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Malachy Clerkin

@malachyclerkin.bsky.social
1.7K followers 46 following 49 posts

Sportswriter for The Irish Times. Looking up, not down. malachy.clerkin@irishtimes.com

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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Mayo people will never go back. Winning Sam Maguire changes everything for them. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Mayo people will never go back. Winning Sam Maguire changes everything
Long wait for an All-Ireland brought decades of heartache, but it also strengthened bonds in ways that are now becoming clear
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Mayo people will never go back. Winning Sam Maguire changes everything for them. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Mayo people will never go back. Winning Sam Maguire changes everything
Long wait for an All-Ireland brought decades of heartache, but it also strengthened bonds in ways that are now becoming clear
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Gavin Cooney @gcooney93.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
As he gets ready to compete at the Open, my interview with Cork's David Howard, who has one of the most remarkable stories in Irish sport I can remember ‘I ended up having a manic episode and psychosis’: Corkman David Howard’s long journey to The Open www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2...
irishtimes.com
‘I ended up having a manic episode and psychosis’: Corkman David Howard’s long journey to The Open
Golfer with cystic fibrosis has to take 30 tablets daily and will have a physiotherapist on stand-by at next week’s tournament
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Dave Hannigan: Why was Conor McGregor cheered whereas a World Cup star was jeered? www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
irishtimes.com
Dave Hannigan: Why was Conor McGregor cheered whereas a World Cup star was jeered?
How strange that in one state a man found civilly liable of sexual assault was welcomed while up the road Achraf Hakimi, who is awaiting trial on a rape charge, was booed
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
This is glorious stuff. Keith Duggan on New York in a time of sporting bliss. www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
irishtimes.com
The World Cup takes over as the backdrop to summer in New York
As Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi took their respective bows, it became obvious New Yorkers are happy to extend their sports crazy summer for another few weeks
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Miguel Delaney @migueldelaney.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
As Qatar win the Champions League again, we go to the USA for a World Cup even more politicised than 2022, and the Premier League awaits the outcome of the City case, all of this is covered in the paperback of my book ‘States of Play’ - available here: amzn.eu/d/08ZjVURr
amzn.eu
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football | The International Bestseller & Winner of the Football Book of the Year Award eBook : Delaney, Miguel: Amazon.co.uk: Books
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football | The International Bestseller & Winner of the Football Book of the Year Award eBook : Delaney, Miguel: Amazon.co.uk: Books
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
If you’re sneering at a Galway footballer maybe going on Love Island, you’re the loser. This week‘s column www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: If you’re sneering at a Galway footballer maybe going on Love Island, you’re the loser
Seán Fitzgerald is hoping to make the cut for the UK’s biggest TV dating show, forsaking Galway’s Sam Maguire effort to do it
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Getting close to go time for Pádraig O'Hora up on Everest. His Irish Times diaries have been brilliant. This is his latest one, as they finally get through the icefall and start pushing on from Base Camp. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2026/0...
irishtimes.com
Pádraig O’Hora’s Everest Diary: ‘Don’t look down? Here, you have no choice’
After weeks of build-up, the expedition has moved onto Everest and pushed past Base Camp. Excitement is rising, danger is too
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Elm Jee ☘️ @lizmgreene.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Excellent piece from @malachyclerkin.bsky.social of @irishtimes.com. Infantino's FIFA gives racism a pass. Malachy Clerkin: Fifa’s risible punishment of Israeli FA is a dereliction of duty www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Fifa’s risible punishment of Israeli FA is a dereliction of duty
The world governing body was scathing in its condemnation of the IFA for discrimination but let it off with a slap on the wrist
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David Storey @davidstoreygeog.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
"The dereliction of duty on Fifa’s part here is genuinely jaw-dropping.... You’re either allowed to behave with impunity as a national football federation tolerating racism and segregation or you’re not.....For shame, Fifa. For shame" @malachyclerkin.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Fifa’s risible punishment of Israeli FA is a dereliction of duty
The world governing body was scathing in its condemnation of the IFA for discrimination but let it off with a slap on the wrist
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Loved doing this one. Where were you for Troy Parrott's goal? Featuring (among others)... ✈️The woman who took the airport video 👶A midwife in the Rotunda, mid-delivery ⛹️‍♂️A soccer-mad cancer patient (11) ⚽☘️Everyone in Ireland at 4pm on November 16th 2025 www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...
irishtimes.com
From the airport to the maternity ward – where were you for Troy Parrott’s goal?
