Ireland fans may be beginning to wonder if 2009 is going to be a monumental year. On the eve of Saint Patrick's Day, things are looking incredibly rosy for the Emerald Isle. David Gillick's fall in his 400m heats at the European Athletics Championships was a big blow for Ireland's attempts at a golden haul. A blow cushioned, however, by Derval O'Rourke's 60m Hurdles bronze medal and Mary Cullen's gutsy front-running, the latter also taking bronze in the 3000m. Furthermore, the relatively unknown name of Ciara Mageean is being tipped as the next Sonia O'Sullivan; the 17 year old producing numerous notable runs over the country and on track.
In the world of golf, the future is even brighter. Rory McIlroy is rightly receiving high praise across the globe, thanks to a number of stirring performances from the Holywood teenager. Ernie Els and Tiger Woods, for example, think that McIlroy has what it takes to be the next world number one after Woods; no higher praise than from the man himself. Throw into the equation Padraig Harrington's form and the Northern Irish trio of Michael Hoey, Gareth Maybin and Graeme McDowell, and Ireland can be a force for years to come.
Next month's Snooker World Championships has another three Northern Irishmen (Mark Allen, Joe Swail and Gerard Greene) in the main draw. This year's tournament may come a little too soon for the trio, but of the three, Allen seems the most likley to regularly challenge for ranking titles. The current world number 16 might just surprise a few people next month. Swail, on the other hand, may dispute that following his recent run to the final in last month's Welsh Open.
The footballers face a vital period at the end of this month. A victory over Bulgaria would put the Irish in a strong position to finish in the top two. Anything other than defeat against the Italians a few days later in Bari is likely to send the travelling thousands into dreamland. So, you'd agree that 2009 could be a productive year for Ireland? And we haven't even mentioned the rugby yet.
On Saturday evening, Ireland maintained their hopes of a first Grand Slam since 19-God-knows-when with a hard fought victory over a powerful and disciplined Scotland at Murrayfield. The first half of this RBS Six Nations clash was by no means classic, but the Irish class shone through in the second half, lead by the impressive Peter Stringer and the once-again reliable boot of Ronan O'Gara.
One mustn't forget the contributions of Brian O'Driscoll again. The Irish captain wasn't as imperious as he has been in a few previous games, but again underlined his importance to the Grand Slam cause; in particular a bruising challenge on Scotland's Phil Godman. The fly-half was bundled into touch metres away from the try-line as the first half appeared as though it would end disastrously for the Irish. Had that score have materialised, Ireland may well have struggled to recover.
They got the result, and now go to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday evening to face Wales. Any defeat of less than 13 points will seal the Six Nations crown. Any win will seal the Grand Slam that has eluded the Irish for so long. Anything else doesn't bear thinking about. So as you stare into your Saint Patrick's Day pint, whether you're Irish or not, you have to wonder what the rest of the year and, indeed, the week will have in store.
2 comments:
What about a mention for the success that Irish boxers are having at the minute. Martin Rogan winning the Commonwealth heavyweight championship a couple of weeks ago, Paul McCloskey from Dungiven retaining his British title on Friday with an almost faultless performance and Bernard Dunne fighting for a world title on Saturday. You then have other fighters like John Duddy and Andy Lee not far away from making moves on the world stage. Irish boxing is in about as good as state as it's been for ages.
Right enough Dan, as soon as I'd done it, I began to think of sports I hadn't mentioned, boxing the first to come to mind.
Can't have too many complaints about the boxers you mentioned, and what they have done. Rogan, in particular, has been impressive recently. His fight with Skelton was enthralling, and really could have went either way until Rogan put him down in the 11th. Time isn't really on his side, though. At the age of 37, he'll still have a few years in his division, so while he is one to watch, he's unlikely to dominate that division over the course of a few years, if at all, especially with the Eastern European dominance at heavyweight.
McCloskey's been a bit of a revelation, and admittedly, before his comprehensive defeat of Colin Lynes, I hadn't heard much about him. I didn't see his fight on Friday Dan, but by all accounts, it was another straightforward victory for the southpaw. It would be brilliant to see him get a European shot and see how he handles a step up in class.
Do you think that Bernard Dunne can win the world title on Friday? Whilst I hope he can, he's got a very tough opponent in Cordoba. Also, Duddy and Lee may certainly make an impression on the world stage, the former the more likely. But doubts remain over his defense, and the recent dispute with his management team hasn't helped. Duddy, for me, is a little bit frustrating. He's got the ability to mix it with some of the best middleweights around, so let's hope that we'll see him fight a top-quality opponent after his next scheduled fight.
All in all Dan, Irish boxing is in a healthy state. Brian Magee might yet cause a few surprises if he keeps working towards the world stage again. And let's not forget about the Olympic heroes. Kenny Egan and Paddy Barnes remain amateur, but Darren Sutherland has made a promising start to his pro career (albeit against well-selected opponents), whilst his Olympics conqueror James DeGale got off to a much less impressive start in his foray into professional boxing. And John Joe Joyce is another who is showing signs, very unlucky in losing his bout at the Olympics.
Any other sports, or perhaps individuals that anyone thinks should have been included? A1GP, perhaps, and the very impressive performances of Adam Carroll? What about the cricketers? Anyone fancy them to cause an upset when they meet England at Stormont in August?
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