Football double bill confirmed for Croke Park

The GAA have confirmed the fixtures for next weekend's National League semi-finals. Despite some last-minute uncertainty, it has emerged that the football double bill will go ahead at Croke Park on Sunday, the all-Connacht clash of Mayo and Galway starting at 2.15 and Donegal-Kildare to follow at 4pm.

Although Galway and Mayo met at the same stage of last year's league, the match was played in Castlebar, and it is six years since the counties played each other at Croke Park - that was in the 2001 NFL final, won by Mayo, whose manager, John O'Mahony, was then in charge of Galway.

Mayo triumphed that day but their opponents went on to take the All-Ireland later in the year.

In Thurles the hurling semi-finals see Leinster rivals Wexford and Kilkenny throwing in at 2.30 and the Cork-Waterford match starting at 4.15.

Meanwhile, the man behind the new football structures has expressed surprise at the negative reaction to the impact of the upcoming NFL and championship changes.

Páraic Duffy, chair of the Football Development Committee, who piloted through the proposals at last October's special congress, pointed out that the immediate application of his committee's report was an idea that arose from the floor.

"We proposed that it shouldn't take effect until 2008 in both championship and National League so that counties could have two years to find their level. We were surprised at the suggestion that this be brought into effect immediately. If counties are annoyed I can sympathise because we felt that it would be fair to defer implementation but they can't blame the committee."

The impact is most severe on counties graded for next year's Division Four, as these won't be able to contest this year's All-Ireland qualifiers unless they reach their provincial final and must instead enter the Tommy Murphy Cup.

Originally the regrading was intended to apply to next year's NFL, the new divisions being constituted at the end of next season's League and coming into force for 2009. The championship consequences were intended to take effect in the summer of 2008.

But congress voted to bring the championship proposals forward by 12 months and Central Council opting to do the same with the NFL.

Wexford's Kevin Cavanagh has been cleared to play in next weekend's semi-final against Kilkenny. He was suspected of having dislocated his jaw but an X-ray on Sunday evening revealed there was no serious damage.

In the other semi-final Tipperary hurlers Pa Bourke and Conor O'Mahoney suffered no serious long-term damage during the defeat by Waterford. Both were taken for X-rays to St Luke's, Kilkenny, after shipping heavy knocks at Nowlan Park but no bone fractures were diagnosed.

Thurles Sarsfields' Bourke, a member of the Tipperary team that won the 2006 All-Ireland minor title, was the biggest concern following the game, and he has been ruled out for four weeks with ankle-ligament damage.

O'Mahoney's leg injury was examined but he should be fit in three weeks.

Paul Kelly's quadricep injury has been described as "not serious", and his brother Eoin will be fit in a couple of weeks after he suffered a knock to his lower back.