FAVOURITES James Stephens just about did enough in Nowlan Park yesterday to get back to the Kilkenny SHC final.

FOR most counties, an All-Ireland final involvement enhances public interest in the domestic championships and it will be no different in Nowlan Park when the Kilkenny hurling semi-finals are decided tomorrow.

WHATEVER doubts there may have been about the outcome up to the time Henry Shefflin converted that penalty, Kilkenny didn’t need to win yesterday’s All-Ireland final to have greatness conferred on them.

Club senior hurling titles in Kilkenny, Clare, Meath, Kildare, Mayo, Wicklow and London were up for grabs this afternoon, with Ballyhale Shamrocks amongst those tasting victory as they captured their third successive Kilkenny crown.

SO MUCH for this being regarded as one of the greatest Kilkenny teams of all time! The accolade is certainly flattering to the players and manager Brian Cody but in the opinion of many shrewd judges, it’s hardly justified.

Portumna 2-17 James Stephens 0-11

EOIN LARKIN smiles when recalling the 2004 Kilkenny county hurling final.

Talk isn't cheap. It's priceless, as our GAA quotes of 2005 prove below. The only place you'll see Colm O'Rourke compared to Che Guevara ...

IT’S déjà vu all over again, as our American friends like to say, as James Stephens of Kilkenny play UCD, Dublin champions, in a repeat of last year’s final.

James Stephens 1-18 Ballyhale Shamrocks 2-12

COUNTY, provincial, and All-Ireland champions James Stephens put all three titles on the line at Nowlan Park on Sunday when they play Ballyhale Shamrocks in an eagerly anticipated Kilkenny senior hurling final.

IT’S the calm before the storm.

James Stephens 0-19, Athenry 0-14

HILL 16 was blessed for future generations on Monday, but yesterday’s titanic All-Ireland club football final between Ballina and Portlaoise should go a long way in converting the heathen to the creed of Gaelic football.

IT WON’T matter to Athenry or James Stephens, but after three poor contests in succession, hurling needs a good AIB All-Ireland club final today.

LET nobody be under any illusions. The life of an inter-county manager is tough, even tougher at the top.

RIGHTLY or wrongly, the general perception of next weekend’s All-Ireland semi-finals of the AIB club hurling championship would be that Kilkenny champions James Stephens will advance at the expense of Ulster standard-bearers O’Donovan Rossa, while Athenry may have a slight edge over Toomevara.

STILL only the first week of January, and hurling clubs and counties the length and breadth of Ireland are girding themselves for another tilt at their own particular Holy Grail.

OVER the past several years, this year more than ever, we’ve had headline after blaring headline on whether or not the GAA will open up Croke Park to rugby and soccer.

WITH time ticking down on this year’s hurling season, most team managers spend the winter evenings in front of the fire, ruminating on the season, planning for the year ahead.

James Stephens 2-16, Young Ireland’s 3-12

JAMES STEPHENS bid to end a 23-year wait for a Kilkenny SHC title against Young Irelands in tomorrow’s county final at Nowlan Park (3pm).

Kilkenny defender Philly Larkin is rumoured to have quit the Cats' camp in defiance of his non-selection by boss Brian Cody.

DJ CAREY, an award-winner for the ninth time last year, is a notable absentee from the list of nominees for the 2003 Vodafone GAA Allstars who were chosen in Dublin yesterday by a panel of national journalists.

THE end of another purrfect week for Kilkenny, but should the Cats now carry a public hurling health warning? Can anyone stop their relentless pursuit of three All-Irelands in a row, and three league titles to boot?

Kilkenny have recalled All-Ireland winning goalkeeper James McGarry between the sticks for Sunday's Leinster final clash with Wexford at Croke Park.

THE RUMOUR mill was in overdrive in Kilkenny yesterday, following the decisions of hurling captain Charlie Carter and Brian McEvoy to quit the county panel. Not surprisingly, conspiracy theories abounded, and most had manager Brian Cody as the central character.

Kilkenny have left skipper Charlie Carter on the bench for Saturday night's Leinster SHC semi-final clash with Dublin.

LIMERICK hurler Mike O’Brien faces an anxious wait ahead of the Shannonsiders Guinness Munster SHC semi-final against champions Waterford on June 1.

GAA PRESIDENT Seán Kelly believes the high-powered Games Administration Committee should be split into two separate entities, separating responsibility for discipline and fixtures.

League finalists Tipperary and Kilkenny are both facing suspension worries ahead of Monday's Croke Park decider.

Kilkenny 4-17 Cork 3-12

Kilkenny boss Brian Cody has dropped skipper Charlie Carter from his lineup for Sunday's NHL clash with Tipperary at Nowlan Park.

Kilkenny 0-20

Seven from All-Ireland and league double champions Kilkenny, three from Clare, three from Waterford, two from Tipperary. They won’t be happy in Galway hurling circles today, nor in Cork, Limerick, Wexford, Offaly, Antrim or anywhere with serious pretensions on the national scene.

IN MANY ways, Kilkenny’s victory in this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling final could be said to be the managerial masterpiece of the year.

Ireland will play Scotland in a Hurling/Shinty clash ahead of the International Rules second test at Croke Park on Sunday.

Young Irelands 0-17 James Stephens 0-16

ANOTHER retirement — this time permanently — might very well have been inevitable for DJ Carey if he had not made it back to the Kilkenny team for the All-Ireland series.

AFTER a championship summer pockmarked by tales of the unexpected, DJ Carey brought matters to book at Croke Park yesterday.

Kilkenny 2-20 Clare 0-19

Hurling pedigree par excellence is a real plus for Kilkenny star writes Jim O’Sullivan