GAA Senior Football Championship

McEntee hoping to be cleared for replay

2008-12-01T09:40:51+00:00

Crossmaglen's John McEntee will appeal the red card he was shown against Ballinderry in the Ulster club SHC final on Sunday, and is hopeful of being involved in the replay of the tie. The former Armagh intercounty player received a straight red after appearing to clash with Ballinderry's Darren Conway, though television footage revealed that no contact was actually made. "According to the TV, it favours me, " McEntee told the Irish Mirror afterwards. "We'll make the appeal and if it goes our way well and good. "There was no intent and he [referee Martin Sludden] has to allow for the weather. You can make slight errors under the lights and on slippy ground. "At the end of the day there was no malice in any of the decisions and I'm sure if you were talking to the man [Conway], he's not sore." The defending champions were five points ahead of their opponents when they lost McEntee, an incident that was crucial to the final drawn outcome, according to manager Donal Murtagh. "If we had kept 14 men on the field [Michael McNamee was sent off for two bookable offences] we probably would have been okay, " he insisted. "[John] knows how to hold on to the ball and find his team-mates and he would have been important for us. He's adamant that he only made contact with the player's chest and side, so we will look at it and appeal it."

Saints delighted to sign Begley

2008-12-01T08:35:30+00:00

Former Laois star Colm Begley has been given a second chance to prove himself in the AFL after being picked up by Melbourne-based side St Kilda over the weekend. The Laois native was delisted by The Brisbane Lions at the end of last season after an injury-hit three campaigns with the club and was The Saints' final - and unexpected - selection in the national draft. Recruitment manager John Peake revealed that Begley will very much be part of the immediate plan, allowing Brendon Goddard and Jason Gram to play in a midfield role instead of in defence. Football manager Matthew Drain added: "He provides us with some pace at half-back or in the midfield with 29 games of AFL experience at 22 years of age. "We've kept a close eye on him and, from our point of view, it is on a needs basis, plus the fact that he has got some development opportunities at his age. "We watched him train a few times and we know he has some injuries this year, but that happens, so we think he can certainly add to St Kilda Football Club. "He is pretty much ready to go if he performs. When we interviewed him he was really impressive."

Ballyhale, De La Salle win; Cross held

2008-11-30T16:52:24+00:00

In the All-Ireland Club Senior Hurling Championship on Sunday, there were provincial wins for Ballyhale Shamrocks and De La Salle. In Leinster, the Kilkenny champions were expected to take care of Offaly winners Birr with little difficulty, and though it was comfortable enough, it was far from a one-sided contest. Goals from TJ Reid and Eoin Reid as well as five points from Henry Shefflin set the tone in the opening half. Birr did cut the deficit to four points at one stage in the second half, before the latter ensured a 2-13 to 1-11 win for Shamrocks at Nowlan Park. It was a much closer contest at Semple Stadium, where just two points separated De La Salle and Limerick representatives, Adare. The Waterford champions won by a scoreline of 1-9 to 0-10, with crucial second-half scores from talisman John Mullane and Thomas Kearney proving crucial as the eventual winners came back from a five-point deficit at the interval. In the Ulster Senior Football Championship final, Ballinderry of Derry took on Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh at Brewster Park and it turned out to be an absorbing encounter. 'Cross' looked as though they would prevail for much of the game, with Oisin McConville's tally of 1-2 keeping them in front until late on. Aaron Kernan also pointed twice for the defending champions, while Colin Devlin's six points kept Ballinderry in touch. Devlin's team only trailed by a single goal with time running out, and it was Niall McCusker who blasted home to make it 1-10 apiece and force a replay for the title. Elsewhere, there was also late drama in Kerry's SFC county final replay. A point from David Moran seemed to have ensured a two-point win for Kerins O'Rahillys after a finely balanced contest. However, Mid Kerry were awarded a late penalty, which Aidan O'Shea - son of Kerry legend Jack O'Shea - scored to secure a single-point 1-7 to 0-9 victory.

