FRIDAY 18 OCTOBER
Leinster v Connacht, Croke Park, 6pm
Munster v Ulster, Croke Park, 8pm
SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER
Shield final, Croke Park, 5.30pm
Cup final, Croke Park, 7.30pm
ONLINE
Reports on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app and a live blog on rte.ie/sport covering the shield and cup finals on Saturday.
TV
Both semi-finals on TG4 from 5.30pm. The shield final will be live on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player from 5.30pm, with live coverage of the cup final on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 7.15pm.
WEATHER
Friday: Heavy rain is set to move into the Dublin area from late afternoon. Highest temperatures of 14 to 16 degrees, in a fresh to strong southerly wind.
Saturday: Mainly dry and bright with sunny spells and well-scattered showers. However, cloud will thicken from the southwest later in the afternoon and evening with some rain developing there later in the evening. Highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees in light to moderate southwest to south winds. For more go to met.ie.
An ode to the past but with a purpose in mind
For the first time since 2016, the inter-pro series is back. It was a played over a December weekend eight years ago, prior to that February and October were points in the calendar where the once much-loved competition was contested before dwindling crowds.
In its heyday, what we all knew as the Railway Cup, first played in 1927, was certainly a big deal: the finals played out before sizeable attendances at Croke Park on St Patrick's Day. The national holiday also saw the start of racing's Flat season at the Phoenix Park; Michael O'Hehir would cover one of the finals at Croker before dashing off to lend his unique tones to the sound of pounding hooves. In 1949, another standout voice, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, made his Raidió Éireann debut, when commentating on the Railway Cup football final.
The finals remained in Croke Park until 1977, thereafter they moved to various provincial grounds. And so began the competition's decline, with the All-Ireland club finals soon taking the prime St Patrick's Day slot.
During the 2000s, the now inter-provincial series was taken abroad, with Rome, Boston and Abu Dhabi hosting finals.
2014 saw a return to Croke Park before Semple Stadium staged the last series until an announcement was made earlier this year that the series would return.
Back at Croker for Friday and Saturday night lights! A first public airing then for the proposed new playing rules that the Football Review Committee have come up with.
Jarlath Burns keen for football to get back to basics in rule change debate
Leinster v Connacht is followed by Munster v Ulster. The losers will face off in a match to decide third spot, the shield, before the final at 7.30pm on Saturday evening. Four games to really get the debate going on the seven proposals that may ultimately change the way Gaelic football is played.
Whether province v province is back for good, well time will tell.
It's broke so we have to fix it
Gaelic football, a code not in rude health. Likely to leave one in a soporific state. That was the diagnosis. And so was born the Football Review Committee, under the chair of Jim Gavin, with a strong supporting cast that includes Éamonn Fitzmaurice, James Horan, Colm Collins, Malachy O’Rourke and Michael Murphy. Their task, which they all chose to accept, is to make Gaelic football better.
Running the rule: Proposed changes to Gaelic football
And so we have the seven 'core enhancements': still the same game but played differently.
The committee after meeting numerous times in person and online, while also taking the soundings from referees, GPA, Central Council, results of surveys and other forms of communication, have come up with potential changes. 'Sandbox' games, played behind closed doors, gave the proposed adjustments a first viewing on the field of play.
The seven rules explained:
1 v 1 throw-in
The referee, facing the players, starts the game and re-starts it after half-time, by throwing the ball between one player from each team, who shall stand in their own defensive sides of the half-way line. The second midfielder on each team shall be positioned on the opposite sidelines, position themselves in the centre of the sideline and facing the players contesting the throw-in. Players will swap sidelines for the second half throw-in.
Kickouts
If the goalkeeper is not taking the kick-out, the goalkeeper shall stay in the small rectangle.
The ball shall travel beyond the 20m line and outside the 40m arc before being played by another player on the attacking team.
Players may remain inside the 20m line. Players may not infringe the goalkeeper, or another opposition player, taking the kickout.
Players may remain inside the 40m arc but must not be closer than 13m from the ball.
A player in direct receipt of a kick-out may not pass the ball to their team's goalkeeper, or another player taking the kickout.
