The road to the All-Ireland final

Head to Head

Nicky English's view on the midfield battle

"The Kilkenny midfield is a perfect mix of the supreme athlete, Derek Lyng, who roams from box to box, to borrow from soccer parlance, and Cha Fitzpatrick, who possesses a remarkable array of hurling skills.

"It was no harm that Lyng lost his place to Michael Fennelly as it perked him up for the Wexford match. His only obvious weakness is a occasional poor shooting day.

"Cha has a first touch to die for, while he can hurl off his left and right. I realised he was a great player when he scored a point against Clare last year with virtually no draw back. The young hurler of the year has no weakness but a slight doubt remains considering the lack of time off he has had due to the rigours of helping Ballyhale to the All-Ireland club title through the winter months. He might be lacking reserves although it is not evident yet.

"The Limerick midfield have held their own in every game. They cover a lot of ground while Donal O'Grady has coughed up a fair share of points. Mike O'Brien has been a workhorse all year and his block down of Tony Browne that led to a crucial point in the semi-final against Waterford has already gone down in Limerick hurling folklore. The same can be said of his super point in the Munster final from under the old stand in Thurles.

"On balance I would edge towards Kilkenny but Limerick will flood the midfield, expect to see Donie Ryan in there from the off, and try to reduce matters to a scrap. That would lead to no real advantage."

Some odds and ends

The Paddy Power odds on the man of the match are worth a look. Tommy Walsh and Henry Shefflin are favourites at 5 to 1 each, while last year's winner Aidan Fogarty is out at 20 to 1. Limerick's favourite is Andrew O'Shaughnessy at 10 to 1, but we like the in-form Mike O'Brien who can be got at 50 to 1.

Family Ties

"Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever."

... - Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part I

The Limerick County Board came up with an ingenious way of ending what seemed permanent friction between their talented crop of players and the revolving manager's position. They kept it in the family.

First they needed a management team that could click. Richie Bennis is uncle to team coach Gary Kirby. Selector Anthony O'Riordan is uncle to cousins Mark O'Riordan and Damien Reale.

That's not all. There are two sets of brothers in Ollie and Niall Moran and Kevin and Pat Tobin, while cousins Barry and Eoin Foley wear panel numbers 18 and 19.

As the old Don Vito once said, "Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

Handball v Sevens

The Road to Croker gives the GAA diehard a choice tomorrow. Make your way to the leafy suburb of Stillorgan for the All-Ireland sevens tournament in Kilmacud Crokes (group matches are being played at a number of venues around Stillorgan including St Benildus College, Clonkeen College and Silverpark on the Leopardstown Road. The quarter-finals are in Glenalbyn at 2.30pm, with the final throw-in at 6.45pm).

Otherwise, if you are lucky enough to have already purchased a ticket because it's sold out, the handball All-Ireland finals take place at Croke Park. Kilkenny's Michael 'Ducksy' Walsh is aiming for a 17th title when he takes on Dublin's Eoin Kennedy, in 60x30 Senior Singles Final.