Championship countdown …..

Well believe it or not we are only 9 days away from the start of the All Ireland Football Championship when the ball will be thrown in for the game between one of the perennial great hopes - and Mayo.

What are your hopes, fears, dreams and predictions for your county this year? Were you impressed with your county’s league form or do you think it’s irrelevant? Are the lads fit? Are they getting their shteaks after training and their free gear or are they on the verge of a strike? Did they go on a bonding trip and end up drunk and bating each other silly? Are they reading their blue books? Are they happy and confident with the manager? Are your fellow fans supremely confident or resigned to another two outings this year before putting their feet up and watching the business end of the C’ship on TV? Are the lads looking after our good friends in the media and making sure they get to see the training and get plenty of meaningless and banal interviews and soundbites? Will we all get tickets? So many questions!

What about your hurlers? Are they still on the ditch? Can they get within 20 points of the Cats? Or are they Rackard, Ring or Meagher bound?

And don’t forget this website is choc-a-bloc with competitions to further your interest in, and enjoyment of, the Championships! Rich’s Fantasy, Jayo’s Football Tipster, Sami’s Hurling Tipster, Niamh’s Betting Game or Shinners Know the Score – top class entertainment to add to your Summer fun. (Carefully check the closing dates for the competitions – if you miss the start you may not be able to play or may blow your chance of winning – and tell your friends!!)

So let’s start talking GAA! The summer is upon us – the skies are blue – the media are building Dublin up – Kerry are playing it down – Tyrone are starting to grow beards and all is well in the world!!

Throw in the ould ball there bishop …. I mean ref! Let the games begin!

Well Jayo - this Tyrone man is certainly looking forward to this year with a greater degree of expectancy than ever before. For the first time i think we have a genuine chance of doing back to back All Irelands.

It was quite evident after last years final that the thoughts of the squad and management had moved very quickly to retaining SAM. There was a much more subdued atmosphere after the win the partying quickly stopped and the mood turned to this years championship.

The return of Stephen O' Neill and his subsequent display against the Dubs only served to swell the growing expectations amongst Tyrone fans that back to back All Irelands was a real and achievable goal for the season ahead. Our league form after the Dublin game did little to cause sleepless nights for our main rivals, but i think its evident the league is not as important now as it once was for Mickey and the team.

Sadly O' Neill has been struck down by another injury, however rather than dampen the spirits of the Tyrone fans the attitude seems to be we have coped without him before and we can do it again. What our approach to Ulster will be is anyone's guess - there is very little info 'leaking' from within the setup so its hard to gauge what route we intend taking this year. I would prefer to take the traditional route through Ulster, however i will be more than happy to take the scenic route if Mickey decides thats whats best.

In terms of personnel little has changed, the team ethos of 'every man is a defender every man is a forward' will still be in evidence. Barring O' Neill i don't think we have any injury worries, Mc Connell is due back soon and Dooher is putting in the hours in training and in the gym. Mulligan may have found a bit more fitness and a bit more hunger so that can only be good.

Tyrone will be more than ready for anything thrown at them this year and i for one fully expect them to be in the winners enclosure in September and Dooher will become only the second man to lift SAM on 3 occassions.

The future's bright - the future's red and white.

Well that cheered me up no end Boc!!!

on the sligo front we are going along nicely, first target for the year was promotion from div 4 and we duly did that winning the title along the way. we have a new manager in this year from galway, Kevin Walsh, doing well so far i thnk. we have some really good forwards this year which is unusual for Sligo and i advise everyone wo watch out for Adrian Marren, stephen coan and Alan Costello ( from mayo!!!!) who will put it up to Galway and in so far as anybody from sligo can have hope going into a match against Galway i really do believe we have a shot at a big upset.

then it would be a connaught final against mayo, mmmmmm beating galway and mayo in the same year??? 1975!!!!! last time that happened but you never know


if we dont do this its the qualifiers and i dont think many teams will like playing us, IMO we play the fastest game in the country, the speen we have is unreal and i honestly dont think another team can beat us there, problem is we have a poor midfield no centre half back and small wing backs

still i think we could with a bit of luck make a 1/4 final

Derry 4/1 for Ulster, 14/1 for sam...get you life savings on it!

Lol Ah well optimism never hurt anyone!

onto the small ball...and this year it's all about beating the seemly impossible Kilkenny Cats. Whilst Tipperary have looked good, if not consistent, in their league campaign, the hammering they took to Kilkenny has reduced the Premier morale. However, the Tipp boys have been given a second chance to prove they can match the might of KK - this weekend in the league final. If Tipperary can do what many are calling the impossible and pull off a victory over Kilkenny in Thurles to defend their league crown, the Premier will surely reinstate themselves as contenders for Liam.

Cork had a disappointing league campaign, after the disappointing circumstances of the Gerald McCarthy saga - will the Rebels beable to sort themselves out and become a force to be reckoned with by the summer? This will almost certainly be decided during their tantilising Munster championship first round fixture with defending champions Tipperary.

Many are agreeing that the winner of the Munster championship will be the team that will face KK in the AI final, and the Munster contingent will be fast to agree. Optimisim is in the air for Waterford, who have bounced back from last year's thrashing and will certainly be up for another go. Limerick, keeping reasonably quiet will be eager to rekindle the glorious run to Croker they made two years ago. Meanwhile Clare will be desperate to put a disastorous league campaign behind them and show what they really can do when they put their mind to it - Clare were 'nearly there' in Munster last year, losing out at the last hurdle to Tipp, and the Banner's bad luck must run out at some point - the fans certainly want it to.

In the big changes this year, the almost-exiled big guns - Galway and Antrim - are making a debut in the Leinster championship. Can they challenge Kilkenny and stop them taking that more or less guarunteed path to an All-Ireland semi final? Or will it be the year of the Leinster underdogs? Will the likes of Wexford, Offaly and Laois, the former pair showing well in the NHL Div2 this season, finally come out from behind the black and amber shadow of Kilkenny and nick what would be a remarkable Leinster title?

And then of course Dublin have arrived on the big hurling scene with a bang. Can the Blues keep up their impressive form in the championship and give the big championship teams a run for their money?

Or will the shock come from an Ulster side, Derry or Down perhaps, who may have finally been released from being dominated by Antrim. Or will London produce a repeat of last year's impressive cup run?

It is a summer of big questions...and the answers are on the way, listen out for the roar of the crowd, the clash of the ash, and the unrivaled passion that comes with the GAA All-Ireland Hurling Championship - I for one cannot wait.

UP TIPP!