Donegal’s six-day turnaround before their quarter-final against Monaghan on Saturday? “They are 100 per cent right to be annoyed,” says Darragh Ó Sé, player welfare trailing again behind the needs of “the money men in Croke Park and the TV companies”. And it’s all caused by a brilliant season “being rushed through… like we’ve opened a two-grand bottle of wine and we’re swigging it from the neck”. But, no, those Croke Park concerts can’t be pushed in to September, because “it might rain on Oasis” or “Robbie Williams might have to wear a jumper”.
The Dubs, though, have seven days to rest their weary bones after playing Cork, Gordon Manning hearing from the legend that is Barney Rock about their meeting with Tyrone - who beat them by seven points in the league back in March.
In hurling, Davy Fitzgerald is not unfamiliar with run-ins with officialdom when he’s pacing up and down the sideline. A possible solution to all this aggro? Why not “take the management off the sideline and put them in the stand, the same as rugby does,” he suggests to Gordon.
Seán Moran, meanwhile, is reflecting on the Dublin hurlers’ startling win over Limerick, a “seismic shock” that our tactical analysis maestro Jeffrey Lynskey examines.
Damien Duff’s desire to be hated never made any sense
After years of illuminating the championship, Limerick couldn’t find the light switch against Dublin
Tommy Fleetwood continues quest to end long and lucrative winless streak
Football quarter-finalists laid bare and what else we learned from the GAA weekend
In rugby, Gerry Thornley hears Ronan O’Gara back off a touch from his ambitions to coach an international team, while his old mucker Gordon D’Arcy reflects on his own Lions experiences - including his name being accidentally omitted from the squad announcement in 2005. “An inauspicious start, but a start nonetheless.”
Angus Fontaine brings the view from Australia ahead of the tour, Joe Schmidt’s crew heartened by the Lions’ loss to Argentina. “It put blood in the water and proved the tourists are beatable.” Happily, there’s no blood in the water at all between Dan Sheehan and Ellis Genge. “He’s definitely someone that surprises you that he’s not a dickhead,” says Sheehan of his old foe. “It’s mad how fast you can go from despising people to hanging around to go for a coffee with them.” The magic of the Lions, that.
And ahead of Ireland’s tests against Georgia and Portugal next month, John O’Sullivan hears from attack coach Mike Prendergast who talks about the input Andy Farrell will still have on team selection for the games, despite being a bit busy down under.
In football, Keith Andrews faces a daunting but thrilling challenge after agreeing a deal to become manager of Premier League club Brentford, and we talk to Crystal Palace defender Hayley Nolan ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s friendlies against the United States.
And in racing, Brian O’Connor tells us that the bookmakers reckon Tennessee Stud is the biggest Irish Derby threat to Lambourn. Tennessee Stud is trained by Joseph O’Brien, Lambourn by his Da Aidan. A family affair.
TV Watch: If you’d like to see what talent is coming up through the ranks of four of football’s big shots, then tune in to today’s semi-finals in the under-21 European championships. At 5.0, defending champions England play the Netherlands (Channel 4), and at 8.0 Germany meet France on a channel called 4Seven which some of us are still trying to find on our telly boxes.
