AFL: Goodes return
Adam Goodes returned to the Sydney Swans this morning and put his hand up for selection after taking leave from the Australian Rules club under stress from the incessant booing he faced during matches.
Aboriginal Goodes was jeered relentlessly and racially abused in Perth last week, triggering a heated debate over racism in a country which regards itself a beacon of tolerance.
Goodes was granted an indeterminate leave of absence from the club last Tuesday and missed Saturday’s Australian Football League (AFL) match against Adelaide Crows amid media speculation he might quit the game.
But the 35-year-old was moved by a big show of support from fans, players and teams during the weekend’s matches and looked forward to returning;
“I definitely wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play last week against the Crows. The last week there’s been a lot of discussion... I think those discussions needed to be had and I’m really hopeful that those discussions are behind us now.
“Whether this is my last year or not I really want to be able to go out and enjoy the last five games of the season and another finals campaign. That’s my job, it’s what I love doing.”
GAA: Structural concerns
Jim McGuinness is addressing the structural issues with the modern day football championship in his column this morning, after watching two incredibly one-sided All-Ireland quarter-finals on Sunday.
“On the surface there was a moral victory there for Fermanagh people to celebrate. But it made me wonder about the level that most teams are aspiring to now. I stayed in the stadium after Dublin had left and I was looking down at the pitch and the Fermanagh boys came back out and they were hugging their family and friends and the scene was one of joy.
“And that spooked me because they had been well beaten in an All-Ireland quarter-final. And Fermanagh are a well-organised team with an All-Ireland winning manager on the sideline. So what does that say about the future?”
Soccer: League of Ireland
An injury-ravaged Galway side provided a major shock last night by dumping Dundalk out of the League Cup on penalties. Ger Hanley was the hero as they advanced to their first final in 18 years after a 0-0 draw deemed a shoot-out necessary.
Meanwhile Conor O'Malley was the hero between the sticks in the other semi-final as a 0-0 draw again led to penalties. The St Pat's goalkeeper made a decisive save from the third Shamrock Rovers' penalty which proved key in putting his side through to their first League Cup final since 2003.
Golf: Bridgestone
Graeme McDowell is one of three Irishmen competing in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this week, along with Harrington and Shane Lowry. For Lowry – who has conditional membership of the PGA Tour – to earn a place in the FedEx Cup series, the options are clear-cut: he would have to win this week's Bridgestone or next week's PGA.
McDowell heads into those same two huge tournaments in their own right – fully aware they are also season-defining. As things stand, he is outside the qualifying places for the PGA Tour’s megabucks FedEx Cup final series.
Indeed, as of now, only two Irish players – Rory McIlroy, if fit, and Pádraig Harrington – are qualified to move on to the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Racing
Most Beautiful could attempt to continue David Wachman's run of Group 1 success in this Sunday's Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, Europe's first top-flight event of the season for two-year-olds - and break Aidan O'Brien stranglehold.
Winner of the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes over the course and distance last month, Most Beautiful carries the colours of former Irish rugby international Ronan O’Gara, and currently appears the sole filly contender in line to take on colts in the €250,000 feature.
What to watch out for:
It’s a quiet sports day by all accounts but we’ve picked out two pre-season friendlies which are sure to tickle your fancy, just a week away from the Premier League season kick-off now.
Real Madrid take on Tottenham, in a game which is sure to test the Londoners, before two European powerhouses Bayern Munich and AC Milan do battle.
Setanta 1 from 5.10pm
