When Joe Canning first joined up with the Limerick Institute of Technology’s hurling panel, it was, he writes, like nothing he had ever experienced. Not least that midwinter training camp in Lisdoonvarna when the players were woken at four in the morning and taken for a run through the deserted village. It was then that he realised life under Davy Fitzgerald would be, well, different.
Did all this “hellish” work pay off? “The only two Fitzgibbon Cups that LIT have won in their history were during Davy’s time in charge,” Joe writes. Fitzgerald’s challenge now, though, is to wake his Waterford players from their slumber as they head in to tomorrow’s critical game against Clare.
There’s been nothing sleepy about Louth’s development under Mickey Harte since he took on the job in 2020. On Sunday they will make only their second appearance in a Leinster final in 63 years, Gordon Manning hearing the three-time All Ireland winning manager say that a victory over Dublin would be one of the “greatest achievements” of his career.
Louth captain Sam Mulroy tells Ian O’Riordan that he’s not “delusional” about the chances of his county achieving that feat, but, thanks to Harte, he says this is a very different Louth to the days when “you were always belittled because of where you’re from”.
In rugby, Johnny Watterson writes about Leo Cullen thus far mastering the fine art of squad-rotating through Leinster’s Champions Cup and URC campaigns, the coach having used 61 players in all. With that URC semi-final against Munster and Champions Cup final against La Rochelle to come, will he rotate again?
Gerry Thornley talks to Caolin Blade about Connacht’s hopes of reaching a second final in the province’s history, the Stormers their URC opponents in Cape Town tomorrow, while Stacey Flood writes about Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the Olympics this weekend when they take part in the World Sevens Series in Toulouse, the first of three opportunities to book a place in Paris 2024.
In horse racing, Brian O’Connor takes us through the split in Ireland’s racecourse sector over media rights, the breakaway group United Irish Racecourses now looking for the Government to intervene in their row with Horse Racing Ireland. Charlie McConalogue, the Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine, needs this dispute “washing up on his desk as much as he needs a busted betting slip”.
Telly watch: Ireland opted to play their ODI series against Bangladesh in Chelmsford because Essex is supposed to be the driest part of England at this time of year. What happened their first match on Tuesday? It was washed out. They’ll hope the weather Gods are kinder today for the second game (Premier Sports 1, from 10.30am). And this evening, TG4 have live coverage of the Leinster minor hurling final between Kilkenny and Galway (7.30). Rain is unlikely to interrupt play.
