We have ourselves a green and golden All-Ireland football final, Kerry and Donegal booking their slots in Sunday week’s decider after seeing off Tyrone and Meath at the weekend. Two “underwhelming” semi-finals they were too, as Seán Moran puts it in his report on Donegal’s 20-point triumph, Kerry made to work harder by Tyrone, but, writes Gordon Manning, steered home by David Clifford who was in “gluttonous form”.
A year ago, Michael Murphy was working as a TV pundit, having hung up his boots. Then he decided to come back “to help in every way possible that I could.” His part in reviving Donegal has, says Malachy Clerkin, been “immense”. As, of course, has that of Jim McGuinness, Gordon hearing from the manager and Paddy McBrearty after the game.
And Seán got the thoughts of a highly delighted Kerry manager Jack O’Connor, who’s now through to his seventh – seventh! – final. Just as chuffed were the footballers of Kildare, Paul Keane reporting on their victory over Limerick in the Tailteann Cup final.
The focus now shifts back to hurling ahead of next Sunday’s final, Denis Walsh looking at the history of the Cork v Tipperary rivalry. “On the stairway to eternity, Cork and Tipp matches were forever jostling for favour.”
Gerry Thornley brings us the latest from the Lions tour, Hugo Keenan finally making his debut in the 48-0 win over an AUNZ Invitational XV. “Getting off the jacks was an issue,” he revealed when asked about the bug that laid him low. He was flushed with success, though, Johnny Watterson rewarding him handsomely in his player ratings, although no one scored higher than Mack Hansen, “star quality shining” from the fella. Andy Farrell is now left to ponder his selection for the first Test, Gerry reckoning that at least five starting positions remain up for debate.
Australia, you’d imagine, will prove to be trickier opponents for the Lions than Portugal proved to be for Ireland. John O’Sullivan was at the Estádio Nacional do Jamor to witness that “grizzly” 106-7 non-contest – perhaps fortunately for Portugal, he discovered that there was scant interest from the Lisbon locals in the game.
In golf, Philip Reid reports on Rory McIlroy’s tied-for-second finish at the Scottish Open, his thoughts now turned to this week’s Open at Royal Portrush. That’s where Shane Lowry’s focus is too as he attempts to replicate his 2019 success in the tournament. Leona Maguire, meanwhile, will have a “pep in her step” ahead of next month’s Women’s Open after she tied for seventh at the Evian Championship on Sunday.
There were first-time winners in both the men’s and women’s singles at Wimbledon at the weekend, Jannik Sinner coming from a set down to beat Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek crushing Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0.
And in New York, Keith Duggan saw Katie Taylor “close the books on her riveting series of fights against Amanda Serrano”, the Bray woman triumphing against the Puerto Rican once again at Madison Square Garden.
TV Watch: It’s the final day of the third test between England and India at Lord’s – England need six wickets and India need 135 runs to go 2-1 up in the series (Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am). It’s stage 10 of the Tour de France (TG4, TNT Sports 1 and ITV4, from noon) and at 5pm you can see Ireland take on Scotland at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship (RugbyPass TV).