McConville has no regrets

2008-11-29T22:56:16+00:00

Crossmaglen attacker Oisin McConville is looking forward to Sunday's Ulster final clash with Ballinderry and says he has no regrets about ending his astonishing record with the team. McConville has won 13 consecutive club titles with the club and had played in every game of the run until he missed this year's semi-final against Armagh Harps through injury. "I wasn't too bothered. I picked up the groin injury before the Armagh Harps game and as I never had one before I went to see Gerry McEntee to have it checked out, " he said. "He told me if I didn't play against Harps, there was a good chance - though he couldn't guarantee it - that I would not be bothered by it again for the remainder of the year. Thankfully he was right. "I haven't looked back since. I wasn't too hung up on the record. It was great to break the cycle and refocus attention on the team. As for the clash ahead, he said: "I'm looking forward to Sunday. The body's in decent shape and I believe this is a good test for us as a team. "We played Ballinderry in the Ulster final two years ago on what was probably the worst day I ever played and they were probably the best team we have played in Ulster since our run started. "Retiring from the Armagh team hasn't changed my outlook. I found the training tough but you keep going from week to week as each game pops up. But we're on autopilot at this stage."

McEnaney happy with Farney progress

2008-11-28T14:47:29+00:00

Despite Monaghan’s disappointing championship exit to Kerry in the qualifiers last summer, manager Seamus McEnaney feels his side took another step in the right direction towards their development as one of the top teams in the country. McEnaney agreed to take charge of Monaghan for another year after the end of the season because he felt genuine progress has been made. Progress came in the consolidation of their NFL Division 2 status and by coming so close to beating the All-Ireland champions at Croke Park. But, by his own admission, the time for progress is over and Monaghan need to start converting near misses into victories if they are to be genuine All-Ireland contenders. “We were disappointed with our performance against Fermanagh and got beaten but [we] recovered well and again possibly running Kerry close, but running Kerry close is no good to us anymore, ” admits the affable Monaghan boss. “Like everything else, you just don't walk away. You keep plugging away and try and make the breakthrough." McEnaney is not a man to take refuge in excuses. They have met a superb Kerry side in each of the last two years, while his tenure has been seemingly cursed with horrible championship draws. "I suppose you could blame draws if you wanted to blame draws. If you wanted the excuses you could blame draws for the last five years, but the reality is that if you want to be one of the better teams in the country you have to beat the best teams in the country. “Kerry have proved that in the last five or six years – they are a really, really good side. It was very close in the All-Ireland final so they have won three of the last five All-Irelands and there are a serious team to beat. Monaghan are steadily progressing and hopefully getting closer all the time." Monaghan face a Derry side who will be determined to atone for their nightmare 2008 championship performance in their Ulster opener. McEnaney refuses to look beyond that date, despite the fact that an Ulster final win is what is craved more than anything in the Farney County. "The goal is to get a serious performance out of this Monaghan team against Derry in Celtic. That's a huge…another very tough draw. We wouldn't be looking anywhere beyond that, ” he says. “That's a serious team and Derry have a new manager in Damien Cassidy, one of the best in the country, and they are going to be very hard to beat down there. We need to make progress, we need to find more players in the McKenna Cup, the National Cup [League], we know that and we will be working towards that." McEnaney and his side fly out to Lanzarote on Saturday for a week-long holiday before he announces his squad at the start of next month for their McKenna Cup campaign in January. And who do they start the season-opening tournament against? Yes, you guessed it, Tyrone. They never do things the easy way in Monaghan.

