GAELIC GAMES: The GAA has made arrangements for the coming weekend's All-Ireland hurling qualifiers.Seán Moran reports
Galway's draw against Down means that there will not, in all likelihood, be any need for the scheduled Round Two - to be played only if Galway were to lose their first-round qualifier.
Unless defeated Ulster finalists Down pull out a big surprise, that will not be necessary.
On Saturday next, Clare will play Dublin in Parnell Park at 6.15, Down will play Galway in Casement Park at 4.15 and Meath will play Offaly in Páirc Tailteann, Navan at 7.00.
On Sunday, June 23rd, Cork will play Limerick in Semple Stadium, Thurles at 2.30.
It has also been confirmed that should Cork footballers lose to Kerry in the weekend's Munster semi-final, their football qualifier - scheduled for the following week - will be put back by a week so that the match won't clash with the hurlers' fixture against Limerick.
The GAC has also confirmed that the football qualifier replay between Cavan and Limerick will take place in Breffni Park at 6.15 on Saturday.
And the Munster Council has arranged the Tipperary v Clare football replay for the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick at 4.00 next Sunday.
Last weekend's football qualifiers left in their wake two high-profile managerial casualties. Peter McGrath's departure in Down will be discussed at this Thursday's county executive meeting.
Among the names being spoken about as possible successors are Paddy O'Rourke, who captained the 1991 All-Ireland winning team and members of both that team and the 1994 side that repeated that achievement, Barry Breen and Ross Carr.
Breen has already been involved at under-age level, as a selector at minor and under-21 level whereas Carr is the current manager of the county minors.
In Antrim, Brian White has moved on. He was the most successful manager the county has had in recent years. In 2000, he led Antrim to a first championship victory in 18 years and very nearly upset Derry in that year's Ulster semi-final.
The disciplinary fallout from that year's controversial county final deprived him of a number of top players for last year and momentum has been hard to recapture this season.
Nonetheless, Saturday's one-point defeat by Westmeath was a creditable display, but White decided for personal reasons to step aside.
Meanwhile, Wexford have emphasised that full back Darragh Ryan did not injure himself in Sunday's Leinster semi-final against Dublin in Thurles.
Ryan left the field after 52 minutes and his departure coincided with a fall-off in the team's performance that allowed Dublin cut the losing margin to six points from 17.
Ryan was suffering from a thigh strain the week before the match and didn't train with the team in the lead-up.
However, he came through the match in one piece and, with the team ahead by 3-15 to 0-7, manager Tony Dempsey decided to replace the player as a precautionary measure.
Ahead of Sunday's big Munster championship semi-final between Cork and Kerry, both camps report clean bills of health.
Darragh Ó Sé, who missed Kerry's first-round match against Limerick, is fit again and available for selection. Cork manager Larry Tompkins is in a similarly comfortable position.
"All players will be available," he said. "The club championship has been going on here, but everyone's ok. There's no injuries."
Kildare have only positive problems ahead of deciding on a selection tomorrow night. Five established first-team players are now fit and back in contention for starting places.
Glenn Ryan, Dermot Early, Eddie McCormack, Ronan Quinn and Padraig Brennan will be available when Mick O'Dwyer and his selectors choose the side to play Offaly this weekend.
