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several inter county players set for afl trials
http://34.242.215.239/other_sports/aussie-rules-list-of-irish-players-in-the-afl-2019/
Kerry defeat Mayo in MacHale Park
Kerry defeated Mayo in MacHale Park 1-14 to 1-13 on Sunday. Mayo could have got an undeserving draw only for Keith Higgins late effort to go wide of the posts. Mayo to the credit though were 9 points down at one stage before the break.
Kerry made a dream start to this game with with Sean O’Shea grabbing a goal inside two minutes. They should have had another goal only for David Clifford’s penalty to come back off crossbar on five minutes. Mayo were very slow out of the blocks and it is obviously what cost them this game. Kerry led by 1-08 to 0-02 with 32 minutes played. Gavin White, Dara Moynihan, Tony Brosnan, Michael Burns and David Clifford (2) all raising white flags for Peter Keane’s side. Tom Parsons would get a Mayo point, there only score from play in the opening half. The gap was 1-08 to 0-04 at the break as Kevin McLoughlin tagged on two points for the hosts.
The second half was a different game altogether. James Horan obviously gave his side a stern dressing down at the interval. He brought on Eoin O’Donoghue, Eoghan McLaughlin and Tommy Conroy. All made an impact in the game to be fair. Mayo kicked four points in a row with Diarmuid O’Connor (2), Ryan O’Donoghue and Eoghan McLaughlin. Kerry did respond with scores from Sean O’Shea and David Clifford. Eoghan McLaughlin intercepted a pass from goalkeeper Shane Ryan before he found Aidan O’Shea who played the ball to McLaughlin to finish to the net.
Kevin McLoughlin kicked a long range free with four minutes into added time. There was still a chance for Mayo to tie up the game. The win now means Peter Keane’s side are still in contention of making another league final. They travel to Monaghan in two weeks time. Mayo will face Galway in Salthill also in two weeks time and they will need a win there if they are to avoid relegation.
Kerry: S Ryan; G O’Sullivan, T Morley, T O’Sullivan; P Murphy, S Enright, G White (0-01); D O’Connor, J Barry (0-01); M Burns (0-01), S O’Shea (1-04, 3fs), T Walsh; D Moynihan (0-01), D Clifford (0-03), T Brosnan (0-01).
Subs used: S O’Brien (0-01) for Burns (50mins); P Geaney (0-01) for Walsh (53mins); G Crowley for G O’Sullivan (63mins); K Spillane for Moynihan (65mins); L Kearney for Brosnan (72mins).
Mayo: D Clarke; J McCormack, O Mullin, L Keegan;, S Coen, K Higgins, P Durcan; A O’Shea (0-01), T Parsons (0-01); K McLoughlin (0-03, 2fs), D O’Connor (0-02, 2fs), J Durcan; J Flynn, D Coen (0-01, 1f), R O’Donoghue (0-01).
Subs used: E O’Donoghue (0-01) for Parsons (HT); E McLaughlin (1-01) for J Durcan; T Conroy (0-01) for D Coen (HT); P Towey (0-01, 1f) for Flynn (71mins).
Wexford hammer Carlow by 21 points
Wexford put in a stunning performance to hammer Carlow by 21 points ,2-29 to 1-11 at Wexford Park on Sunday. Davy Fitzgerald’s side are in the quarter-finals. A Dublin win in Clare would have meant they would have progressed to the semi-finals but it wasn’t to be.
Wexford were quick of the blocks and took control early in the game. It was 0-07 to 0-00 after 13 minutes. Rory O’Connor (3), Liam Og McGovern, Jack O’Connor, Aidan Nolan and Harry Kehoe all pointing. However, Carlow would hit 1-03 to claw the game back to 0-07 to 1-03. David English landed a long ball into the box which was forced to the net by Diarmuid Byrne. Wexford though with all-star Diarmuid O’Keeffe knocked over a brace of points. Referee Colum Cunning then brandished 5 yellow cards after a scuffle between both sets of players. Wexford’s Rory O’Connor registered a goal for Wexford with a low free to the net on the cusp of half time. Wexford leading 1-13 to 1-06 at the break.
