GAA/National Football League: With Croke Park out of action until the National Football League finals on April 24th, the semi-finalists must be content with provincial venues on April 17th as Mayo play Armagh in Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon and Tyrone travel to O'Moore Park in Portlaoise to play a Wexford side who have patiently waited 55 years for such an occasion.
Hyde Park holds 30,000, while O'Moore Park has a capacity of 27,000. The use of Croke Park was also hindered by the Congress which takes place there on Saturday, April 16th.
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte was disappointed not to be playing in the island's premier stadium. "Portlaoise is a fine venue but from day one I have said we should be in Croke Park as when you reach the latter part of a competition it should go to the main ground," he said.
Croke Park is out of bounds because of a reseeding process but it raises the question that if the ground is unavailable in April how would it be able to accommodate soccer and rugby in the earlier months of the year? Granted, the All-Ireland club finals were played there on St Patrick's Day.
"The lads were very eager to be in Croke Park," said Wexford's long-serving marksman Matty Forde. "It would have been a good game to have there before the first game of the championship against Carlow (also in Croke Park). It can't be helped so hopefully we will make the final."
On several occasions in recent years Forde has carried the Wexford football torch virtually alone but that has changed and he believes they are capable of beating Tyrone.
"It has been a big turnaround but I think it is only 2002 since we played Tyrone at Wexford Park in the qualifiers and they beat us by two points. We probably even should have beaten them that evening. No, we genuinely believe we can beat Tyrone or anyone if we perform. It's all about confidence, and confidence is high in Wexford at the moment."
Armagh manager Joe Kernan was not enamoured either with his team's support having to travel to Roscommon.
"Clones or somewhere else a bit closer would have been better," he said. "Mayo put in Crossmaglen or Claremorris but Crossmaglen hasn't a big enough capacity for this game. We said either Breffni Park in Cavan or Hyde Park and they selected Hyde Park."
Clones was immediately ruled out as an option because the Division Two semi-finals will be played at the 36,000-capacity St Tiernach's Park because three Ulster teams are involved. Derry play Monaghan at 2pm with Meath facing Fermanagh at 3.45pm.
Meanwhile, Kernan's son Stephen is to appeal referee Paddy Russell's report from the All-Ireland club championship semi-final encounter between Crossmaglen Rangers and Portlaoise at Parnell Park on February 20th. Kernan was sent off for allegedly striking Portlaoise's Craig Rogers with the elbow but video evidence may clear the Crossmaglen forward.
"We will be appealing the referee's report," said Kernan. "The evidence is conclusive as the slow motion clearly shows no elbow was used. He is innocent and we intend to prove it."
In hurling, Ken McGrath is losing his battle to be fit for Waterford's May 22nd Munster championship opener against All-Ireland champions Cork. McGrath suffered a double fracture of the right collarbone after a clash with Kilkenny's Jimmy Coogan in February's opening round of the National Hurling League.
Physiotherapy is continuing but McGrath is still unable to hurl or do any heavy physical work in the gym. "Seemingly, we will have to wait on Ken and it is not looking too good at the moment," said team-mate John Mullane.
After successive defeats to Galway and Clare, Waterford welcome back Declan Prendergast for the Division One relegation match against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday. Dave Bennett is still out with a finger injury.
Although named in the team, Dan Shanahan is expected to miss the game after he fractured his cheekbone in training this week. Andy Maloney comes back in with the injured Paul O'Brien dropping out.
On the Rule 42 front, as expected, Down voted to keep the doors of Croke Park firmly shut to rugby and soccer even when Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped. Significantly, though, the vote was only carried by a single vote at their county board meeting on Wednesday.
The camogie annual Congress takes place this weekend, Friday and Saturday, in the Blarney Park hotel in Cork.
WATERFORD (SH v Limerick): S Brenner; T Feeney, F Hartley, D Coffey; T Browne, J Murray, E Murphy; M Walsh, B Phelan; A Maloney, D Shanahan, E Kelly; P Flynn, S Prendergast, J Mullane.
CAMOGIE FIXTURES Sunday: National League: Division One: Galway v Wexford, Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, 2.30; Antrim v Limerick, Dublin venue, tba, 2.30. Division Two: Galway B v Wexford B, Duggan Park, Ballinasloe, 1.0; Antrim B v Limerick B, Dublin venue, tba, 1.0; Westmeath v Wicklow, Oliver Plunkett's, Mullingar, 2.30; Waterford v Roscommon, Lismore, 3.30; Offaly v Tipperary, Drumcullen, Rath, 2.30.
