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Daly eyes League prize over Cup after loss to Cats Anthony Daly says he’ll have no problem handing back the Walsh Cup title if it means they start the Allianz League with a bang. the Dubs boss was frustrated with his side’s four-point defeat to an experimental Kilkenny side on Saturday evening at Croke Park. holders Dublin started eight of the side that lined out in last June’s Championship win over the Cats. But while Daly admitted his team were lethargic, he said the bigger picture is that
DUBLIN....1-17 KILKENNY....0-24 Dubs boss Daly: No let up on heavy training for league they’re currently involved in heavy training. they open their Allianz league account on Sunday week with a
tricky away trip to Galway’s Pearse Stadium. ‘We’re in the middle of desperate heavy stuff at the moment,’ said Daly. ‘We did an hour and 15 minutes of hard work on thursday night. you can’t let up on that because you’re trying to get right for the start of the league. ‘We would have liked to have won the Walsh Cup but winning in two weeks’ time is more important. Winning the Walsh Cup and losing down in Galway? I’d take winning down in Galway.’
Mark Schutte was Dublin’s best player with six points from the left side of attack. But Kilkenny were livelier throughout and built on a 0-12 to 0-8 half-time lead with 11 points overall from Eoin Larkin. Cats boss Brian Cody played down fears of an injury to henry Shefflin after he missed their 19th title win despite starring in the semi-final. ‘he played the last day and went well the last day so we were looking at a few different lads,’ said Cody. ‘he’s grand, he’s absolutely flying.’
Déjà vu for Dublin as kerry put to the sword nATiOnAL LEAguE Capital gains: Eoghan O’Gara of Dublin and Kerry’s Shane Enright in action as Dublin won again PiCture: inPho
KERRY ...............................................1-10 DUBLIN ...........................................2-08 by pAuL kEAnE iT’S all BeGiNNiNG to a feel a little repetitive and, from dublin’s perspective, that’s about the best news possible. a one-point victory over old enemy kerry once again came courtesy of a kevin McManamon goal and a game-defining impact from a substitute. Unlike the 2011 all-ireland final and last September’s semi-final, McManamon’s goal arrived in the first-half this time. and the sub who decided the game was Young Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey, who fisted the winner in injury-time. But it all amounted to the same thing, as league and Championship holders kept the foot down on kerry. The result leaves dublin joint top of the table, though there was another disciplinary headache as Sean George received a straight red card. ‘if it is a strike, i have absolutely no qualms with that (the red card),’ said dublin manager Jim Gavin. ‘He gets his suspension if that’s the case.’ More pleasing from Gavin’s perspective was how his patched-up team came good when the chips were down. They fought back from five down early on and, reduced in numbers after George’s 45th minute dismissal for an off the ball incident, found themselves two behind. But a brilliant defensive display that held kerry
scoreless for the last 20minutes gave dublin the platform to reel in the kingdom with points from Shane Carthy, Paul Mannion and McCaffrey. ‘To be down a man with 25minutes to go and to limit a side like kerry to three points in the entire half was very pleasing,’ said Gavin. ‘The mental resolve that was there from last year, you just don’t know if it’s there again. ‘For them to express that willingness and mental strength again was very pleasing.’
alan Brogan played his first full game since 2012 after returning from groin trouble. ‘To get through 70minutes of that intensity was a great testament to the work he’s done,’ said Gavin. Bryan Cullen (ankle) should be fit if needed against westmeath next weekend but Bernard Brogan, James McCarthy, Paddy andrews, dean rock and david Byrne (St olaf’s) are still out. emmet Ó Conghaile could make it, however.
kildare build on success with late win over Mayo New look kildare confirmed their status as the form team of 2014 so far with a late winner to deny Mayo in the allianz league. Jason ryan’s side built on their o’Byrne Cup success by overcoming the all-ireland finalists 219 to 2-18 in Newbridge. Paddy Brophy top-scored with six points from play, including the winning score in an absorbing tie. The lilies had wing-back Paul Cribbin black-carded, while
Mayo’s all-Star midfielder aidan o’Shea suffered the same fate. Towering full-forward Tomas o’Connor netted early on to put kildare 1-11 to 0-10 clear at halftime. They moved six ahead before Mayo responded with goals from Jason Gibbons and darren Coen to level it. kildare led by two again late on and felt they’d thrown it away when Mayo restored parity again – but Brophy then shot the winning point.
Cork were more convincing 018 to 0-10 winners over westmeath in the other division 1 game, daniel Goulding booting seven points at Páirc Uí rinn. The sides were locked on 0-5 a-piece at half-time, but nine points without reply secured a maiden league win for new boss Brian Cuthbert. in division 2, Meath kicked 114 in the second-half to secure a high scoring 3-18 to 4-11 win over Galway in Navan.
Mickey Newman and Stephen Bray netted early on, but Galway fought back to move five clear after a Tom Flynn goal early in the second-half. it prompted Meath’s best form in the closing 30minutes or so and 14 different players got on the score sheet. down drew 1-11 to 0-14 with Monaghan while neighbours armagh and louth also tied 0-16 to 1-13. donegal were the big winners with a 2-19 to 1-9 thumping of laois.
Monday, February 3, 2014 METRO HERALD
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spORT DigEsT Strain: McIlroy didn’t get away with his ‘loose drives’
Rory regrets his ifs and putts in Dubai gOLf Rory McIlroy was left to rue
some unreadable greens as his losing streak on the European Tour extended to 15 following a two-over-par 74 in the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic. McIlroy was the early pacesetter, a firstround 63 putting him two strokes clear of the field. But he never recaptured Thursday’s form and entered the final round two shots adrift of eventual winner, world No.6 Stephen Gallacher. ‘Anything that could go wrong did – OK, I hit a couple of loose drives, but I didn’t [get] away with them,’ McIlroy said. ‘I didn’t get a couple of putts to go. I was struggling to read them. Everything I read was straight even though it wasn’t. I couldn’t see any movement at all.’
Tour de France to debut female race cycLing The debut of a women’s race on the final day of this summer’s Tour de France has been welcomed as ‘groundbreaking’ by the riders who campaigned for it. Some 95,000 signatures were generated by an online petition by Le Tour Entier, which said said the event would become ‘an iconic race in the women’s calendar’ and ‘change the face of women’s cycling.’
Rugby Emirates has been announced as the sponsor for Rugby World Cup 2015 and 2019, to be held in England and Japan respectively.
English sets new Irish 800m record ATHLETics Mark
English (UCD AC) put in a quality performance yesterday, setting a new Irish Men’s Senior 800m Indoor Record of 1:46.82 at the Woodie’s DIY AAI Open Games in Athlone. The previous record of 1:47.21, held by Daniel Caulfield, has stood for 13 years. This means English qualifies for the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Poland in March. ‘I wanted to run the World Indoor standard, I obviously got an Irish Record along with that, so that was a huge bonus,’ he said. ‘I’m very happy with that performance.’