Kerry and Mayo get home advantage

NFL & NHL Play-offs: The semi-finals of the National Football Leauge will not be played at Croke Park. Venues for the matches were decided last night on the toss of a coin, with Kerry and Mayo winning home advantage for the coming weekend's matches. Mayo will take on Galway in Castlebar at 2pm with Kerry playing Laois at 3.45pm.

All the semi-finalists have featured at this stage in the recent past - Mayo lost last year to Armagh at Croke Park, whereas Galway and Kerry contested the league final just two years ago with Kerry winning en route to a double success that year.Laois reached the 2003 final where they lost to Tyrone.

The Division Two semi-finals will also be played at Breffni Park, where Donegal will take on Westmeath at 3.30pm, whereas Limerick and Louth meet at the early hour of midday in Portlaoise, a fixture that presumably was intended to allow Limerick supporters to attend the National Hurling League quarter-final in Thurles, where the county take on Waterford in the second match of a double bill also featuring Tipperary-Offaly.

Both the NFL final and NHL semi-finals are scheduled to take place the following weekend.

It has been speculated that the football final might not be played at Croke Park. It is fixed for the same day as the Leinster-Munster rugby European Cup final at Lansdowne Road, and, depending on the pairing, might be more conveniently located somewhere like Limerick to avoid having two major events taking place on either side of the city.

Another consideration is that the GAA congress is taking place in Killarney on the same weekend.

With one Connacht team guaranteed to be in the final, the other finalists will be Kerry or Laois, so somewhere in the southwest would be geographically convenient.

Kerry are favourites to win the football title they last took two years ago. Ahead of next weekend's semi-finals the Munster champions are ahead of joint-second favourites Mayo and Galway, with Laois the outsiders.

Donegal are firm fancies for the Division Two title, ahead of Limerick and Westmeath, with Louth the longest shots.

Semi-Final Betting: Division One: 6 to 4 Kerry, 11 to 4 Mayo, Galway, 4 to 1 Laois. Division Two: 11 to 10 Donegal, 7 to 2 Limerick, Westmeath, 4 to 1 Louth.

Weekend Schedule

SATURDAY

NHL Quarter-final

Division Two replay: Mayo v Meath, Athleague, 3.30

SUNDAY

NFL Semi-finals

Division One: Kerry v Laois, Killarney, 3.45pm; Mayo v Galway, Castlebar, 2.00.

Division Two: Donegal v Westmeath, Breffni Park, 3.30, Limerick v Louth, Portlaoise, 12.00.

NHL Quarter-finals

Division One: Offaly v Tipperary, Semple Stadium, 2.15, Waterford v Limerick, Semple Stadium, 4.00.

NHL Semi-final

Division Two: Dublin v Westmeath, Portlaoise, 2.00