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Mary Hannigan: St Thomas’ and Watty Graham’s Glen find safe port in storm

Mixed weekend for Irish provinces in rugby; Rory McIlroy continues brilliant start to season with Dubai win; Ireland men’s hockey team stamp Paris passport

St. Thomas’ Conor Cooney lifts the trophy after the Galway side's victory over O'Loughlin Gaels in the AIB All-Ireland Club SHC Final at Croke Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

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Mary Hannigan
Mon Jan 22 2024 - 11:23

Not even Storm Isha could blow St Thomas’ and Watty Graham’s Glen off course at Croke Park on Sunday in the All-Ireland hurling and football club finals, the closing salvos of both games landing “like unsparing tornadoes”, writes Gordon Manning, with Éanna Burke and Conor Glass doing the damage.

Burke scored “one of the most extraordinary points to ever win an All-Ireland final” and “Glass delivered one of the most influential performances by any player to guide his club to glory”. Seán Moran brings you all the details from the dramatic – and controversial – hurling final, while Gordon reports on Glen’s thrilling football triumph.

Also in Gaelic games, Denis Walsh turns his thoughts to “the GAA’s interaction with money” which has changed profoundly down the years “in terms of scale, and access, and impact”. But, he says, “there are still traces of Catholic guilt about the relationship”, the uproar about the mooted rebranding of Páirc Uí Chaoimh the latest episode in the story.

In rugby, Gerry Thornley rounds up a weekend of decidedly mixed fortunes for the provinces in their final Champions Cup pool matches, taking us through what lies ahead for all four. Saturday’s deflating defeat to Northampton – who they face again in the last 16 – ensured that Munster endured a winless Thomond Park campaign for the first time, while Connacht and Ulster now head in to the Challenge Cup. Leinster power on, though, John O’Sullivan at Welford Road to see them beat Leicester and set up a home run to the final ... if they can get that far.

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Meanwhile, the Irish men’s hockey team survived “an excruciatingly tense game” against South Korea in Valencia on Sunday to qualify for the Olympic Games. They will, more than likely, be joined there by Rory McIlroy – who won his fourth Dubai Desert Classic title on Sunday – and Rhasidat Adeleke, whose first individual races of 2024 went rather well – she broke her own indoor 60m and 200m records in New Mexico.

And in football, Ken Early writes about Manchester United’s poaching of Omar Berrada from Manchester City where he was their chief operations officer, their hope being that he will help them be as successful as their neighbours. If they could also poach City’s “phenomenal footballers: Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Rodri, Bernardo Silva and many more”, that would help.

TV Watch: As we speak, Ireland are in action against Bangladesh in the men’s Under-19 cricket World Cup (Sky Sports Mix). Eurosport continue their live coverage of the Australian Open tennis (up to 1.30 this afternoon), and there’s a heap of Africa Cup of Nations on Sky today, Egypt talking on Cape Verde tonight (Sky Sports Mix, 8.0). Brighton and Wolves meet in the Premier League (TNT Sports 1, 7.45) and Napoli and Inter Milan square up in the Supercoppa Final (Premier Sports 2, 7.0).