Next Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final is a repeat of the 2022 decider. Kilkenny, however, will be hoping to prevent Limerick taking a fourth title in a row. Last year, the Cats lost a by two-point margin when the champs took the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the third consecutive year. Now Limerick are bidding to equal the achievements of Cork, from 1941-44, and Kilkenny, 2006-2009. They are quoted at odds of 11 to 4 on to win, but of course Kilkenny have pedigree when it comes to All-Ireland finals.
Limerick captain Declan Hannon, who missed the semi-final win over Galway, is hoping to be fit for Sunday and he could become the first player in history to lift the MacCarthy Cup four times in a row. Hannon has missed only two of the 38 championship games of John Kiely’s reign. Limerick have a powerful team. When you look at their players, they are really fit athletes and excellent hurlers also. Limerick have been beaten once this year, that was at home to Clare at the end of April and a draw against Tipperary in Thurles in May was their only other hiccup. They have never lost a major final under manager John Kiely and I expect that winning run to continue on Sunday. Kilkenny lead the way in the list of All-Ireland winners with 36 wins, but it’s eight years since they won in 2015 under Brian Cody. Derek Lyng had a difficult task taking over from the legendary Cody last year, but he has got the Cats to a final in his first year in charge. Many people fancied Clare in the semi-final, including this writer, but thanks to some perfect free-taking by T.J. Reid, Kilkenny got through. Reid has now surpassed Cork’s Patrick Horgan and is now the all-time hurling top scorer with 30 goals and 544 points (634 points) and no doubt he will extend that record on Sunday. If Kilkenny do spring a surprise Lyng will become the 15th All-Ireland winner to also manage a winning team; he would follow in the footsteps of other Kilkenny greats like Ollie Walsh, Eddie Keher, Pat Henderson and Brian Cody.
KATIE SET FOR REMATCH
According to recent reports Katie Taylor is set for a rematch with Chantelle Cameron in Dublin in November. Negotiations are reportedly well underway for a second meeting between the pair following their showdown in May at the 3 Arena. Cameron handed Taylor the first defeat of her professional career to sour her long-awaited Irish homecoming in front of a full house at the Dublin docklands venue. Talk of a rematch quickly bubbled up after the fight, although there quickly appeared to be little chance of the fight taking place in Croke Park, which seemed to be the original choice of venue. According to International Boxing News, negotiations for the rematch are underway and the expected fight will go ahead at the 3 Arena on Nov. 25. It’s expected that the rematch will take place at 140 pounds, with Cameron set to defend her super-lightweight titles once again.
KEANE RECRUITS
FOR BACK ROOM
Experienced coach American Dave Sarachan has been appointed as Robbie Keane’s assistant manager at Maccabi Tel Aviv. The 69-year-old from Rochester, N.Y., began his long coaching career with Rochester Yellowjackets in 1976 and his last coaching role was with Puerto Rico. In Israel, Keane has also brought in former Irish under-21 goalkeeper Graham Stack as his goalkeeper coach, completing a staff that features another of Keane’s former team-mates, Rory Delap.
NEW JERSEYS FOR
RUGBY WORLD CUP
There has been a mixed reaction to the launch of the new Irish rugby jersey for the World Cup in September. Kit supplier Canterbury has launched two new jerseys, a green home and a white away one. Jersey releases are always divisive and this time is no exception, with images from the official launch drawing the criticism from fans on social media. One unimpressed fan wrote: ‘‘They look like warm-up jerseys for a football team.’’ Another said: ‘‘Wrong color and too much like a lower league soccer jersey.’’ But once the action get under way in France at the World Cup it’s safe to say Irish supporter won’t take such exception to the new strip.
BOARD TO FOLLOW
COUNCIL, SHEEPISHLY
For decades in the GAA county Roscommon has been known as the “Sheep Stealers,” but in recent years the term Rossies has been used more regularly. Now it looks like Roscommon GAA are using the wrong sheep face on the crest on their jersey and the County Board are likely to switch next year to the sheep face that is used by Roscommon County Council on their crest.
GRAHAM QUITS CAVAN
Mickey Graham has stepped down as Cavan football manager after five seasons in charge. The news was expected after Cavan’s surprise Tailteann Cup quarter-final home defeat to Down last month. Before that, the Cavan Gaels clubman had got the Breffnimen promotion from Division 3 of the National Football League. Prior to taking as Cavan manager Graham had much success at club level with Butlersbridge and Drumalee in Cavan and Mullinalaghta in Longford. Graham is the fourth inter-county football manager to quit this summer. Already gone are: David Power (Tipperary), Colm Collins (Clare) and Billy Sheehan in Laois
Also Kilkenny Camogie manager Brian Dowling quit in the wake of their All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Cork. Dowling, a former Kilkenny senior hurler, took over from Ann Downey in 2019. Kilkenny won the All-Ireland camogie title in 2020 and again in 2022 but this year they were hampered by the loss of 2022 player of the year Miriam Walsh.
Another Kilkenny man quitting is former goalkeeper David Herrity who has stepped down after five years in charge of the Kildare senior hurlers. Herrity steered the Lilywhites to win the Christy Ring Cup twice, a Kehoe Cup and a Division 2B of the National Hurling League title. However, five defeats in-a-row in the Joe McDonagh Cup this season saw Kildare relegated back to the Christy Ring Cup.
NAVAN GETS
GREEN LIGHT
The long-awaited redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann in Navan is finally set to go ahead after delegates approved a scaled back version of the original plans at a recent Meath County Board meeting. Delegates heard that sufficient finance is now in place and work is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2024 and will take 18 to 24 months to complete.
