Weekend Club

GAA Previews.

GAA Previews.

Tomorrow:

Connacht SF Semi-finals

Killererin (Galway) v Annaduff (Leitrim), Tuam Stadium, 2 p.m.

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The suspicion here is that Annaduff have more than met their targets for the season with the historic county title win. Killererin, however, have been this way before and will be mindful that their immediate predecessors Caltra are All-Ireland champions.

Lack of balance in the team has prompted some personnel switches and a ferocious work ethic that frequently sees Pádraic and Nicky Joyce the only players not behind the ball. These frugal principles will suffice to reach the final.

Ballina Stephenites (Mayo) v Roscommon Gaels (Roscommon), Ballina, 2 p.m.

Ballina look the best equipped of the semi-finalists to win out. The Mayo champions have rebuilt half the team that reached the 1999 All-Ireland final. Ronan McGarrity, reckoned to have at one stage played more matches for the county than for the club, is a natural replacement for Liam McHale as David Brady's centrefield partner.

For defending champions, Ballina had a low-key progress in the county, beating Crossmolina and a very disappointing Knockmore. Liam Brady dominated scoring in the final with all but two points of the 1-9 total, but the rest of the attack has chipped in during the campaign.

Roscommon are a tough outfit with influential former county player Fergal O'Donnell, back on the field after coming out of retirement, along with Clifford McDonald and Ger Heneghan providing a lot of experience, but Ballina have more options going forward.

Leinster SF Semi-finals

Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) v Portlaoise (Laois), Dr Cullen Park, 2.30 p.m.

Portlaoise's ambitions in Leinster have been played down by manager Tommy Conroy. "In the club we'd always felt that we could give it a good rattle at some stage, but we didn't start out this season thinking that we'd win the county, let alone anything else."

But suggestions that the club was targeting Leinster gained a certain amount of credibility with the massive win over Rhode, despite Ian Fitzgerald being away on his stag weekend, Martin Delaney injured and Colm Parkinson having off-the-field distractions - though, far from being distracted, Parkinson thrived on the pressure.

The team's supply of talented young players leaves those in their mid-20s looking like veterans. The defence is strong and, overall, the team has plenty of intercounty experience. Kilmacud saw off Garrycastle, despite a late scare, but the Westmeath club apparently feel that Portlaoise - whom they defeated in Leinster two years ago - are a better side than the Dublin champions.

Darren Magee has departed for Australia and although Kilmacud manager Mick Dillon is stoical about his ability to improvise around centrefield, he will be anxious that Ray Cosgrove returns to action. This looks like being tight with the Laois champions marginally preferred.

Skryne (Meath) v Starlights (Wexford), Newbridge, 2.30 p.m.

Starlights survived the two matches against Rathvilly and line out tomorrow with the team at full strength. Declan Ruth is back after being away on business and Tom Wall's departure to Australia never got off the ground.

The Wexford champions look alarmingly dependent on John Hudson, both to win ball and convert possession into scores. Of the team's total of 2-13, scored over the two quarter-final matches, Hudson scored 2-12.

Skryne had an equally hard-fought win, over Allenwood. Well on top for the first half, the Meath champions did well to ride out their opponents' recovery and close out the match.

Trevor Giles and John McDermott stand out as a centrefield pairing, but the attack, with player-manager Mick O'Dowd at full forward, spread the scoring well and should make the final.

Munster SF Semi-final

Kilmurray-Ibrickane (Clare) v Milltown-Castlemaine (Kerry), Quilty, 2.30 p.m.

The Munster title is very much up for grabs with neither the Cork nor Kerry winners in the championship. Of their replacements, Bishopstown have already bitten the dust and tomorrow it's Milltown-Castlemaine's turn.

Paradoxically, it's the Clare champions that have the higher-profile personnel with a potent blend of players, all of whom have represented the county at various levels and Odran O'Dwyer, who has played for Ireland. Milltown have quality of their own and the strength and athleticism to do well at this time of the year.

Kilmurray are at home and will have big support. Within the county it is pointed out that two years ago Milltown only narrowly beat Clare's Kildysart in the Munster intermediate championship.

Kildysart, it is reckoned, wouldn't have much change out of a four-goal hammering were they playing Kilmurray. A surprise - but not really a surprise - is on the cards.

Munster SH Final

Mount Sion (Waterford) v Toomevara (Tipperary), Semple Stadium, 2.30 p.m.

Two clubs that have disappointed in club competition meet with great ambitions to do well in the All-Ireland series. Toomevara in particular have been stung by the derision heaped on their inability to turn eight county titles into more than one Munster.

Mount Sion's tendency towards inconsistency didn't look a problem when giving Kilmaley a good seeing-to and even Clare observers were impressed with the deadly seriousness of the Waterford side.

But there has been a similar reaction to Toomevara's progress in Tipperary. Eoin Brislane has maintained the immense power and drive of his regular club form at centrefield and beside him Ken Dunne is having a good year and like his partner has switched effectively to full forward.

Mount Sion will again be missing Michael White and in the context of a far more competitive match that could prove to be more problematic than against Kilmaley. As ever, the Waterford club's prospects revolve around their brightest lights - Tony Browne, Ken McGrath and Eoin Kelly, all of whom have been going well, but there has been good support from the lesser-known players.

Toomevara take that sort of more evenly distributed contribution for granted. In the Tipperary team's favour is their more searching run in the semi-final where they had to come back against Na Piarsaigh, whereas Kilmaley dropped out of contention after the first quarter. But based on the hunger displayed in the match and the quality in their team Mount Sion are marginal favourites.

Ulster SF Semi-finals

Mayobridge (Down) v Carrickmore (Tyrone), Casement Park, 2.15 p.m.

For all their dominant record in Tyrone, Carrickmore haven't really given the provincial championship a good crack. The fact that Conor Gormley, playing at centrefield, is the only current county player obscures the presence of good former county players like Ronan McGarrity and Brian Gormley.

They will be hard and tight marking, but Mayobridge's experience in this competition and a attack orchestrated by the ageless Mickey Linden means they should be in the final.

Cavan Gaels (Cavan) v Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh), Enniskillen, 2.30 p.m.

Crossmaglen survived a torrid couple of matches against Slaughtneil during which they had to chisel out victory despite a less-than-even break of possession. Their know-how in a championship they dominated for so long will stand to them and the injection of talent from the All-Ireland winning Armagh under-21s has freshened the team.

They may not yet be on a par with the triple All-Ireland winning set-up of the 1990s, but survivors from those great days have an awful lot of experience for players still in their 20s.

Cavan Gaels have an array of county players, but after a comfortable win over Magheracloone may lack for the intensity that gets things done at this stage of the championship.