September Road: We're pretty sure a ticket tout has never actually seen a GAA match, but if one of them happened to be passing a television last weekend when the senior hurling final was on, how it must have pained them to view all the empty seats at headquarters.
It would have hurt almost as much as it did Cork and Galway hurling fans who didn't get a golden ticket to the game - but then all they missed was the hurling - the touts missed out on a fortune.
Long before ticketless fans are met with 'Anyone buying or selling a ticket?' on the streets of Dublin next weekend (that's buying for a ridiculous sum or selling at face value or less, of course), All-Ireland football final tickets are currently up for grabs to fans with deep pockets online.
On a website last night we found two lower Hogan Stand tickets up for grabs to the highest bidder.
The current bid? €1,500.
And we also found a bid for two lower Cusack Stand tickets on the same site for €1,275 - though we should point out that an Irish charity will apparently be the sole beneficiary for the sale of those tickets.
But what interested us most was the number of premium-level tickets for sale. One listed the block, section and even seat number of the ticket for sale.
The seller includes a statement saying the seat is part of his season-ticket allocation.
All perfectly legal, of course, but it must be very hard to stomach for all those GAA fans desperately seeking tickets for the final - from Kerry and Tyrone in particular.
Quote of the Weekend - "Look it, if anybody ever walks away from this Tipperary team we can't say anything to them. They have achieved so much. Some of them have been hurling since 1992, so they had lean days as well."
... - Tipperary's camogie manager Paddy McCormack after yesterday's All-Ireland final defeat to Cork
Next Weekend
Saturday All-Ireland Football Sevens
Kilmacud Crokes
All-Ireland Football Finals
Sunday Minor: Down v Mayo
Senior: Tyrone v Kerry
Croke Park
Name Your Price
It's just way too early to be thinking about the 2006 senior hurling championship, but Irish bookmakers don't seem to agree and we just couldn't but notice some of the early prices on offer.
Bookies are making Kilkenny favourites to claim the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2006 - with even the Cork-based Cashmans giving Cork only the same odds as their Leinster rivals - 2/1.
Cashmans, however, have no faith in newly promoted Westmeath causing a shock in 2006 - quoting them at 5,000/1. Punters who took them at 1,000/1 with Paddy Power could be kicking themselves this time next year, eh?
Interesting bets for next weekend
Top scorer in final
Stephen O'Neill v Colm Cooper
O'Neill4/5
Cooper10/11
(Boylesports)
Minor and Senior finals
Both to end in draws80/1
(Cashmans)
Go Figure
When we mentioned this first, last May, it was before the Cork hurling and Liverpool soccer successes. Look away now if you are a Tyrone fan.
1978
Wales win Grand Slam in Rugby
A new Pope is elected
Liverpool lose the League Cup final to the subsequent English League champions (Nottingham Forest)
Liverpool win European Cup
Clare and Kilkenny meet in National Hurling League final at Semple Stadium
Cork retain All-Ireland senior hurling title.
And the important one:
Kerry win the All-Ireland senior football title.
2005
Wales win Grand Slam in Rugby
A new Pope is elected
Liverpool lose in the League Cup final to the subsequent English League champions (Chelsea)
Liverpool win European Cup
Clare and Kilkenny meet in National Hurling League final at Semple Stadium
Cork retain the All-Ireland senior hurling championship title.
See what's left to complete the list perfectly?
* There are many true champions of the GAA living abroad and the organisers of the 10th Asian Gaelic Games are among the best of the sport's foreign legion.
Shanghai hosts this season's three-day games, with the opening ceremony taking place this Friday afternoon. The men's and women's matches will take place over the following two days at Shanghai Rugby Football Club.
The games have come a long way since 100 people took part in the first staging at Manila in the Philippines back in 1995, with the annual competition growing to become an important date for expatriates in Asia.
Up to 2,500 are expected in the Chinese city next weekend for the competition, with up to 40 teams taking part.
Best of luck and congratulations to all those involved.