Reilly: New boss can revive Royals

2008-11-28T12:50:32+00:00

Two out of three isn’t bad, as the old saying goes. But for Meath’s Kevin Reilly, it just wasn’t good enough. The Navan O’Mahony’s attacker set out his goals at the start of 2008, and top of the pile was to win a county medal with his club. O’Mahony’s ended an 11 years of heartache in September to claim the Keegan Cup with Reilly to the fore. Check. A week later, the 22-year-old jetted out to Australia and under the stewardship of Royals legend Sean Boylan, he was thrust into the team that claimed an impressive International Rules Series win over the Aussies. It helped erase the memories of 2006, when he watched his team-mates take a pummelling from the sideline. Check. But Reilly has a stone in his shoe. Meath football reached a nadir on an ill-fated July day at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. He was suspended on the day, but the embarrassment of the defeat still irks him. "Look, I trained all the way up to it. I would nearly go as far as saying it was an embarrassment, ” says Reilly. “No disrespect to Limerick, they put it up to Cork in the previous round, but Meath should be doing better than what they are. “We are at a low point now. I think potentially we have the players but it's just a matter of channelling it in the right direction and rowing in the right direction." Eamonn O’Brien is the man charged with picking Meath football off the floor. After an arduous and sometimes farcical process, O’Brien was finally ratified this month. Reilly can only go on hearsay, but the whispers are that the new man has a vast knowledge of football in the Royal County after serving as a selector under Boylan. “It went on for an awful long time, ” Reilly says of the four-month search for a new manager. “I was in Australia there for three weeks and I was ringing home asking: 'Is there a Meath manager? ' 'No'. Every Monday night you try to listen out to see what the story was. “It is a relief, big time. Just to have someone there. But at the same time, Eamonn, the experience he has and the knowledge he has, he is a very intelligent man. “He knows the game inside out and he served his time under Sean as you know. In my opinion I think he is ideal for the job. I think it is up to the players now just to row in under him." "I have talked to him briefly, but not much. But I believe he is setting things in place for the New Year. It is a big task for a new man to come in because he is only getting one year he has a lot of things to do before the start because you are not allowed to do any collective training before January 1. “He has a big task but potentially I think that the players are there. It's just a matter of channelling it in the right areas." With a new man in charge and the whiff of hope once again permeating in the Royal County, maybe Reilly will finally get to complete his hat-trick this year. First up, though, they'll have to smash Dublin's provincial hegemony in the opening round of the Leinster Championship.

Donegal DRA verdict reserved

2008-11-28T11:19:03+00:00

The Disputes Resolution Authority [DRA] have ‘reserved its decision’ on the case taken by Declan Bonner and Charlie Mulgrew against the Donegal board over the manner in which the county’s football boss was appointed. Mulgrew and Bonner, who were set to win the race to take over the post on a joint ticket before they were controversially beaten by John Joe Doherty, have argued that the process was flawed. The appointment of the new Donegal manger descended into farce when the pair were offered the job before realising that Doherty had originally been offered it by the county chairman. However, the original offer made to Doherty was retracted and the experienced pair looked favourites to take over from Brian McIver. Doherty, a former team-mate of Mulgrew and Bonner, refused to accept the development and managed to convince club delegates to re-nominate him for the job, which he subsequently accepted. The whole process caused massive controversy, with the rejected duo taking their case against the county board to the DRA to try and reverse the decision. The meeting took place in Monaghan on Wednesday night over four hours. The DRA statement read: “At a DRA hearing last night Charlie Mulgrew and Declan Bonner challenged the process of appointing the Donegal senior football team manager and sought to have the process recommenced. The Tribunal has reserved its decision.”

Home comforts rule for O'Rourke

2008-11-28T10:27:51+00:00

Meath starlet Shane O’Rourke insists that he will not be swayed by the overtures of AFL clubs and has vowed to help the Royals to win an All-Ireland title under now boss Eamonn O’Brien. O’Rourke burst onto the scene in 2007 with a string of fine performances in the Meath attack before injury ruined his season this year. But the DCU student had pricked the antennae of AFL scouts as far back as 2005, and has been repeatedly been approached with offers to take the plunge Down Under. However, the self-confessed home bird says he has no intentions of quitting Gaelic football for the professional game. “The first time I was approached, I was only just gone 17, ” said O’Rourke, son of Royals legend Colm. “It was the summer of 2005 and I was only going in to do my Leaving Cert and so at the time I thought it was too soon and I wasn’t fond of the idea.” “I’m a bit of a home bird I’d say at the time. I’d be big into all my friends and family and I didn’t want to pack up and head off to the other side of the world at the time.” “Then at the end of last year there was talk but it wasn’t too serious. I had made up my mind in 2005 and I suppose they respected that. “That’s it now, I’m going to stick with the football and try to get an All-Ireland medal with Meath, that would be my first priority.”

