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RTÉ News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kerry's tactical adaptability could be the difference in coin-flip final
There can be little doubt that the best two teams in the country have wound up in the All-Ireland final this weekend. The semi-finals may have been drab and underwhelming but hopefully that will tee up a cracking decider, which would be fitting after the summer we've had overall. Weighing everything up, this might be one of the hardest All-Ireland finals to call in years. Fortunately, my hurling counterparts have taken the pressure off by universally getting it wrong last week. In fairness to the small-ball lads, who could have predicted that outcome? Obviously, the Cork-Mayo jokes were flowing all too freely on Whatsapp afterwards. Although, I don't know if we ever collapsed in an All-Ireland final like that - in my time, at least. But you'd have to feel a bit of sympathy for those Cork players. They'll need a bit of time to get over that one. I suppose it demonstrates what the pressure of an All-Ireland final can do. It's a game apart from every other match you'll play in the championship and the whole lead-up is usually wracked with tension. Personally, I used to love the spin into Croke Park on the bus and seeing the colour outside the pubs in Drumcondra and Dorset Street. I know other lads used to dread it, because it increased their nerves I suppose. But I used to derive great energy from it. During the parade, the noise levels ratchet up and the whole stadium is just a wall of sound. I particularly enjoyed walking around in front of the Hill when it was the Dubs we were playing. The flares, the chanting, the abuse, I used to love it. The Donegal crowd bring enough of a frenzy themselves. I experienced it once on final day back in my first decider. My main memory was being down to 'officially' mark Mark McHugh that day and then never seeing him for the most of the match. He dropped back into defence as most of them did. Our only collision - that being the operative word - was when I got yellow carded for a clothes-line tackle in the first half. I was relieved it wasn't more. Funnily enough, I always had a wobble during the warm-up when everything always seemed to go wrong. My skills used to desert me. I remember before one final going to give a simple hand-pass to Paddy Durcan in front of me and missing him by about six yards. Then, after all the rest of the pre-match trimmings, the game would throw-in and I'd usually be fine. Particularly if your first involvement in the play is a positive one. I managed to get most of my cock-ups out of the way in the warm-up. But I've seen it where lads froze on the occasion and the game quickly got away from them. Getting back to this Sunday, the final provides us with a classic contrast in styles. Donegal's relentless hard-running power versus Kerry's kicking game. We'll give the obligatory nod to the importance of the midfield battle. The kickout restrictions have made this the game's pivotal battleground. Kerry have been without Diarmuid O'Connor for a few rounds but have imposing fetchers in Mark O'Shea, Sean O'Brien and Joe O'Connor - the last of whom has had a sensational season. Donegal have been brilliant at committing numbers to compete for the breaking ball, which was where they broke the Meath kickout particularly in the second quarter the last day. They also have a ferocious weapon in the form of Shaun Patton's booming kickout. He can land his deliveries in a pocket of space beyond the opposing half-back line for the Donegal wide players to race on to. This led to the winner in Hyde Park and a couple of second half goals against Meath. Peter Canavan has identified in one piece of analysis that it can take them 13 seconds to get from a kickout to a score. Their stamina and relentless running is just astonishing. 'Repeat sprintability' is right. Their GPS stats must be off the charts. Kerry will be ultra-conscious of minding the ball and not conceding turnovers that would allow Donegal to hit them on the counter. The Finbarr Roarty turnover on Keith Curtis was a classic of the genre and within seconds resulted in the second goal for Ciaran Moore up the other end. If Donegal are built more on the collective and more welded to a specific style of play, then Kerry's strength revolves around their individual footballing talents. David Clifford is the most obvious figure here but we saw in the games against Armagh and Tyrone the conundrum facing opposition defences under the new rules. Armagh devoted most of their attention to Clifford, at least in the first half, and this allowed Seanie O'Shea to cause wreckage out around the arc. Two weeks later, Tyrone were naturally more conscious of shackling O'Shea but this meant they left Padraig Hampsey - a fabulous man marker - isolated against Clifford inside. He was on a hiding to nothing. Donegal, with Brendan McCole on man-marking duties, supported by the broader zonal defensive shape, will surely not allow Clifford the room to thrive to that extent. The question is whether this will give the rest of the Kerry forwards a bit more space. Malachy O'Rourke's side were more inclined to defend around the arc and this led to a glut of goal chances, most of which Kerry missed. On another day, they might not. While Donegal's half-back line threat is more renowned, Kerry are underrated in that area. Brian Ó Beaglaíoch has had one of his best campaigns yet. We also saw Mike Breen join in the attack to lay on the goal for David Clifford against Tyrone - although there was still plenty to do admittedly. The game is a flip of a coin. There are ample arguments for either side. Both teams have such a formidable array of weapons. On balance, I think Kerry have slightly more capacity to vary up their approach, whereas Donegal are tightly aligned to one philosophy. One potential opportunity for Kerry is: If they can get ahead in the game, will they force Donegal to deviate from their preferred template? Will the Ulster champions stop working the ball in close and start snatching at lower percentage two-pointers? So, as of now, I'll give a tentative nod to Kerry. But that could change by the time we go live on air on Sunday.
