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I was in Dublin last Sunday morning to do a slot with Today FM on the football season ahead, more of which later. I rushed home from Dublin anxious to get back in time for the club championship matches; Crossmolina v Ballinrobe and Ballina v Westport. The big shock for me from all of the fixtures last weekend was the score line from the first game in Crossmolina.

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This Sunday at 3.30pm Nowlan Park is the place to be when O’Loughlin Gaels and Carrickshock will contest the highly anticipated senior county final and set out to win the Tom Walsh Cup. This exciting showdown comes from two exciting and nailbiting semi-finals. O’Loughlin’s joint manager Mick Nolan is excited about this Sunday’s showdown. “We can’t wait now, we’re really looking forward to it,” he said. “We’ve put in all the hard work to get here and now we’re just ready.” As for the opposition, Mr Nolan has plenty of respect for them. “They are powered by five county men and have a fine side, however we have our stars too and it should make for a very good and enjoyable final.” Having suffered injuries earlier in the year O’Loughlin’s are back on track. “We are now injury free and have Martin [Comerford] and Brian [Hogan] back to full strength and we are just ready for battle.”

My school, Carmelite College, Moate, won back to back All- Ireland Hogan Cup titles in 1980 and ’81. I was on the 1980 team. A couple of lads decided it would be a good idea (and it was) to organise a 30 year reunion last Saturday in Moate for both squads. I didn’t make it up in time for the golf or the walking tour of our old school (now closed), which started around 2 o’clock that afternoon. I arrived at the hotel at about 7.30pm and walked straight into a crowd of about 50 lads who, at that stage of the evening, were in right good form. They had the benefit of five or six hours in each other’s company and had managed, in that time, to reacquaint themselves, many not having met throughout the 30 years. It was a mortifying moment for me as I didn’t recognise half of my school mates initially. Many had, let’s just say, that wintered look about them. Two of the lads had emigrated to the US after leaving school. One of those two is now a policeman in New York, the other a successful business man in San Francisco. It was good to meet up with those lads after so many years. Val Daly was another member of the side. He arrived later than I, as he was in Tuam watching his native Mountbellew lose the county semi final to Killererin earlier that evening. The boys from the 1981 winning team had invited a couple of the lads from the beaten finalists of that year. So, in fact, the first faces I recognised when I went in the door were Sean Maher, John Finn, Seamus O’Brien and Ollie Kelly, all members of the Claremorris school team beaten by Moate. It was a wonderful night and highlighted for me the fact that friends made on the football field can last a life time.

The Galway hurlers will open their 2010 National Hurling League campaign on Sunday away to Limerick in Kilmallock at 2.30pm.

Ballyhale Shamrocks restored their winning stance as they comprehensively destroyed James Stephens in a disappointing JJ Kavanagh & Sons Junior League final in Nowlan Park last Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Killala will look to book their place in the All Ireland Junior Football championship final when they take on Liverpool side John Mitchels in Carrick on Shannon. This will be the second time in two years the north Mayo men have been within touching distance of Croke Park and the All Ireland final. In 2006 they fell short against Greencastle at this stage and they will be aiming to put things to right this weekend.

Kilkenny’s top attacker Richie Power has been ruled out for the national league clash against Dublin for this weekend. Power picked up a serious hamstring injury last weekend while playing a challenge match with his club Carrickshock against Wexford outfit Oulart- the- Ballagh.

Croke Park and an All-Ireland final is now their final date with destiny at intermediate level, and roses and chocolates will have to be temporarily replaced by flags, hats, and headbands. The city club has really caught the imagination these last few months and as a reward for their majestic win over Ballyroan last Sunday they will face St Michael's, Foilmore (Kerry), in the final under lights at 7.45pm on Saturday February 14.

“It’s off the mark, it wasn’t spectacular, it’s a win at the end of a difficult week with all the injuries and uncertainty.” John O’Mahony cut a happy figure outside the Mayo dressing room on Sunday after he watched his side see off Westmeath with ease. The two points on the board was the most important thing on an afternoon where conditions dictated that the game would never move above the mediocre in quality for long periods. Mayo were struck with a number of injuries going into the game and O’Mahony is confident most will be back in the reckoning by the time Mayo make the trip to Kerry this weekend. “I’d hope they would, Ger Cafferkey it’s not a serious injury but we didn’t want to take any chances, Pat Harte would have been OK to go in there, but we decided to hold him so we could get another week’s training into him. Barry Moran’s injury was a bad hamstring pull and it could be a long one. Billy Joe Padden, maybe he’ll be back, it was a very bad dead leg he got in the challenge match last week, at least we have another week to buy with them and see. Alan Dillon will be fine, he could have almost started but the extra week will do him good.”