Injured Dooher out of McKenna Cup

2008-11-28T09:43:57+00:00

Brian Dooher, the All-Ireland-winning Tyrone captain, has been ruled out of his side’s Dr McKenna Cup campaign as he continues to recuperate from recent surgery he had on a troublesome groin problem. Dooher had been suffering of the effects of the strain throughout the season, but opted to postpone surgery until the end of the Red Hands’ successful All-Ireland campaign. Mickey Harte, the Tyrone boss, confirmed that the influential wing-forward will miss the season-opening competition, but was hopeful that the Dooher’s participation in the National League was not in doubt. “It’s something that had been bothering him for some time, but Brian wanted to wait until the end of the season before getting it attended to, which is what has happened, ” Harte said. “The surgery is getting better. It would have been much more severe some time back but the ability to deal with it now, the new procedures, we’re hoping will reduce the rehab time. “This will rule Brian out of the McKenna Cup completely, and until he gets fully over that then he won’t be used.”

Johnston backs O'Mahony to 'move on'

2008-11-27T13:51:48+00:00

Seanie Johnston, the Cavan footballer, is the latest high-profile player to voice his disapproval at the manner in which Aidan O’Mahony’s ‘adverse’ for test results for Salbutamol made it into the public sphere. Kerryman O’Mahony will have to face a GAA Anti-Doping Hearing in the coming weeks in an attempt to clear his name after he became the first ever GAA player to fall foul of the Irish Sports Council’s [ISC] doping measures. O’Mahony, a know asthma sufferer, tested positive for the substance after the All-Ireland defeat to Tyrone, but the results were made public two weeks ago and caused major controversy over the legitimacy of forcing amateur players to undergo drug testing. “Everybody felt sorry for Aidan in that situation. I got to know him with the International Rules, a fierce nice fella, ” said Johnston, who was speaking at the launch of Bank of Ireland’s sponsorship of the DCU GAA Academy on Wednesday. “Obviously there was nothing involved in it and I think he was very hard one by and I hope his image is cleared up straight away and that he can get things sorted and push on. The ban has been lifted, which is only right.” “If his names are all over papers for something like this it is obviously not going to be too nice for him waking up to read that, ” he added. “I don't think it was right what happened and hopefully it will be cleared up. Everybody knows how good of a player he is and he will be eager to get back in the Kerry jersey and forget about the last couple of weeks.” Asked if he supported the GPA’s threatened boycott of the future drug testing, Johnston said: “Yeah, definitely. The GPA are doing very good work. They have been putting in great work and they have been there to support him in all of it.”

O'Neill refuses to accept All-Ireland medal

2008-11-27T12:22:01+00:00

Stephen O’Neill, the influential Tyrone forward, did not accept his All-Ireland medal after the All-Ireland defeat of Kerry in September and insists he has no intention to do so. O’Neill, who retired from inter-county football last year due to persistent injuries before making a dramatic return just three weeks before the final, says that he did not ‘earn’ the medal, despite appearing as a substitute in the dramatic win. O’Neill’s return was met with approval by his fellow Tyrone players and he was welcomed back to the fold after the squad voted on the matter. However, his comeback sparked a huge debate in the Red Hand County, with many suggesting that O’Neill could harm the now legendary team spirit that manager Mickey Harte had fostered in the Tyrone panel. "I was only there for the two weeks before the final and I did not deserve to be going up those steps, " he said. Following O’Neill’s decision to call time on his inter-county career aged just 27, the rumour mill flew into overdrive with suggestions that his retirement was sparked by a bust-up with Harte. However, O’Neill flatly denied this, insisting the three-time All-Ireland winning boss had encouraged him to make a comeback. "There was definitely no row with Mickey over training or anything else."I said to Mickey when I met him in August:`I can't go back now, it is too late, it will just upset the whole thing'. "If Tyrone had lost I was going to be hung out to dry. "I knew I had to prove that I was fit enough to do it and wasn't just coming back for the glory as some people were saying, " he added in a BBC interview.

