Dundalk FC have their swagger back as a brace from Michael Duffy helped the champions ease past the challenge of Waterford FC to record their fifth win on the bounce in last night’s SSE Airtricity Premier Division clash at the RSC.

Shane Duggan’s 93rd-minute penalty rescued a point for Waterford at RSC yesterday.

Cork City will aim to avoid an unwanted record as Sligo Rovers visit Turner’s Cross in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division today (5pm).

Waterford cruised to their third win of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division with a four-star display against Finn Harps at the RSC last night.

Cork City boss John Caulfield left nobody in doubt of the threat posed in the Munster derby tonight after declaring that Waterford have “basically bought a Premier Division title-challenging team”.

OFFALY 4-16 LONGFORD 1-12: A little context first. 

Former Donegal All-Star Martin McHugh has branded Kerry legend Colm Cooper a “two-trick pony” and claimed his 24-year-old county teammate James O’Donoghue is a better player.

It was the kind of send-off he would have loved — a packed house, music, humour, sporting people, and, most importantly of all, friends from all over the country.

Former team-mates and opponents spoke yesterday of their respect for Páidí Ó Sé as a “creative” footballer, an innovator in the development of attacking half-back play and his expertise as a manager.

Seamus Hayes, Clare Champion sports editor, on the heady Ger Loughnane days, email disasters and poorly planned media days.

They say Eskimos have 14 different words for ‘snow’.

Q: The two of you had some serious clashes in the Seventies; some people would be surprised to see you together here tonight.

THE sports autobiography follows a generally predictable arc — promise, achievement, graceful decline — so it’s good to come across a book that breaks out of that strait-jacket.

TWICE previously, five in-a-row proved elusive in the All-Ireland football championship; for Wexford in the 1918 decider and Kerry in the 1933 semi-final.

IF there is a consensus about Offaly football it is probably one of a plucky little county punching several divisions above its weight.

RTÉ analyst Martin Carney has called for legislation to curb the use of hand passes in modern football.

A number of Offaly footballers look set to retire, following the appointment of Kevin Kilmurray as Faithful senior boss.

Last night's meeting of the Offaly county board took an unusual turn when this year's football captain, Ciaran McManus, challenged the chairman on whether former boss Gerry Fahy had been interviewed for the manager's post.

EIGHT days ago Cormac McAnallen attended the wedding of his Tyrone team-mate Gavin Devlin, in the company of his fiancee Aisling Moore.

PADDY CLARKE was in the air, flying to Australia as part of the Irish management for the 2001 International Rules Series, when Brigid’s lost heavily in the Dublin county football final to a Na Fianna side captained by Kieran McGeeney.

MATT CONNOR never imagined he would be amongst the Irish hoards in Melbourne this week, sampling the delights of the International Rules Series, the Rugby World Cup and the Melbourne Cup.

MATT CONNOR never imagined

LOSING the five-in-row opportunity to Offaly in the 1982 All-Ireland final was not Mick O’Dwyer’s biggest disappointment in football.

THE lessons learned from "embarrassing" home defeats 12 months ago proved crucial in Australia's triumph in the Coca-Cola International Rules Series, manager Garry Lyon said yesterday.

JOHN O’KEEFFE is banking on goals for Ireland if they are to be successful against Australia in the opening test in the Coca-Cola International Rules Series in Croke Park on Sunday.

Martin Carney, Matt Connor and Peter McGinnity have been appointed selectors of the Irish international rules team for the next two years.