If there’s a message Clare want to get across, it’s that they know their support will be outnumbered on Sunday.

North Leinster games manager Alan Mulhall cites the involvement of inter-county players in management positions as one of the prime reasons Moate Community College and St Peter’s College Wexford make up the novel pairing in today’s provincial colleges “A” final in Portlaoise (1pm throw-in).

Jackie Tyrrell makes his first since last year’s Leinster final as one of five changes to the Kilkenny side for tomorrow’s Allianz HL Division 1A clash with Galway at Nowlan Park tomorrow (2pm).

Tipperary 1-15 Clare 1-11

Clare minor hurling manager Kenny Morrissey is adamant this evening’s Munster minor semi-final against Tipperary should not have been scheduled so close to the end of the Leaving Cert.

“I just like the smell of horses, the sight of horses and the sound of horses.”

It proved a miserable weekend for Cratloe GAA fans. Their talisman Podge Collins suffered a serious knee injury and their side, the county senior hurling champions, were defeated by Ballyea, in the first game of their title defence at Cusack Park on Saturday.

Corofin (Galway) 2-13 Ballintubber (Mayo) 1-7

Clare SHC

Offaly SFC: Reigning Offaly senior hurling and intermediate football champions Kilcormac-Killoughey caused quite a stir last week when they refused to field a team in their SFC clash with St Rynaghs on Thursday.

Last year’s beaten finalists, Cratloe, were knocked out of the Clare SHC on Saturday when their final group game against Crusheen finished in a 0-16 apiece draw.

The support of Limerick and Waterford were key factors in swinging the vote in favour of the Munster SFC returning to a seeded draw for 2014.

Blink and you’ve missed it, the village of Tubber that is.

Despite only scoring two second-half points, defending champions Curry hung on for a one-point win over Bunnanadden, 3-8 to 3-7, in a thrilling Sligo SFC Group A tie at Ballymote on Saturday as Anthony Brennan’s side head for the last eight as section winners.

Former Offaly great Ciarán McManus played a leading role in Tubber’s victory over Ferbane in the crucial final round robin stage of the county senior football championship last night.

A goal in each half from Danny O’Hara and Conor McIntyre ensured defending champions Curry made a successful start to the Sligo SFC campaign on Saturday night when they overcame Eastern Harps’ dogged challenge, 2-11 to 0-15, at Bunnanadden in a Group ‘A’ fixture.

The brother of a student found murdered in a burnt-out mobile home has made a fresh TV appeal for help to find her killer before he strikes again.

Shane Dooley showed just why Emmet McDonnell was quick to call him into the county football squad with a stellar performance for Tullamore in the Offaly SFC last night, helping his club to a 0-16 to 1-7 victory over Walsh Island.

Clare senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald will give championship debuts to four players in Sunday’s Munster SHC quarter-final against Waterford in Thurles (throw-in 4pm).

Sigerson Cup semi-final: DIT 1-11 DCU 0-9

Cratloe defeated Lissycasey 0-13 to 0-7, having led by 0-5 to 0-4 at the break, in a Clare SFC round two game at Clarecastle .

A 64th-minute pointed free from halfway by Broadford’s Pádraig Hickey earned his side a draw with title-holders Crusheen in the opening game of the Clare SHC at Ennis’s Cusack Park on Friday evening last.

EVERY GAA parish has one — a character, a living embodiment of the club and its history.

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

HOLDERS Crusheen recorded their first win in the championship when they defeated Clooney-Quin 1-14 to 1-11 at Cusack Park, Ennis last evening.

CLARE have injury worries over goalkeeper Ronan Taaffe and wing-forward Cathal Malone ahead of next Sunday’s ESB All-Ireland MHC semi-final against Dublin, with both players set to undergo fitness tests tonight.

ALL-IRELAND Colleges hurling champions DLS Waterford supply six players to the county team for tomorrow night’s Munster MHC semi-final against Cork in Walsh Park.

GER LYONS' Voliere improved plenty from her debut at Cork to easily win the Irish Stallion Farms' EBF Fillies Maiden at Clonmel last night.

CIARAN McMANUS has launched a staunch defence of Offaly following heavy criticism aimed at them and opponents Westmeath after Sunday’s Leinster SFC meeting in Croke Park.

Talismanic half-forward Ciaran McManus has emerged as a doubt for Offaly's Leinster SFC first round meeting with Westmeath on Sunday week.

THE Limerick team to play Clare in the ESB Munster MHC semi-final qualifier in Cusack Park tonight (6.30pm), shows six changes from the team trounced by Cork in the first round.

CIARAN McMANUS is desperate to avoid a repeat of six years ago, when league success for Offaly was soured a few short weeks later by a premature and traumatic Leinster SFC exit.

CIARAN McMANUS has defended the structure of the Allianz NFL despite criticism that the latter stages of the competition were impinging on teams’ preparations for the All-Ireland championship.

MEATH senior hurling manager John Hunt has refused to play Sunday’s re-arranged NHL Division 2 Group 1 tie against Down in Portaferry.

Offaly skipper Ciarán McManus says the county's inspired run to Sunday's NFL Division Two final is built on a total football regime.

WITH his side already through to the knockout stages of the Allianz NHL, Tipperary manager Ken Hogan has rested a number of first choice players for Sunday’s clash with Cork at Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

RTÉ analyst and former Meath footballer Colm O’Rourke has apologised to Tyrone’s Allstar attacker Brian Dooher for remarks he made four months ago.