Errigal Ciarán supporter Declan Fisher, centre, before the AIB Ulster GAA Senior Club Football Championship final match between Errigal Ciarán of Tyrone and Kilcoo of Down at BOX-IT Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
Saturday 11 January
AIB All-Ireland Club SFC semi-finals
Coolera Strandhill (Sligo) v Cuala (Dublin), Kingspan Breffni, 5pm - TG4
Both of these teams have come through provincial campaigns of very fine margins to make it this far and don’t be surprised if this game is another that comes down to the wire.
They’re two very well defensively organised teams that like to play a counter-attacking game, and could ultimately cancel one another out in many respects with every point scored a precious one.
Cuala are most people’s favourites based on the fact they look like they have a little bit more potency in attack with forwards like Con O’Callaghan, Niall O’Callaghan, Luke Keating and Conor O’Brien, whereas Coolera Strandhill are quite reliant on Niall Murphy.
You could argue though that the Sligo champions faced better opposition in Connacht than Cuala did in Leinster, which could even out the scales.
This is uncharted territory for both clubs and will come down to a test of wills. If either is happy with what they have won already, they won’t go any further.
Con O’Callaghan is due a big game for Cuala. If it comes on Saturday, that could be the winning of it.
Dr Crokes (Kerry) v Errigal Ciaran (Tyrone), Newbridge, 3pm - TG4
This should be a cracker.
Both teams play a very eye-pleasing brand of football, even if they go about it in different ways.
Dr. Crokes like to dictate play and get in behind your half-backs with nice angled deliveries to their inside-forwards, whereas Errigal Ciaran blitz you with quick counter-attacks.
Dr. Crokes players like Shane Murphy, Fionn Fitzgerald, Gavin White, Micheál Burns, and Tony Brosnan have huge experience which counts for a lot at this juncture of the championship.
But an Errigal Ciarán team that came through a ferociously tough Ulster campaign have displayed the better form on the way to this game.
The attacking quality of Tyrone county team trio Peter Harte and Darragh and Ruairi Canavan could swing it for them.
Sunday 12 January
AIB All-Ireland Club IHC Final
Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry (Galway) v Watergrasshill (Cork), Croke Park, 2.30pm - TG4
Both of these teams have beaten quality opposition on the way to this final.
Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry beat a Tooreen side hunting a sixth provincial title in seven years in the Connacht Final and then got the better of a highly touted Rathnure in the All-Ireland semi-final. Watergrasshill were very impressive victors over Wolfe Tones and Cashel King Cormacs in Munster before enjoying a comprehensive All-Ireland semi-final victory over Carey Faughs.
They're two very good sides, which is why this game is expected to be a serious contest.
A Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry team that’s managed by Mattie Kenny and backboned by former Galway stars like Shane Moloney, Paul Killeen and Padraig Breheny has enviable experience which should stand to them.
This youthful Watergrasshill team has serious pace though which will be a big asset in the wide expanses of Croke Park.
Seven of their team won a Cork Premier Senior Hurling Chamionship with Imokilly this year, with Daire O’Leary, Adam Murphy, and Sean Desmond especially prominent figures in that team.
It should be a serious game of hurling, but Watergrasshill’s greater firepower in the inside forward line could edge it for them.
AIB All-Ireland Club JHC Final
St Lachtain's (Kilkenny) v Russell Rovers (Cork), Croke Park, 12.30 - TG4
This game could be a proper shoot-out because both teams boast very dangerous full-forward lines that will do serious damage given a good supply of ball.
Former All-Ireland winning Cork footballer, Ciarán Sheehan, is a bear in the square for Russell Rovers and has two lethal finishers beside him in Josh Beausang and Luke Duggan-Murray, while Brian Hartnett also tends to do serious damage when pushed further forward.
The St. Lachtain’s full-forward line of James Maher, Liam Hickey, and Shane Donnelly are all potential match-winners on their day too.
That means this game is likely to be decided by the middle third contest. If one team gets on top there and can supply more bullets to their shooters than the opposition do, that’ll be the winning of the game.
These two clubs look well-matched, but history has taught us that Kilkenny teams tend to win these Junior finals when they get to them.
AIB All-Ireland Club JFC Semi-Final
Kilmurry (Cork) v Naomh Pádraig, Muff (Donegal), Parnell Park, 2pm. - Spórt TG4
Will relative match-sharpness have an impact on this game? Naomh Pádraig were out last weekend when they comfortably defeated Tara of London whereas Kilmurry haven’t played a match since winning the Munster Final five weeks ago.
They did look very impressive in that Munster Final, beating Firies of Kerry, which is a considerable achievement when you consider Kerry clubs have dominated this competition since its inception.
This should be a tight match, but the goal threat of Naomh Padraig might ultimately be decisive – they’ve scored eight of them in their last three games.
AIB All-Ireland Club IFC Final
Crossmolina Deel Rovers (Mayo) v Ballinderry (Derry), Croke Park, 4.30pm - postponed
Due to tragic events, the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Final between Crossmolina Deel Rovers and Ballinderry is postponed.
The CCCC will confirm the re-fixture details in due course.