SUNDAY 8 JANUARY
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) v Kerins O'Rahilly's (Kerry), Croke Park, 1.30pm
Maigh Cuilinn (Galway) v Glen (Derry), Croke Park, 3.30pm
ONLINE
Live blog of both games on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News Now app.
TV
Live on TG4 from 1pm.
RADIO
Live commentary and updates on Sunday Sport, RTÉ Radio 1 from 2pm. Coverage also on Radio Kerry, Galway Bay FM and BBC Radio Ulster.
WEATHER
Strong and blustery winds will persist on Sunday morning with fresh to strong westerlies feeding in widespread showers along Atlantic coastal counties, some spreading further east. The showers will be heavy at times in the west, with hail or thunder possible at times. Further east should see a mix of scattered showers and some sunny spells. Staying relatively cool with highs of just 6 to 9 degrees. For more go to met.ie.
March, now January...hopefully December?
We're not quite at the point where the club championship will all be wrapped up in the calendar year. January 2024 will also see the semi-finals and final take place. Surely the idea of a split-season was to ensure that all GAA activity for the year in question would be finished before we sit down for the Christmas dinner. It seems that we're inching towards what the planners want. Surely a pre-Xmas conclusion in 2024 has to be the goal.
For Kerins O'Rahillys, Maigh Cuilinn and Glen, winning a first provincial title just before Christmas was another high point in the year 2022. Can they now scale greater heights?
It's the Kerry champions who have the task of taking on the favourites Kilmacud Crokes in the first of the semis. Crokes, who were undone late on by Kilcoo in last year's final decider, have re-grouped with telling effect, at times casting aside opposition on their way to this juncture. Their caused also helped by the arrival of one Shane Walsh, another deadly weapon in their armoury, and more so considering Paul Mannion's absence. The word out there is that the three-time All-Star won't feature on Sunday.
"The end of January is the actual prognosis for him being back so it's whether he can get ahead of that," said Crokes manager Robbie Brennan after the Leinster final win over The Downs.
Mannion is back running but hasn't yet resumed full training.
O'Rahillys' trek this far saw them emerge from the complexities that is the Kingdom championship after a one-point win over Templenoe in the club decider, where key figures had returned to the set-up. Both Jack Savage and Cormac Coffey, based in Dubai since August and absent for the county championship, (the other championship in Kerry, this year won by East Kerry) returned in time for the Templenoe game.
The winning margin was again the bare minimum against Éire Óg and Newcastle West in the provincial series. Crokes, on the other hand, had an average of nine points to spare in accounting for Portarlington, Naas and The Downs in Leinster. Against the latter Shane Walsh kicked 0-09 in another virtuoso display, that brought his tally to 0-34 for the club campaign so far.
