AIDAN WALSH was hooked from the start. From his home in Kanturk, he can reach Fitzgerald Stadium in less than an hour and, growing up, there was plenty mystique surrounding Cork and Kerry football clashes in Killarney.

CORK midfielder Jerry O’Connor says people “fell into the trap of classing Offaly in the same group as Laois” ahead of last Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC qualifier.

TIPPERARY boss John Evans has slammed the “poaching” of some of his top stars by American clubs.

THE GAA’s national referees committee (NRC) chairman Michael Curley has claimed The Sunday Game analysts are making misrepresentations of the rules of the game.

CORK edged out Kerry by two points to claim their 28th Munster JFC crown in a lacklustre decider played last night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Before an attendance of 949, Cork’s superiority came to the fore and in truth the scoreboard at the final whistle concealed their dominance, an injury-time goal by Kerry midfielder Andrew Garnett putting a gloss on the scoreboard.

THEY will journey along the eastern seaboard next Sunday with thoughts of 2008 in their minds. Three years ago having a main role on Leinster final day was a ground-breaking experience for the Wexford footballers.

HURLING referees haven’t exactly swallowed their whistles but Lar Corbett has noticed their willingness to let the game flow more — and he’s hoping for more of the same from Brian Gavin on Sunday.

The tiny village of Milltown Malbay is the focal point for Willie Clancy Week, reports Caomhan Kean.

A BIGGER and more physically imposing Midleton side were simply too strong for Millstreet in a pulsating U21 AFC quarter-final at Castletownroche last night.

THE satisfaction was clearly evident in the Kerry camp at the final whistle in Fitzgerald Stadium yesterday.

ON the way to Dublin yesterday, watching the reading rising on the thermometer, I was fearful that this Leinster final was going to be a hard day for lads with a lot of mileage under their belts.

IRELAND’S tournament hoodoo against France almost resurfaced before Eugene Magee saved the day with the last touch of the match in a 2-2 Champions Challenge II draw in Lille yesterday.

GRAFT-BUSTING “Massage Parlour King” Chuwit Kamolvisit must be the only candidate in Thailand’s election who wants to be in opposition — and prefers being labelled a pimp rather than a politician.

WITH two crucial games in the qualifiers this evening and the Leinster final tomorrow, it has the makings of a great weekend for hurling.

MY school reports could make weary reading.

EVEN having seen his team only survive the siege of Moscow by a miracle, Giovanni Trapattoni would still rather manage Ireland than try to manage in a real war zone.

FABIO CAPELLO is no longer “Shrek”. Unfortunately, Robert Earnshaw was the donkey after blowing a glorious chance to deny England victory at Wembley.

AFTER a game which pretty much defined the concept of backs to the wall, Giovanni Trapattoni was in tell-it-like-it-is mood in his post-match press conference in the Luzhniki Stadium.

YOU wouldn’t have caught it on the telly, the director either choosing to go to a replay or onto something else, but when Henry Shefflin scored his first point from play on Sunday and later shouldered a Tipperary back over the sideline for a Kilkenny lineball, he gave a little jump and animatedly fisted the air.

GATHERING his hurleys in the Kilkenny dressing room after his sixth All-Ireland final triumph, Tommy Walsh was offered a helping hand.