Limerick hurlers have been feeling the heat this year. The team managed by John Kiely are bidding to win the MacCarthy Cup for the fourth year in a row and naturally it must be difficult for him keep his squad motivated. A few cracks appeared, like Clare’s victory over the champions at the Gaelic Grounds at the end of April and Tipperary’s getting a draw in Thurles on May 21.
Kiely has had to cope without star defender Seán Finn who is out for the rest of the season and captain Declan Hannon, who is ruled out of tomorrow’s semi-final against Galway in Croke Park.
Limerick have never lost a major final under Kiely and when they beat Clare by a point on June 11 to win the Munster final for the fifth year in a row, it was their 12th major win under the school principal. Last year Limerick were winning comfortably, but this year it has usually been by just one point.
The next county who will try to take down the champions are Galway who looked impressive against Tipperary in their quarter final and showed good spirit late on to close out the game. Saturday game is a repeat of last year’s semi-final when Limerick won by three points. It could be a similar result on Saturday.
Meanwhile the second semi-final on Sunday between Clare and Kilkenny is also a repeat of the 2022 semi-final when the Cats won by 12 points. Clare have improved a lot since then and if Tony Kelly is on form I think we could have our first ever Clare-Limerick All-Ireland final on July 23.
‘GOOD BOY’ KEANE
APPOINTED MANAGER
Robbie Keane is back in management after being appointed manager of Israel club Maccabi Tel Aviv last week with a two-year contact. Apart from a few weeks as assistant to Sam Allardyce at Leeds United at the end of last season, Keane, who has been out of work since Stephen Kenny replaced Mick McCarthy as Irish manager in April 2020. Israeli television clarified the appointment saying that the new manager is not Roy Keane, described as the “bad boy of Irish football,” but Robbie Keane, the “good boy of Irish football.”
Macabbi will play in the Europa League next season and they possibly could meet Shamrock Rovers if both clubs progress in the competition. Maccabi have gone three years without winning a title despite boasting the biggest budget in the country and as a result, the club has burned through seven full-time managers in three years. Keane will be assisted by former Irish colleague Rory Delap, who won 11 caps. A former schoolboy Javelin champion, Delap was famous for his long throw-ins at club and international level.
DONEGAL BOSS
STEPS ASIDE
Donegal are looking for a new football manager after Aidan O’Rourke stepped aside following the defeat to Tyrone in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final. O’Rourke, initially head coach, came in as manager to replace Paddy Carr, who left following a meeting with senior players after the county’s indifferent start to 2023. They then restored some pride with round-robin wins over Clare and Monaghan. Carr was given a two-year-term with a one-year appraisal on appointment last October. The process to replace former manager Declan Bonner took over four months following a review from Croke Park into their talent academy, finance and governance structures. O’Rourke said: ‘‘It is absolutely a full-time job, managing an intercounty team. You need a lot of time on your hands or to be retired to really do it properly.’’
Rachael Blackmore celebrating a win at Cheltenham in March. [Inpho/Tom Maher]
BLACKMORE GETS
HONORARY MBE
Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore was last week made an honorary MBE for services to sport in the UK. The 33-year-old Tipperary native won the 2021 Grand National on Minella Times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2022 on A Plus Tard, becoming the first female rider to win the two biggest prizes in National Hunt racing. She was crowned leading rider at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021 and in the same year won the BBC Sports Personality's World Sport Star of the Year award. Blackmore is perhaps best known for her association with the Henry de Bromhead-trained mare Honeysuckle, who won 17 of her 19 races including two Champion Hurdles at Cheltenham. Honorary MBE’s recognise those from overseas who excel in their field in Britain.
SEVENS SECURE
OLYMPIC PLACE
Ireland’s men’s Rugby Sevens team have secured qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games after winning gold at the European Games in Krakow last week. James Topping’s team joined the women’s team in reaching Paris by defeating Great Britain 26-12. It will be the second Olympic appearance for the men’s team at the Games after their 2021 debut in Tokyo and first where both Irish male and female teams will compete.
Also the IRFU has announced the launch of a women’s under 20s program that will begin with a training camp and games against Italy and Scotland later this month. The squad will be coached by head coach Neill Alcorn. National talent squad and talent identification manager Katie Fitzhenry recently oversaw a 44-player screening camp at the high performance centre in Abbotstown. A traveling squad of 26 will go to Rome later this month where they will train with Italy and Scotland before playing two 40-minute training games against the teams. Fitzhenry said: ‘‘We are delighted to be adding another important layer to our women’s pathway with an Ireland women’s under 20 squad coming together for the first time this summer.’
INDIA FOR
MALAHIDE
Ireland will host India in a three-match T20 series in Malahide next month. It marks the second year in a row that the number-one ranked side in the limited-overs game will play on Irish soil. The matches will take place between Aug. 18-23. Last year, Ireland lost 2-0 to India in a two-match series in Malahide.
SHARK’S SON WINS
John “Shark” Hanlon’s son Paddy rode his first winner under rules when guiding Chef d’Etat to victory in a National Hunt Flat Race at Worcester in what was only his second ride last week. The young amateur, an experienced rider on the pony racing scene in Ireland, only got his license two week ago and had his first ride at Leopardstown on June 22 when unplaced on his father’s horse Pahlavi. Shark is the Carlow-based trainer who trained Hewick to win the US Grand National in Far Hills, N.J. last year.
