Moran to continue as Dublin captain

Colin Moran is to captain the Dublin senior footballers for a second year after his first term in charge was ruined by injury.

The Ballyboden St Enda's clubman was selected as the Dubs' official captain last year but owing to groin and leg injuries, he missed most of the season before returning to play as a substitute in the latter stages of the 2006 championship.

Moran, 26, missed the entire National League and most of the Leinster Championship with a groin injury and Bryan Cullen took over as on-field skipper with both players going up the steps of the Hogan Stand to receive the Delaney Cup after the Dubs' Leinster final defeat of Offaly.

Moran came on as a sub against Offaly, and was also sprung from the bench for the All-Ireland quarter-final and semi-final clashes with Westmeath and Mayo.

Tonight's O'Byrne Cup meeting of Paul Caffrey's Dublin side and DCU will go ahead as scheduled - media reports had suggested that the college team were set to pull out of the competition.

The game takes place at Sean Moore Park in Ringsend, the Clan na nGael Fontenoy club grounds (throw-in 7.30pm).

Meanwhile, ticket sales for the historic NFL tie between Dublin and Tyrone, which will be played under the new floodlights at Croke Park on February 3, have passed the 30,000 mark.

The eagerly awaited Division 1A game will be the first ever match under lights at the Jones' Road venue and GAA officials are now expecting a crowd in the region of 70,000.

An intensive marketing campaign for the game will be launched by the GAA next Monday.