All-Ireland SF semi-finals

Doonbeg (Clare) v Ballina Stephenites (Mayo), Ballinasloe, 3.15 - TO those neutrals who saw the Munster club final, it is a source of mystery that Clare's football community is so relentlessly upbeat about tomorrow's AIB All-Ireland semifinal. Even allowing for Doonbeg's ferocious will-to-win, their tactical acumen and the suspicion that Ballina played somewhat above themselves in the Connacht final, this has the look of a tough, 50-50 sort of occasion.

Both teams defied the stereotyping in their provincial finals. Ballina took on the bigger Roscommon Gaels on a foul day, took the hits and didn't lie down. They embellished their reputation as a team with good backs and a powerful midfield by drawing good performances from most of the forwards who had earned a reputation for inconsistency. Doonbeg's inaccuracies in the drawn match against Moyle Rovers were considerably trimmed for the replay and on a heavy pitch, they took enough scores to win comfortably - admittedly only late December allows seven points to buy such comfort. Furthermore Moyle's threat was depressingly easily narrowed down to Declan Browne and although the Tipperary champions were familiar with the ploy of Padraig Conway dropping back between the defensive lines, they signally failed to combat it in the replay. Doonbeg's progress has been marked by disciplinary problems and four sendings-off in the campaign to date.

The protest that most of these are being caught by second bookable offences almost makes things worse as it suggests a chronic lack of self-control even when warned.

Ballina's mobile defence should cope with Doonbeg's attack and keep their scoring low, but Doonbeg will probably also do well on their opponents. The two reasons why the Mayo champions are favoured are: one, their attack looks more varied and to have greater scoring potential and two, that Liam McHale's orchestration of their forward moves will last the pace marginally better than his Doonbeg counterpart Francis McInerney.

Eire Og (Carlow) v Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh), Navan, 3.15 - AN eagerly-awaited clash between old masters and young pretenders - imagery which is used loosely given that the Crossmaglen with an average age of 24 already have an All-Ireland whereas their experienced opponents - two thirds of whom played in the All-Ireland final of six years ago - haven't turned any of their four provincial titles to date into a national crown. Yet Crossmaglen are serious pretenders to the title of being the best club side in the history of the championship. They still have a distance to travel and manager Joe Kernan is to retire after this season, but time is on their side and they already have one title chalked down.

Eire Og on their own admission turned the clocks back in the Leinster final's second replay. Their first-half performance was their best in years at this level and lent credibility to their still-burning ambitions finally to nail down the All-Ireland, despite the rational prompting that time has gradually out-stripped their best days.

It is a tremendous tribute to the players' resilience that they have emerged yet again under a third different manager, Pat Critchley, whose declared first task with the team - to convince them that the All-Ireland dream wasn't over - has been well-achieved. The club has also produced new players but more impressively has shown a coolness under pressure which didn't always characterise their play and a greater economy with chances created.

Despite the obvious appeal of an Eire Og renaissance, logic suggests otherwise. Crossmaglen can play football any way you want. Go direct with them and their size around the pitch will make things hard for any team. Go short, as Bellaghy did in the Ulster final, and they will close you down.

Big and physical but blessed with athleticism and some exquisite football skills, the Armagh team's one weakness is an apparent indifference to settling matches early. But even that illustrates another strength, most unusual in a young team: nerves of tungsten. It should be a great match but equally it should be Crossmaglen's.

All-Ireland SH semi-final

Athenry (Galway) v St Joseph's Doora-Barefield (Clare), Thurles, 2.45 - THE books are currently balanced between these counties at club level. Sixmilebridge, the only one of the recent stream of Clare champions to win the All-Ireland, subjected an ageing Sarsfields to one of their speciality five-goal wallopings whereas Wolfe Tones, the most surprising of the Clare clubs to date, lost the final two years ago to Athenry.

Generally speaking and despite their All-Ireland the Galway club have under-achieved, given a sparkling under-age age record and the availability of such obvious talents as Joe Rabbitte, Eugene Cloonan and Brian Feeney. Without the sort of testing run to this stage which has so developed St Joseph's, the Galway team are unpredictable semi-finalists.

Their opponents are the opposite. If anything they are regarded in Clare as having over-achieved and surprised a few people by landing the county title. Yet, since their emergence into the provincial competition their displays have been a revelation.

Backboned by as strong a celebrity contingent as ever lined out for a club - three current All Stars, Sean McMahon, Ollie Baker and Jamesie O'Connor - St Joseph's were worthy and convincing winners in Munster.

Yet the feeling here is that Athenry's more pronounced overall quality may undo the Claremen.