D Wednesday, September 23, 2009 METROSPORT 21 golf vivendi trophy The champagne corks will be pop- ping for some time yet in Kerry but, according to new Galway boss Joe Kernan, the race for Sam in 2010 has already begun. Kernan guided Armagh to All-Ire- land final success over Kerry in 2002 and has been drafted in by Galway to repeat the feat seven years on. The new Tribesmen boss will lead a posse of pretenders to Kerrys throne including Cork, Tyrone and Dublin. Yet while the rest of Kerrys rivals will not begin planning for 2010 for a matter of months Kernan (pic- tured) is already plotting. his Galway team head out to New York for the FBD League final on October 11, a game he said he expects them to show 100 per cent commitment in. The minute the final whistle was blown on Sunday your mind starts looking towards next year, said Kern- an, who admits Kerry are a class act. Things didnt work out for Cork but you have to take your hat off to Kerry. Cork will look back and say Chase is on to succeed Kingdom, says Kernan they didnt perform and that Kerry did perform. But the bottom line is that with ten minutes to go it was still there for Cork. Its just that Kerry were able to step up to it and snuff out any Cork threat. Galway were well off the All-Ire- land pace this year, suffering defeats to Mayo and Donegal. Kernan famously reeled in Kerry before but insists he has not been drafted into Galway to implement a defence-first strategy like he em- ployed with Armagh. The one thing Id say is that you cant change what people and players are naturally made of, said Kernan. You have to work with the material that is there. There are certain things we can look at, we can tighten up in defence but one thing Galway have always had is good footballers, good forwards. Im not going to try to take any- thing away from that natural ability. Well work with what we have and ultimately try to make them a better unit. hopefully we can get them working for each other and make some head way. By paul keane ladies day: Cork captain Mary OConnor and Dublin skipper Denise Masterson will do battle in the all-Ireland football final on Sunday Dublin will hope to take the first step today towards just the third hurling AllStar in the countys history. The 45-strong list of nominations for the 2009 Team of the Year will be released today and Dublin will hope to figure strongly. under Anthony Daly, the blues reached their first leinster final since 1991, losing out by two goals to Kilkenny. Versatile midfielder Alan McCrabbe is sure of a nomination and will hope to ultimately make the final 15. The nominations, however, are likely to be dominated yet again by All-ireland champions Kilkenny with runners up Tipperary set to feature strongly. gAA briTAin and ireland have been so badly hit by withdrawals that despite four straight wins in the Seve Trophy now renamed the Vivendi Trophy they are underdogs against Continental Europe in Paris this week. Paul McGinleys side is without its four highest-ranked players in Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, lee Westwood and ian Poulter, plus luke Donald and Justin rose. The only absentees from Thomas bjorns team are Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer. ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie will be in attendance looking at candidates for his side at Celtic Manor next year, and for 20-year-old rory Mcilroy it will be a first taste of international golf as a professional, while Graeme McDowell is also in the b&i side. Mcilroys rise to world no.24 makes him McGinleys top player on paper and Montgomerie said: You cant do anything about players who are injured and scheduling is also difficult. What i would rather focus on is who is there because there is an awful lot of talent in both teams. What i am looking for is how they are as team members. When i go into the team rooms i will be watching to see how they react to what their team captains have to say and also to what i have to say because ill have a spiel myself. it is a very important four days. Monty seeking Ryder potentials leading role: McIlroy ArMAGh and Louth may both approach Pete McGrath after the former Ireland international rules boss was rejected by former county Down. The twice All-Ireland winning Mourne manager was overlooked for a return to his native countys hotseat in favour of his former star forward James McCartan. McGrath says he is still hurt by the perceived betrayal yet remains interested in senior inter-county management. Asked specifically about the Armagh role, McGrath said he would be interested if contacted, while neighbours Louth would also love to snare him. McGrath managed current Louth SFC finalists Cooley for a three-year spell earlier this decade. If I was approached I would give the offer serious consideration, said McGrath of Armagh. If Armagh were interested in me I would certainly think about it. The deadline for nominations for the Louth job was last night. A special sub-committee will be appointed later this week to draw up a shortlist, make its own recommendations if necessary and interview candidates for the role vacated by eamonn Mcenaney. McGrath interested in Armagh vacancy Rejected: McGrath feels snubbed by Down Picture: Sportsfile Central role in Renault drama: piquet Jr was ordered to crash formulA one Schumacher backs Button to hang on MiCHAEl SCHuMACHEr is tipping Jenson button to win the F1 world title this year. button heads to this weekends Singapore Grand Prix with a 14- point cushion over brawn GP team-mate rubens barrichello. Schumachers German compatriot Sebastien Vettel is 26 points adrift with four races remaining, while Australian Mark Webber 28.5 points down. Seven-times champ Schumacher said: i would pretty much expect Jenson to win this title. its very hard to take it away from him, knowing the problems and reliability issues they have had at red bull. itll be a challenge, but the points difference is too big. Briatores ban over the top The punishment meted out to Flavio Briatore for fixing last years Singapore Grand Prix has been described as excessive by Carlos Gracia, the head of Spains motor sport federation. Briatore is understood to be distraught at the life ban from motorsport handed to him following Mondays World Motor Sport Council hearing. The Italian left renault last week along with the engineering head Pat Symonds, who was banned for five years on Monday. renault did not contest the accusations and were handed a suspended permanent ban that will last until the end of the 2011 season. The WMSC made it clear the FIA will not sanction any event involving Briatore, nor will drivers he manages be granted a Superlicence in future. The WMSC concluded the conspiracy with former driver Nelson Piquet Jr to cause a crash in last years first night race was of unparalleled severity. But Gracia, head of the Spanish motorsport federation, says he was stunned by the sanction. It seems to me excessive, there was no clear evidence to indict, and he was also unable to defend himself, he said. Moreover, I would not rule out him using the regular courts as he has been left without a means of earning a living. What has happened to Briatore seems disproportionate. It is understood Briatore is considering his legal options. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html