Leading today’s paper headlines are comments from Irish goalkeeper Shay Given who has leaped to the defence of teammates James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady ahead of Friday’s European qualifier clash with Scotland.
Given has hit out at comments from former Scottish international Gordon McQueen who was earlier in the week inciting fans to boo the two players. He said the crowd should give the Glaswegian duo a horrible night in Celtic Park.
Irish soccer fans are still unhappy with the FAI ahead of the clash. They're claiming FAI chief executive John Delaney is trying to deflect attention from ticketing problems by attacking the Scottish FA.
Over in Scotland
The Scottish FA are not getting involved in the debate though, The Daily Record are reporting that they are refusing to comment on what's being described as a scathing attack upon them.
In rugby news Rob Kearney has claimed that the experience of watching his Irish teammate Jonathon Sexton in France has helped him commit to Leinster for an additonal three years. Gerry Thorney is also reporting that while Rory Best has returned to light training, the status of Chris Henry (who is no longer with the squad in their Carton House base) and Jared Payne remains unclear.
Dual dilemmas
Another one bites the dust in Cork. The Examiner reports that Alan Cadogan will play exclusively for the senior hurlers next year after there had been speculation that he would join up with older brother Eoin in committing to the footballers.
The Examiner have a snippet on the Munster Club hurling final being set for the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Oddly, though Limerick club Kilmallock won the toss over Clare outfit Cratloe for the right to home advantage, Kilmallock will actually have significantly further to travel to the games.
Kilmallock is in south Limerick, 35km from the Gaelic Grounds. Whereas Cratloe, despite being in Clare, is just 8km out the road from Limerick city.
For the unfortunate teams that were knocked out of last year's intercounty senior football and hurling championships in the opening rounds back in June, they will now be the first teams officially permitted to resume training for the new season. Under revised GAA guidelines the eight football counties and two hurling counties will be permitted to train from midnight on Friday.
It’s still raw
Donegal's Paul Durcan might of though he'd run his course of suffering after Septemeber's All-Ireland final defeat, but the All Star goalkeeper has now signed himself up to run in the Ethiopian marathon. Talking to The Irish Star, he says the pain of this year's defeat is still as raw as ever.
Meanwhile The Irish Star are also echoing a warning from GAA Director General Paraic Duffy that those who comment on social media are leaving themselves open to official sanctions.
A job based on your skin colour
Also there's an Interesting piece in The Daily Telegraph on the idea of an equivalent of American Football's Rooney Rule as a way to promote black coaches in English soccer. Though widely seen as a positive step in the US, the Telegraph has interviewed Titus Bramble and Kieron Dyer - both now underage coaches at Ipswich Town - and both scathing in their rejection of such a step being taken in England. Bramble even calls it a disgrace. "You could say it's just as bad being given a job because of your skin colour as it is not being given a job."
Next Sunday's Junior A Connacht football final will pitch two island clubs, Oileáin Árainn and Achill Island again one another. Here is a gallery of the incredible scenes overlooking Inis Oirr Park where the men of Aran do battle.
