The GAA's Task Force on Alcohol and Substance Abuse has reported and will launch its findings next week.

Appointed by association president Seán Kelly to look into ways in which the GAA might contribute on the overall issue of alcohol abuse, the report had been expected before April's annual congress but it was delayed for unspecified reasons, and only emerged at the weekend.

"We got the report to Management Committee at the weekend," according to Kelly, "and it was endorsed at the weekend."

The report is not believed to be particularly lengthy nor particularly radical. Last month, despite expectations to the contrary, the Guinness sponsorship of the All-Ireland hurling championship was renewed.

At the time Kelly was anxious to emphasise that the task force had played a role in that agreement by submitting an interim report on the subject.

"We asked them about their views before the deal went ahead," said Kelly, "and they had no objection to a two-year renewal. Just as I wasn't going to tell them what to come up with I wanted to know their views on the sponsorship."

Pressure on the GAA over this sponsorship, something that has been greatly resented in Croke Park, has eased in recent weeks with the recommendations of a parliamentary committee not going as far as to suggest the banning of alcohol-related sports sponsorships.

None the less the Minister for Health, Micheál Martin TD, is on record as saying that he believes such sponsorships should be phased out over the next few years.

The deaths have recently taken place of two former All-Ireland winners. At the weekend John Kiely of Waterford was laid to rest.

From Dungarvan, he played at corner forward for the county when they won their most recent All-Ireland in 1959 after a replay against Kilkenny.

Kiely was also old enough to be a member of the panel on the only other occasion on which Waterford won the All-Ireland, in 1948.

He was deprived of a medal, as there were only 21 distributed at the end of the campaign but played on the team that reached the 1957 All-Ireland final.

He also represented Munster, winning Railway Cup medals in 1952 and as a replacement in '57.

In later life he took up handball and enjoyed considerable success in the Golden Masters and Diamond Masters series, winning singles and doubles titles in the 1980s and 1990s.

Meanwhile, twice Cavan All-Ireland winner Victor Sherlock passed away yesterday. He had a dual intercounty career, playing for both his own county and neighbouring Meath - due to the flickering in and out of existence of his local Cavan club, Kingscourt.

Sherlock played for Cavan in two All-Ireland finals against Meath.

In 1949 he lost as Meath won the county's first Sam Maguire and three years later as Cavan won their last to date.