Are the alarm bells ringing in Dublin? It is oh so tempting to think they are, isn't it? After the weekend's disappointing defeat to Armagh, Malachy Clerkin is calling for some perspective on the matter. Still, caveats about it being only the league aside, it is hard to say that the Dubs have done anything but stagnate as the rest of the country catches up to them: "It's still January. If we're talking dumb choices, the dumbest of all would be to pronounce that any of this means Dublin are done for the year. But this is starting to look like a feature rather than a bug. If a visit to Tralee on Saturday doesn't bring out a bit of life in them, it's hard to imagine what will." After three draws in the other division one games that took place on Sunday, Dublin remain rooted to the foot of the table. Jack O'Connor had a tricky return to Kildare which ended in a stalemate, while in Omagh, Monaghan 'keeper Rory Beggan's three points were enough to earn him man of the match honours in a dour draw with Tyrone.
The Irish women's sevens team agonisingly missed out on a maiden tournament victory in Seville after being pipped in the final by perennial winners Australia. Beibhinn Parsons, Stacy Flood, Eve Higgins and Erin King were all outstanding, to name but a few, and despite the final disappointment a silver medal is still an excellent result for a group clearly trending in the right direction. The men had a chance at a bronze medal of their own but were put to the sword by Argentina to finish fourth. On the 15s side of things, Kieran Treadwell has been speaking from Ireland's camp in Portugal and he clearly is desperate to add to his three caps secured back in 2017.
Another day, another news story about crypto becoming more involved in sport. Step forward John Terry. Ken Early chronicles the former Chelsea captain's obsession with NFTs from the Ape Kids Club, one that actually got him in a spot of bother when the Premier League secured a legal intervention to remove the use of its trophy from images of said apes: "Maybe a sense of grievance fuels the apparent restlessness which means Terry is not content simply to kick back and retweet praise, play golf, and occasionally dress up like Tom Buchanan from The Great Gatsby for clay-pigeon shooting with friends. Instead he has burst forth into the cryptospace." Closer to home, ahead of the FAI announcing its strategic plan next Monday, it has emerged that there will be no national residential academy in Abbotstown, with the governing body instead opting for a "broader, more regionally balanced approach" to player development.
Rory McIlroy missed out on a playoff in Dubai in the cruellest of fashions after finding water with his approach to the 18th green. The result was missing out on the group tied at the top by just one shot, meaning the Holywood man came just short of winning his third Dubai Desert Classic. Over in Florida, Leona Maguire ended up in a tie for 27th in her first outing of the year.
