GAA take hit for inclusion

News round-up: After fielding some criticism for staging last Sunday's football league semi-finals in Croke Park, the GAA has this weekend fixed five matches there inside 24 hours.

The Division Two football semi-finals, delayed a week because of postponements, take place on Saturday evening at 6.0 and 7.45 respectively, followed by Sunday's triple-bill involving the two colleges' finals and the Division One football final between Donegal and Mayo.

It means opening the 82,300-capacity stadium twice within a 24-hour period when neither occasion will come close to requiring it. Saturday's two games aren't expected to draw more than 10,000 between them, and yet Roscommon manager John Maughan, who faces the 7.45 throw-in against Cavan (and the prospect of extra-time), believes the GAA should be congratulated on their increased use of Croke Park.

"Obviously I'd rather if this game was played a little earlier," says Maughan. "I honestly don't know what time of the night we'll end up getting out of there, and into the journey home. But you could be talking about midnight, and that's very rough on players who have to travel home and in many cases play for the club again the following morning.

"But of course it will be worth it, and I know the players are very excited about it. In fact we've a lot of young players on this team who will get to play in Croke Park for the first time, and that's a big deal for them.

"It is still every player's dream to play in Croke Park, and we shouldn't forget that. Sometimes it's taken for granted in other counties who get to play there a lot more, but certainly not in Roscommon. And I know it's the same for Cavan who I know haven't played at Croke Park in 10 years."

Cavan's last game at GAA headquarters was the All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry in 1997, which makes them the only county yet to play in the stadium since its full refurbishment.

The other game involving Meath against Monaghan is a repeat of the Division Two final played in Croke Park two years, with Monaghan winning after a late goal.

"I know we'll do well to get a crowd of 10,000 between both games," adds Maughan. "But I suppose the GAA can't win in this situation. Every footballer wants to play in Croke Park and that should be accommodated wherever possible. If the crowds are small then people criticise the GAA. If the games aren't played in Croke Park people criticise the GAA. So they really are stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Donegal's preparations for Sunday's Division One final - and their quest to win a first ever national league title - include an anxious wait over the availability of midfielder Kevin Cassidy and forward Brendan Devenney.

Cassidy was sent off in last Sunday's semi-final win over Kildare for a second yellow card offence, and because that was a repeat occurrence this season he faces a two-week ban - thus missing Sunday's final. Donegal, however, had already lodged an objection to the Ulster Council, claiming his previous second yellow card offence, during the McKenna Cup with Armagh back in January, was unjustly administered, but not a case of mistaken identify as suggested elsewhere.

The Ulster Council's disciplinary committee meet tomorrow evening to consider the matter but in the meantime Donegal can only be hopeful of his availability and the same with Devenney, who suffered the recurrence of a knee ligament injury on Sunday, retiring after 20 minutes, and remains a doubtful starter.

Two far more serious injuries this week have left the Kildare footballers and Dublin hurlers without key players for the remainder of their seasons. It's been confirmed that Kildare midfielder Killian Brennan ruptured his Achilles tendon in Sunday's defeat to Donegal, and therefore faces three to four months of rehabilitation.

Likewise, Dublin's young forward Kevin O'Reilly will be out for as long as six months after confirmation of a knee cruciate ligament tear.