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Kerry player ratings after their ten-point All-Ireland SFC win over Roscommon

Irish Independent

18-05-2025

Sport
Irish Independent

Kerry player ratings after their ten-point All-Ireland SFC win over Roscommon

Mike Breen, Joe O'Connor and David Clifford were the stand-out performers for the Kingdom in Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday afternoon Kerryman Shane Ryan (Rathmore) 7 Did absolutely nothing wrong in the game, but didn't have all that much scope to stand out from the crowd either. His restarts were typically efficient (Kerry's retention rate improved as the game went on), but didn't come close to having a save to make. Kicked a '45.

John Higgins explains what has changed during his brilliant return to form

Metro

24-04-2025

Sport
Metro

John Higgins explains what has changed during his brilliant return to form

John Higgins is feeling relaxed and playing with a mental clarity which he had lost for some time before regaining it by winning the World Open in March. The Wizard of Wishaw won his 32nd ranking title by beating Joe O'Connor in the final in Yushan, ending a four-year wait to add to his collection. The Scot lost five ranking finals during that title drought and suffered some painful defeats as he tossed away leads and was beaten in deciding frames. His belief and confidence was damaged pretty severely, but that success at the World Open has done wonders to heal those wounds, with the impact clear on the table. Since that title in China, Higgins made a quarter-final of the World Grand Prix, semi-final of the Players Championship and then won the Tour Championship, beating Mark Selby in some style in the final. Asked what the difference is now to just two months ago when he was struggling to land titles, he said: 'I think maybe [I was] weak mentally. That was the difference. 'Now I feel a lot more relaxed. It was as if I was striving. I was lunging to try and win an event. Then as I was getting there I was running out of steam. I was finding the pressure. 'I've had a lot of tough moments in the past few years so when you're winning it's a great feeling to be involved in these big events.' On how he feels as the winning line approaches now, the four-time world champion explained: 'I just feel calmer. My thought process and my thinking is a lot clearer. 'It's as if time's standing still a little bit again like it was a few years ago when you were winning big events. More Trending 'If I'm being honest the last two or three years my mind was going like a waltzer. I was thinking 'what am I going to do here?' I can't see patterns, it was getting difficult. It's better now. 'I was looking for problems to see what I would be missing instead of how to go about the break to win. 'It's been a good shift in the last few months. I've got a bit more inner belief from what's happened the past few months and that's making decisions come a bit easier.' Higgins beat Joe O'Connor 10-7 in his opening round and begins his clash with Xiao Guodong in the last 16 on Thursday evening, finishing on Saturday. MORE: Mark Allen speaks out on awful social media abuse and baffling lack of consequences MORE: John Higgins admits there are two players he expects to struggle against MORE: World Snooker Championship 2025 results, scores and schedule for Day 6

BBC pundit Steve Davis calls out star's 'unforgivable' error at World Snooker Championship

Daily Mirror

23-04-2025

Sport
Daily Mirror

BBC pundit Steve Davis calls out star's 'unforgivable' error at World Snooker Championship

