Looking forward to a bumper year of sport
IT’S THAT time again when I sift through the dust-covered paraphernalia in the depths of my attic to find my well-worn crystal ball to haphazardly predict what may (or almost certainly may not) happen in the sporting year ahead.
There may be a hollow shot or two in the dark as 2019 meekly raises its head above the parapet, but what else would you be doing but looking forward to the wonders that lie ahead on the sporting fields?
The joys of spring will wash away the bleak days of winter, the summer will come alive with the sound of ash on leather and autumnal treats will have us on the edge of our seats before we’ve come full circle and are champing at the bit to experience it all over again.
There’s certainly plenty for sports fans on the Emerald Isle to get their teeth into, with Irish rugby riding on the crest of a wave, some welcome light at the end of the tunnel for soccer fans, with a new management team in place, while Gaelic games will brighten up our summer and horse racing will whip plenty into a fervour throughout the year.
Looking outside of these shores there’s plenty to keep even the most hard to please entertained, with the race for the English Premier League title building up to be one of the most exciting in a while, while the Champions League looks as wide open as the Fulham defence.
So what do I think will happen in the 12 months ahead? I suppose there’s no better place to begin than rugby, given the welter of excitement surrounding Joe Schmidt’s men of late.
Starting with the bread and butter of the Six Nations, Ireland look to have a decent chance of claiming another Grand Slam, which would be a phenomenal feat when you consider we’ve only achieved it three times previously.
A home win over England on the opening weekend would set up the champions nicely, and should they pass that tough first day test, they could be on course for backto-back all-conquering campaigns when they make the trip to Cardiff on St. Patrick’s weekend to face Wales in their final game.
As for the World Cup in Japan that everybody is getting a little bit over-excited about, sadly I can see Ireland falling short again.
Despite the heroics against New Zealand in the Aviva in November, it’s still hard to look beyond the All Blacks when it comes to picking the side most likely to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Getting past probable quarter-final opponents South Africa could prove a tricky obstacle for Ireland, so we need to at least get that monkey off our backs and progress beyond the last eight for the first time. After that, who knows?
As for our soccer team, our sights are set a lot lower at present. Just to see them attempt to play a bit of decent football and score a goal or two would be a start.
It can’t get a whole lot worse, so the only way is up for the Boys in Green.
There’s no doubting the dominance of the boys in a different colour, Dublin, as they bid to make it an unprecedented five-in-a-row. Who’s going to stop them? The simple answer is nobody.
Thankfully the hurling championship is a lot more competitive, with Galway, Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Kilkenny and Clare all looking like they have realistic hopes of capturing the Liam Mac- Carthy Cup.
I’ll plump for Tipperary to put last year’s nightmare behind them with Liam Sheedy back steering the ship.
Returning to the other ‘beautiful game’, despite having previously thought that there was no way Manchester City could possibly be dethroned, I’m now jumping ship to long-time bridesmaids Liverpool, even though they lost the recent battle to their title rivals.
The two teams are head and shoulders above the rest in the division, so with no more games against City to negotiate there’s no reason why they can’t go on another winning run and bring a long-awaited title to Anfield.
As for the Champions League, with holders Real Madrid struggling since the departure of their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, the way could be left clear for his old rival Lionel Messi to inspire Barcelona to an overdue triumph.
There’s plenty of other massive sporting events, the outcome of which this wise soothsayer could predict with great confidence, like tennis and golf majors or the FIFA Women’s World Cup but I’ve neither the time, space nor inclination to delve any deeper.
If you desperately need to be pointed in the right direction you know where to find me.
Or better again, just have wild guess or throw darts at a board yourself.
Norwich City FC @NorwichCityFC: Under-23s winger Simon Power has signed a new deal at Norwich until June 2021 and has joined Dutch side FC Dordrecht on loan for the rest of the season. Good luck @simonpower9! #ncfc
White Gold @MartinWakenell: @rorydepaor you must be proud of your boy. We are #ncfcfans, he is a talent. Good luck to you, Simon, come back stronger #under23s
Rory Power @rorydepaor: Cheers Martin. Its great news.... Cormac Byrne @CMacByrne: Great to see yet another Bray lad making waves at underage level.
Rory Power @rorydepaor: Greystones, but good news Cormac.
Cormac Byrne @CMacByrne: Whoops! Was making sure the North Wicklow lads got some credit, he’s being called a Dubliner elsewhere.
LLG Football @LeinsterLGFA: Terrific news emerging from the Garden County this evening as an agreement has been reached allowing the @Wicklowlgfa v @DownGAALadies @ lidl_ireland NFL game be played as a double header with @ wicklowgaa v Limerick in Aughrim. Well done to all involved! #ShowYourStripes #20x20
Official Wicklow GAA @wicklowgaa: All over in the BnM Kehoe Cup, Wicklow 0-10 Kildare 3-20. Kildare ‘keeper man of the match.
Jim Keddy @KeddyJim: (Replying to @wicklowgaa) Lord :-( Official Wicklow GAA @wicklowgaa: Dean Healy will captain the Wicklow Senior Football team for 2019. Congratulations Dean.
Jim Keddy @KeddyJim: (Replying to @wicklowgaa) Rally d troops Deano!
John Grehan @johnnyg1312: (Replying to @wicklowgaa) Good luck
Official Wicklow GAA @wicklowgaa: All over Wicklow 2-10 Laois 2-11. Officials getting mixed up with new rules led to Wicklow mark in front of goal disallowed. From resulting throw in harsh free against Wicklow.
Official Wicklow GAA @wicklowgaa: Laois goal. Wicklow 2-10, Laois 2-12.
Liam Conneely @liamconneely67: (Replying to @wicklowgaa) Sake.
Seamus Lawless @seamuslawless: (Replying to @wicklowgaa) I don’t believe it.
Wicklow Ladies Football: Wicklow Ladies Football are delighted to confirm that, following discussions between all parties, the Lidl NFL match v Down LGFA on Sunday, 10th February will form part of a double bill in our GAA county grounds in Aughrim with a throw in of 12 o’clock with the Allianz GAA NFL Match v Limerick following at 2pm (Irish weather permitting). This is the first time a double bill featuring our Ladies and Men’s football teams has been agreed and sanctioned and is surely a sign of the cooperation which now exists between our two sporting bodies. Many thanks to everyone involved in making such a historic event possible - Wicklow LGFA, Wicklow GAA and Down LGFA. #ifyoudontseeityoucantbeit #20x20 20x20 Leinster Ladies Gaelic Football AssociationWicklow GAA Bill Hill Wicklow People Garden County Sport Ladies Gaelic Football Down LGFAs
Dominic Horan @DomHoran: Wicklow Master’s XC - 8th/1st M50/2nd Team
Alpha1girl @alphaonegirl: That looked tough, glad I was only marshalling, congrats to a super race.
Dominic Horan @DomHoran: Glad it’s over.
The Boy Wonerd @TheBoyWonerd: Well-deserved. Congrats.