Are rumours of the Dubs’ demise a bit on the exaggerated side? Darragh Ó Sé believes so. Since their defeat to Meath on Sunday, people have been talking like “they’re dead in the water”. Darragh doesn’t buy that for a second. Once all their players are fit and fully charged, they could, like your average Tesla, be motoring. And if you thought it would be tricky to fit Jim Gavin and Elon Musk in to the same column, think again.
Seán Moran is less convinced that they’ll be bouncing back any time soon. “Realistic Dublin followers have known for some time that their team won’t be challenging for Sam Maguire this year,” he writes. Worse, “it’s hard to see too many of last Sunday’s line-up featuring in future All-Ireland successes.”
Dublin half forward Seán Bugler begs to differ, telling Gordon Manning that he remains convinced that they have enough quality to be contenders this year. And he’s not concerned about today’s draw for the group stages of the championship, even if the Dubs end up in the “proverbial Group of Death”. Which they could – how does, say, a group with Kerry, Armagh, Dublin and Cork sound? Petrifying. Gordon takes you through how the draw will work
Gordon also talks to Dublin hurler Seán Currie who admits that his second-half penalty at Parnell Park last Saturday did not cross the line, the award of a goal leaving Wexford none too pleased. Is a VAR-style aid for the officials the solution? Currie says a firm ‘no’.
Jeffrey Lynskey, meanwhile, brings you a tactical analysis of last weekend’s games, reckoning that unless Clare, beaten by Waterford, improve on their shooting rate and free-taking success, “the road ahead in Munster could prove an unforgiving one”.
The Meath footballers get a mention in Gordon D’Arcy’s column today when he looks ahead to Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton. Leinster might be sizzlingly hot favourites, but if they don’t get their mindset right, “they will be introduced to sport’s glorious unpredictability”.
Gordon was on the Leinster team that beat Northampton in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final, among his opponents that day Phil Dowson, the current Northampton coach. Johnny Watterson asks Dowson if he recalls that day. “Big time,” he says, although he’d probably like to forget – his side led 22-6 at half-time, and lost 33-22.
Louise Quinn, the third most capped Republic of Ireland international of all time, had her ups and downs through her career too, but on announcing her retirement from football on Tuesday, she reflected on her many highs, none more memorable than that appearance at the World Cup finals.
And in horse racing, Brian O’Connor reports on the opening day of the Punchestown festival when Marine Nationale completed a Champion Chase double, following up his victory at Cheltenham last month. And Brian previews today’s action, the highlight the Gold Cup. Galopin Des Champs finished runner-up the last two seasons. Third time lucky?
TV Watch: There’s more racing from the Punchestown festival on RTÉ 2 this afternoon (3.30-6.30), the Gold Cup (at 5.30) the big one, and this evening TG4 has live coverage of the Ulster under-20 final between Donegal and Tyrone (7.30). Half an hour later, Barcelona and Inter Milan kick off in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final (RTÉ 2, Premier Sports 1 and TNT Sports 1), Paris Saint-Germain having got the better of Arsenal in the first of the semi-finals last night.
