The Ronald Koeman era is no more as the now former Barcelona boss' services are no longer required at the Nou Camp. Wednesday night saw the Catalan side beaten by Rayo Vallecano, the last straw for the board after a run of four defeats in six - including the weekend's Clásico loss. After what was arguably Ireland's greatest away win against Finland on Tuesday, inspirational skipper Katie McCabe is keen to keep a level head, acknowledging that a long qualification campaign still awaits her side. The block of ice on her leg shortly after the final whistle in Helsinki was a reflection of McCabe's commitment and desire to do something special with this team: "I'm in a good place, and happy to be playing week in, week out with Arsenal and give everything I can to this Irish team. That's all I'll ever do until I retire."
Amid more news that head injuries continue to rear their ugly head in professional sport - earlier this week saw the announcement of legal action being taken by former players against rugby league organising body the RFL - Caelan Doris speaks to Johnny Watterson about the symptoms he had after suffering a series of head problems last season. Doris missed a significant chunk of game time after blows came in relatively quick succession, most famously minutes into his international debut against Scotland, to the point where he experienced problems with cognitive functions and short-term memory loss as well as issues with speech. Thankfully, Doris explains that said functions have since returned to normal. Elsewhere, ahead of a busy period of international rugby and football at the Aviva Stadium, Johnny Watterson also looks at the high cost of attending either Ireland's game against the All Blacks or the football European qualifier against Ronaldo's Portugal.
Ciarán Murphy in his column today calls for imagination to be showed by both the GAA and the various TV companies when it comes to coverage of the brand new Tailteann Cup. Arguing that there is a high level of interest in broadcasts that cover club championship matches throughout the depths of winter, he believes that Friday night matches in this new inter-county tournament during the height of summer would drive big audience numbers. Galway's decision to overlook Davy Fitzgerald in favour of Henry Shefflin for the hurling manager's job leaves the former Wexford boss away from the intercounty scene for the first time since 2007. It should mean more time both on the golf course and on the farm as Fitzgerald - who also took charge of Clare and Waterford - will have to adjust to his new life.
Joanne O'Riordan breaks down the financial boom that is set to come thanks to rise of public interest in women's sport. These athletes that are going to become more valuable as assets to administrators as time goes on need to be protected, and the way to do that is to invest, support and hire more women around them in sporting governance. From sharing the buggy on the sideline to sharing the spotlight in green, twins Michelle and Niamh Carey lined out together for Ireland for the first time as the nation's hockey team secured their passage to the 2022 World Cup. Mary Hannigan speaks to the multi-sport siblings about their rise to the international game and how the skills from their varied sporting background have come in handy.
