Colm O’Rourke’s surprise move; what must Irish athletes do to make podiums again?

A momentous All-Ireland final will be remembered as the Clifford-Walsh final, writes Kevin McStay about the match between Kerry and Galway on Sunday in today’s subscriber only piece. “I’ve no doubt we got two of the great displays in the grand history of All-Ireland final day,” writes McStay. “David Clifford ended up with the spoils. But Shane Walsh went to the end of the earth to win this game for Galway. Nine points, left and right, from play, a 45, and other scores from frees. He brought Tom O’Sullivan to places he had not visited even in his nightmares.” It was a crowning moment for the great David Clifford, but his brother Paudie Clifford is making waves without even being the most famous footballer in his family. Perseverance got Paudie an eventual call-up and he has been a big contributor to Kerry’s progress.

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor reflects on the latest success in his remarkable career of rounding up Sam Maguire. “I am 30 years at it and I have never known anything else,” say O’Connor. The line from A to B has rarely appeared so simply drawn, writes Seán Moran. O’Connor is appointed Kerry manager and in the first year of his tenure, the All-Ireland is won. Last Sunday, it happened for the third time. Elsewhere in other manager news, Colm O’Rourke is set to swap the Sunday Game studio for the Meath dressingroom after being put before the county committee for ratification as their new senior football manager.

How long before Irish athletes make World Championship podium again, asks Ian O’Riordan after a mostly disappointing World Athletics Championships, although to win medals Ireland first needs finalists, he writes. Athletics Ireland, in their latest high-performance strategic plan, was targeting one medal although few if anyone could say there was a live chance of that happening. Rhasidat Adeleke did at least underline her world-class potential in the 400 metres by being ninth best in the world at 19. In golf, there is a boost for the DP World Tour as Rory McIlroy returns to headline the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September. The timing could also see the announcement of a successor to Henrik Stenson as captain for the 2023 match after the Swede lost that honour by defecting to the start-up LIV Tour.

The Galway races are on this week and stack up the numbers and Ado McGuinness’s stamp is all over Tuesday evening’s feature, writes Brian O’Connor. McGuinness has landed the €120,000 Colm BMW Mile for the last three years and goes in pursuit of an unprecedented four in a row in a race that traditionalists still like to refer to as “the McDonogh”. Yesterday, Patrick Mullins finally broke his amateur Derby duck on Echoes In Rain, as the opening day festival crowd of 15,179 was down more than 5,000 on 2019. The long wait to fill in the glaring gap on his CV seemed to make this particularly sweet for Mullins.

In soccer, Shamrock Rovers appear destined for Europa League qualifiers ahead of second leg mountain as injuries to Jack Byrne and Pico Lopes dent chances of miracle turnaround by Stephen Bradley’s side. There they would play the losers of Shkupi versus Dinamo Zagreb at the Toše Proeski Arena. Meanwhile, something has to give as England and Sweden clash in a fascinating Euro 22 semi-final at Bramall Lane, with Wiegman and Gerhardsson happy to let players do the talking.