The Irish Sun
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back & forth before Meath vs Donegal
PAUL Shankey and Mark McHugh haven't lost any of their passion for their counties in retirement judging from their pre-match segment. Prior to Donegal ultimately 2 The pair were fired up during a passionate debate over who was going to win Credit: @thesundaygame 2 Oisín Gallen's brilliant goal helped Donegal to a 3-26 to 0-15 cruise You get a sense of it from the above clip, however, that doesn't even include the best part. As 2012 All-Ireland winner McHugh thought he'd gotten in the final point/blow, the Meath All-Ireland champion quickly countered about a previous game "being a systems-based game compared to today's". He then theatrically threw a clenched fist as if he'd just won a match-winning free in the 70th minute. As presenter Damian Lawlor then threw back to Read More On GAA He joked: "Well, that was the easiest interview I've ever done! Back to you Joanne." Twelve months since Jim McGuinness admitted that his side 'ran out of steam' in their bid to reach the All-Ireland SFC final, Donegal delivered the goods as they charged towards a first showpiece since 2014 like a freight train. In the wake of But having seen his team hit 3-13 after the change of ends at a packed Most read in GAA Football The Royals have already tasted unlikely Championship victories over Dublin, Kerry But Robbie Brennan's superb first season at the helm was brought to an end in chastening fashion. Even at half-time, things looked ominous for Meath as they trailed by 0-13 to 0-8. Joanne Cantwell cracks Katie Taylor joke as RTE panel argue over David Clifford not getting Player of the Match award With a Sam Maguire decider Murphy made way just moments after kicking his side into an eight-point lead. By then, the Ulster champions had also bagged the first of three second-half goals. Donegal can now look forward to a first All-Ireland final appearance since the defeat to the Kingdom 11 years ago. McGuinness' side played five games in 99 days to reach that stage then. It has taken them twice as many outings in the same number of days to do it again. Every facet of Donegal's output was impressive here. Singling out just one of their awesome attackers would do a disservice to the others. At the back, high standards were set by the colossal contributions of Brendan McCole and Finnbarr Roarty. On a day when Paddy McBrearty came off the bench and kicked 0-3, McGuinness noted that the strength of his panel has been a key factor in taking Donegal a step further than in 2024. McGUINNESS VIEW He said: "We didn't know at that stage the rule changes that were coming down the line and the physical demands of the rule changes, but certainly we knew that we needed people to come in and give us more depth and strengthen. "We knew we had to be stronger and it would build its own energy within the group because it'd be more competitive and people want to play naturally, so I think we did see that today. "We were able to make those changes the whole way through the game and going in to play Kerry in an All-Ireland final, you're going to need every man that you've got. "That's a huge challenge and they're so confident about what they do. "There's a rite of passage there almost in terms of winning All-Irelands, so that's the first thing we're going to have to meet head on. "But certainly it'll not be 15 players, it'll be every single player that can get onto the pitch that'll be needed."
