GAELIC GAMES/News round-up: Venues for the coming All-Ireland football qualifiers were announced yesterday as the GAA's Games Administration Committee got the competition back on track after a weekend of replays.

Last year's All-Ireland finalists Meath, deposed two days ago in Leinster, have secured home advantage at Navan for Saturday's qualifier against neighbours Louth. Kerry, also defeated in a provincial semi-final on Sunday, will travel to Portlaoise to take on Wicklow at 3.30 on Sunday.

Other fixtures set were the Leitrim-Tyrone match that was abandoned because of bad weather last weekend, which will go ahead in Carrick-on-Shannon at 5.0 this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Limerick's preparations for Saturday's match against Cork in the All-Ireland hurling qualifiers have suffered a double blow. Experienced goalkeeper Joe Quaid has, according to selector Michael Fitzgerald, only a very slim chance of being fit because of a leg injury. Reserve goalkeeper Albert Shanahan has been told to be on standby.

It would be ironic if Quaid were forced to miss this match. Two years ago, also at Thurles, he announced his retirement from inter-county hurling after a defeat by Cork.

Stung by the loss and angry at the guaranteed provision of only one championship match a season, Quaid told reporters that he had had enough. At the beginning of this season he reconsidered and returned to the county panel. Now with Limerick about to play their first fixture in the qualifier system, introduced to address the very inadequacy that Quaid complained of, the goalkeeper may not be fit to take his place.

Shanahan has been a long-term understudy but last year was not selected to succeed Quaid. The number one jersey went instead to under-21 goalkeeper Timmy Houlihan who has since slipped out of contention after leaking a number of goals from frees in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat by Wexford.

There are also concerns for former captain Ciaran Carey who had 28 stitches inserted in a facial wound during a training session last week.

Definitely out is under-21 star Sean O'Connor, who has glandular fever and missed the Munster semi-final defeat by Tipperary.

"At this stage, there is little chance of Joe Quaid taking his place," according to Fitzgerald. "He has had to sit out training sessions over the last few weeks, and recovery is slow. Ciaran played in a challenge match against the under-21s on Sunday but was not 100 per cent. We can only wait and see."

Limerick are expected to make a few changes in personnel from the side that went down heavily to Tipperary.

It is expected that John Tobin will step down as manager of the Roscommon footballers after their defeat in Sunday's qualifier against Mayo. Tobin is to take up the post as Director of Coaching in Connacht but in any event is believed by sources close to him to have been considering his future anyway.

A great first year brought a Connacht title to Roscommon but thereafter there has been disappointment. Since the National League win over Donegal last Easter, Roscommon have fallen to substantial defeats against Cavan, Galway and Mayo. Furthermore the team has been dogged by controversy with incidents in a hotel in Derry attracting overblown tabloid coverage, and then team captain Francie Grehan picking up a three-month suspension after an incident in the Galway match.

One manager definitely on his way is Kerry hurling manager Bernie O'Connor. The Corkman, whose sons Ben and Jerry will probably be playing for Cork in the qualifier against Limerick, left after successive poor turnouts at training - at times as low as four - convinced him that the county's hurlers weren't interested in preparing for the upcoming All-Ireland B clash with Derry. The situation has prompted the county board to review the activities of the county team.

Although Kerry withdrew from the senior championship two years ago, the county recorded a championship win, over Waterford, as recently as nine years ago.

The Offaly Association will hold its annual seven-a-side football and hurling competitions on July 4th. Now in its 30th year the event will be held in Colaiste Mhuire's grounds in Islandbridge starting at 6.30.