GAELIC GAMES:Galway and Mayo will have a preliminary date next Sunday, five weeks ahead of their scheduled Connacht Championship meeting. The intriguing prospect of John O'Mahony facing the county he led to two All-Irelands popped up unexpectedly as the western counties ended up in the same half of the NFL semi-final draw.
Galway's comfortable win over Down, 3-11 to 1-11, and the draw between Kildare and Laois in Newbridge, combined to shunt Peter Ford's team to top of Division One B on scoring difference.
Mayo had already qualified a week previously from Division One A, but yesterday they rounded off an impressive regulation campaign by handing out a five-point beating, 4-7 to 1-11, to Tyrone in Omagh.
The divisional winners, Donegal, just about preserved their status after squeaking a win over bottom county Fermanagh.
Brian McIver's side will now face Kildare in the other Division One semi-final. It had been assumed the matches would form a double bill at Croke Park but, according to the GAA, that has not been finalised.
The hurling semi-finals will feature an unexpected presence after John Meyler's Wexford launched a coup by defeating Galway 1-16 to 0-14 in the first of yesterday's quarter-finals and frustrating the consensus anticipation of another tilt between Ger Loughnane's team and holders Kilkenny, who instead face their provincial rivals.
In the other quarter-final, Waterford held off 14-man Tipperary in a thrilling match, decided 1-20 to 1-19 deep in injury-time.
Elsewhere, there was the usual clatter of winnings being paid out and the pain of losses stacking up, as yesterday's NFL reached what has become an annually exciting denouement. This year's league had the added edge that - as well as play-off places - a new, four-division hierarchy for next year was up for grabs.
What should have been the final day resolved many of the outstanding issues, but the GAA must wait until next week and the postponed concluding round of Division Two A fixtures for the whole picture of next year's NFL to emerge.
Among the disappointed are Dublin, who lost to Kerry by two, 1-12 to 2-7, when a draw would have copper-fastened Division One status, and Wexford, who despite beating Meath by six points and finishing on a level scoring difference missed a Division Two place on the basis Meath had scored more.
NFL 2008 Division One: Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kildare, Kerry, Derry, Tyrone and Laois.
Division Two: Cavan, Meath, Monaghan, Runners-up Division Two A, Dublin, Westmeath, Cork, Armagh.
Division Three: Limerick, Louth, Fermanagh, Down, Wexford, Sligo, third and fourth places Division Two A.
Division Four: Wicklow, Antrim, Tipperary, Waterford, Carlow, London, fifth and sixth places Division Two A.
NFL 2007 semi-finals: Sunday April 15th:
Donegal v Kildare, Galway v Mayo (venues to be confirmed).
NHL 2007 semi-finals: Sunday April 15th:
Kilkenny v Wexford, Cork v Waterford, both at Semple Stadium. Matches at 2.30 and 4.15 (times to be confirmed).