Ireland’s winner in Budapest was an explosion where the shrapnel came in the form of smiles and tears and hugs with strangers
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Happy Cheltenham week to all who celebrate. Had a great chat with Johnny Dineen about what it takes to live the life fo a professional gambler betting on horses. A fascinating guy and a complete gentleman. "I would describe what I have as a controlled addiction." www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...
irishtimes.com
Professional gambler Johnny Dineen: ‘It’s all I’ve ever done and it’s all I’m ever going to do’
The popular racing pundit and ex-bookmaker makes his living gambling on horse racing but accepts it’s not a life for everyone
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Happy Cheltenham week to all who celebrate. Had a great chat with Johnny Dineen about what it takes to live the life fo a professional gambler betting on horses. A fascinating guy and a complete gentleman. "I would describe what I have as a controlled addiction." www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...
irishtimes.com
Professional gambler Johnny Dineen: ‘It’s all I’ve ever done and it’s all I’m ever going to do’
The popular racing pundit and ex-bookmaker makes his living gambling on horse racing but accepts it’s not a life for everyone
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Mark Robson on his abuser: ‘When he died, I went through a terrible time because I wanted to kill him’ www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/...
irishtimes.com
Mark Robson on his abuser: ‘When he died, I went through a terrible time because I wanted to kill him’
Rugby commentator has spent his life putting himself back together after being abused by paedophile Lindsay Brown when he was 11
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
This is great, by Brian O'Connor. If it's too dangerous for Constitution Hill to race at Cheltenham, what does that say about jump racing? www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...
irishtimes.com
If it is too dangerous for Constitution Hill to race at Cheltenham, what does it say about jump racing?
At one point Constitution Hill looked like maybe the greatest hurdler ever. Now we’ll never know about that
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Welcome back to the league, the faithful droopy-eyed hound of the GAA family. This week’s column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Welcome back to the league, the faithful droopy-eyed hound of the GAA family
Many teams have real problems they’ll want to fix in the next two months
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Dave Hannigan with a column on, eh, Coke cans and such. (It's actually about an NFL player's penis) www.irishtimes.com/sport/2026/0...
irishtimes.com
Dispute between former NFL player Matt Kalil and his ex-wife takes on an alarming dimension
Representatives for Hailey Kalil announced she was merely ‘exercising her sexual sovereignty’
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Great to see Blue Lights getting its due. Such a great show. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
theguardian.com
The 50 best TV shows of 2025: No 5 – Blue Lights
This precision-crafted Belfast police drama is a tense, thrilling watch that’s rich with detail. Has there ever been a more terrifying cliffhanger than it served up this season?
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Thanks Andy!
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Just a few hours until thew American Ryder Cup captain maybe, possibly picks himself to play in the Ryder Cup. A piece on how the Yanks got themselves into such a mad muddle over a middling golfer called Keegan Bradley. www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2...
irishtimes.com
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Just a few hours until thew American Ryder Cup captain maybe, possibly picks himself to play in the Ryder Cup. A piece on how the Yanks got themselves into such a mad muddle over a middling golfer called Keegan Bradley. www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2...
irishtimes.com
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The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 27/08/2025
Sally Hayden: Israel’s targeting of journalists is an attack on truth and history
irishtimes.com
Sally Hayden: Israel’s targeting of journalists is an attack on truth and history
Journalists’ lives are not more important than those of other civilians, but when you attack journalists you stop the world from learning about what is happening
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Great to have Conor Murray writing in The Irish Times during the Lions tour. His first piece is about Jamison Gibson-Park. www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/...
irishtimes.com
Conor Murray: With Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the strings, the Lions will look like Ireland in red jerseys
Our new columnist writes that the Leinster scrumhalf invariably makes right decision in possession
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
"Only during the hour itself will Taylor discover if her body still has the capacity to endure the punishments of 10 two-minute rounds which, in their hands, are likely to be defined by a furious rate of punches thrown and a wild unpredictability." www.irishtimes.com/sport/boxing...
irishtimes.com
Tuning out the noise, Katie Taylor steels herself for last dance with Amanda Serrano
Taylor and Serrano return to New York’s Madison Square Garden for the next instalment in their enthralling rivalry
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Ellen Coyne @ellenmcoyne.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Today's front page - Tusla and the Govt clashed over a national crisis in special care, with a senior official accusing the State agency of taking “insufficient” action to help at-risk children There were concerns one child was at risk of dying w/out a place www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
The worst thing was, I somehow said it twice. Even though it's obviously wrong. Stoopid.
