Some tweaks needed as master list is finalised

Fixtures 2006The GAA's Central Games Administration Committee (CGAC) will tomorrow finalise a master fixtures list for 2006, including the harmonisation of all the championship dates across the four provinces. With the remaining provincial draws only being made last Friday the workload will be a little more rushed than usual.

Also to be finalised tomorrow is the complete fixture list for the 2006 national football and hurling leagues. While the groups and provisional dates have been decided, the CGAC will be keen to avoid any potential spillover into the championship.

It has already been agreed that the CGAC will accommodate most requests for league fixtures to be played under floodlights, and it now appears all of Dublin's home games will be played under the floodlights at Parnell Park.

The format of the hurling league is also to be revamped, with the second or "play-off" phase set to go. The GAA's Management Committee had been authorised to implement the changes and the final details will be announced along with the overall league fixtures.

CGAC chairman Tony O'Keeffe has the unenviable task of co-ordinating all the fixtures.

He will be receiving provisional dates from the four provincial councils for both football and hurling before tomorrow's meeting, and will then go about trying to satisfy everyone's requests.

"One of the things we'll be looking at in terms of the championship is that we avoid too many big games on a particular Sunday whenever possible," said O'Keeffe. "For example, we don't want the likes of say Dublin and Kerry and Tyrone all playing on the same Sunday. We do try to break it up as much as possible.

"Some of the provinces also have individual requests, with Croke Park, for example, not being available at a certain time in May because of concerts. But we do hope to have all that finalised by Wednesday. A lot of the work is actually done in that all the subsidiary competitions are already fixed."

The format of the football league remains unchanged, but the CGAC were keen to extend the list of floodlight fixtures as much as possible. Funding has been approved to ensure each province has two floodlight venues available, but that work won't be finished in time for this year's league.

"We waited as long as possible to see exactly what floodlight venues would be available to us," added O'Keeffe. "Unfortunately, the new floodlights won't be ready in time, but from next year they will be used on a more regular basis. We have found the evening matches with live TV coverage have worked very well."

It means just Parnell Park in Dublin, Páirc Uí Rinn in Cork, and Austin Stack Park in Tralee remain the only venues capable of staging floodlight games for the upcoming league. Dublin played all their home games under lights last year with the exception of the visit of Donegal.

Flaws in the existing format of the hurling league had prompted calls for a revamp, with teams soon finding themselves with little or nothing to play for, especially those resigned to the lower division of the second phase. With that second phase set to go, the successful teams will now progress directly to a semi-final and final stage.

There is also a slight shuffling of the 12 teams that make up Division One - the details of which will also be announced tomorrow: "We've always moved around those groups every couple of years to reflect the shifting fortunes of the hurling counties," explained O'Keeffe. "The only reason we do that is to ensure we don't have an obvious imbalance between the two groups in Division One. But they are only minor changes and the group format will remain as it does."

The club championship, meanwhile, goes into overdrive this weekend as all four provinces move closer to the business end of the season - providing 10 high-profile matches. Leinster will stage their semi-finals in both football and hurling, with all four matches being decided on Sunday.

In football, Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin will play Offaly champions Rhode in Portlaoise, while Sarsfields of Kildare play Mattock Rangers of Louth in Navan. The hurling semi-finals feature James Stephens of Kilkenny against Castletown of Laois (fixed for Carlow) and UCD against Oulart-The Ballagh of Wexford (in Kilkenny).

The Munster hurling semi-finals will feature Newtownshandrum of Cork against Thurles Sarsfields (fixed for Páirc Uí Chaoimh) and Ballygunner of Waterford against Clare champions Clarecastle (Walsh Park). There is also a quarter-final replay in the football between St Senan's (Clare) and Monaleen (Limerick), while the Waterford football final is also replayed on Saturday in Dungarvan, featuring Stradbally and The Nire. The winners of that play Nemo Rangers of Cork on Sunday week.

The Laois county board last night landed 15-year-old hurler Dean Delaney with a 24-week suspension following the violent incident that marred last month's county final replay between Castletown and Camross. Delaney was unable to attend last week's hearing because he was still suffering the effects of the strike with a hurl that forced the young Camross player to spend the night in hospital.

n TG4 have announced their double bill on Sunday will feature the Connacht club football final live, followed by deferred coverage of the Munster club hurling semi-final between Newtownshandrum and Thurles Sarsfields.

Next Tuesday, they will also provide highlights from Saturday's 2005 TG4 Women's Football All-Stars banquet.