GAA
Concussion controversy dominates the post-weekend sports talk this morning and it's not even in the world of rugby. Despite suffering a severe blow to the head during Mayo's defeat to Cork, Lee Keegan remained on the pitch for 10 minutes.
Following the game the Mayo County Board released a statement saying that it had been a mistake for Keegan to remain on the pitch and he should have been withdrawn.
That match at Páirc Uí Rinn was one of the many Allianz Football league openers. Dublin got off to the perfect start with a win over Kerry at Croke Park, while Monaghan brushed aside Roscommon. There were also wins for Meath, Derry and Tyrone among others.
You can read full coverage of each of the other games in our Divison Three and Division Four round-ups.
In her TV View column Mary Hannigan analyses the Setanta Sports coverage of the Allianz League and how the advertisers seem to think that they're catering for a small group of problem gamblers.
Soccer
The big news from the world of soccer was the announcement following Chelsea's 5-1 FA Cup win over MK Dons that captain John Terry will be leaving the club at the end of the season. Terry said that there would be no fairytale ending to his 18 year career at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were drawn against Manchester City in the pick of the fifth round ties while Manchester United will travel to Shrewbury and Arsenal will take on Hull.
At Brunton Park Everton cruised to a 3-0 win over Carlisle but Ken Early writes this morning that Roberto Martinez is somewhat of the opposite to his predecessor David Moyes when it comes to the defensive ability of his team.
Meanwhile there was bad news for Martin O'Neill and Ireland as a knee injury suffered by Marc Wilson could see the Stoke full-back miss Euro 2016 this summer.
Rugby
Ahead of the Six Nations Rhys Ruddock speaks to John O'Sullivan about his divided allegiances when it comes to Ireland and Wales.
“I remember my mum [Bernadette, who’s Irish] always throwing the Irish jersey on me and my dad [Mike, the 2005 Wales Grand Slam coach] trying to pull it off and chuck a Welsh one on.
“At that stage of my life I remember myself and my mum being big Irish fans but when my dad had the opportunity to coach Wales we were big Welsh fans for that period of time and getting behind him,” Ruddock says.
On the same Six Nations theme, Ruaidhrí Croke has the full lowdown on Ireland as Joe Schmidt's side look to become the first team in history to win the title three years in a row.
Racing
In Tipping Point this morning Brian O'Connor looks ahead to Cheltenham as the racing season really gets underway with an impressive care at Leopardstown this weekend.
He also asks the question of whether a lack of competition comes into play with such a high number of the best horses owned for a small cohort of owners.
“It has become a cycle within a cycle: anxious introspection about the best horses confined to a tiny ownership elite – most of whom are in thrall to the overwhelmingly dominant trainer Willie Mullins – provoking dire warnings about a lack of competition. This on the back of fall-offs in attendances, betting, ownership and other statistical signposts of the jump game’s supposedly spluttering overall health,” he writes.
Golf
The PGA Tour will see yet another Monday finish today as the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines goes into a fifth day after horrendous conditions stopped play yesterday.
High winds made the course unplayable with the last group on the 11th hole. At the top of the leaderboard is Jimmy Walker on seven under while Brandt Snedeker has set the clubhouse lead at six under after an astonishing round of 69 in those dreadful conditions. Snedeker was the only player in the entire field to shoot an under par round yesterday.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic's incredible domination of Grand Slam events continued yesterday morning as he brished aside Andy Murray in straight sets to win the Australian Open.
However the Serb most likely won’t look back too closesly on what was a sub-par round.