Wexford were coasting on the resumption and raced into a 1-17 to 1-07 lead. Things were made even easier for Wexford when Eddie Byrne was sent off on a second yellow card on 47 minutes. Paul Morris was introduced by Davy and his impact was instant. He knocked over 6 unanswered points in a 10 minute spell to give Wexford a 1-22 to 1-08 lead. Wexford sealed the win with another goal. Ger Coady blocked down Cathal Dunbar, however Coady’s attempted clearance was blocked into the net by Diarmuid O’Keeffe.
Wexford: James Lawlor; Shane Reck, Liam Ryan, Simon Donohoe (0-1); Conal Flood (0-2), Pádraig Foley, Matthew O’Hanlon; Diarmuid O’Keeffe (1-2), Aidan Nolan (0-2); Jack O’Connor (0-3), Conor McDonald (0-1), Liam Óg McGovern (0-1); Mikey Dwyer (0-1), Harry Kehoe (0-2), Rory O’Connor (1-6, 0-5 frees).
Subs: Paul Morris (0-7, 4 frees) for R O’Connor (41); Shaun Murphy for Foley (44); Cathal Dunbar (0-1) for Kehoe (55); Seamus Casey for J O’Connor (62); Gary Molloy for McDonald (67).
Carlow: Damien Jordan; Michael Malone, Paul Doyle, Michael Doyle; Alan Corcoran, David English, Gary Bennett; Seán Whelan, Aaron Amond; Jack Kavanagh, Diarmuid Byrne (1-1), Jon Nolan; Ted Joyce (0-1), Edward Byrne, Chris Nolan (0-8, 6 frees).
Subs: John Michael Nolan (0-1) for J Kavanagh (35+2); Ciarán Whelan for D Byrne (HT); Kevin McDonald for S Whelan (46); Cathal Tracey for J Nolan (49); Ger Coady for Corcoran (52); Jason O’Neill for English (61).
Tipperary beat Waterford in Thurles
Tipperary beat Waterford in Thurles on Sunday 0-24 to 2-16 in the Allianz Hurling League. There were three players sent off in the game in the space of 9 minutes. Kevin Moran and Austin Gleeson for Waterford and Cathal Barrett for Tipperary were the recipients of the red cards.
Gleeson picked up the red card on 30 minutes. It was a double yellow. Kevin Moran followed him to the dugout shortly after an off the ball incident. Cathal Barrett was sent off in stoppage time of the first half for a high challenge on Dessie Hutchinson. Tipperary made a bright start to the game knocking over three of the first five points. However, corner forward Peter Hogan netted on 10 minutes to give Liam Cahills side a 1-02 to 0-03 lead.
Stephen O’Keeffe had to be at his best to deny goalscoring opportunities from John and Noel McGrath. However, Silvermines man Jason Forde kept Tipperary in touch. In fact the All-Ireland reeled off 5 points in a row. Forde would end the half with 0-08, four of these came from 65’s. Then came 9 minutes of madness. Sean Stack sent off Austin Gleeson on a second yellow card after an awkward pull on Cian Darcy. Kevin Moran was then dismissed after jabbing Jason Forde with the hurley. Waterford certainly up against it. However, on the stroke of half time Cathal Barrett was sent off after he lashed out on Dessie Hutchinson. Tipperary down to 14 now to Waterford’s 13. Tipperary took a 0-14 to 1-08 lead at the break. Waterford would also have the wind in the second period.
