John Meyler has warned of the enormous toll being taken on the GAA’s inter-county players after concerns expressed in Cork over the risk of “life-altering” injuries to elite footballers and hurlers.

The GAA championships in both hurling and football have reached a crucial stage.

The changes brought about at last year’s Special Congress saw Kerry hurling “thrown under the bus”, Kingdom manager Fintan O’Connor has claimed.

The GAA will cut the number of inter-county matches in April, August, and September by 79 in 2018 to make more space for club fixtures.

At eighteen, Phillip Lahm was a highly regarded prospect at Bayern Munich.

Either the Cork camp is reading from the same script or they genuinely believe that victory over a top-six outfit will lift the dark clouds and reinstate them as a leading football force.

Members of Youghal Surf Lifesaving under the auspices of Cork Water Safety took to the water for their Sunday morning training for the forthcoming Munster Championships.

Paul Geaney has given a thumbs-up to GAA director general Páraic Duffy’s football championship reform, insisting Kerry are not afraid of playing more games.

Galway GAA secretary John Hynes believes the motion to facilitate the county’s exit of Leinster and switch to the Munster championship will be “overwhelmingly” passed at next month’s convention.

Ciara O’Sullivan doesn’t remember hitting her head. The assist that whizzed by her as she slipped on the Parnell Park turf she does recall. After that, things become hazy.

Birdman topped the 21st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, winning best ensemble cast, even though star Michael Keaton was upset by Eddie Redmayne in the most outstanding actor category.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh should be chosen to host All-Ireland quarter or semi-finals when it reopens in 2017 following a €70 million upgrade, according to the Cork County Board chairman.

Hurling review committee chairman Liam Sheedy has pledged his support to retaining the structure of the provincial championships.

GAA president Liam O’Neill is hopeful that steps to resolve the threatened boycott by some counties of the Munster football championship next year might be taken at next week’s Central Council meeting.

On their debut for the factory Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Dungannon’s Kris Meeke and Killarney’s Paul Nagle netted a podium finish along with a bonus point from the Power Stage of Rallye Monte Carlo, the first round of the World Rally Championship.

John Allen is staying clear of the question over the legitimacy of Paul Ryan playing in Dublin’s Division 1B final win over Limerick – but he wholeheartedly endorses the county board’s moves to persuade Central Council to change the league format.

Clare hurling legend Jamesie O’Connor believes that supporters of Munster’s hurling counties owe it to the players to attend games in this year’s championship.

The Irish Examiner and Munster GAA teamed up in May to launch the search for the Irish Examiner Munster GAA Supporter of the Year with the aim of acknowledging GAA fans who have real pride in club or county.

Conor Counihan has accepted the offer of another two-year term from the Cork County Board, although he will be working with a much-changed backroom team next season.

For a few hours at least tomorrow afternoon former Footballer of the Year Paul Galvin will be the second most important GAA player in his household.

Outgoing Cork senior football manager Conor Counihan has been offered another two-year term by the Cork County Board.

He’s a world class act but it wasn’t an easy ride to the top for Cork dancer John Lonergan, reports Fiona O’Donovan

The Aviva All-Ireland schools championships could produce one of the most exciting 800m races in the history of the event at Tullamore today.

IT has been a trying week for Munster Council chairman Seán Walsh.

A troublesome groin injury has left Cork's John Miskella with no option but to retire from inter-county and club football.

DAVY FITZGERALD believes Waterford County Board’s decision to call off a round of senior football championship games has been vindicated.

FORMER Clare All-Ireland-winning manager Ger Loughnane last night launched an impassioned defence of the Munster championships and warned that any plans to abolish the competition would result in the GAA “losing part of its soul”.

MUNSTER Council PRO Jim Forbes has forecast a significant drop in the total expenditure by clubs and counties in the province on physical development projects over the next few years.

Cork 3-15 Tipperary 0-14

ALL the trauma of the first few months of the year behind them, the player/management crisis resolved when an overwhelming majority of club delegates voted in favour of retaining Justin McCarthy as manager, it’s time now for the new Limerick senior hurling panel to focus on the Munster championship, and a date on June 20 with the winners of the Cork/Tipperary clash.

THE country’s most exciting young middle distance running talent compete in the All-Ireland Schools’ Cross-Country championship at the Cork IT campus today (noon).

MUNSTER COUNCIL PRO Jim Forbes remains hopeful that they will be able to maintain current levels of development funding, after figures released yesterday showed that €22.6 million was spent on GAA physical development by clubs and counties across the province over the past 12 months, with €2.37m of that figure stemming from grants distributed by the Munster Council.

TIPPERARY star James Woodlock could be out of action for up to eight months after breaking two bones in his leg during Sunday’s SHC final.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN predicts a thriller today when he lines up alongside Mexico’s Eder Sánchez in a 3,000m walk he hopes will give Cork City Sports fans a taste of what world class race walking is all about.

WATERFORD’S Gary Hurney may miss the remainder of the championship after sustaining a broken collarbone on Thursday night.

OLYMPIANS Olive Loughnane and Robert Heffernan will be the star attractions at the Dublin Grand Prix of Race Walking in the Phoenix Park today (11am).

MIKE MacNAMARA tried hard to look on the bright side after seeing his Clare team go under in Limerick yesterday, but it wasn’t easy.

CLARE midfielder Brian O’Connell has called for the National Hurling League to be scrapped and replaced with a “Champions League” type format for the All-Ireland series.