Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
There's so much happening in sport over the weekend and we have the weather as well. So it's like the perfect scenario, isn't it? Owen Cheyhan from Off The Ball is here. The championship and the sun, like it's just perfect, isn't it?
Yeah, it goes hand in hand. It really feels like the championship begins this weekend because the sun has finally decided to... To kind of sneak out and everybody will be a little bit more excited to actually go to games this weekend, particularly in Gaelic games.
Chapter 2: What exciting sports events are happening this weekend?
And I suspect the tenancies might actually be up around the country. It's a perfect time of the year as well, particularly on the hurling front where everything really matters at this stage. We don't have the dreaded dead rubber for another few weeks in either of the two main provinces.
We'll all be like calves let out of the shed after the winter this weekend, won't we?
Yeah, it's going to be amazing. And like, you just think of all the provincial grounds around the place from, say, Nolan Park tomorrow evening at half past six is the first thing I have up here in front of me. Like Kilkenny on a sunny Saturday evening is a great place to be.
And you look at the Munster games, like Parkey Queeve and the sunshine on Sunday afternoon is going to be beautiful as well. Assuming the sunshine does last until Sunday afternoon.
We will. We're not going to count it and say it's not lasting. Certainly not as we sit here on Friday anyway. So which one of the championship games are you most looking forward to or do you think will have the best storyline when we're chatting again on Monday?
I'd be most looking forward to Cork versus Limerick but I think the most important storyline might actually be Waterford versus Tipperary because the loser of that game I think will be in a spot of bother. I think Tipperary versus Clare later on in the round robin down in Munster is actually going to be a shootout for qualification from this group.
I think Limerick and Cork possibly look like the two best teams in Munster, but neither of them are going to have a 100% record after this week, obviously, because they go up against one another. It feels like a defining rivalry in modern hurling, Cork versus Limerick.
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Chapter 3: How does the weather impact sports attendance this weekend?
It feels like Limerick actually get the best out of Cork and Cork have put in some of their best performances in recent years against Limerick. But at the same time, you know, neither of them have actually won the All-Ireland in the last two years. It is Clare who got over the line two years ago, it is Tipperary who got over the line last year.
So can it really be the defining rivalry unless they've actually faced off in an All-Ireland final and unless they're actually back-to-back All-Ireland champions? That's probably what TIP people and Clare people might actually put forward. But I think after them not playing last weekend, I think Limerick's chances of this or Ireland have not been dented in any way.
I think a lot of people still have them down as their favourites. Now, can they go to Parkey Queve and get a win on Sunday? That's a different matter. I think there'll be slight favourites for it. But Cork would love nothing more than to put a dent in Limerick's qualification hopes because that's what will happen if they lose on Sunday. That's how ruthless this whole thing is.
If they lose, even if they maintain their status as All-Ireland favourites or warm favourites, they could still be in danger of not getting through this group. You can never write anything off.
So even if people want to argue with you about whether it is the rivalry of the championship, they're going to tear strips off each other on Sunday.
It's going to be a battle royale. Now, the thing is, Limerick did annihilate Cork last year when it came to this match in Munster. And we thought that that was like Limerick's arrival into 2025. And we thought, right, this is it. Clare had their moment last year. Limerick are going to win the All-Ireland this year. Cork have been firmly put back in their box.
Limerick were knocked out of the championship a few weeks later by Dublin when Dublin were down to 14 men. And then you kind of thought the tables had turned considerably and Cork were going to win the All-Ireland and they got hockeyed in the All-Ireland final as well. So I'm picking holes in my own argument here about this being the defining right way.
Let's just say it's going to be a great game on Sunday.
We mentioned Mayo versus Roscommon as well. Actually, we were chatting about this by default because Chris O'Dowd was talking to the Irish Times about his history in the GAA, you know, playing for Roscommon 30 years ago and the loss that he never got over looking ahead to this game as well. People talk about Roscommon hating Mayo more than Mayo hate Roscommon.
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Chapter 4: Which championship games are the most anticipated this weekend?
Where he's going to play is a different story because while he's named in the full forward line, I really like to see him out the field a little bit more. He's big, he's able to look after himself and he can shoot the two-pointer, crucially. So that position may be a little bit harder to define.
It's just going to be finding time for all these things because that is on at the exact same time as Waterford versus Tipperary. So as is often the case on a GEA weekend, those prime Sunday afternoon fixtures do tend to get clogged up with a couple of fixtures. So there's a direct clash between those two games, which a lot of people, I think, would like to see.
Chapter 5: What are the implications of the Cork versus Limerick game?
OK. OK, and Jim McGuinness saying that he expects Down to throw the kitchen sink at Donegal this weekend as well.
Yeah, it's kind of last chance saloon for Down now to qualify for Sam Maguire because Westmeath put the cat amongst the pigeons last week with their unexpected win against Meath. That knocks Down out of the Sam Maguire places unless they get to an Ulster final.
But Down would need to win this game away to Donegal this weekend and then they'd also need to beat Armagh most likely in an Ulster semi-final and make it to an Ulster final. They have it very hard up there in Ulster. It is unfair.
But into the fact that it's based on geography, whether or not you qualify for Sam Maguire from an outside the top 16 spot and down, it would be very, very unlikely if they're going to be contending for Sam Maguire. So they'll have to, I suspect, settle for a place in the Taliesin Cup once again.
OK, so I'm going to jump now to the World Cup.
Yeah.
And this is slightly complex, but the Italian sports minister says, never mind the Italian ambassador, rather the American ambassador to Italy who suggested that Italy could replace Iran in the World Cup. And we're looking at that going, well, if they're suggesting Italy should be there, why can't we be there?
Yeah, I saw someone saying that the FAI now has the opportunity to do the most shameless thing in the history of sport and actually put their hands up and say, put us in, coach. Nothing's going to happen here in terms of the outcome. I don't blame this, anybody, for making this a big story because, well, first of all, you have Paolo Zampolli actually talking about this.
You have a US special envoy saying that my beloved Italia... Italy should be in the World Cup and we should have a lot of Italians who are obviously generations old here in New York City in particular, you know, celebrating football and they've won the World Cup four times, etc, etc. And because it's the United States, you can never write anything off in terms of something manifesting itself.
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Chapter 6: How does the rivalry between Mayo and Roscommon affect their upcoming match?
But she obviously continued to play that full game against Ireland. So she's going to be starting. Tomorrow night, she starts as a blindside flanker against Ireland. And I wouldn't be surprised if she shipped an early hard tackle or two from one of her Irish counterparts just to put down a bit of a marker. So they absolutely can. This is the defining game of Ireland's Six Nations.
Tomorrow, ten past eight, if you're going to watch one of the Women's Six Nations games for Ireland this year, this is the one. Yeah, for sure.
Owen, thanks so much. Enjoy the weekend of sport.
The Clare Byrne Show. With Aviva Insurance. Weekday mornings at 9. On Newstalk. Conversation that counts.