Liam Sheedy speaks to #GAABEO after Tipperary come out on top after their clash with Waterford #GAA #TG4 pic.twitter.com/iEzbL91I8P
— GAA BEO TG4 (@GAA_BEO) March 1, 2020
Padraic Maher extended Tipperary’s lead with his second point of the game. However, he dropped a ball at the other end allowing Waterford in for their second goal. Stephen Bennett was the player to sneak in to finish to the net. Jamie Barron had the sides level with 53 minutes played. Tipperary pushed clear once more though with Forde proving accurate from frees, while Seamus Callanan and Niall O’Meara registered points.
Dillion Quirke was super for the Premier registering 0-04 in a man of the match performance. Waterford were proving wasterful with 16 wides. In fact Pauric Mahony had 9 of those. Jason Forde knocked over a free, Seamus Callanan pointed as did Jake Morris who seen out the Tipperary win.
Tipperary: B Hogan; A Flynn, R Maher, C Barrett (0-01); B McGrath, P Maher (0-02), B Heffernan; M Breen, P Cadell; J Forde (0-05 65s, 0-04fs), S Callanan (0-02), N O’Meara (0-01); N McGrath (0-01), J McGrath (0-01), D Quirke (0-04).
Subs: B O’Meara for B McGrath (42), J Morris for Breen (49), C Darcy (0-01) for J McGrath (58), C Morgan for Flynn (61), P Flynn for O’Meara inj (62), Darcy for J McGrath blood (27-29)
Waterford: S O’Keeffe; K Power, S McNulty, C Prunty; S Ryan, A Gleeson, K Moran (0-01); J Barron (0-02), C Gleeson (0-01); J Fagan, P Mahony (0-07 (0-06fs), M Kearney; P Hogan (1-02), S Bennett (1-01), Dessie Hutchinson (0-01).
Subs: C Lyons for Ryan inj (22), J Prendergast for Fagan (55), D Lyons for Power (58), N Montgomery (0-01) for Hutchinson (60), P Curran for Hogan (67)
What You Should Know About FA Cup Trophy
If you are a footballer in England, especially a professional one, you are surely dreaming of playing a game at Wembley Stadium. But if you don’t play for top-tier clubs, the only chance for that might be FA Trophy.
This unique competition marked 50 years of existence in 2019, which is why we decided to dedicate an entire article to it. Our guide includes basic FA Trophy information, as well as interesting details from its history.
How Did the Competition Start?
The full name of the competition is The Football Association Challenge Trophy, but we all know it as FA Trophy. Its history started in 1969 when the FA decided to start a new tournament designed only for non-league clubs.
Over time, the competition proved to be a success. Today, it is open to clubs playing in the first for tiers of the National League System, which includes the National League and its subdivisions, as well as the Northern Premier League, Southern Leagues, Isthmian League, and their subdivisions.
You can even bet on the outcomes on these matches as reputable bookies include them to their offer. But if you are a player, that might not be a wise move. Instead, you can play games in an online casino. According to the Platinum Play Review, you can try slots, roulette, live games, and take advantage of great bonuses available on this platform.
Wembley Stadium Was Always the First Choice for the Final Game
The Football Association wanted to make a fuss about the competition from the start. Thanks to the great support of the governing body, the FA Trophy final was always the first choice for the final game.
All final matches, except for three replays, had been played on the original Wembley. Once the time came for its reconstruction in 2000, the FA moved the final matches to Villa Park. The Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) was the host of a single final in 2006 before the new Wembley Stadium became eligible in 2007.
And if you were wondering, the other stadiums where replays of the final match took place included The Hawthorns (home of West Bromwich Albion F.C.) and Victoria Ground (Stoke City used to play there).
Only One Club from Those Who Won Three Trophies Is Still Active
At this moment, a total of 33 clubs had the privilege to win at least a single FA Trophy. Ten of them won the cup on two occasions, and only three teams were the winners three times. The list includes Telford United, Woking, and Scarborough.
The interesting thing is that only Woking is still active from those clubs. Telford United won their last trophy in 1989, and they are considered to be the most successful FA Trophy club because they also lost two finals. Unfortunately, the club was forced to shut down the club fifteen years later. The supports established a successor to the club called AFC Telford United.