Business Wire
30-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rayonier Completes Sale of New Zealand Business to The Rohatyn Group
WILDLIGHT, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rayonier Inc. ('Rayonier') (NYSE:RYN) today announced the completion of the previously announced sale of entities holding its 77% interest in the New Zealand joint venture to a special purpose vehicle owned by an investment fund managed by The Rohatyn Group ('TRG'), a global asset manager specializing in emerging markets and real assets, for a purchase price of $710 million. Net proceeds to Rayonier, after adjusting for estimated net debt, working capital, transaction costs, and other closing adjustments, are expected to be $699 million. Rayonier continues to anticipate using at least 50% of the proceeds to reduce leverage and/or return capital to shareholders through special dividends and share repurchases. Remaining proceeds are expected to be deployed opportunistically to fund other capital allocation priorities, including additional share buybacks and/or potential reinvestment into synergistic acquisitions. Rayonier continues to expect a special dividend for 2025 of $1.00 to $1.40 per share, which will be paid in a combination of cash and shares (details to be announced later this year). During the second quarter, Rayonier repurchased ~1.5 million shares for ~$35 million in total. As of June 30, 2025, the company had ~$262 million remaining under its current share repurchase authorization. Rayonier had previously reclassified its New Zealand business to discontinued operations on its consolidated financial statements, and the updated financial outlook provided in conjunction with the company's first quarter results on April 30 excluded contributions from the New Zealand business. 'We have now completed roughly $1.45 billion of dispositions since introducing our asset disposition and capital structure realignment plan in November 2023—significantly exceeding the original $1 billion target,' said Mark McHugh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rayonier. 'The success of this plan has allowed us to achieve our new leverage target in a manner that has been accretive to both CAD* and NAV per share, as well as better position Rayonier to create long-term value for our shareholders going forward.' 'We want to extend our gratitude to the team in New Zealand, which has done an outstanding job in managing these highly productive assets, and we are pleased to transfer the stewardship of this business to TRG, a well-regarded manager of forestry assets in the region,' added McHugh. About Rayonier Rayonier is a leading timberland real estate investment trust with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the United States. As of March 31, 2025, Rayonier owned or leased under long-term agreements approximately 2.5 million acres of timberlands located in the U.S. South (1.75 million acres), U.S. Pacific Northwest (308,000 acres) and New Zealand (412,000 acres). On June 30, 2025, the company completed the previously announced sale of the entirety of its New Zealand assets. More information is available at About TRG Founded in 2002, TRG is an investment management firm specializing in emerging markets and real assets. Headquartered in New York, the firm is comprised of ~150 professionals based in 16 countries across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. TRG Forestry & Agriculture (formerly the business of GMO Renewable Resources) is comprised of a seasoned team of land investment professionals and is dedicated to the acquisition and management of diversified portfolios of timberland and/or farmland for the benefit of its clients. Employing a value-oriented approach, TRG seeks to invest in assets at prices reflecting biological yield potential. The team focuses on properties in lower-risk geographies where commercial forestry and agriculture are well-developed and good title, high-quality management, and adequate infrastructure are available. For more information, please visit Forward-Looking Statements – Certain statements in this press release regarding anticipated financial and other benefits of Rayonier's business strategies, including the sale of the entities holding its interest in the New Zealand joint venture, the anticipated use of proceeds, and other similar statements relating to Rayonier's future events, developments or financial or operational performance or results, are 'forward-looking statements' made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'expect,' 'estimate,' 'believe,' 'intend,' 'project,' 'anticipate' and other similar language. However, the absence of these or similar words or expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable when made, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. The following important factors, among others, could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements that may have been made in this document: Rayonier's ability to realize the anticipated benefits from the sale, the cyclical and competitive nature of the industries in which Rayonier operates; fluctuations in demand for, or supply of, Rayonier's forest products and real estate offerings, including any downturn in the housing market; entry of new competitors into Rayonier's markets; changes in global economic conditions and world events, including the war in Ukraine and heightened tensions in the Middle East; business disruptions arising from public health crises and outbreaks of communicable diseases; fluctuations in demand for Rayonier's products in Asia, and especially China; the uncertainties of potential impacts of climate-related initiatives; the cost and availability of third party logging, trucking and ocean freight services; the geographic concentration of a significant portion of Rayonier's timberland; Rayonier's ability to identify, finance and complete acquisitions; changes in environmental laws and regulations regarding timber harvesting, delineation of wetlands, and endangered species, that may restrict or adversely impact Rayonier's ability to conduct its business, or increase the cost of doing so; adverse weather conditions, natural disasters and other catastrophic events such as hurricanes, wind storms and wildfires, which can adversely affect Rayonier's timberlands and the production, distribution and availability of its products; interest rate and currency movements; Rayonier's capacity to incur additional debt; changes in tariffs, taxes or treaties relating to the import and export of Rayonier's products or those of its customers and competitors; changes in key management and personnel; Rayonier's ability to meet all necessary legal requirements to continue to qualify as a real estate investment trust ('REIT') and changes in tax laws that could adversely affect beneficial tax treatment; the cyclical nature of the real estate business