Dolan in a race to be fit for Sunday

A shoulder injury sustained in a squad session two weeks ago has severely limited the 2004 All Star's training, and while he hasn't yet been ruled out of Sunday's game at Pearse Park, Dolan probably won't be at his best. He's been avoiding all contact training since the injury, while working extra hard on fitness, and Westmeath manager Tomás Óflaharta will wait as long as possible before deciding. A groin operation forced Dolan to miss last year's first-round loss to Offaly. There is better news about midfielder David O'Shaughnessy, who had been carrying a knee injury but is now firmly in contention for a starting place.

Longford have minor injury concerns over forwards Paul Barden, Niall Sheridan and Pádraic Davis, while definitely ruled out with knee ligament damage is defender Cathal Conefrey, who will probably miss the season. Cavan should be at full strength for their Ulster football championship opener against Down at Breffni Park. Footballer-cum-handballer Paul Brady warmed up at the weekend by taking his third United States Handball Association men's open singles title in a row, in Minneapolis. First-choice midfielders Nicholas Walsh and Lorcan Mulvey are also available, with Walsh recovered from a recent leg muscle injury and Mulvey back from a four-week suspension.

Manager Donal Keoghan took off the entire half-back line of Brady, Eamon O'Reilly and Keith Fannin in the recent league Division Two semi-final loss to Roscommon but all three will be reconsidered, while Dermot McCabe, Jason O'Reilly, Anthony Forde and Larry Reilly can all extend further their 100-plus appearances for Cavan between league and championship since their debuts in 1996.

Sunday's third football championship opener, the Connacht first round meeting of New York and Sligo, at Gaelic Park, will also mark the opening of the new allweather pitch at the New York venue, and therefore become the first championship match to be played on such a surface.

There had been fears the redevelopment work wouldn't be completed on time and over the quality of the surface, but Séamus Dooley, chairman of the New York Board, has been busy putting those fears to rest: "The new surface is now being used by collegiate teams for American football, soccer and lacrosse and it should be ideal for Gaelic football too," Dooley said. "The only thing is that for hurling the ball may bounce a bit higher than you would have on a pure grass surface but when you walk across it you would never know the difference between it and a field in Ireland."

The new facility was installed at a cost of $3 million with the New York Board, Iona College (who also share in the playing facility) and the GAA in Croke Park each contributing a third. Sligo travel on Thursday, and the team will remain in New York for four days after the game to prepare - hopefully - for their next game, a Connacht semi-final against Roscommon on June 17th.

Brian Roper of Donegal and Séamus Prendergast of Waterford were yesterday honoured with the first Opel GPA Player of the Month awards for 2007. Their selection was a fitting tribute to the victories of their respective counties, Donegal and Waterford, in the National Football and Hurling League finals.

Former Kerry manager Jack O'Connor, the new chairman of the GPA football selection committee, saluted the contribution of the long-serving Roper. "Brian was a bundle of energy throughout the campaign and he was hugely influential in laying the foundation for the team's success over Mayo in the final."

The chairman of the hurling selection committee, former Cork coach Donal O'Grady, had equal praise for the effort put in by Prendergast: "Waterford were a breath of fresh air in the league with the way they went about their business and Séamus Prendergast was at the core of their infectious enthusiasm."