For another player on the team taking a kick-out to play the ball before it has travelled outside the 20m line and the 40m arc.
WATCH AS JIM GAVIN AND EAMONN FITZMAURICE OUTLINED THE RULE CHANGES
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Solo and go
If a player is fouled he may immediately take a solo and go, will significantly speed up the game and present many advantages to the team in possession.
Goalkeeper backpass
The goalkeeper can only receive the ball from a team-mate inside the large rectangle and the team-mate passing the ball must be within the large rectangle or beyond the half-way line.
Proposed penalties: A goalkeeper receives the ball inside the large rectangle and the teammate passing the ball is outside the large rectangle - a free kick from the 13m line opposite where the foul occurred.
A goalkeeper receives a pass from a team-mate inside his half-way line - a free kick from where the pass was made, up to the 13m line.
3v3 structure
Teams must keep at least three players in the opposition half at all times. When the team is attacking, they'll have to leave three players behind in their defensive half of the field, which would be 11 attackers. And the team defending will have to have 11 players defending because three players will be up in the opposition half of the field.
Scoring system
2 points scored when the ball is played over the crossbar between the posts outside the 40m arc: the radius centred on the midpoint of the goal line, and arc's back to the 20m line.
2 points awarded for a 45.
1 point awarded for a point inside the 40m arc or inside the 20m line.
A goal is equivalent to 4 points.
Advanced mark
Mark awarded when the player catches the ball cleanly from a kick-out, without it touching the ground, on or past the 45m line nearest the kick-out point or when a player catches the ball cleanly on or inside the 20m line from only a kick in play or from a kick-out mark (i.e. not from a free-kick, 45m free-kick or side-line kick) delivered by an attacking player on or beyond the opposing teams' 45m line.
In this instance, the player may play on immediately until no advantage is accrued, where a free kick will be taken from the position.
So what happens after this weekend?
On 26 October, Central Council will meet to review the seven proposals, to ratify or otherwise for a Special Congress on 30 November. Whatever is decided will be in place for the whole of 2025, with a full review taking place at another Special Congress late next year ahead of the adoption into the updated rulebook for 2026.
The managers
Leinster: Dessie Dolan
Connacht: Pádraic Joyce
Ulster: Kieran Donnelly
Munster: John Cleary
Manager view: Much to like about '3 up top' rule proposal
The squads
Quite a number of high-profile players will be on view over the weekend, as the managers selected players no longer involved in club championship.
The Leinster squad is led by Dublin's nine-time All-Ireland winning history makers James McCarthy and Stephen Cluxton, with 11 counties represented for the boys in green.
Armagh’s All-Ireland winners have a strong presence in the Ulster ranks and are led by Paddy Burns, Oisín Conaty, Aidan Forker, and Rian and Oisín O’Neill. Their goal-scoring hero against Galway, Aaron McKay, misses out through injury.
Connacht’s squad includes players from London and New York and is led by Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea and Galway’s Cillian McDaid.
Kerry’s experienced duo Tadhg Morley and Diarmuid O’Connor headline the Munster squad.
