Certainties already appearing for ?08

??At the start 2007if experienced punters were given a wager to back an almost certain double for 2007 it would surely be for Kilkenny and Kerry to retain their All-Ireland titles in hurling and football. The odds might not be great but realistic thinking and an in-depth knowledge of GAA would be enough to know that it was as good as money in the bank. Both teams cantered to All-Ireland glory again especially when it came to the last hurdle, the final itself. Kilkenny picked up their 30th Liam McCarthy Cup with Sam Maguire heading to the Kingdom for the 35th time. In recent years looking at the Kilkenny and Kerry dominance you could be forgiven for asking is there any real need for other counties to bother taking part for All-Ireland honours. Since the millennium there have been sixteen finals played in both hurling and football. Kilkenny has appeared in seven of those finals winning on five occasions. They lost to Cork in 2004 and 2005 and didn?t make the final in 2001. Kerry has followed an almost similar path and appeared in six of the eight football finals, winning four times. The KIngdom lost to Armagh in 2002 and Tyrone in 2005. They failed to reach the final in 2001 and 2003. Had Kerry not lost to Tyrone in 2005 they would have won their 4th All-Ireland title in a row on Sunday last. This sort of dominance at both levels is anything but encouraging for other teams. The statistics prove the point. Both finals this year were a complete mismatch. Kilkenny and Kerry beat Limerick and Cork respectively without having to play at full power. Kilkenny beat Limerick by seven points while Kerry?s margin of victory over Cork was a whopping ten points. Very few other teams made any impression in this year?s championships. In hurling Waterford again at times produced moments to remember but when it mattered most they failed to deliver. Limerick came from nowhere but ended up a complete flop in the final. In football Dublin again almost crossed the finish line, however, moments of madness cost the Dubs dearly. Meath too had a good year but found Cork a bridge too far. The Royals would have given Kerry a much better game that Cork managed. Without doubt the team of the year in both hurling and football apart from the eventual winners, was Monaghan. The farneymen showed real battling qualities and will look back at what might have been. They were the only team who had Kerry on the ropes but failed by the narrowest of margins. Tommy Walsh from Kilkenny and Dan the Man lit up the hurling year while Colm Cooper was a stand alone figure when it came to the football championship. Money in your pocked, if so head straight to the bookies now and but it on Kilkenny and Kerry to both make it three-in-row next year. Cavan prepare for a new season Cavan senior team manager Donal Keogan has already commenced preparation for next year. This weekend a number of players who have no further involvement in the domestic championships will assemble to participate in a training programme with the aim of picking a panel for the Dr McKenna cup and the national league. New coach and trainer Conel Sheridan will work with Keogan and his selectors in order to prepare players for the year ahead. It is expected that up to forty players will be given the training programme with a final panel to be chosen in mid-November. Players who still have an involvement in the championship will also be considered. When finalised, Keogan has indicated that the panel will be open ended. This will allow inform players to join up with the team at any given time. This is a very positive and forward thinking move. Ceist Answer to last week?s question. Pascal and Peter Canavan were the first set of brothers honoured on the same Ulster All-Stars team in 1996. Pascal was selected at mid-field with Peter picking up the full-forward award. This week?s question. Kerry?s Declan O?Sullivan lifted the Sam Maguire cup for the second year in a row. Before O?Sullivan who was the last player to captain back to back All-Ireland senior football champions? Fograí The Joe Cullivan Memorial Cup under-10 football tournament takes place on Saturday next. The tournament hosted by Lavey will be held at New Inn and commences at 10.00am. The teams involved are Lavey, Laragh United, Denn and defending champions Castlerahan. The club has also embarked on the final phase of their development programme at their home grounds. Currently Prunty Contractors from Newtownbutler are preparing an area of ground that will be used for training purposes. omcconnon@gaa.ie