverts can be broadcast for online gaming is between 1 am and 5 am when few people are twitching and there is little live sport on which to bet being played.
Therefore, whilst what Flutter is doing will help address the issue of problem gambling, it is also an entirely pragmatic business decision as well. Seem to be doing something on their terms before somebody takes the power away from them.
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