Joe O'Connor was left to rue a costly mistake in his World Snooker Championship defeat to John Higgins, with Steve Davis branding the error "unforgivable" Snooker icon Steve Davis was left scratching his head over a crucial decision made by Joe O'Connor during his defeat to John Higgins on Monday. The World Snooker Championship match was still up for grabs with the score level at 7-7 in a tense 15th frame, but Higgins' victory marked the beginning of the end for O'Connor. The 'Wizard of Wishaw' went on to clinch the next two frames, securing his place in the following round with a 10-7 win. ‌ The 15th frame alone took a whopping 37 minutes to decide, with O'Connor having to think outside the box as he tried to claw back a 17-point deficit with only the pink and black remaining on the table. The 29-year-old stepped up to the plate with a brilliant shot. With the cue ball tucked behind the black, Higgins narrowly missed the pink, adding six more points to O'Connor's tally. However, instead of forcing Higgins to try and escape from the snooker again, O'Connor chose to play a difficult safety shot himself, leaving the cue ball near the side cushion. This move backfired when Higgins played his own snooker, leading to O'Connor leaving an opportunity for a pink pot that was swiftly taken by his rival. Davis was left stunned that Higgins wasn't put under more pressure after failing to escape from O'Connor's initial snooker, reports the Express. ‌ The 67-year-old former six-time world champion shared his bewilderment with the BBC, lamenting: "[O'Connor] played a brilliant snooker, a tough one for John Higgins to get out of. "The thing I cannot understand is why did Joe O'Connor not put John Higgins back in? Joe O'Connor was in a position to make him play that shot again. "I think that's a tough safety shot [O'Connor took on]. And as it worked out, the safety shot Joe O'Connor played, John Higgins gets a snooker back from it. That was strange. ‌ "You can miss the pots, but your decision-making and positional [play] sometimes goes awry and you stop making the correct decisions under pressure. "That at the end was unforgivable, not to put your opponent back in, for me. John would have fully expected, in my opinion, to be put back in there and have to play a containing safety." Meanwhile, Higgins powered through to continue his run at the Crucible, holding back tears during a TV interview as he spoke of his father-in-law's recent heart attack.

John Higgins earns Batman comparison as snooker ace Shaun Murphy left in disbelief by John Parrott quip

Daily Record

21-04-2025

Sport
Daily Record

John Higgins earns Batman comparison as snooker ace Shaun Murphy left in disbelief by John Parrott quip

The Wizard of Wishaw was far from his best in his opening round clash with Joe O'Connor John Parrott reckons that John Higgins is snooker's answer to Batman - with his incredible ability to escape from dangerous situations. The Wizard of Wishaw started his bid for a fifth World Championship against English qualifier Joe O'Connor, and found himself 5-4 down at the mid-session break - in a tie where he struggled to find a way put together any strong breaks. ‌ However BBC pundit Parrott left reigning Masters champion Shaun Murphy in stitches after likening his ability to escape from a slack morning session with the match still in the balance to that of Batman. Parrott said: "Remember the old Batman episodes that you used to see every week, and Batman was always in a perilous situation. And then all of a sudden he'd get out of it. "John Higgins is just like that. He always gets himself out of a situation when it looks like he's dead and buried. He's extricated himself from more perilous situations than Batman." Murphy joked "wait there Robin," and said that O'Connor would be kicking himself not to have made the veteran pay for his lacklustre opening at the Crucible. He said: "If you'd said to Joe O'Connor that you can be 5-4 up at the interval then he'd bite your hand off. But he was in first there at 5-3 and had to play a safety shot with the rest. "That allowed John Higgins to get back in the frame. And he's given away the chance so cheaply it will really annoy him." ‌ Whilst Higgins might've earned superhero comparisons, he admits that the Crucible presents a unique challenge as he nears his 50th birthday - staying awake beyond 9pm. The veteran explained: "Playing at 10am means I feel as if I need to get up at half 6 or 7am to get my eyes adjusted. ‌ "With me playing at night at 7pm, I was thinking about it. Around 9pm or half 9 I'm in bed. It just goes to show you how different your life is now. "I'll be playing all day. So I'll try to get a couple of hours of sleep in the afternoon to get ready for the second session. "It just feels tremendous being back here, regardless of if you're in good form or bad form. It's a special place to come back and play. "In the last four or five years I've not really came in on the back of any wins that would give me some deep rooted confidence in myself. I'm hoping those two recent wins can give me confidence. "I know how incredibly difficult it is to win this event. I've not won it for 14 years. It's going to be difficult, but I feel a lot better about my game this year. "Even after all these years I don't think you get used to it in the first frame. It's just surreal."

Kerry players ratings from their extra-time Munster SFC semi-final win over Cork