[caption id="attachment_69498" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Dublin’s Diarmuid Connolly tackling Paul Galvin of Kerry during the All Ireland final in Croke Park in September."]
The GAA come in for criticism every summer when the football championship gets under way without any high profile game to capture the public’s imagination. No such problems in the National League in recent years as the All-Ireland champions were normally involved in a high profile game on the opening weekend. This year will have a high-profile double header at Croke Park to kick start the Allianz National Football league. Division two teams Tyrone and Kildare meet at 5 p.m. and then at 7.15 p.m. we will have a repeat of the 2011 All-Ireland final when Dublin play Kerry. Kildare are looking good this year and with Dermot Earley and Hugh Lynch both due back from long-term injuries in March the Lillies should be serious challengers for the All-Ireland this year. There has been much talk about Seánie Johnston transferring from Cavan to Kildare, but at the time of writing the talented forward hadn’t secured a transfer from Cavan Gaels to the St Kevin’s club in Staplestown, but Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney has said that newcomers would be welcome in his squad. In Cavan, Johnston was a one-man show and he will have to become more of a team player if he joins Kildare, where he could be the final link in the team being built by McGeeney.
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte is also re-building after Brian Dooher, Brian McGuigan, Philip Jordan, Enda McGinley and Ciarán Gourly all retired. But there is plenty of talent coming through from the minor ranks in Tyrone and for their recent Dr. McKenna Cup semifinal against Fermanagh, Harte included eight players under the age of 22. As usual Tyrone will be hard to beat, but I think Kildare are looking very good at this early stage of the year.
Meanwhile Dublin will be short several regulars against Kerry. The Brogan brothers Alan and Bernard are both unavailable, as are Paul Griffin, Denis Bastic and Barry Cahill and Kevin Nolan. So this game will give manager Pat Gilroy an opportunity to judge the strength of his extended panel. Kerry didn’t play in the McGrath Cup in Munster and apart from a game against Dr. Crokes we don’t known how they are going. But no doubt manager Jack O’Connor will be trying to avenge that All-Ireland final defeat. Tommy Griffin is the only one of the of the Kerry squad from last year who has retired, so we should see some familiar faces in the green and gold on Saturday night although O’Connor is unlikely to call on the Dr. Crokes trio of Colm Cooper, Eoin Brosnan and Kieran O’Leary as the Killarney club prepare for their All-Ireland club semifinal against Crossmaglen Rangers in two weeks.
This is the first of the GAA’s Spring Series, which worked well last year with two games and a musical act in between. The latter on Saturday night is a Limerick duo called the Rubberbandits, who wear platic bags over their faces when performing (they will be appearing in New York in March).
Elsewhere on Saturday night in division one, Laois are home to Mayo and Down play Donegal in Newry. On Sunday in division one reigning League champions Cork travel to play Armagh and new Fermanagh manager Peter Canavan should get off to a winning start when he takes the Erne men to Ruislip to play London in a division four fixture. Kilkenny who didn’t field a team in the O’Byrne Cup, have confirmed that they will play in the League and they will be at home to Wicklow in division four on Sunday.
IT’S PAYBACK TIME VS. WALES
Irish rugby coach Declan Kidney is a conservative, modest man and when Ireland win he is never one to show his emotions in public. After much success with Munster Kidney got the Irish job in 2008 and led Ireland to the Grand Slam in 2009. That success was not repeated in the Six Nations Championship in 2010 or last year. In September Ireland went to the Rugby World Cup on a downer after a few below par performances in the warm up games. But morale was lifted with a win over the U.S. and then there was that historic win over the Aussies which gave Irish fans at home and abroad a massive lift. But we were brought back to down earth when Wales beat us 22-10 in the quarterfinal in Wellington on Oct. 8. Now four months on it’s time for revenge when Wales visit the Aviva Stadium for our opening game in this season’s Six Nations championship. It will be Wales’ first visit to the new Ballsbridge arena.
Among the people who claim that Kidney has been conservative in his squad selection is Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin. However, Kidney has called up six uncapped players and if any of them impress at a training camp in Limerick, they could make the Six Nations squad. Apart from the glory of winning the Six Nations a few of the national coaches will be hoping to improve their own CV and the honor of leading the Lions in 2013.
Warren Gatland has recalled Gavin Henson to the Welsh squad. Henson, who is famous for having one of the best fake tans in rugby, has been troubled with injury and has not played in the Six Nations since 2009. Also Michael Kearney takes over from Paul McNaughton as Irish team manager, but in rugby the team manager’s job is more of a logistical role and coach Kidney plus his backs and forwards coaches the shots.
MUNSTER, ULSTER PLAY EASTER SUNDAY
The much anticipated all-Irish Heineken Cup quarterfinal clash between Munster and Ulster will be played at Thomond Park, Limerick on Easter Sunday with a 1.45 p.m. kick-off. Leinster’s quarterfinal tie against Cardiff goes ahead at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on Easter Saturday, with a 5.45 p.m. kick-off. It promises to be a fantastic weekend of rugby and with the winners of those games kept apart in the semifinals, we could yet see the first-ever all-Irish Heineken Cup final.
PLAYERS TO WEAR SOS LOGO
Suicide is a major problem in Ireland right now, especially among young males. In an effort to raise further awareness of the mental health problems, Vodafone has agreed to vacate its jersey sponsorship of the Dublin hurlers and footballers for the opening games in the hurling and football National Leagues. On Saturday night the Dublin footballers will wear jerseys with the Suicide or Survive Charity logo as will the Dubs hurling the following week against Galway. This will be the first time a jersey logo will be handed over by a sponsor to a charity for competitive intercounty games.
EAGER IS LIMERICK’S BOSS Ladies football has become very popular in recent years, but most of the intercounty teams are managed by men. Limerick has now broken with tradition and they have appointed Kerry-born Ann Eager as their new manager. Eager takes over from former Limerick footballer Tommy Stack. Eager is an experienced coach, having being in charge of a number of club teams over the last few years, while she is also a former PRO of the Kerry Ladies board.
NORTH AIM TO BREAK SOUTH DOMINANCE
Linfield won the inaugural Setanta Sports Cup in 2005, but since then League of Ireland clubs have dominated the All-Ireland competition and the last two finals have been contested by clubs from the premier division of the League of Ireland. The League of Ireland winners have been: Drogheda (twice), Cork City, Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. The draw was made last week for the first round of the 2012 Setanta Sports Cup and the pairings are: Bray Wanderers v Glentoran, Bohemians v Portadown, Lisburn Distillery v Derry City and Cliftonville v St Patrick’s Athletic. The ties will be played on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20. The draw for the quarterfinals will be made on Feb. 20 when the four seeded clubs: Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Linfield and Crusaders, will enter the draw. The final is fixed for May 12 and it will be played in the North if an Irish League team is involved.
