THE irony of it all. Knockmore, the Mayo and Connacht champions, and Eire Og, the Carlow and Leinster champions, secured their berths in the AIB All Ireland club football semifinals almost three months ago.
Yet, with just four days to go before their encounter at Mullingar, both teams have injury worries concerning influential players. Knockmore have deferred naming their team until question marks over the fitness levels of Peter Butler and Fergus Sweeney have been answered. It is expected they will be put through their paces at training tonight.
And Eire Og, who have yet to win an All Ireland title despite reaching this stage of the competition on three previous occasions in the 1990s have worries of their own. The team was originally scheduled to be finalised on Tuesday night, but injuries to Brendan Hayden and Willie Quinlan forced manager John Courtney to wait. Hayden and Quinlan have been instrumental in the Carlow side's remarkable run over the past five years and the selectors are hopeful the duo will prove their fitness tonight.
Meanwhile, the club versus county predicament which a number of Knockmore players found themselves in prior to Christmas appears to have resolved itself. Mayo manager John Maughan, who was disappointed when Knockmore players were not made available to his suspension hit team in the pre Christmas NFL campaign, has indicated he will consider the players again once their club championship interest is finished.
Butler, Kevin O'Neill, Ray Dempsey and Declan Sweeney were among the players affected. The club withdrew the players from consideration for inter county duty while involved in the firstly, the provincial club championship and, more recently, the All Ireland series which has already included a quarter final win over London representatives Tir Chonail Gaels.
. Offaly footballers have the only 100 per cent record in the Church & General National Football League, with six wins out of six in Division Four. And manager Tommy Lyons is obviously taking the approach that minimal tinkering with a winning machine is necessary, naming 14 of the side - that started last Sunday's league encounter against Fermanagh for this Sunday's O'Byrne Cup semifinal meeting with Kildare at Newbridge. The only change is at left half back where Thomas Coffey comes into the team.
. Clare footballers will be doubly engaged again this Sunday. What is effectively the "firsts" (containing 10 of the side that started in the league against Armagh last Sunday) will line out in the McGrath Cup semi final against Cork at Ennis, while a second team will be in action in the Connacht League against Roscommon at Johnstown.
. The Kehoe Cup senior hurling semi final between Meath and Westmeath, which fell victim to the weather last Sunday, has been rearranged for Trim next Sunday with a 2.30 p.m. throw in.
. Two of the most prominent inter county footballers in the country are set to overcome their respective injuries in time for the Sigerson Cup encounter today between holders UCD and Tralee RTC at Belfield. Trevor Giles, missed Meath's National League defeat to Kildare last Sunday, but has been receiving intensive treatment on a back injury and is likely to line out at centrefield for UCD, while John Casey, injured in Mayo's league win over Leitrim last Sunday, is also set to play.
