Waterford veteran Tony Browne is hopeful of playing his first county hurling of the year in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC qualifier clash with Westmeath in Cusack Park (5pm).

Kerry pair Eoin Brosnan and Jonathan Lyne are unlikely to be fully fit in time for Kerry’s Munster SFC quarter-final clash with Tipperary at Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday (2pm).

Ballaghadereen are the new Mayo SFC champions after dethroning last year’s winners Ballintubber by 1-9 to 0-4 in Castlebar this afternoon.

Irish AFL star Zach Tuohy may play for Portlaoise in Sunday’s Laois SFC final against Arles-Kilcruise.

Captain fantastic Ciarán Slevin hit 1-9 as Kilcormac/Killoughey claimed their first Offaly SHC title at O’Connor Park, Tullamore yesterday.

Glenn Ryan hailed his side’s mental fortitude in making such an important breakthrough by winning their first Leinster championship game since 2007.

IT WAS the persistence of two men carrying a Gaelic football torch in the hurling heartland of north Tipperary that finally twisted Chris Conway’s arm.

PORTLAOISE’S pursuit of a record five Laois SFC titles in-a-row cleared its latest hurdle at the weekend, as they saw off rivals Arles-Kilcruise by three points on Saturday night to book a semi-final place.

THE Portlaoise and Arles-Kilcruise rivalry which has built up between the sides as they contested the last two Laois finals will be given its latest outing in two weeks’ time after they were drawn to play each other in the second round.

KILDARE have shown their ability to snatch a result at the death on a couple of occasions this year, most recently when full-back Mick Foley grabbed an equalising goal in Ballybofey last week.

Kildare 1-13 Laois 1-11

LAOIS forward Ross Munnelly has welcomed the return of his 2003 Leinster SFC winning team-mates Colm Parkinson and Gary Kavanagh into the panel and claimed manager Justin McNulty has assembled a panel reflecting the best the county has to offer.

THIS was no thriller but Portlaoise won’t care. Yesterday was all about the numbers – a sixth county title and their first three-in-a-row since 1987.

Laois ace Ross Munnelly looked back to his best at Dr Cullen Park last night as he turned in a man-of-the-match display in their 0-15 to 0-13 Leinster SFC quarter-final win over Wicklow.

Laois midfielder Padraig Clancy is expected to miss tomorrow night's Leinster SFC quarter-final clash with Wicklow - despite being included in the midlanders' starting line-up.

Five players, including goalkeeper Michael Nolan, will make their championship debuts for Laois in Saturday's Leinster SFC quarter-final clash with Wicklow at Dr Cullen Park (throw-in 7pm).

Laois chalked up their first win under new manager Liam Kearns this afternoon as they made use of a second half wind advantage to secure a 1-11 to 0-7 O'Byrne Cup first round victory over Kildare.

The draw has been made for the 2006 O'Neills Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland Football Sevens tournament.

The Vodafone GAA Players of the Month awards for July have gone to Laois footballer Ross Munnelly and Waterford hurler Dan Shanahan.

‘COME on Tyrone, come on Tyrone’, one supporter roared in a northern accent as Mick O’Dwyer disappeared down the Hogan Stand tunnel shortly after yesterday’s absorbing Leinster final draw.

TWELVE months ago, an injured Chris Conway watched Laois capture their first Leinster title since 1946 from the Hogan Stand.

LAOIS travelled to Croke Park yesterday with a lot of people wondering about their ability to match last year’s heroics, their own supporters included. By half-time, the same questions were being asked yet again.

When Mick O’Dwyer left Kildare, everyone presumed his son went with him. Not so, as Karl O’Dwyer explains to Mark Gallagher.