GAA/ News round-up: Longford have agreed to play Saturday's All-Ireland qualifier against Waterford in Portlaoise at 4.30 p.m. Assuming Croke Park sanctions this offer, this decision by the county executive averts the threat made by Waterford to withdraw from the championship.

Longford PRO Pat O'Toole said last night the meeting had consulted the team management and players and decided to accede to Waterford's request to move the match from Longford to a neutral venue.

"Before the details were announced yesterday we thought we would be playing at a neutral venue anyway. We felt it would be better to play the match rather than get a walkover, which would be no use to anyone," said O'Toole. "I feel sorry for our supporters and the local businesses who thought they were getting a home game and we don't get too many of them in the championship."

The reverse happened to Longford last year when they drew Donegal. Donegal had been relegated from Division One whereas Longford had just been promoted so Donegal were designated and were given home venue. This year Longford were relegated and designated for the purpose of home draws.

The Waterford threat to pull out was made on RTÉ television yesterday evening when the team goalkeeper Paul Houlihan announced the players had decided at a meeting on Monday evening not to fulfil the fixture if it went ahead as arranged in Pearse Park, Longford.

Waterford had been expecting, according to PRO John Jackson, to be given home advantage in this fixture because they are the designated team. The county didn't appear to know Longford were also designated so when the counties were drawn against each other, the home side was decided on the toss of a coin.

"I rang the Longford chairman, Martin Skelly, who played football here in west Waterford years ago and I know him well," said Jackson. "It was he who told us that a coin would be tossed to decide home venue. We were first out of the hat as well as designated - we haven't won a championship game since 1988.

"Our chairman tried to ring Seán Ó Laoire (GAC chairman) in Croke Park but he was in meetings all day and the first we saw about it was when it came on the teletext yesterday afternoon. We then contacted Longford to ask them to consider playing at a neutral venue."

Meanwhile both Leinster hurling finalists have named unchanged teams for Sunday's decider at Croke Park. Barry Lambert is selected on the right wing of the Wexford attack after recovering from an ankle injury.

The selection is hardly surprising in the case of Wexford who visited on Kilkenny the champions' first defeat in Leinster in seven years. Only three of the team survive from the glory days of seven and eight years ago when Wexford won two Leinster titles and an All-Ireland. Goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry, wing back Rory McCarthy, who played in attack during those years, and centrefielder Adrian Fenlon are still on the road.

Offaly's selection shows one notional switch with Brendan Murphy and Joe Brady swapping on the team sheet to take the positions in which they started the comfortable win over Dublin.

The team has a curious distinction with Brian Whelahan the only player with a Leinster championship medal, which he won in 1995. In the meantime the county has failed to add to that title although incongruously three of the team have All-Ireland medals as a result of the only All-Ireland success enjoyed by a qualifier team, in 1998.

Both counties report brisk interest in tickets for Sunday's match, which has attracted a good deal of attention in the absence of Kilkenny for the first time since 1996, the year Wexford and Offaly last met at this stage.

Monaghan team manager Colm Coyle will not be seeking reappointment next season. It had been understood he was interested in serving for another year but he informed team liaison officer John Connolly yesterday he had decided to step aside as he felt he would not enjoy the unanimous support of the management committee of the county board. He took up the position at the end of 2001.

OFFALY (SH v Wexford): B Mullins; B Teehan, G Oakley, D Franks; Brian Whelahan, N Claffey, C Cassidy; M Cordial, Barry Whelahan; R Hanniffy, G Hanniffy, J Brady; B Carroll, B Murphy, D Murray.

WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry; M Travers, D Ryan, D O'Connor; R McCarthy, D Ruth, J O'Connor; A Fenlon, T Mahon; B Lambert, E Quigley, P Carley; M Jordan, M Jacob, R Jacob.