It’s another busy weekend coming up with 15 senior championship games in hurling and football due to be played on Saturday and Sunday. Apart from the big game in Sligo, there is plenty of action elsewhere. The second Connacht semi-final between Galway and Roscommon goes ahead at Dr. Hyde Park on Sunday. Following their win over Mayo, the Rossies will be in confident mood, but I still have my doubts about Mayo and Galway’s more direct style might prove more productive than the Mayo forwards who seemed afraid to shoot for a point until they were 14 yards from goal. All-Ireland champions Kerry are expected to cruise past Tipperary when they meet in Killarney. The other Munster semi-final between Limerick and Clare at the Gaelic Grounds will be much tighter and I expect Clare to win. That would see Limerick and Tipperary go into the Tailteann Cup and Clare join Kerry in the top tier. Cavan play Armagh in the Ulster quarter quarter-final on Saturday and then on Sunday it’s Down versus Donegal in Newry. Also, on Sunday there are four quarter-finals in Leinster and all will be played at provincial venues. Dublin will be fancied to beat Laois in Portlaoise, while the other three games will all be close. Mickey Harte has done brilliantly with Louth and they can beat Westmeath in Navan. Wicklow, now managed by former Armagh star Oisin McConville were promoted from Division Four and after beating Carlow in the first round, will fancy their chances when they play Kildare in Dr. Cullen Park. But I think the Lilywhites might have one more kick in them.
The meeting of Offaly and Meath in Tullamore is also a difficult one to call. The winners will avoid Dublin in the semi-finals so they have an easier route to the Leinster final and a possible place in the top tier.
The GAA has closed its famous back-door this year and later in the summer we will have two proper round-robin competitions in Gaelic football, the Sam Maguire Cup for the top 16 counties and the Tailteann Cup for the second tier. The back-door or to give it its proper title The Qualifiers was introduced in 2001 to give the so-called weaker counties a second chance. But it was often the stronger counties who benefitted most, with Galway, Kerry (twice), Tyrone (twice) and Cork all winning the Sam Maguire Cup via the scenic route.
This year the eight provincial finalists and Westmeath, the winners of the inaugural Tailteann Cup 2022, are guaranteed a place in the All-Ireland championship for the Sam Maguire Cup. After the first round of games in the provincial championship on the week-ending April 9, we knew seven of the counties who will play in the Tailteann Cup this year. They are: Antrim, Carlow, Leitrim, London, Longford, Waterford and Wexford. As the provincial championships progress we will know more of the counties who will be in the Tailteann Cup and by the end of April we will know them all and then for the first time ever final positions in the National Football League will come into play as the last few places in the top tier are filled.
New York’s win over Leitrim has upset the plans somewhat. It was expected that New York would play a preliminary round in the Tailteann Cup to bring the number down to an even 16. But now if New York beat Sligo at Markievicz Park on Saturday next and qualify for the Connacht final they will move in the other direction and would be guaranteed a place in the Round Robin top tier. Are you still with me? By May Day it will all make sense.
Meanwhile hurling will, as usual, have five tiers: MacCarthy Cup, Joe McDonagh Cup, Christy Ring Cup, Nickey Rackard Cup and Lory Meagher Cup.
UPHILL BATTLE FOR
WALTERFORD HURLERS
After watching Limerick demolish Kilkenny in the National Hurling League final 10 days ago, I don’t give Waterford much hope when they play the All-Ireland champions at Semple Stadium on Sunday in the first round of Munster championship games. Waterford’s own Walsh Park is being upgraded. Tipperary, who have improved under Liam Cahill, also have a difficult task as they travel to Cusack Park to play Clare. No love lost between these two. Cork don’t have a game this weekend. The pick of the Leinster hurling games could be the meeting of Galway and Wexford at Pearse Stadium. While Antrim wait patiently for a new-look Casement Park to be built, they are playing their home games at Corrigan Park and Dublin are the visitors to Belfast on Saturday evening. Kilkenny should be much too strong for Westmeath in Nowlan Park.
NEW CONTRACTS
As the rugby season nears an end several players have agreed contract extensions with their provinces. Irish internationals Josh van der Flier, James Ryan and James Lowe have agreed new contracts with the IRFU to remain at Leinster for the coming years. Van der Flier has signed a three-year extension to his current Leinster deal, moving up to a central contract with the IRFU, which will keep him at the province until the summer of 2026. Van der Flier follows Ryan in committing his future to Leinster. Ryan reached his half century of Test caps for Ireland during the Six Nations this year, and filled in as captain in the Round 3 win against Italy when Johnny Sexton was sidelined with a groin injury. Also Irish winger James Lowe has also agreed a new deal with Leinster. The province did not publicly reveal the length of the contracts, but it’s believed the New Zealander will be with them until at least 2025 after agreeing terms. He has been in Dublin since signing in 2017 and went on to represent Ireland after qualifying via the residency rule in 2020. Meanwhile John Cooney and Jacob Stockdale have both signed new two-year deals which will keep them at Ulster until at least 2025. In Connacht former Irish international Adam Byrne is among players leave the Sportsground.
JIM MCKEEVER, 92
The death occurred recently of former Derry football Jim McKeever, 92. A native of Ballymaguigan, Jim led Derry to their first All-Ireland senior football final appearance in 1958 when the Oak Leaf County lost to Dublin. Jim was named the inaugural Texaco Footballer of the Year in 1958 for his performances in the Derry colours that season and he would also win three Railway Cup medals with Ulster between 1948 and 1962. In later years McKeever managed the Derry’s senior team and served as county board chairman. Following Jim’s death only three of the original Texaco award winners in 1958 are now alive: Gene Mangan (Cycling), Tony Wall (Hurling) and Eleanor O’Neill (Tennis).
