Dublin finalise ticket plans

GAA: The Dublin County Board has finalised ticket arrangements for the opening National Football League game against Armagh in Croke Park on Sunday week, which they hope will attract an attendance of over 40,000.

It will be Dublin's first league game at GAA headquarters in several years as Parnell Park has coped with the spectator demand of recent seasons. The visit of the All-Ireland champions, coupled with renewed interest in Dublin football, prompted the board to move the game to Croke Park.

"We should have tickets available from Friday at the county board office, all clubs, and from Arnotts," said Dublin chairman John Bailey. Tickets will also be available from usual GAA sources such as Ticketmaster outlets and on-line at www.gaa.ie.

Family tickets are available at €24, which includes admission for two under-16s, and adult stand tickets for €12. Also 13,000 free tickets will be distributed tomorrow through Cumann na mBunscol to primary schools in the county, who are planning a day of activities around the game.

"The fact is that this is not about anyone making money," said Bailey. "We know we are very lucky to get Croke Park, but it is also a great promotion opportunity. People forget that a lot of Dublin supporters haven't yet seen the inside of the new Croke Park, so this is also a way for us to say thank you to them."

The possibility also remains that further league games involving Dublin at home could be played at Croke Park this season. "We'll evaluate the situation after Sunday week," said Bailey, "but I certainly wouldn't rule it out".

The throw-in has been confirmed for 2.30 p.m.. There will also be a curtain-raiser featuring the Dublin senior hurlers starting at 12.30 p.m., although the line-up for that game will not be known until after this Sunday's round of games in the Walsh Cup.

If Dublin beat Meath in Navan they will play the winners of the Laois and Wexford game (also to be played this Sunday, in Portlaoise). If Dublin lose to Meath the county board will next week announce an alternative opposition - expected to be a high-profile hurling county.

For new Dublin hurling manager Marty Morris, the prospect of playing the Walsh Cup semi-final at Croke Park, and most likely against Wexford, will be an extra incentive to beat Meath.

"Absolutely," he said. "We want to be part of that big occasion in Croke Park, and for the game to mean something as well. So we'll be keeping our fingers crossed we get past Meath even though we're going to be short so many players, but I expect there will be plenty of takers to provide opposition for that game on February 2nd."

Morris got his term off to a winning start against Down last Sunday, but finds himself without almost half his regular line-up for the Meath game. All the representatives from the O'Tooles club, the county champions, are leaving on Saturday for a week's holiday in the Canaries, and several more players remain unavailable.

"It's definitely a case of having to blood more players a little sooner than planned, but the hands are tied on this one. We'll be short 11 of our players for Sunday, so it's certainly going to be a balancing act trying to win this game, and trying to blood so many new players at the same time."

Among the seven O'Tooles players to miss out on Sunday are forwards Kevin Ryan and Kevin Flynn, who scored 2-7 between them against Down. On the positive side Morris will have the use of dual player David O'Callaghan, and is also likely to start Keith Elliott and Ronan Fallon.

Two other pre-season competitions, both football, will be decided on Sunday - the O'Byrne Cup in Leinster, and the McGrath Cup in Munster. Longford are at home to Kildare as they seek their second O'Byrne Cup title in three years, though manager Denis Connerton has injury worries over four players - Donal Ledwith, Liam Keenan, John O'Callaghan and David Barden.

Tipperary manager Tom McGlinchey had hoped the Munster Council would rearrange their McGrath Cup final against Clare, as the counties will meet a week later in the first round of the NFL in Division 2B, but the game goes ahead in Milltown Malbay.