Hardly? That date woulda been booked in for a replay in the calendar.
Heâll tog anyway Iâd imagine. They wonât need him anyway.
Those teamsheets in Dublin are ruthless. You donât see lads down wearing number 30 when they are injured.
No Murchan for Na Fianna.
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Conor McKeon: Emlyn Mulligan closing in on unique double and the other club GAA storylines to follow this weekend
Conor McKeon
September 21 2024 12:00 AM
The absence of verifiable records makes it impossible to firm up. But it would surely be a first. This afternoon in Ballinamore, Fenagh St Caillinâs meet Mohill in the Leitrim senior football semi-final.
Fenagh havenât been in a county final since 2003 and havenât been Leitrim senior champions since 1932. Hopes that this might be their season seemed tenuous when Tommy and Joe McCormack, their father-and-son management team, stepped down prior to the quarter-final with Aughawillan.
Into this breach stepped Emlyn Mulligan, of former Leitrim attacking fame. If that wasnât enough turmoil for one week, one of the clubâs young players was seriously injured in a car crash on the way home from a game in Drumkeerin, yet Fenagh dug it out after extra-time.
âWe were probably struggling for a lot of that game,â club chairman Paul Gill told the Leitrim Observer. âAfter the week weâve had off the field, it was all about getting the result and that was what we got in the end.â
It adds further complications for Mulligan, however. Leitrimâs former star forward won a senior championship with his home club, Melvin Gaels, in 2012.
He now plays his football in Sligo, with St Maryâs â who have a big clash with Drumcliffe/Rosses Point next week to make the county semi-final.
Granted, itâs a long shot. But a first, surely, if it comes to pass? Two senior club titles in the same year? One as manager, one as a player? Answers on a postcard.
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Brennanâs royal revival on hold
With his formal ratification in Meath, Robbie Brennan has joined the ranks of inter-county managers. Like Malachy OâRourke, Peter Queally and Niall Ă CeallachĂĄin, he is also still involved with a club team â one with clear ambitions of winning their county title and, if recent history is a good line of form, quite possibly beyond.
There have been reports that Brennan will finish up at the end of their Dublin SFC campaign, regardless of whether they win and make it four county titles in a row.
With inter-county squads forbidden from training before December 7, it could be argued there is no need for Brennan to part ways with Crokes until after a potential Leinster campaign, but that would ignore the massive planning that goes into an inter-county squad in any new management team.
It also doesnât take much heed from the fact that Kilmacud have won the last three Leinster titles, and have still been active into each of the following new years.â
It may not to come to that. Crokes are favourites to win a fourth Dublin SFC on the bounce but they will face a stern test in Ballyboden St Endaâs in tonightâs quarter-final.
Brennan made encouraging noises about a comeback for Shane Walsh after their last win.
Loughmore built for the long haul
One of the more heroics efforts of recent autumn/winters was that of Loughmore-Castleiney, the tiny mid-Tipperary parish responsible for producing â among others â the McGrath brothers.
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In 2021, they completed the Tipperary senior football and hurling double, a triumph they achieved once before in 2013. The â21 win was all the sweeter, given they had been beaten at the death in both county finals the year before.
John McGrath had a better winter than most, scoring the winner in both county finals and winning man of the match six weeks in a row. Between football and hurling, Tipperary and Munster, they ended up playing 17 successive weekends.
Dreadnoughts eye second giant-killing
Rank outsiders Mullahoran caused a shock in the opening round of the Cavan SFC last month when they beat a strongly-fancied Cavan Gaels team at Breffni Park.
They went on to draw with Ramor United and beat Kingscourt Stars to nail down a quarter-final spot in jig time.
Now the Dreadnoughts must beat the most successful club in the county since the turn of the millennium â and the second most successful ever â for a second time in this year in the quarter-finals of an ultra-competitive Cavan SFC that is coming nicely to its boiling point.
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Boxty wonât know what to do if Mulligan win them a county title.Kiss him or punch him @farmerinthecity
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Looking forward to this afternoons intermediate championships quarter final.
Oisin Langan and Enda Varley on duty now
Clontarf lead Naf 1-6 to 0-3 after 15 mins. Jack Mc with the goal
A pity heâs no longer with us. The cognitive dissonance would be off the chart if they win, an outcome I would like to see.
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Na Fianna replied well there scoring 1-6 without reply.
Very open game. Clontarf lead 1-11 to 1-10 at half time.
Clontarf have an impressive centre forward. Charlie Meenan/Meehan. He has 0-5 from play already. A couple of long range efforts in it too from outside the 45 which I thought was an obsolete skill.
Na Fianna see it out well in the finish to win by 5.
That will stand them in good stead going forward.
Yet another crucial late goal in Tyrone @peddlerscross.
Dungannon Clarkes score four minutes into injury time against Loughamacrory to turn a one point deficit into a two point lead and hang on to win 1-13 to 2-9.
Crokes vs Boden is a dour enough watch. Crokes lead 8-5 early in the 2nd half.
There is an open draw for the semi finals after @Spidey @peddlerscross
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We were both wrong.
He doesnât have to worry about that this year.
Mohill win by a point.
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Crokes lead 11-10 with 10 mins to go
St Maryâs Kiltoghert have come acropper by one point in Ballinamore 
Boden love these tight situations. Think they might do it.
All square. 13 apiece on 59mins
Bad miss Basquel.