Saturday
All-Ireland club intermediate football championship semi-finals
Austin Stacks (Kerry) v Ballinderry (Derry); Parnell Park; 2pm (Live on Spórt TG4)
Both sides would see themselves as senior outfits in their respective counties, and indeed both are former All-Ireland club senior champions – Austin Stacks winning the competition in 1977 and Ballinderry capturing national senior glory in 2002. However, after briefly dropping out of the senior ranks – Austin Stacks spent two years intermediate in the Kingdom while Ballinderry were one season outside the top grade in Derry – the clubs find themselves meeting in an All-Ireland intermediate semi-final. Billy Lee’s Austin Stacks side eased to Munster glory while Ballinderry were made graft to get over the line in Ulster. Stacks appear to carry a more potent attacking unit.
Verdict: Austin Stacks
Crossmolina Deel Rovers (Mayo) v Caragh (Kildare); Pearse Park, Longford; 1pm (Live on Spórt TG4)
All-Ireland club senior football semi-finals postponed due to weather
Ballinderry and Crossmolina to meet in All-Ireland club intermediate football championship decider after semi-final wins
Coolera-Strandhill’s Seán Taylor: ‘I’ve introduced a few Gaelic football drills to Harlequins training sessions’
Final stages of club championships the highlight of the GAA weekend
Crossmolina, just like Austin Stacks and Ballinderry, are previous All-Ireland senior champions – so this spin through the intermediate grade wouldn’t exactly have been signposted when the Mayo outfit won the game’s biggest club prize in 2001. Relegated from the senior ranks in 2018, it has taken a significant rebuilding job in Crossmolina to push the team back up the ladder again. This current crop is backboned by a talented crop of under-20 players and there is a sense within the town they their club is back where it belongs at senior status. They enter this All-Ireland intermediate semi-final as favourites against Caragh – but the Kildare side beat the champions of Meath, Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin on the way to the last four, so Crossmolina should not approach the task lightly.
Verdict: Crossmolina
Sunday
All-Ireland club senior football championship semi-finals
Coolera-Strandhill (Sligo) v Cuala (Dublin); Breffni Park, Cavan; 1.30 (Live on TG4)
The battle of the coasts – as a club straddling the Atlantic Ocean faces one overlooking the Irish Sea. And if Coolera-Strandhill enter this All-Ireland semi-final as the best of the west, there is a sense of Cuala as this season’s beast from the east. The Dalkey outfit are aiming to become the fifth different Dublin club to contest the senior football decider since 2013. In Con O’Callaghan Cuala have one of the most outstanding forwards in the country. And on recent form Coolera-Strandhill might struggle to match Cuala’s scoring power – the Sligo champions scored just 0-9 against Ballina in a provincial semi-final and over their two Connacht SFC matches they netted only one goal. Cuala, in contrast, scored four goals in three games on their way to Leinster glory. With one of the most decorated footballers in the history of the game in Michael Fitzsimons patrolling the defence, Cuala look to have enough at both ends of the field to get over the line.
Verdict: Cuala
Dr Crokes (Kerry) v Errigal Ciarán (Tyrone); O’Moore Park, Portlaoise; 3.30 (Live on TG4)
Kerry and Tyrone outfits rarely serve up benign affairs when they meet in the latter stages of the club championship – and the meeting of these two storied clubs is unlikely to be a drab affair. Dr Crokes came through an easier route to this stage – though whether that will be a benefit or not will only become evident during this contest. Errigal Ciarán, on the other hand, had some epic encounters on their way to Ulster glory – including a statement victory over Kilcoo in the final. Much will depend on what damage limitation measures Dr Crokes can put in place to curb the influence of Ruairí and Darragh Canavan. The Kerry champions have plenty of experience and leaders in the likes of Fionn Fitzgerald, Gavin White, Shane Murphy, Micheál Burns, Brian Looney and Tony Brosnan, but stopping the Canavan brothers remains the key.
Verdict: Dr Crokes
All-Ireland club junior football championship semi-final
An Cheathrú Rua (Galway) v Ballinagar (Offaly); Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon; 1pm (Live on Spórt TG4)
An Cheathrú Rua scored 4-12 in their Connacht junior final win over Sligo’s Ballymote in November, but the concession of 2-10 in that decider is something manager Maghnus Breathnach will hope to have addressed ahead of this last four clash. Ballinagar beat Carlow, Louth, Kildare, and Meath champions on their way to Leinster glory.
Verdict: An Cheathrú Rua
All-Ireland club junior football championship Twinning Final
Tara (London) v Naomh Pádraig, Muff (Donegal); McGovern Park, Ruislip; 12pm (Live on Ulster GAA TV)
This game was originally scheduled to take place on December 7th but was postponed due to Storm Darragh. It could be a tricky assignment in London for the Donegal outfit against the British Junior champions, but Naomh Pádraig’s victories over the champions of Antrim, Armagh, and Derry on the way to Ulster glory suggests they should avoid getting blown off course.
Verdict: Naomh Pádraig
Intercounty challenge matches
Saturday
Football
Mayo v Monaghan; MacHale Park, 6.30pm
Kildare v Galway; St Conleth’s Park, 7.30pm
Hurling
Waterford v Cork; Fraher Field, 2pm
Tipperary v Clare; Templemore, 6pm
Sunday
Football
Limerick v Clare; Askeaton, 1pm
Hurling
Kilkenny v Dublin; Tinryland; 12pm
Galway v Laois: Ballinasloe, 2pm
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