When it comes to sport, you can never be sure of what’s going to happen over the course of 70 or 90 minutes. But it’s a long time since I have seen such short odds being quoted as we head next weekend’s All-Ireland football semi-finals. Dublin are 1/7 to beat Monaghan on Saturday evening, while Kerry are quoted at 1/3 to beat Derry on Sunday afternoon.
After impressive quarter-final wins over Tyrone and Mayo respectively most people agree that it’s looking very much like a Kerry-Dublin final. Monaghan needed penalties to dispose of Armagh and their players showed excellent penalty taking skills when beating their Ulster neighbors. Monaghan’s minors already qualified for their first final since 1939 and you have to go back to 1930 to find the only time the Farney County qualified for a senior final. Ninety-three years ago they lost heavily to Kerry. Derry have appeared in two finals, losing to Dublin in 1958 and beating Cork in 1993 to win the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time.
After a few average performances Kerry’s midfield really blossomed against Tyrone where Na Gaeil clubmates Jack Barry and Diarmuid O’Connor dominated. Dublin have strength in depth and manager Dessie Farrell could afford to start their game against Mayo without James McCaffrey and Ciaran Kilkenny, both of whom were introduced in the second half. Only nine counties have played in senior All-Ireland football finals this century and I don’t think we will see any shock results this weekend that would result in an increase in that number. The bookies are rarely wrong and it’s looking very much like yet another Dublin-Kerry final.
On Sunday the Tailteann Cup final will be played as the curtain raiser for the Derry-Kerry game. The second tier football competitive has been very competitive this year with all the counties taking the competition seriously. Sunday’s final between Down and Meath is a repeat of the 1991 All-Ireland final when Meath, after playing eight games in Leinster, lost the final by two points to the team in red and black.
COLLINS JOINS BEE
FOR CLUB RECORD
Irish players were on the move in England last week. The most high-profile was Nathan Collins who left Wolves to join London club Brentford for a club record, £23 million. The 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has won 14 caps, moved to Wolves from Burnley for £20.5 million last summer, now joins the Bees on a six-year deal. Collins made 31 appearances for Wolves last season, helping them to finish 13th in the top flight.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said: ‘‘I am very pleased we have managed to sign Nathan. He has a lot of very good abilities that we value a lot. He is a composed and calm defender. His heading in both boxes is a big thing, both in open play and from set-pieces, which is massive in the EPL.”
Collins breaks his own record as the most expensive Irish player ever. Whispers in the background in the English midlands suggest that Wolves, are heading for financial implosion, hence their summer sale of previously rated players like Collins and Max Kilman.
PUTTING IT
UP TO DUFF
New Shelbourne majority shareholder Acun Ilicali admits he will be disappointed if Damien Duff doesn’t deliver European qualification next year. The billionaire known as the Turkish Simon Cowell for his showbusiness background, was in Dublin last week to outline his plans for what he dubbed a hidden treasure. He already owns English Championship club Hull. With Shelbourne there are currently problems with a section of the new stand at the Drumcondra end of the ground and only half of the Riverside Stand is currently in use. However, the Turkish tycoon says he is hoping to turn the stadium into a “community hub” rather than it being used once a fortnight as it is now.
REID BACK
AT FOREST
Former Republic of Ireland international Steven Reid has returned to Nottingham Forest as first-team coach a year after leaving for a new challenge. Reid, who is 42, left Steve Cooper’s staff after playing his part in the club’s return to the EPL to become a specialist coach offering support to players around mental wellbeing, confidence and leadership. However, the former Millwall, Blackburn, West Brom and Burnley midfielder has now rejoined Forest, where he served briefly as interim manager following Chris Hughton’s departure in Sept. 2021.
COUNTIES FAVOR
SCRAPPING FINALS
The future of the National Football League finals is set to be discussed by the GAA’s Central Council on Saturday next. This follows a consultative process conducted by the Central Competitions Control Committee in recent weeks, seeking feedback on a variety of thorny questions including the All-Ireland master fixtures plan, the availability of under-20 players for senior inter-county activity and also the viability of persisting with league finals in such a congested calendar. It has emerged that a majority of counties now favor scrapping the four National League finals with divisional winners being decided by final league table placings.
