GPA on a fixed line of conflict

The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) will this morning announce details of their partnership deal with a new fixed-line telephone company, a move that has already caused conflict with the GAA.

Described as the GPA's "most significant commercial arrangement do date" it does however follow a similar deal announced earlier this month by the GAA.

Both deals are based on a similar premise that GAA club members transfer their telephone accounts to the different companies in return for financial assistance being made available to the clubs.

The GPA deal is said to involve a €1.2 million investment with a new fixed-line company, although full details have been held back prior to this morning's press conference in Dublin.

Yet there is a difference in that the GPA partnership has already been piloted and is ready to come into operation, whereas the GAA deal with Access Telecoms has only recently been agreed. At the time of the GAA announcement the GPA claimed it was partly an attempt to upstage their deal.

"This company is making a major investment," said Dessie Farrell, chief executive of the GPA. "We're in a position now to go with it, and everything is in place. And we're confident it will offer a major financial assistance to clubs."

In hurling, meanwhile, the four teams that open the Leinster championship this Sunday will know that two of them will have concluded their campaign some 70 minutes later - barring a replay.

Carlow host Laois at Dr Cullen Park and Westmeath play Wicklow in Mullingar, but the two losers at this stage of competition won't get the chance to enter the qualifier series, and a place in the All-Ireland B championship will be their only consolation.

Last year just four counties in total took that option, with Wicklow beating Roscommon in the final and Leinster Council chairman Nicky Brennan admits the B championship has clearly run its course.

"Last year was a bit of a disaster," says Brennan, "and thankfully the new hurling format for the championship will next year address the situation."

Teams that advance to second round of the preliminaries in Leinster do get the option of entering the qualifiers.

The Meath and Down hurling teams are awaiting a response from Croke Park over their request to move Sunday's Division Two match, rescheduled for Portaferry after last weekend's postponement.

Meath manager John Hunt claims that almost half his panel are in under-21 action the night before while the Down board are unhappy the game clashes with the football league finals at Croke Park, where Down play Offaly in the Division Two final.

Ahead of those finals, both Kerry and Galway will this evening announce their line-ups for the Division One final. Both teams have their well-publicised injury concerns, with Kerry's Declan O'Sullivan and Galway's Padhraic Joyce topping the list.

O'Sullivan is held back with a hamstring injury and manager Jack O'Connor described his chances as starting as "touch and go" while Joyce sustained a toe injury in Galway's replay against Tyrone last Sunday.

Down will welcome back full forward Dan Gordon for their Division Two final, the curtain raiser in Croke Park on Sunday. Gordon missed the semi-final win over Donegal with injury, but has been passed fit to play.

Tickets for the finals can be purchased directly from the Cusack Stand entrance at Croke Park from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The ticket office outside of Quinn's pub in Drumcondra Road will be open from 11 a.m. on Sunday.