Kerry Board names 2009 Executive

2008-11-27T09:51:00+00:00

The Kerry County Board has confirmed that nominations have closed for the positions on the Kerry County Executive Committee for 2009. The incoming Secretary will be Peter Twiss from Milltown/Castlemaine and Assistant Secretary is Eamon O'Sullivan from Castleisland Desmonds, who stood down from Secretary this year. John Joe O’Carroll - who has served as assistant treasurer for the past five years - from Asdee is the only nomination for Treasurer which also falls vacant this year. There will be one election at Convention and this is for the position of assistant treasurer. The nominations are as follows: Dermot ‘Weeshie’ Lynch [Annascaul], Sean Dineen [Ardfert], John McMahon [Listowel Emmett’s] and John Twiss [Milltown/Castlemaine]. All other positions will remain the same as the outgoing officers are not contested. The Kerry County Committee Convention takes place in The Brandon Hotel Tralee on Monday December 15 at 7.30pm.

GAA release National League fixtures

2008-11-26T13:13:56+00:00

The GAA has confirmed the fixture lists for the 2009 National Football and National Hurling Leagues, with the action beginning with a floodlit clash of Dublin and All-Ireland champions Tyrone at Croke Park. That opening game in Division One of The NFL will take place on Saturday, January 31, with The GAA’s 125th anniversary celebrations being launched on the same weekend. The remainder of the first round of NFL games will take place the following day, with defending champions Derry beginning their campaign against Mayo. The weekend’s other Division One fixtures see Kerry host Donegal and Westmeath, who were promoted along with Dublin last term, up against Galway. In Division Two Wexford, who won the third division last term, are reacquainted with Armagh, who they defeated in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final. Elsewhere, Cork face Meath, Fermanagh play Monaghan and there is a local derby between Kildare and Laois. The National Hurling League gets underway on Sunday, February 8, with Tipperary not having to travel far to begin their defence of the crown as they take on Waterford. On the same day, All-Ireland champions Kilkenny travel to face John McIntyre’s Galway, Anthony Daly begins his term at the helm of Dublin against Cork, whatever team they put out, and Limerick host Clare. Saturday February 14 will see the switching on of the Semple Stadium flloodlights in Thurles for the meeting of Tipperary and Cork. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2009 FIXTURES:31.01.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 1Dublin v Tyrone01.02.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 1Kerry v DonegalMayo v DerryWestmeath v GalwayNFL Division 2 Round 1Cork v MeathFermanagh v MonaghanLaois v KildareWexford v ArmaghNFL Division 3 Round 1Longford v CavanLouth v LimerickRoscommon v OffalyTipperary v DownNFL Division 4 Round 1Antrim v WicklowCarlow v ClareLondon v LeitrimSligo v KilkennyWaterford - BYE07.02.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 4 Round 2Clare v SligoKilkenny v AntrimWicklow v WaterfordLondon - BYE08.02.2009 (Sun)Leitrim v Carlow14.02.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 2Donegal v MayoNFL Division 2 Round 2Armagh v LaoisMeath v FermanaghNFL Division 3 Round 2Down v LouthLimerick v RoscommonNFL Division 4 Round 3Antrim v Clare15.02.