The top deck of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park is to be open for the first time this weekend. The decision was taken by the stadium authorities and the Leinster Council in response to the huge demand for tickets for Sunday's Leinster football final between Dublin and Kildare.
"The available capacity will be around 72,000," said provincial chairman Nicky Brennan, "so we have decided to open the upper deck. Not all the seats will be in use because of various issues to do with the ongoing work on the stand, particularly the access points. But it should be a phenomenal occasion."
Meanwhile, Wexford hurler Liam Dunne is probably facing the end of his season after getting a red card shortly before the end of the Leinster final against Kilkenny. If he is reported by referee Ger Harrington for striking he will receive a mandatory 12-week suspension. And if he is reported for the less serious offence of dangerous play he will still face an eight-week ban although the prescribed punishment is four weeks.
This will be doubled because it is less than a year since he was last suspended for the same offence - after being sent off with Tipperary's Brian O'Meara in last year's All-Ireland semi-final replay.
Wexford may still be missing Adrian Fenlon who missed last Sunday's match because of a hamstring injury. "He'll be given every chance before they name the team later in the week," said County Board PRO Alan Ahearne.
There is still unhappiness in the county at the fixing of their third-round qualifier against Clare for next Sunday after it had been briefly moved to the following weekend - just eight days before the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Originally Wexford would have had to play this Saturday but because of difficulties over a venue, it was switched to the following Saturday. The GAA's Games Administration Committee, who draw up the fixtures, acknowledges that it was a mistake to move the match in the first place.
"I would hold up my hand and say I was wrong on that," said GAC chairperson Paraic Duffy. "You should always stick with the master fixture list and I didn't. But there could have been terrible problems with the All-Ireland programme had the match ended in a draw. "I would hope that when we are reviewing the season we could take another look at this," he said.
"Maybe the fixtures plan for the year could play the qualifiers over two weekends to allow a longer break for the defeated Leinster champions. But it is difficult to organise in a crowded schedule."
