So, are we all looking forward to this evening’s game in Helsinki with hope in our hearts? No? That’s understandable enough. After all, as Gavin Cummiskey points out in his preview, “Irish football has rarely experienced such a grim period in its 103-year history”. Finland aren’t having the best of times either, like ourselves “veering towards minnow status”, but defeat to them in this Nations League encounter would heap yet more footballing misery upon us.
Ken Early has a suggestion. “Maybe it’s time to look at this with fresh eyes and ask: have we been too down on the idea of losing?” It’s a novel idea, but he might have a point. “There is a liberation to this. Expecting nothing, everything is a gift. You enter effortlessly into a state of universal gratitude.”
We were in a permanent state of gratitude back when Paul McGrath was playing for us, the maestro now approaching his 65th birthday. He doesn’t do a whole lot of media work, but on Wednesday he was promoting an initiative that’s close to his heart, the championing of men’s mental health throughout ‘Movember’. Gordon Manning was in attendance, hearing McGrath reflect on his career and give his thoughts on the state of the current national team.
Rugby’s Emerging Ireland are in fine fettle, wrapping up their trip to South Africa with their third win on the trot, Daire Walsh reporting on their 33-24 defeat of the Cheetahs. And back home, John O’Sullivan spoke to Leinster’s “smaller Viking”, as Andrew Porter now calls himself after the arrival of “the bigger Viking”, RG Snyman.
John also caught up with Josh Ioane and talked to him about how he’s settling in with Connacht after his arrival in the summer. Ioane is readying himself for Saturday’s URC meeting with Ulster, a game that could be a family affair if Ben Murphy lines out at scrumhalf for Connacht. “He’s not giving much away, I don’t know whether he’s playing or not at the weekend, he won’t tell me,” said his Da, Ulster coach Richie Murphy.
In Gaelic games, Ciarán Murphy wonders if it’s time intercounty managers were paid. Well, they already are, but officially. Paul Keane, meanwhile hears the thoughts of Tony Scullion, an All-Ireland winner with Derry in 1993, on the work of the Football Review Committee.
And Dave Hannigan reflects on the life and times of Kris Kristofferson, who died last month at the age of eighty-eight. We knew his music, but did we know about the sporting side of his life? “Games coursed through him and were such a part of his unique character he was still showing off the relics of baseball and football scars in his eighties.”
TV Watch: In a ‘things can only get better, surely’ kind of way, you can tune in to RTÉ 2 this evening to see the Republic of Ireland take on Finland in Helsinki in the Nations League (kick-off 7.45pm). Virgin Media Three and ITV have coverage of the other game in the group, England v Greece, which kicks off at the same time.