Teams learn not to poke the Kerry bear

Irish Times

01-07-2025

As Armagh learnt to their cost on Sunday, a Kerry team with a point to prove is a dangerous beast. There had, writes Conor McManus, been indications that they were none too pleased with how they were being viewed going in to the game – so
they went ahead and produced a performance as good as any by the county in recent years
. All this after there had been nothing 'in the past 12 months to suggest that second half was coming'. The moral of the story? Don't rile them.
Kerry march on, but the Dubs are out, so too
Dessie Farrell after he announced that he was stepping down
following their defeat by Tyrone. Seán Moran looks back on his reign, during which he faced no end of challenges, not least the slowing of the county's 'talent conveyor belt'.
Two-pointers, you might assume, are deciding the bulk of 2025's provincial and All-Ireland championship games. Not so. 'From 61 games so far,' says Ciarán Kirk, '
only three would have ended in a different result
if there was no two-point arc.' Still, they would well prove to be 'the difference maker' in the semi-finals and final.
In rugby, it's a whole 23 years since Trevor Brennan began his Toulouse adventure, his son Joshua a baby when the family moved to France. Now? Gerry Thornley tells us that Joshua, who has increased in size quite a bit since then, is
edging ever closer to a first French cap
thanks to his form with, yes, Toulouse.
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In his Whistleblower column,
Owen Doyle turns his ire on crooked line out throws
, a fair few of which he spotted in the Lions' games against Western Force last weekend. Just like his issue with how scrums are being officiated, the failure of referees to apply a basic law to lineouts is, quite frankly, wrecking his head.
And Robert Kitson has the latest news from the Lions tour, '
the arranged marriage between Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell
' set for its first outing against Queensland Reds tomorrow.
In tennis, Muireann Duffy brings us the story of James McCabe,
the 21-year-old Australian son of a Walkinstown man
and Filipino woman who will make his Wimbledon debut today after coming through the qualifiers.
And in golf, Philip Reid reflects on
Pádraig Harrington's second US Senior Open win
in four years, and he also looks at
Anna Foster's seamless move in to the professional ranks
this season, the 23-year-old Dubliner currently warming up for this week's Irish Open at Carton House.
TV Watch
: It's day two at a steamy hot Wimbledon, BBC1 and BBC2 bringing coverage through the day. And at 8pm this evening, Real Madrid play Juventus in the last sixteen of the Club World Cup which shows, quite literally, no sign of ending (DAZN).