generally; the lengthy, uncertain and costly process associated with the ownership, entitlement and development of real estate, especially in Florida and Washington, which also may be affected by changes in law, policy and political factors beyond Rayonier's control; unexpected delays in the entry into or closing of real estate transactions; changes in environmental laws and regulations that may restrict or adversely impact Rayonier's ability to sell or develop properties; the timing of construction and availability of public infrastructure; and the availability and cost of financing for real estate development and mortgage loans. For additional factors that could impact future results, please see Item 1A - Risk Factors in Rayonier's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and similar discussion included in other reports that we subsequently file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'). Forward-looking statements are only as of the date they are made, and Rayonier undertakes no duty to update its forward-looking statements except as required by law. You are advised, however, to review any further disclosures Rayonier makes on related subjects in its subsequent reports filed with the SEC. *Non-GAAP Financial Measures – To supplement Rayonier's financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ('GAAP'), Rayonier has presented certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures, including 'cash available for distribution.' This non-GAAP financial measure is derived by excluding certain capital spending (excluding timberland acquisitions and real estate development investments) and work capital and other balance sheet changes from cash provided by operating activities. The determination of the amounts that are excluded from this non-GAAP financial measure is a matter of management judgment and depends upon a number of factors in reliance on the exception provided by item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K. Rayonier is unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of this forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure to its most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measure because such information is not available, and management cannot reliably predict all of the necessary components of such GAAP measure without unreasonable effort or expense. In addition, Rayonier believes such reconciliation would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors. This non-GAAP financial measure is a preliminary estimate and is subject to risks and uncertainties. Rayonier's definition of this non-GAAP measure may differ from any similarly titled measure used by others. This non-GAAP measure should be considered supplemental to, and not a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.
The National
24-06-2025
- General
- The National
Fife Seafood factory workers treated 'worse than the fish'
Mowi salmon processing plant in Rosyth has been criticised by Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) over a lack of suitable toilet facilities and breaks for almost 1000 staff members. According to reports from The Courier, BFAWU criticised a lack of toilets at the facility and claimed staff toilet breaks were time limited, with workers having to find cover before taking comfort breaks. READ MORE: What's in a seafood stick? Vici's guide to a tasty, healthier snack Mowi refuted the claims, calling them 'false and misleading' and saying there was 'no truth' in claims of a seven-minute toilet time rule that was flagged to the union by staff members. On Tuesday, a report into working conditions at the factory was published by the union, listing a number of concerns raised to them by workers and union representatives at the Rosyth plant. BFAWU claimed there was a 'lack of mitigation to help workers working in cold temperatures' and manual handling practices which could lead to injuries. Claims of 'inadequate' canteen facilities, poor pay and union representation were also highlighted. BFAWU Scottish organiser, Mark McHugh, said: 'Through the work we do representing workers and from talking to members, it seems to often the health and well-being physical and mental, is a secondary consideration for the management of Mowi at Rosyth. 'At times, it feels like the workers are treated worse than the fish. 'This is contrary to their right to their self-congratulatory proclamations about how much they respect human rights. 'We are concerned that basic rights are not applied at their Rosyth plant. No adult should be told when to go to the toilet, if they can go and how long they can go for. 'It is ridiculous and wrong but sadly this is the culture that this report has exposed. 'Our intervention in writing to the company during the writing of this report has resulted in some small improvements and has shown how unions make work safer and healthier, but much more needs to be done at Mowi.' READ MORE: Glasgow Subway set for disruption as strikes announced In response to the claims of sub-par working conditions, Mowi refuted the allegations made by the BFAWU in a statement given to The Courier. A spokesperson said: 'At Mowi we take ethical employment, including the safety and wellbeing of our workforce, extremely seriously. 'We undergo regular unannounced audits by independent third parties to verify this. 'As such, we do take issue with the points raised by the BFAWU which are false and misleading. 'Mowi operates standard procedures in a processing plant. With regard to toilet breaks, there is no truth at all in the allegation that these are timed or limited to seven minutes. 'We do require an allocated number of people working on a line at any given time to keep it running. This is the same for any factory running a production line.' Mowi also emphasised in their statement that all roles are 'risk-assessed by both qualified health and safety professionals and occupational health experts'. The firm said that there are 'several channels' available for staff to raise ideas or concerns including a whistleblowing channel managed by a third party. READ MORE: Scottish Labour MPs set to rebel on UK welfare reform – see the full list Other health and safety procedures highlighted by Mowi include the existence of elected safety representatives for different company departments, millions of pounds worth of investments in new safety equipment, company sick pay policies which 'go further than statutory sick pay' and a 'transparent and fair' reward structure regarding wages. 'Mowi is supportive of our colleagues' rights to join a union and to seek collective representation, should they wish', the spokesperson added. 'We continue to listen to feedback from our employees and take our lead from them. 'In the meantime, we will focus on our absolute commitment to creating and sustaining the best possible working environment for all our employees.'
