SUNDAY, 7 JANUARY
AIB All-Ireland club SFC semi-finals
St Brigid's (Roscommon) v Castlehaven (Cork), Thurles, 1.45pm
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) v Watty Graham's Glen (Derry), Newry, 3.45pm
ONLINE
Score updates and reports on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.
RADIO
Updates on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
TV
Both semi-finals will be live on TG4.
WEATHER
Cold and frosty on Sunday with fog lingering inland, sunny otherwise. Highest temperatures 3 to 6 degrees lower where fog lingers.
Thriller on the cards as Kilmacud Crokes and Glen lock horns towards the sharp end again?
All the ingredients are there for a thriller between Kilmacud Crokes and Watty Graham's Glen as the sides meet again, having locked horns in last season's final at Croke Park, where the Dubliners eventually emerged with a two-point win.
It turned out the drama was only just beginning as the 16th-man saga played out over the following weeks.
Glen eventually let the matter lie and Crokes, who had an extra man on the field for a period late in the decider, celebrated their third All-Ireland title.
Robbie Brennan's team have since gone on to retain their Dublin and Leinster titles whilst Glen have done likewise in Derry and Ulster, leaving the clubs to slug it out again in Newry on Sunday for a place in this season's decider.
Last year's final was Paul Mannion's first game for Crokes since the previous September due to ankle surgery.
The Dublin star approaches the rematch fully fit this time and on top form while Galway talisman Shane Walsh will look to continue his excellent season too.
Walsh plundered 1-08 in last month's Leinster final win over Naas, helping Crokes to secure a historic three-in-a-row.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport before Christmas, Glen midfielder Conor Glass admitted that facing Kilmacud again had been on his mind: "One hundred percent. I'd be lying and playing it down [saying] that I didn't think that. We obviously knew that the Ulster champions play the Leinster champions, so we knew that would be an eventuality.
"They're a fantastic team, they're going for two-in-a-row. We'll be putting our best foot forward to go at them."
Crokes have had to switch things around in defence this term, however, whilst Glen are back at this stage with a very similar team to the one that almost snatched victory 12 months ago.
Crucially, Glen have Ciaran McFaul available following his mid-season return from the US and the versatile Derry player has provided a big boost.
The match-ups could well prove compelling at Pairc Esler, especially in midfield which will be a battleground for Glen's Glass and Crokes' Craig Dias. Glass was exceptional for Glen in the Ulster final defeat of Scotstown as was Eunan Mulholland down the right wing.
Castlehaven and St Brigid's look to grasp opportunity to book spot in showpiece
The reward for the winners of that second semi-final will be a 21 January final clash with Castlehaven of Cork or 2013 champions St Brigid's.
St Brigid's recently claimed their first Roscommon title since 2020 and backed it up with three huge wins in Connacht, climaxing in last month's final defeat of Corofin.
Ben O'Carroll's 1-07 haul tipped the scales that day though it was a wonderful team performance from a Brigid's side that went in as underdogs.
Free-taker O'Carroll will be a marked man this time though Brigid's are perhaps strongest in defence with a series of miserly tallies conceded in the province, including 1-03 against Sligo's Coolera/Strandhill and 0-08 against Leitrim champions Mohill.
However, Castlehaven have the forwards to test that defence with Brian Hurley continuing to provide the inspiration for them. A gruelling Munster final went all the way to penalties for Castlehaven, who eventually got the better of Kerry club champions Dingle.
It remains to be seen how much that marathon effort, and in particular a number of injuries picked up, will have affected the panel.
The junior and intermediate club semi-finals also take place this weekend.
On Saturday, Allenwood of Kildare - featuring 45-year-old Johnny Doyle - take on Armagh's Cullyhanna, with a place in the Inter final against Cill na Martra (Cork) or St Kevin's Castlerea awaiting the winners.
In the junior semis it's Listowel Emmets of Kerry against Lahardane MacHales (Mayo) and Arva (Cavan) v Milltown (Kildare).
Inter-county pre-season hots up
While club takes centre stage, there will be plenty of inter-county football action across the weekend as teams build towards their respective Allianz League campaigns.
In Leinster on Saturday, the O'Byrne Cup quarter-finals are set with Wexford up against Kildare at Chadwicks Wexford Park, Dublin making the trip to Gracefield to face Offaly, Longford tackling Westmeath at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, and Meath welcoming Louth to Ashbourne.
On Saturday evening, Mickey Harte's Derry will look to follow up Tuesday's win over Cavan when they take on Down at Celtic Park in the Dr McKenna Cup.
Then on Sunday, Jim McGuinness will also look to continue putting his Donegal panel through their paces after beating a young Armagh side in midweek, with Tyrone awaiting them at Healy Park. Antrim and Fermanagh will also be in action in a 1pm throw-in.
Down in Munster, Kerry are due at Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale to face Limerick in Group A of the McGrath Cup, while Sunday will see a Group B clash between Waterford and Clare at Lemybrien.
