After all the controversies and skirmishes of May and June, this weekend sees the GAA's championship season hit full stride. Pride of place goes to the Guinness Munster hurling final which takes place in its spiritual home in Semple Stadium Thurles. The meeting of defending champions Clare and Cork is a familiar clash of two opposite traditions. Cork have won the last four Munster finals played between the counties.
Nowadays the old order has changed and Clare have won the last four championship meetings so it is the young inheritors of Cork's rich hurling tradition who go into the final as underdogs against the team which has dominated the game in recent years. Clare have become used to Munster finals whereas Cork haven't reached one since 1992.
Although both teams will progress to the All-Ireland series regardless of the result, neither has much of an incentive to take it easy. Cork have been so long out of the limelight that such a course would be unlikely whereas Clare's explosive playing style requires decent rest periods and as few matches as possible.
Whatever the permutations, the match has proved big box office with all tickets sold and a capacity crowd of approximately 52,000 expected. The pressure on tickets has been intense in both counties with Cork selling out their public - as distinct from club - allocation of 6,500 in a few hours last Monday.
It has even been reported that a black market in train tickets has sprung up in the county as the two specially-arranged match trains to Thurles have proved inadequate in the face of public demand.
Clare may be used to Munster finals but it hasn't cooled the ardour of the fans who will be travelling in their usual numbers to Thurles where the county hasn't lost a Munster championship match for five years. The match will be broadcast on RTE 1 (the Irish Open golf is on Network 2) at 4.20 tomorrow afternoon as part of a double bill also featuring the Offaly-Meath Leinster football semi-final at Croke Park which begins at 2.40.
There are still some tickets available for the Leinster match. They will go on sale at 10.00 this morning in the Leinster Council offices in Portlaoise which will remain open until 5.00 this evening. Tomorrow morning tickets will also go on sale in Gill's pub at the bottom of Fitzgibbon Street and Quinn's pub in Drumcondra from 10.00 until stocks run out.
Family tickets are available from the Leinster Council today. Senior citizens and students may pay into the Nally Stand tomorrow for £3 at the turnstiles.
Sligo finally named their team last night for the Connacht replay against Galway in Tuam. There is one change from the drawn match with John McPartland coming in for Eamonn Cawley. The left corner forward position was left vacant but Dessie Sloyane is thought likely to get the nod.
