Dublin manager Dessie Farrell. Source: Evan Treacy/INPHO DUBLIN BOSS DESSIE Farrell has made one change to his starting 15 for tonight’s Division 1 National Football League clash with Mayo at Croke Park [throw-in 7.30pm, live on RTÉ 2]. Ryan Basquel starts at full-forward ahead of Cameron McCormack, as the Dubs look to bounce back from their defeat to Kerry in Killarney two weeks ago. They’re bidding for their first win of the league after an opening day loss to Armagh in HQ, as they renew rivalries with their old foes. This comes as a repeat of last year’s dramatic All-Ireland semi-final, in which Mayo came out on top. Here is…

FOR THE VAST majority of the last decade, Mayo played second fiddle in their rivalry with Dublin.  This evening’s trip to Croke Park presents a rare opportunity for James Horan’s team to kick Dublin while they’re down. In the process they can build on last August’s All-Ireland semi-final win and strike another important psychological blow, perhaps confirming they now hold the upper hand in the war between these counties. We became used to Dublin hitting the ground running in the league during the Jim Gavin era, but this time it’s the Westerners who’ve started the campaign unbeaten. It’s only the fourth time since 2007 they haven’t lost at least one…

OLD FOES, FIERCE rivals and two of the top few. Dublin and Cork go at it again in the familiar setting of Croke Park this evening [throw-in 5.15pm, live on TG4], with another mouth-watering battle in store. As always, these two counties start the season as leading contenders for the big prizes on offer. But there’s another element to the ladies football landscape in 2022 after Meath’s magical win last year — and an extra kick to this clash, given Division 1B pits Dublin, Cork, Meath and Waterford together, with only two teams progressing to the semi-finals. Not only did the Royals’ historic win end Dublin’s bid for the perfect…

TEN YEARS AFTER breaking onto the inter-county scene and capping a glittering debut season with an All-Star, Cáit Lynch is back leading the Kerry charge. The experienced Castleisland Desmonds defender first joined the senior set-up in 2012, and within a few months, was named among the best 15 players in the country. “It’s all gone downhill since,” Lynch laughs. “It was a great first year, we got to the All-Ireland final. We were still probably pretty green, played Cork and lost, but an amazing, amazing experience. “It’s mad – now I know I took a few years off as well, but last year was our first year back in Croke…

SARSFIELDS CAMOGIE STAR Maria Cooney says her side are grateful to have another attempt at regaining the senior All-Ireland title. Sarsfields star Maria Cooney. Source: Sportsfile The Galway champions were made to wait for their maiden crown, needing three attempts before finally emerging as winners at the end of the 2019 campaign after a tough battle against Slaughtneil. But they were outgunned by Wexford’s Oulart-The-Ballagh in the delayed 2020 decider which only took place in December. The completion of the championship was initially expected to be scrapped due to Covid-19, but after a lengthy battle, a suitable window was found in the winter to finish out the series. It didn’t…

A WEDDING, AN All-Ireland club camogie final and another championship campaign that has reached the semi-final stage. Oulart-The-Ballagh’s Ursula Jacob. Source: Sportsfile Ursula Jacob has had a busy time on and off the pitch over the past two months. With her club Oulart-The-Ballagh, she played her part in helping to capture the 2020 All-Ireland senior championship after dethroning Galway’s Sarsfields in a final which was delayed until last December. The long pause to complete the competition was due to a combination of Covid-19 and a well-documented battle with the Camogie Association which almost resulted in the All-Ireland series being scrapped. Consequently, the conclusion of the 2020 championship has spilled into…

Updated Mar 11th 2022, 12:00 PM Friday 11.30am: Round 2, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf. 1pm: DCU v UCC, O’Connor Cup semi-final – LGFA Facebook & YouTube. 1.15pm: Paris-Nice, Stage 6 – Eurosport. 3pm: UL v NUI Galway, O’Connor Cup semi-final – LGFA Facebook & YouTube. 5.10pm: Sharks v Scarlets, United Rugby Championship – TG4 and Premier Sports 1. 7pm: Italy U20 v Scotland U20, Six Nations – BBC Sports website. 7.30pm: Day Two, The Players’ Championship at TPC Sawgrass – Sky Sports Golf (coverage continues). 7.45pm: Premier Division games (Shelbourne v Dundalk, UCD v Derry City, Drogheda United v Sligo…

THERE WILL BE plenty of inter-county talent on show at the 2022 Yoplait Ladies HEC Championships this weekend. There’s four more pieces of silverware up for grabs at DCU St Clare’s, where the O’Connor Cup is the showpiece, top-level competition. After a two-year competition absence amidst the pandemic, the semi-final line-up will see hosts DCU Dóchas Éireann up against UCC on Friday afternoon, followed by the second semi-final between reigning champions from 2019, UL, and NUI Galway. The final is slated in for Saturday afternoon at 4pm [live on Spórt TG4 YouTube]. Here’s a closer look at some Meath, Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry stars worth keeping an eye on, with…

For a lowdown on what the new smart sliotar entails, go here.  1. U20s will train with smart sliotars The new balls will be trialled in the upcoming All-Ireland U20 hurling championship, which takes place in April and May. Before the games, 24 unbranded balls will be supplied to each team in a sliotar bin.  Smart sliotar work group member Brendan Cummins said that counties will be given smart sliotars to train with before the provincial competitions begin.  “Each one of the county teams involved in the U20 championship this year will get a sample of balls to train with,” he said. “So it’s not the first time one of…

IT IS THREE years since the Meath and Cork footballers crossed paths in the league arena. That Division 2 clash on a Saturday night in February 2019 saw Meath sign off with a six-point cushion by the final whistle and they journeyed home from Páirc Uí Rinn content, having reinforced their position of superiority at the top of the table. Cork were struggling without a win from their first three games and the match provided a hint of what was to come for both that spring – Meath wound up promoted and ready to embrace life in the top tier, Cork ended up relegated and fell through the trapdoor to…