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 2Derry v WestmeathGalway v DublinTyrone v KerryNFL Division 2 Round 2Kildare v CorkMonaghan v WexfordNFL Division 3 Round 2Cavan v TipperaryOffaly v LongfordNFL Division 4 Round 3Carlow v LondonSligo v LeitrimWaterford v KilkennyWicklow - BYE07.03.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 3Tyrone v GalwayNFL Division 2 Round 3Meath v LaoisNFL Division 3 Round 3Down v Cavan 08.03.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 3Derry v KerryDonegal v DublinMayo v WestmeathNFL Division 2 Round 3Armagh v MonaghanCork v FermanaghKildare v WexfordNFL Division 3 Round 3Limerick v TipperaryOffaly v LouthRoscommon v LongfordNFL Division 4 Round 4Clare v WaterfordKilkenny v WicklowLeitrim v AntrimLondon v SligoCarlow - BYE14.03.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 4Dublin v DerryNFL Division 2 Round 4Fermanagh v ArmaghLaois v CorkNFL Division 3 Round 4Cavan v Limeirck15.03.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 4Galway v DonegalKerry v MayoWestmeath v TyroneNFL Division 2 Round 4Monaghan v KildareWexford v MeathNFL Division 3 Round 4Longford v DownLouth v RoscommonTipperary v OffalyNFL Division 4 Round 5Carlow v AntrimClare v KilkennyLeitrim v WicklowLondon v WaterfordSligo - BYE21.03.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 5Donegal v TyroneNFL Division 2 Round 5Laois v FermanaghMeath v MonaghanNFL Division 4 Round 6Antrim v London22.03.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 5Derry v GalwayKerry v WestmeathMayo v DublinNFL Division 2 Round 5Cork v WexfordKildare v ArmaghNFL Division 3 Round 5Limerick v DownLouth v LongfordOffaly v CavanRoscommon v TipperaryNFL Division 4 Round 6Sligo v CarlowWaterford v LeitrimWicklow v ClareKilkenny - BYE28.03.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 1 Round 6Tyrone v DerryNFL Division 3 Round 6Down v OffalyLongford v LimerickNFL Division 4 Round 7Antrim v SligoWaterford v Carlow29.03.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 6Dublin v KerryGalway v MayoWestmeath v DonegalNFL Division 2 Round 6Armagh v MeathFermanagh v KildareMonaghan v CorkWexford v LaoisNFL Division 3 Round 6Cavan v RoscommonTipperary v LouthNFL Division 4 Round 7Kilkenny v LeitrimWicklow v LondonClare - BYE12.04.2009 (Sun)NFL Division 1 Round 7Dublin v WestmeathDerry v DonegalKerry v GalwayMayo v TyroneNFL Division 2 Round 7Cork v ArmaghLaois v MonaghanMeath v KildareWexford v FermanaghNFL Division 3 Round 7Louth v CavanOffaly v LimerickRoscommon v DownTipperary v LongfordNFL Division 4 Round 8Carlow v WicklowLeotrim v ClareLondon v KilkennySligo v WaterfordAntrim - BYE 18.04.2009 (Sat)NFL Division 4 Round 9Clare v LondonKilkenny v CarlowWaterford v AntrimWicklow v SligoLeitrim - BYENATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE 2009 FIXTURES:08.02.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 1Cork v DublinGalway v KileknnyLimerick v ClareWaterford v TipperaryNHL Division 2 Round 1Antrim v WestmeathKerry v WexfordLaois v DownOffaly v CarlowNHL Division 3A Round 1Derry v MayoMeath v KildareWicklow v ArmaghNHL Division 3B Round 1Donegal v LongfordRoscommon v LondonTyrone v FingalLouth - BYENHL Division 4 Round 1Cavan v FermanaghDown South v LeitrimSligo v Monaghan4.02.2009 (Sat)NHL Division 1 Round 2Tipperary v CorkNHL Division 2 Round 2Carlow v KerryNHL Division 3A Round 2Kildare v WicklowNHL Division 4 Round 2Monaghan v Cavan15.02.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 2Clare v WaterfordDublin v GalwayKilkenny v LimerickNHL Division 2 Round 2Down v AntrimWestmeath v OffalyWexford v LaoisNHL Division 3A Round 2Armagh v DerryMayo v MeathNHL Division 3B Round 2Fingal v LouthLondon v TyroneLongford v RoscommonDonegal – BYENHL Division 4 Round 2Fermanagh v South DownLeitrim v Sligo01.03.