Football:
The Wicklow County Board has distanced itself from manager Mick O'Dwyer's assertion that the Garden men would enter a junior team into the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Micko made the comments after Saturday night's defeat to Laois. The quarter-final defeat means that, under current rules, the Division 4 outfit have no access to the qualifier system.
O'Dwyer vowed to continue on with the Garden men in 2009, but his disdain for the second-tier competition may well see selector Kevin O'Brien step into the breach for the rest of the summer.
'No firm decision has been taken yet as it doesn't start until July,' Wicklow secretary Michael Murphy said, 'but we will have a senior panel together. Kevin O'Brien and other selectors, Gerry Farrell and Philip McGillicuddy, will be available.' (Irish Times)
Wexford manager Jason Ryan has revealed he met with all the Wexford players at the start of the year to convince them - the veterans in particular - to stick with the rookie inter-county boss.
'I met with them all at the start of the year. That was a factor. The senior players wanted to know what I was going to do that was different from before,' said the 32-year-old, who only left the Waterford senior panel in November to take up his Slaneyside post.
One of Wexford's stalwarts, Paddy Colfer, said it was the knowledge that they had played so poorly in the first half that gave them the belief to go and overcome a ten-point deficit against Meath.
Colfer said: 'At half-time we knew that we had a chance because we never kicked a ball in the first half, to be honest. There are 35 or 40 players training five nights a week for the last six months and at half-time we said "why put in that much effort just to roll over today".' (Various)
And it just keeps getting better for the Model men, as it appears that former captain Ciaran Deeley will be available for their Leinster semi-final clash with Laois on 22 June.
Deeley should be ready after making a good recovery from surgery on a groin problem. Manager Ryan said: 'Ciaran will be fit and available to us for the semi-final. It will be good to have a player of his calibre back.' (The Star)
Cork have been dealt a blow with the news that Kevin McMahon will miss their Munster SFC semi-final clash with Limerick on Sunday week.
The wing-forward dislocated his elbow while playing for his club Carbery Rangers at the weekend. It is the second injury blow for the Rebels in a week after John Miskella fractured his AC joint whilst in action for Ballincollig. (Irish Examiner)
Tyrone defender Conor Gormley is still holding out hope that attacker Stephen O'Neill will reverse his decision to retire from inter-county action.
Gormley said of the 2005 Football of the Year: 'Everybody involved in Tyrone - supporters, players, the whole lot, would love to see him back.
'I think he's going rightly in the club games, and would love to have him back.' (The Sun/The Mirror)
Derry midfielder Joe Diver insists that overcoming Donegal in Ballybofey shows that the Oak Leafers have learned how to cope with the pressure big Championship games bring.
'It was an important win, but nothing is won yet. We had to win it. It was just one of those days where we couldn't lose. The pressure was on us and this shows we are capable of dealing with that now. In the past we weren't.' (Irish Examiner/The Mirror)
Fermanagh's Ulster title ambitions received a boost on Friday when full-back Barry Owens played in his first game since a recent heart operation.
The two-time All Star appeared as a second-half substitute for his club Teemore as they suffered a heavy defeat to Tempo. (The Sun)
Hurling:
Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy has said is well aware of the contrasting levels of intensity between league and Championship.
Sheedy was a selector when the Premier County beat Kilkenny in a ten-goal league final thriller in 2003, only to fall to Clare at the first fence in Munster.
'If I ever personally needed a message to show me the difference between the league and Championship I got it in 2003,' Sheedy recalled.
'Tipp had won the All-Ireland in 2001, Kilkenny won it in 2002 and here we were in 2003. We went down to Páirc Uí Chaoimh two weeks later and were blown aside by Clare. I'm fully aware that the Championship is a different beast.' (Irish Independent/The Star)
Munster chairman Jimmy O'Gorman has admitted his surprise at the low attendance at Sunday's clash between Clare and Waterford at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
17,365 patrons came through the turnstiles, a good bit below the 23-25,000 the council expected to travel to the Shannonside venue.
However, O'Gorman expressed delight that Clare have emerged from the doldrums to further invigorate an already ultra-competitive province.
'It's good to see them back again and we need the five counties playing out of their skins in Munster to preserve what is the best Championship,' O'Gorman said. (Various)
Meanwhile, Clare's Gerry O'Grady is a doubt for the Banner’s next assignment against Limerick on 22 June.
The experienced corner-back damaged his hand in the win over the Déise and had to be replaced at half time.
'Gerry is certainly in a race against time to make the Limerick match,' Clare boss Mike McNamara said. 'It will be looked at on Tuesday to see if it is knitting or healing and if it’s not, a pin may be inserted.' (Various)
Insiders in Waterford have dismissed reports that star forward Eoin Kelly had been dropped off the panel ahead of the defeat to Clare.
Rumours abounded that Kelly had been axed due to a disciplinary matter, but sources close to the team say that a hand injury was definitely the reason for his absence. (Various)
Miscellaneous:
The National Referees' spokesman, Seamus Gardiner, has rejected Sunday Game analyst Colm O'Rourke's suggestion that 'big strong men' should be appointed to officiate at Championship matches.
O'Rourke's was referring to Marty Duffy's performance in the Derry v Donegal game, where many believed his over-fussiness spoiled the game as a spectacle.
Gardiner described the criticism as 'unfair'.
'I don't think that size is important in any way to refereeing a game. It's more important that they show authority, that they are fit and have a good knowledge of the game,' he said.
'Referees don’t make the rules up as they go along. Some people think they do but they are merely carrying to what is in the rule book.' (Irish Independent/The Star)
Former Ireland captain and selector Pádraic Joyce has said that a serious change in attitude is required by Australia if International Rules has any chance of surviving past October’s two-Test series.
The current Galway captain said: 'I can't help worrying that it will all end in tears again. This time round, I feel it's very much last chance saloon for the series and if the Australians go over the top again in the aggression stakes, I can't see any way back for the international game.' (Irish Times)