Leinster
1 Stephen Cluxton, Dublin
2 Michael Bambrick, Carlow
3 Mark Barry, Laois
4 Sean Bugler, Dublin
5 Ciaran Byrne, Louth
6 Ray Connellan, Westmeath
7 Peter Cunningham, Offaly
8 Ciaran Downey, Louth
9 Ross Dunphy, Carlow
10 Kevin Feely, Kildare
11 Daniel Flynn, Kildare
12 Darren Gallagher, Longford
13 Dean Healy, Wicklow
14 Ryan Houlihan, Kildare
15 Brian Howard, Dublin
16 Killian Roche, Laois
17 Ronan Jones, Meath
18 Donal Keoghan, Meath
19 Ciaran Kilkenny, Dublin
20 Paul Kingston, Laois
21 Craig Lennon, Louth
22 James McCarthy, Dublin
23 Eoin Murchan, Dublin
24 Evan O'Carroll, Laois
25 Lee Pearson, Offaly
26 Eoin Porter, Wexford
27 Kevin Quinn, Wicklow
28 John Small, Dublin
29 Paddy Small, Dublin
30 Ronan Wallace, Westmeath
Connacht
1 Connor Gleeson, Galway
2 Johnny McGrath, Galway
3 Brian Stack, Roscommon
4 Sean Mulkerrin, Galway
5 Cillian McDaid, Galway
6 John Daly, Galway
7 Eoghan McLoughlin, Mayo
8 Jack Carney, Mayo
9 John Maher, Galway
10 Matthew Tierney, Galway
11 Bob Touhy, Mayo
12 Enda Smith, Roscommon
13 Diarmuid Murtagh, Roscommon
14 Aidan O'Shea, Mayo
15 Daire Cregg, Roscommon
16 Conor Carroll, Roscommon
17 Ruaidhrí Fallon, Roscommon
18 Mark Diffley, Leitrim
19 Johnny Heaney, Galway
20 Shane Brosnan, New York
21 Ultan Harney, Roscommon
22 Barry McNulty, Leitrim
23 Conor Cox, Roscommon
24 Donie Smith, Roscommon
25 Ciaran Murtagh, Roscommon
26 Diarmuid Duffy, Mayo
27 Fergal Boland, Mayo
28 Pat Spillane, Sligo
29 Aidan McLoughlin, London
30 Liam Gallagher, London
31 Paul Towey, Mayo
32 Keith Byrne, Leitrim
33 Shay Rafter, London
34 Eddie McGinness, Sligo
35 Cian Lally, Sligo
36 Joey Grace, New York
37 Daire Rooney, London
Ulster
1 Niall Morgan, Tyrone
2 Diarmuid Baker, Derry
3 Mark Bradley, Tyrone
4 Paddy Burns, Armagh
5 Aidan Clarke, Tyrone
6 Oisin Conaty, Armagh
7 Padraig Faulkner, Cavan
8 Aidan Forker, Armagh
9 Niall Grimley, Armagh
10 Daniel Guiness, Down
11 Pat Havern, Down
12 Marc Jordan, Antrim
13 Conn Kilpatrick, Tyrone
14 Barry McBennett, Monaghan
15 Ronan McCaffrey, Fermanagh
16 Sean McNally, Fermanagh
17 Darren McCurry, Tyrone
18 Eoin McElholm, Tyrone
19 Joe McElroy, Armagh
20 Eoin McEvoy, Derry
21 Kieran McGeary, Tyrone
22 Peter McGrane, Armagh
23 Ross McQuillan, Armagh
24 Odhran Murdock, Down
25 Daire O Baoill, Donegal
26 Rian O Neill, Armagh
27 Oisin O Neill, Armagh
28 Gerry Smith, Cavan
29 Ciaran Thompson, Donegal
30 Niall Toner, Derry
31 Frank Burns, Tyrone
32 Mick Byrne, Antrim
33 Joe Finnegan, Antrim
34 Jason Irwin, Monaghan
35 Jason McLoughlin, Cavan
36 Fionan O'Brien, Fermanagh
Munster
1 Josh Ryan, Limerick
2 Darragh Brennan, Tipperary
3 Damien Bourke, Kerry
4 Darragh Cashman, Cork
5 Eoin Cleary, Clare
6 Jimmy Feehan, Tipperary
7 Aran Griffin, Clare
8 Emmet McMahon, Clare
9 Brian McNamara, Clare
10 Sean Meehan, Cork
11 Tadhg Morley, Kerry
12 James Naughton, Limerick
13 Danny Neville, Limerick
14 Colm O Callaghan, Cork
15 Diarmuid O Connor, Kerry
16 Chris Kelly, Cork
17 Conor O Currin, Waterford
18 Sean O Dea, Limerick
19 Donal O Sullivan, Kerry
20 Chris Og Jones, Cork
21 Dermot Ryan, Waterford
22 Maurice Shanley, Cork
23 Killian Spillane, Kerry
24 Mark Stokes, Tipperary
25 Alan Sweeney, Clare
26 Matty Taylor, Cork
27 Caomhin Walsh, Waterford
28 Tommy Walsh, Cork
29 Sean Walsh, Waterford
30 Paul Walsh, Cork
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