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 3Cork v GalwayLimerick v DublinTipperary v ClareWaterford v KilkennyNHL Division 2 Round 3Antrim v WexfordLaois v CarlowOffaly v KerryWestmeath v Down NHL Division 3A Round 3Armagh v KildareDerry v MeathWicklow v MayoNHL Division 3B Round 3Louth v LondonRoscommonv DonegalTyrone v LoingfordFingal - BYENHL Division 4 Round 3Cavan v Down SouthMonaghan v LeitrimSligo v Fermanagh21.03.2009 (Sat)NHL Division 3A Round 4Kildare v DerryMayo v ArmaghNHL Division 3B Round 4Donegal v Tyrone22.03.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 4Clare v CorkDublin v WaterfordGalway v LimerickKilkenny v TipperaryNHL Division 2 Round 4Carlow v AntrimDown v OffalyKerry v LaoisWexford v WestmeathNHL Division 3A Round 4Meath v WicklowNHL Division 3B Round 1London v FingalLongford v LouthRoscommon - BYE NHL Division 4 Round 4Down South v SligoFermanagh v MonaghanLeitrim v Cavan28.03.2009 (Sat)NHL Division 2 Round 5Westmeath v CarlowNHL Division 4 Round 5Cavan v SligoLeitrim v FermanaghMonaghan v Down South29.03.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 5Clare v KilkennyCork v LimerickTipperary v DublinWaterford v GalwayNHL Division 1 Round 5Antrim v KerryDown v WexfordOffaly v LaoisNHL Division 3A Round 5Armagh v MeathDerry v WicklowKildare v MayoNHL Division 3B Round 5Fingal v LongfordLouth v DonegalTyrone v RoscommonLondon - BYE05.04.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 6Dublin v ClareGalway v TipperaryLimerick v WaterfordKilkenny v CorkNHL Division 2 Round 6Carlow v DownKerry v WestmeathLaois v AntrimWexford v OffalyNHL Division 3B Round 6Donegal v FingalLongford v LondonRoscommon v LouthTyrone - BYE19.04.2009 (Sun)NHL Division 1 Round 7Clare v GalwayCork v WaterfordDublinn v KilkennyTipperary v LimerickNHL Division 2 Round 7Down v KerryOffaly v AntrimWestmeath v LaoisWexford v CarlowNHL Division 3B Round 7Fingal v RoscommonLondon v DonegalLouth v TyroneLongford - BYE

Surprise omissions from Erne panel

2008-11-26T13:17:23+00:00

Mark Little and Rory Gallagher are two surprise omissions from the Fermanagh squad for next year's McKenna Cup, according to a report in the Daily Star. Erne boss Malachy O'Rourke is yet to formally announce his panel, but midfelder Little and Gallagher, who has not played inter-county football since 2005, are both believed to have been left out. Gallagher opted to rekindle his Fermanagh career this coming season after a three-year hiatus, but after taking part in two separate trial games, has not made the cut for the season-opening competition. Shaun Doherty is another not to have made the panel, while Matthew Keenan has been ruled out through injury.

Meredith pens deal with Kangaroos

2008-11-26T12:47:52+00:00

Laois youngster Conor Meredith has joined the long list of Gaelic football talents to take the plunge in the professional ranks Down Under. The 19-year-old has penned a two-year international rookie contract with the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Meredith was on trial with AFL giants Richmond last week before impressing at the Kangaroos this week."It's good news. I've got a two-year rookie contract with North Melbourne and it's a dream come true, " Meredith said."I want to play professionally so the opportunity to have an AFL career is just too good to turn down."