Scarborough shared a similar destiny, except this club was dissolved in 2007. It was exactly three decades after they won their last FA Trophy.
The Biggest Attendance Occurred in 2007
Unfortunately, an FA Trophy match still hasn’t managed to fill the entire capacity of the New Wembley Stadium. The closest to that was in 2007 when Stevenage Borough beat Kidderminster Harriers 3:2. The exact attendance was 53,262 spectators, and that is still the record of the competition.
It is interesting to note that it was one of the best matches in the history of the finals. Kidderminster had a big lead at halftime, but Stevenage scored three goals in the second half to win the cup.
Here are some other interesting facts about the competition:
- Macclesfield Town was the first club ever to lift the FA Trophy cup.
- Scarborough won all three trophies between 1973 and 1977.
- Woking, Scarborough, Kingstonian, and Grays Athletic are the only teams who won the FA Trophy consecutively. Nobody ever won it more than two times in a row.
- The famous manager Martin O’Neill won two trophies with Wycombe Wanderers.
List of gaelic players set to miss 2020 season
We have the list of GAA players set to miss the 2020 Gaelic Football and Hurling season due to leaving the country or injury.
ULSTER
Antrim – Ryan Murray (Travelling), Matthew Fitzpatrick (Opted out – Irish Premiership)
Armagh – Ben Crealy*
Cavan – Dara McVeety, Conor Moynagh (Travelling) & Michael Argue, Killian Clarke, Conor Rehill (Opted out)*
Donegal – Odhrán MacNiallais (Opted out)
Fermanagh – Sean Quigley (Opted out)
Monaghan – Stephen O’Hanlon (Opted out)
Tyrone – Connor McAliskey (Opted out)
CONNACHT
Galway – Peter Cooke, Danny Cummins (Travelling)
Leitrim – Michael McWeeney (Travelling)*, Jack Heslin, Gary Plunkett, Noel Plunkett, Cathal McCrann (Opted out)
Roscommon – Diarmuid Murtagh (Opted out)*
Sligo – Niall Murphy (Opted out)
MUNSTER
Clare – Jamie Malone, Sean O’Donoghue (Travelling), Gary Brennan (Opted out).
Cork – Mark White (Travelling)
Kerry – Mark Griffin (Travelling)
Limerick – Darragh Treacy, Sean McSweeney (Travelling)
Tipperary – Josh Keane, Michael Quinlivan (Travelling), Shane O’Connell, Liam Casey, Liam McGrath, Paul Maher & Ben Hyland (Opted out)*
Waterford – Tadhg ó hUllacháin, Shane Aherne, Tommy Prendergast, Shane Ryan, Jack Mullaney & JJ Hutchinson (Opted out)
LEINSTER
Kildare – Ben McCormack, Mark Dempsey, James Murray (Opted out)
Laois – Donie & Paul Kingston (Opted out), Stephen Attride (Travelling)
Longford – Barry McKeon, Conor Berry, Robbie Smyth, James McGivney (Opted out), Darren Quinn, David McGivney, Aidan McElligot, John Keegan (Travelling).
Louth – Andy McDonnell, Jim McEneaney, Anthony Williams & Derek Maguire (Opted out)
Offaly – Peter Cunningham (Opted out – an obligatory tour of duty)
Wexford – Kevin O’Grady, Tiernan Rossiter (Opted out)
Wicklow – Anthony McLoughlin, Conor McGraynor, Patrick O’Connor, Theo Smyth (Opted out)
Tyrone battle to win over Dublin
Tyrone battled to a 1-10 to 1-07 win over Dublin in Omagh on Saturday. In truth the game should have been called off due to the horrendous conditions. But Mickey Harte will be delighted with the win.