The Herald Scotland
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Workers at Mowi salmon processor 'treated worse than fish'
BFAWU General Secretary Sarah Woolley said: "Every worker going to work should feel that their health, safety and well-being is sacrosanct and a central priority of their employer. But, in our time representing workers at Mowi we have found that our members at Mowi are not treated with the respect and the dignity that every worker deserves. 'This report outlines many of the issues we have concerns about, based on the work we have done with members and speaking directly with them about their observations and experiences. We truly hope that our report acts as a wake up call to management at the plant.' The report, based on testimony of workers and union officials who represent employees at Mowi, revealed a long list of complaints including 'lack of toilets, time limited toilet breaks, workers having to get toilet cover before they go, inadequate canteen facilities including a lack of seating for workers often working 12 hour shifts.' Other concerns included 'lack of mitigation to help workers working in cold working temperatures for long periods of time and manual handling practices that could be resulting in injuries from repetitive work are some of the concerns raised in the report. Strong concerns were also expressed about their sickness absence policy, deemed 'unfair because it gives discretion to managers about whether a worker gets sick pay or not if they are off sick'. In some cases staff spoke of having had sick pay withdrawn even if they are off work due to workplace accidents and injuries. READ MORE: These issues raised in the report have led the bakers' union to 'question just how seriously Mowi takes the 'human rights' of its workers'. In their 2021 annual report Mowi wrote about the importance of human rights and how it is at the core of their operations. 'Human rights are at the core of a sustainable business.' BFAWU Scottish organiser Mark McHugh said: "Through the work we do representing workers and from talking to members it seems that too often the health and well-being, physical and mental, is a secondary consideration for the management of Mowi at Rosyth. At times it feels like the 'workers are treated worse than the fish'. 'This is contrary to their self congratulatory proclamations about how much they respect human rights. We are concerned that basic rights are not applied at their Rosyth plant. No adult should be told when to go to the toilet, if they can go and how long they can go for. It is ridiculous and wrong but sadly this is the culture that this report has exposed.' (Image: Oxana Kolodina on Unsplash) 'If there was a functioning and proactive health and safety culture then many of the issues we have raised in the report would have been dealt with, the fact they haven't been demonstrates how unsatisfactory their approach is.' An intervention in writing to the company during the writing of the report has resulted in some small improvements. McHugh said: 'We have always said to Mowi that as a union we want to engage constructively with them to help make improvements to the terms and conditions of workers at Mowi in Rosyth. 'We believe this will benefit the workforce and indeed the company as a whole. We are as always ready to speak to the company and work with them to improve health and safety at Rosyth. We hope that they do so." A spokesperson for Mowi said: "At Mowi, we take ethical employment, including the safety and wellbeing of our workforce, extremely seriously. We undergo regular unannounced audits by independent third parties to verify this. As such, we do take issue with the points raised by the BFAWU which are false and misleading. "Mowi operates standard procedures in a processing plant. With regard to toilet breaks, there is no truth at all in the allegation that these are timed or limited to seven minutes. We do require an allocated number of people working on a line at any given time to keep it running. This is the same for any factory running a production line. "Our compliance and practices are under constant review, checked internally and through regular independent external third-party audits. We have robust safety management practices in place. All roles and activities are risk-assessed by both qualified Health and Safety professionals and Occupational Health experts, and all advice provided by them is implemented. In addition, employees are actively encouraged to raise ideas, suggestions or concerns. "We also have a Health and Safety Committee which meets each month and is represented by Safety Reps, adhering to the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employee) Regulations of 1996. "On a practical level, just as one of many examples, we have invested several millions of pounds into new equipment which reduces the number of repetitive tasks carried out on site - choosing to engineer out risk rather than simply reducing it by asking employees to rotate between tasks. "With regard to sickness benefit, we go further than statutory sick pay with an enhanced Company Sick Pay (CSP) policy. CSP is paid consistently, subject to the individual in question having met our sickness absence rules, which include keeping Mowi informed about the nature and expected duration of the absence. This is standard practice. "Finally, with regard to wages, making simple pay comparisons to other countries ignores complex differences in cost of living, income tax rates and state benefits. Our reward structure is transparent and fair. "Mowi is supportive of our colleagues' rights to join a union and to seek collective representation, should they wish."
