Enda Varley had his nose broken off the ball in the 2012 semi-final meeting of Mayo and Dublin and also played in the 2013 final. Gone from the county scene, he has since slipped behind enemy lines, playing his club football with St Vincent’s. Kieran Shannon discovers how he’s grown to appreciate his new surroundings and respect teammates like Diarmuid Connolly, but also sees a rivalry between his two homes slipping out of control

It’s almost time for Jim Gavin to go into hibernation. From the day after the All-Ireland final to the start of the 2018 League, his public utterings will be minimal. Dealing with media, he once claimed, was the most difficult part of his position. From the bizarre to the brilliant, John Fogarty picks 10 memorable Gavinisms

Once he was on Jim McGuinness’s wedding invite list. Now he’s on Jim’s blacklist. And his own club’s list of suspended members. 

Three weeks ago today, Laois got their 2016 championship underway. At home in O’Moore Park against Wicklow, they stuttered to a 3-16 to 0-18 win, and afterwards midfielder John O’Loughlin was interviewed on the pitch by Newstalk’s Colm Parkinson.

Darran O’Sullivan: I’d love to playing soccer like Lionel Messi...

Darran is a fan of shepherd's pie, House of Cards, Dave McIntryre, Messi and especially Giggsy.

Laois GAA chairman Gerry Kavanagh has accused the Leinster Council of inflicting “irreparable” damage to their integrity over the decision to fix a Leinster SFC game in Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, next year.

STAT OF THE DAY

A Sinn Féin MEP was yesterday convicted and fined for speeding.

Larry Ryan checked his web cache to go on a loose solo run around some online destinations that will keep you informed and entertained.

Of the Kerry team which began the drawn All-Ireland semi-final with Mayo, eight had played Sigerson Cup football for UCC.

Brian O’Driscoll had his first stint as a guest presenter on Newstalk’s Off the Ball tonight and took to it like a “duck to water”.

One of the country’s leading sports business analysts does not believe that any prospective link-up between the GAA and Sky Sports would usher in professionalism.

Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney has dubbed some critics of his team as 'cowards', with particular reference to players who now work as analysts for the media.

RTÉ will not apologise to Kevin Walsh in the wake of his stinging attack on The Sunday Game.

Former Laois footballer Colm Parkinson has described Donie Kingston as the “Michael Murphy” of the county.

It was a seemingly innocuous question towards the end of a group interview last Wednesday that had Brian Mulligan close to welling up.

None of the four alternative Championship models put forward to the GPA membership propose to retain the provincial competitions.

Allow Colm Parkinson, if you will, a told-you-so.

From reigning champs to qualifier chumps, Declan O’Loughlin remembers rightly the impact of the six-day turnaround.

County boundaries have always provided the most fertile of grounds for deep-seated rivalries in the GAA but some enmities are bred by means other than geography.

Derry manager John Brennan has handed championship debuts to John McCamley and Eugene Scullion for Saturday’s Ulster quarter-final against Donegal.

Tipperary GAA chiefs could face a number of fines for Lar Corbett’s pitch encroachment in Sunday’s Munster SFC quarter-final.

As St Kevin’s await to hear from the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) about Seánie Johnston’s transfer application, Kildare’s Johnny Doyle says he’s surprised about the controversy it has created.

Inter-county footballers have given a mixed response to the motion calling for gumshields to be made mandatory by 2014.

CIAN WARD knows he will “get it in the neck” for this.

It’s been a year where sportstars at home and abroad have again had plenty to say for themselves. Fintan O’Toole and John Riordan picked out their best offerings

PORTLAOISE joint manager Mick Lillis brushed off stinging criticism from attacker Colm Parkinson, who was angered at being substituted in their Leinster club SFC semi-finaldefeat to St Brigid’s last Sunday.

DECEMBER football doesn’t enjoy the most enviable of reputations but the Dublin and Laois champions made light of the heavy and Baltic conditions yesterday to deliver one of the best games seen in the last 12 months.

St Brigid's (Dublin) 2-16 Portlaoise (Laois) 1-15 (aet), Parnell Park

COLM PARKINSON at least gave Justin McNulty some levity in what was an otherwise earnest situation.

MICHAEL DUIGNAN’S name isn’t mentioned once by Ciarán McManus during the course of this interview.

DUBLIN attacking star Bernard Brogan last night insisted on Twitter that he was fouled by Kildare defender Aindriú MacLochlainn which led to the controversial free he pointed to hand Dublin victory in last Sunday’s Leinster semi-final in Croke Park.

THE players’ lounge underneath Croke Park’s Hogan Stand has been open for business for five years now and rarely will two sets of players have had as much to talk about as those from Laois and Donegal after tomorrow’s match.

CONOR COUNIHAN has named an unchanged side from the team that beat Monaghan a fortnight ago for Cork’s Allianz NFL Division 1 game tomorrow night against Down.

LAOIS football manager Justin McNulty has played down concerns about the amount of local players quitting their clubs to join Dublin teams.

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.