Over half of the players selected on the Bord Gáis Energy Under-21 Hurling Team of the Year hail from champions Clare, including team captain Paul Flanagan.

How much has the victory over Tipperary taken out of Kilkenny?

The management teams from Clare and Kilkenny have opted for unchanged starting line-ups for tomorrow's Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U-21 Hurling Championship final in Thurles (throw-in 7pm).

There will be those who think last Saturday’s All-Ireland U21 hurling semi-final win by Kilkenny over Galway in Thurles is a guide towards what’s likely to happen in the senior final.

There have been so many false dawns by the Tribesmen down through the years that Galway hurling folk must be afraid to look out the window this morning.

Preparations are underway for the senior and U-21 Hurling/Shinty international matches which are due to take place over the coming weeks.

John McIntyre has decided to call time on his tenure as Galway senior hurling manager, in advance of next month's Galway Hurling Board meeting.

The 2011 Bord Gáis Energy GAA Under-21 Hurling Championship was launched at Croke Park today, ahead of the Championship opener in Munster between Waterford and Tipperary next Wednesday.

Cavan footballer Seanie Johnston has welcomed the inclusion of 10 of the U-21 squad in the Breffni County's senior set-up for this summer's Championship campaign.

These are heady times for the Cavan Under-21 footballers who have qualified for the county's first All-Ireland final at the grade since 1996.

DOUBTS have emerged about Galway’s continued participation in the Leinster hurling championship after a motion to include their minor and U-21 sides was met with a lukewarm response.

He may be entering his 13th season, which some might regard as being unlucky, but Kilkenny County Board had absolutely no misgivings when re-appointing Brian Cody as senior hurling manager last night.

The Ireland senior and U-21 squads have been named for this Saturday's Hurling-Shinty international matches at Croke Park and Ratoath respectively.

Bobby Zamora will be hoping his name is included in the new-look England squad Fabio Capello unveils tonight.

DERMOT EARLEY, iconic Gaelic footballer and one of the greats of Roscommon and Connacht GAA, has long been regarded as one of the greatest-ever players never to win an All-Ireland medal – something denied to him by Kerry in the 1980 final.

PAUL MURPHY’S early season training regime was very different to that normally undertaken by Kilkenny hurlers.

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CLARE’S All-Ireland U-21 winning manager John Minogue claims some of the gloss has been taken off a landmark season because of the bitter dispute that led to Mike McNamara’s resignation as senior boss.

THE anticipated stormy meeting of the Clare County Board at the West County Hotel in Ennis last night never materialised, the reported rebellion by the players very much a non-issue, taking up less than 10 minutes of a meeting that went on for well over an hour.

FORMER Tipperary senior team manager Ken Hogan has been handed a two-year term in charge of the county’s U21 hurlers.

Double All-Ireland senior hurling medal winner Brian Murphy is one of five new appointments as Cork Co Board Games Promotions Officers.

GAA officials in Armagh have this evening confirmed the resignation of Peter McDonnell as Armagh senior football manager with immediate effect.

CORK GAA chiefs will wait until next week’s county board meeting before deciding whether to seek a deferment of their All-Ireland U-21 FC semi-final.

Cork GAA clubs voted in support of a motion from their Co Executive last night which gives the GAA’s Central Council the task of selecting the next Cork senior hurling manager.

Cadbury has today announced that it will be extending their sponsorship of the GAA Football U-21 Championship for a further three years.

KILLIAN YOUNG and Tommy Walsh remain on course to join a select band of footballers.

TOMORROW night in Thurles Gerald McCarthy and Ger Loughnane stalk the sidelines once again, while Joe Dooley and Davy Fitzgerald will also cross swords.

Allenwood ace John Doyle has recovered from a rib injury to be named in the Kildare team for tomorrow's Leinster SFC first round encounter with Wicklow at Croke Park (throw-in 2pm).

REPUBLIC of Ireland B manager Pat Devlin has paid a glowing tribute to Steve Staunton, describing him as a “fantastic professional” who will learn from his bruising experience as Irish manager and has a “great future” in the game.

A NEW international challenge for eircom League of Ireland football was unveiled yesterday with the announcement of an U-23 International Challenge Trophy.

SUNDERLAND’S Paul McShane and Wolves’ Stephen Elliot have been forced to withdraw from the Irish squad for Wednesday’s friendly international in Denmark.

IRELAND, Lions and Leinster winger Denis Hickie is to call a halt to his rugby career at the end of the World Cup.

SO who will Steve Staunton be at around five o’clock next Saturday: Brian Ashton or Eddie O’ Sullivan?

LEINSTER’S Robert Kearney and Munster’s John Kelly have joined Shane Horgan in pulling out of the Ireland’s Six Nations training squad.

DAVID HUMPHREYS’ prospects of a quick return to action appear to have improved after x-rays on his elbow injury did not detect any broken bones.

STEVE McClaren has turned to Andrew Johnson to solve England’s striker shortage.

Ireland U21 22 Argentina U21 26

REPUBLIC of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens has made four changes to his squad for the double fixture against Azerbaijan next week.

THE controversy surrounding the Laois U-21 footballers was finally resolved last night with confirmation that all of the players who travelled to Kerry with the seniors last weekend will, after all, be on the panel for Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Cork.

BRIAN SHEEHAN and Colm Cooper will start for Kerry against Laois in the Allianz NFL semi-final at Killarney on Sunday.

CORK CITY could make a couple of changes from the side which drew in Portadown when they take on Drogheda United in the Setanta Cup at Turner’s Cross tonight (8pm).