Rory Brennan slots home a nice GOAL for @TyroneGAALive pic.twitter.com/vBuaQ3jbkg
— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 29, 2020
Dublin made the perfect start to this game. Colm Basquel sauntered through with a super run through before unleashing an unstoppable effort to the top right corner of Niall Morgan’s goal. However, Mickey Harte’s men settled with scores from Conor Meyler and Rory Brennan. Brian Fenton knocked over a nice score, but it was Dublin only point from play in the opening half.
Liam Rafferty got on the scoreboard after McCurry assisted him. However, the game would be all tied up when Morgan knocked over a long range free from 50 metres with the wind. Dean Rock knocked over a 20 metre free, but Peter Harte knocked over a super score on 33 minutes. Tyrone could have had a goal when Rafferty hit the crossbar. The score at the break 0-5 to 1-02. There was some unsavoury scenes in the tunnel with both sides engaging in a scuffle which didn’t look great from first viewing.
Padraig Hampsey was given a black card when action resumed for his involvement in the tunnel incident. I suspect we will be hearing more about it. Peter Harte would kick the first score of the half. Dublin through Cillian O’Shea and Niall Scully pointed, before Dean Scully knocked over a free. McCurry kicked his first accurate free of the night, Morgan followed that up with another free to leave it 1-05 to 0-08. Niall Scully was then sent to the sin bin after tangling with his marker, Edendork man Morgan took the resulting free and split the posts as Tyrone led for the first time after 58 minutes. Jack McCaffrey was introduced by Dessie Farrell and he was fouled to allow Rock to level matters.
Morgan kick his fourth free of the game to edge the hosts back in front. But Dean Rock kicked a 66th minute effort between the posts. The score now was 0-10 to 1-07. Tyrone got the final score of the game despite Dublin pushing for the goal with Paul Mannion. Tyrone held on for what was a crucial win in Omagh
Valencia FC cancel press conferences over coronavirus concerns
La Liga side Valencia FC have released a statement cancelling “all meetings or public gatherings in enclosed spaces that present risk to players, coaching staff and club staff,” after the first confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city.
In the statement they added: “Any non-sports public activity with members of the first team will be cancelled until further notice, including the coach’s press conference prior to the La Liga match, as well as all the pre and post-match appearances scheduled for Saturday’s game at Mestalla.”
The club has also advised supporters and employees, who travelled to Italy for their Champions League game at Atalanta on 19 February, on a range of hygiene measures.
The virus is going to lead to huge disruption and we have done a list of Irish sporting events affected by Covid-19
OFFICIAL STATEMENT ➡️ https://t.co/rEKO232o13 pic.twitter.com/WCULo3rW3h
— Valencia CF English 🦇💯 (@valenciacf_en) February 28, 2020
Eight-year ban for Triple Olympic champion
Once again an Athlete than won a medal at London 2012 Olympics has received a ban, this time its Chinese swimmer Sun Yang.
An eight-year ban was imposed on Sun because this was his second offence, he had served a three-month suspension in 2014 for taking prohibited stimulant Trimetazidine.
Sun won 200m freestyle gold at Rio 2016 having triumphed in the 400m freestyle and 1500m freestyle at London 2012, he had told an appeal hearing in November that he missed a test because testers failed to prove their identity when they arrived at his home. He also denied a vial containing his blood samples was smashed with a hammer.
Cas said: “The athlete failed to establish that he had a compelling justification to destroy his sample collection containers and forego the doping control when, in his opinion, the collection protocol was not in compliance with the ISTI (international standard for testing and investigations).
“As the Cas panel noted, it is one thing, having provided a blood sample, to question the accreditation of the testing personnel while keeping the intact samples in the possession of the testing authorities; it is quite another thing, after lengthy exchanges and warnings as to the consequences, to act in such a way that results in destroying the sample containers, thereby eliminating any chance of testing the sample at a later stage.”
Wada welcomed the ruling, and added that it was “satisfied that justice in this case has been rendered”.