GAA:DUBLIN'S PROGRESS to both the football and hurling league final in the same year — not exactly a first for the GAA records, by the way — will guarantee some bumper attendances to finish off the competition, especially with both games now fixed for Croke Park.

But it comes a little too soon for the GAA: last weekend’s Congress decided that from next year semi-finals would be reinstated in both the football and hurling leagues, although in Division One only, which means they miss out on the additional earning potential that Dublin’s impressive dual form might have had on this year’s league gate receipts.

Not that league sponsors Allianz nor Dublin sponsors Vodafone will be complaining. Two high-profile finals are set for Croke Park, starting with Dublin against Cork in the football decider this Sunday, and then Dublin against Kilkenny in the hurling decider on Sunday week, May 1st, both with a 4pm start.

After considering a number of options yesterday, the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) decided that Croke Park was their preferred venue for the Division One hurling final, rather than Semple Stadium, mainly on the basis that two Leinster counties were contesting it.

Instead of combining it with the Division Two final, as they’ve done in recent years, the All-Ireland Under-21 football final between Galway and Cavan will act as the curtain-raiser (with a 2pm start).

The Division Two hurling final – between Clare and Limerick – will now be played on the Saturday evening, April 30th, at Cusack Park in Ennis, for what is the start of the May Bank Holiday weekend. In agreement with the CCCC, Clare and Limerick decided to toss for the home venue, with Clare winning.

Croke Park had been the preference of the Dublin County Board for what will be their first appearance in the hurling league final since 1946 – and Kilkenny had no complaints either given it’s effectively their home away from home. While it does mark Dublin’s first hurling league final appearance in 65 years, and a first for the footballers too since 1999, the county has previously contested both finals in the same year on three occasions; 1926, 1934, and 1941 (losing both on each occasion).

Dublin’s last hurling final, against Clare in 1946, was played at the Cork Athletic Grounds and ended in a draw: the replay was in Croke Park and Clare won, 2-10 to 2-5. Incidentally, Dublin received a bye in the semi-final that year, while Clare beat Galway in the one semi-final that was played.

It is eight years since the hurling final was played in Croke Park and, while the 2004 final was played in Limerick, Thurles was the preferred venue for the last six finals.

It was Central Council who drafted the motion for Congress calling for league semi-finals to be reinstated in Division One – or more specifically to amend the rule that stated “the national football and hurling leagues shall be constructed in order that they be completed, including finals, over no more than eight (10 in the case of Division Four of the NFL) but not necessarily successive weekends” – by allowing the competition be run over nine weekends, thus freeing up time for the semi-finals.

It was estimated this could be costing the GAA an additional gate income of around €1.25 million, at least with Dublin’s presence – and yet the decision to reinstate semi-finals from next year hasn’t been universally welcomed.

“It’s something I would endorse,” said GAA president Christy Cooney. “We saw with last year’s league when it came to the final round it went flat. What happened this year was that the finals weren’t decided until the last minute, which was absolutely tremendous, but semi-finals will give the league better standing, better promotion for our games, and greater interest among the public to go to our matches.”

Yet GAA Director General Páraic Duffy admitted that he “wouldn’t be as enthusiastic” and added: “I would have some reservations about the return of semi-finals in terms of the impact on club fixtures, but I can understand the reasons behind it, and that’s the decision of Congress.”

Congress’s decision to reintroduce replays for all provincial championship games and All-Ireland quarter-finals was also based on increasing the potential for gate receipts, although both Cooney and Duffy were in agreement on the perils of that one, with Cooney telling delegates he hoped they would not live to regret endorsing the motion.

* KILKENNY are 4/11 favourites to win the NHL final, with Dublin available at 2/1 to take the title. Dublin are 8/11 favourites to beat Cork in the football final, with Boylesports also offering odds of 9/2 for Dublin to win both titles.