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
The Mayo County Board can hire and fire who they like but there's a way to do it. This was the work of spivs. Kevin McStay deserved better. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Mayo’s decision to oust Kevin McStay was fair enough but the way they did it was foul
Understandable desire for change after three years without notable progression
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Yes! Total brain fart on my part. There have been emails...
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Mark Paul at the Kneecap trial. The magistrate said the court had so far been unable to find an Irish interpreter. “If anyone knows of one….” he said. A woman in the public gallery could be heard laughing as she pointed at Ó hAnnaidh’s bandmates." www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/202...
irishtimes.com
Kneecap case: ‘A woman pointed to a sniggering Móglaí Bap as the magistrate asked if anyone knew an Irish interpreter’
Bedlam and singing outside London court as Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appears on charge over displaying Hizbullah flag
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The Blackpool Sentinel @blackpoolsentinel.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Jarvis Cocker paused during Pulp’s 3Arena show last week to remember their first gig in Dublin — The Rock Garden, March 1993. A £10-a-night hotel, missing gear, and one unforgettable punchline. Read the full tale of Pulp’s curious Irish beginnings here theblackpoolsentinel.com/2025/06/16/p...
A photo of a wooden desk with two black-and-white prints lying on it. One print shows a man with his arm extended, mid-performance on stage. The other print shows a young man in sunglasses standing in front of a barbershop with signs reading "COMO GENTS HAIR". Nearby are a white Apple keyboard, a white Apple Magic Mouse, a hard drive, and some medication sachets. The desk surface has light scuff marks and scratches.
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Olivia Doyle @oliviadoyle26.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Ticket available for Michael Lewis's sold-out #DalkeyBookFestival event, Sunday 6pm: www.ticketswap.com/listing/mich...
ticketswap.com
Michael Lewis, Master Storyteller, Dalkey Book Festival 2025 (Cuala GAA Hall, A96X795)
TicketSwap is the safest place to buy and sell tickets. A simple and fair-priced marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets for events, concerts, festivals, etc.
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Ellen Coyne @ellenmcoyne.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/soci...
irishtimes.com
Buildings designed as creches are being sold as residential homes
Government Ministers working to update planning regulations to prevent change of use of childcare facilities
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Choose any metric you like - crowd size, TV audience, the closeness of the games. Cork v Limerick has become the biggest game in Irish sport. Here's how it happened. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
How Cork v Limerick became the biggest game in Irish sport
Four years ago it wasn’t much of a contest, but an injection of pure uncut Cork has helped make this a rivalry for the ages
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
“I’ve run three times this season and each time I was like, ‘Oh my God, I feel different. I don’t feel as sharp. I don’t feel as quick. I feel sluggish.’ And my coach is like: ‘Ray, you’re not trying to break the world record right now. Focus on the goal.’ www.irishtimes.com/sport/athlet...
irishtimes.com
Rhasidat Adeleke on life in the spotlight: ‘How do people like Beyoncé handle this? This is crazy!’
Rhasidat Adeleke interview: Tallaght sprinter on navigating fame at 22, building her brand and the changes she has made ahead of September’s World Championships
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
On Daffodil Day, here's a piece I wrote about my dad a few years back. If you see a daffodil seller today, throw them a few quid. If you don't, text DAFF to 50300 to donate €4 to the Irish Cancer Society. They're amazing, amazing people. irishtimes.com/life-and-sty...
irishtimes.com
‘Dad was only 62 when he died. My friend’s partner was only 37. Everyone’s only is their own’
He finished his 40 years of work and a year later he was diagnosed with cancer
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Ellen Coyne @ellenmcoyne.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
www.independent.ie/opinion/comm... Ellen Coyne: Conor McGregor is Ireland’s most diabolically embarrassing export – and Trump may have given him his next big break
independent.ie
Ellen Coyne: Conor McGregor is Ireland’s most diabolically embarrassing export – and Trump may have given him his next big break
Here’s Conor McGregor’s biggest problem. His desire to leave a noble legacy is so very intense, but the moral fibre he’s relying on is so very pallid. McGregor is the living paradox of someone who is ...
