Munster teams get rub of green in Qualifiers

THE three Munster hurling teams, Limerick, Clare and Waterford, will be favoured to qualify for next month's Guinness All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.

This is arising from the composition of the two groupings decided in last evening's television draw.

And, arguably the most interesting aspect of the draw for the first round of the Bank of Ireland football qualifier competition is the inclusion of All-Ireland co-favourites Armagh as possible losers of next week-end's Ulster replay.

In hurling, Limerick are on the same side as Galway - who will be favoured to gain the fourth qualifying position - along with Antrim, who struggled in Ulster this year and Laois who were outclassed in Croke Park yesterday.

Galway will face Laois in their opening game next Saturday while Limerick's meeting with Antrim has been deferred, possibly to Wednesday week, because of the involvement of dual players Stephen Lucey and Conor Fitzgerald in Sunday's Munster football semi-final with Kerry.

Clare and Waterford are included with Dublin and Offaly, both of a clearly inferior standard.

For that reason, the outcome looks inevitable, with the meeting of the two Munster sides the only real attraction. When they met in the first round in Munster last year Waterford won by a 19-point margin.

On Saturday, Offaly play Waterford and Clare take on Dublin. Three years ago the Banner hammered them.

In football, Down and Fermanagh will be renewing rivalry after Down won by five points in the 2003 Ulster semi-final. And Offaly and Carlow will be meeting for the first time since 1993, when Offaly triumphed by two points.

Leinster champions Westmeath will be away to Tipperary while Meath will be opposed by Antrim.