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
What a piece of writing Ellen. Brilliant.
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Gavin Cooney @gcooney93.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
My piece this weekend is an interview with Ruairí Keating, who was very honest about how difficult life has been since the death of his father. (Free to read) 'It's always there' - Ruairí Keating opens up on grief, and why he needed to return to Cork the42.ie/6613150
the42.ie
'It's always there' - Ruairí Keating opens up on grief, and why he needed to return to Cork
Ruairí Keating speaks exclusively to The 42 about coming to terms with the tragic loss of his father.
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Whatever anyone thinks about Rory Gallagher, the GAA president should not be influencing Naas GAA’s coaching choices. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Whatever anyone thinks about Rory Gallagher, the GAA president should not be influencing Naas GAA’s coaching choices
Jarlath Burns has brought huge energy to the role since he took over last February, but his intervention at the Kildare club is an unprecedented overreach
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
This is an extraordinary story by Dave Hannigan. The Last Sportswriter in Nazi Paris. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/1...
irishtimes.com
The Legend of Sparrow Robertson: The last sportswriter in Nazi Paris
Described as ‘illiteracy’s most famous product’, what Robertson lacked in skill he made up for in tenacity under the cloud of Nazi occupation
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
And here's our countdown of the 25 most memorable moments in women's sport in 2024. An incredible year. www.irishtimes.com/sport/boxing...
irishtimes.com
The top 25 women’s sporting moments of the year: top spot revealed with Katie Taylor, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kellie Harrington featuring
Our countdown of the 25 moments that defined women’s sport in Ireland this year
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
The Sportswoman of the Year awards are this afternoon - always the best day. These awards have been going for 20 years now so I wrote a bit about the distance between there and here. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/1...
irishtimes.com
Irish women on top of the sporting world
Irish sportswomen are now the women other countries study to see what can be achieved
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Ellen Coyne @ellenmcoyne.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
www.independent.ie/opinion/comm... Ellen Coyne: There are people in the Republic who are not working hard enough to understand the points Kneecap are making
independent.ie
Ellen Coyne: There are people in the Republic who are not working hard enough to understand the points Kneecap are making
Some articles have become part of the permanent furniture of Irish media. The testimony of women of a certain age who enjoy sea swimming, for example, or episodic missives from people who have moved t...
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Miguel Delaney @migueldelaney.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
My book, ‘States of Play’, is out now. It is really a modern history of football, and how it has been transformed by three main forces: geopolitics, especially autocratic states; a very western capitalism; the game’s own greed and failures of authority geni.us/StatesOfPlay
geni.us
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football
Pre-order your copy today:
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Wordle has beaten me twice this week. This must be how Pep feels every day.
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Sam Tranum @samtranum.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Okay, the end of the year is in sight, so maybe it’s a good time for us to tell you about our financials, here at Dublin Inquirer HQ at the Digital Hub on Thomas Street in Dublin 8. We ask for transparency from others, so some transparency from us is good too, right? 1/
Our one-room office, with four desks, a window at the end, and piles of newspapers everywhere.
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
From just missing out on the Olympic rugby sevens squad to playing for Meath to winning an AFLW title, nobody had a year like Vikki Wall. “If I knew the whole outcome of this whole year, I definitely would do it all over again.” www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
From missing out on the Olympics to winning an AFLW title, nobody had a year like Vikki Wall
The Meath footballer came close to making the cut in rugby Sevens just nine months after taking up the sport but used her disappointment to go back to Australia intent on ending 2024 on a high note
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA. Today's column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA
It’s understandable that a county like Kerry is annoyed at losing young players to Australia but once you start extracting a price for footballers, you turn them into tradeable commodities
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Malachy Clerkin @malachyclerkin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA. Today's column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...
irishtimes.com
Malachy Clerkin: Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA
It’s understandable that a county like Kerry is annoyed at losing young players to Australia but once you start extracting a price for footballers, you turn them into tradeable commodities
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