Wednesday's GAA in the Papers

Catch up on all the latest news, views and GAA-related rumours in www.gaa.ie's latest daily feature, GAA In the Papers.

In the Irish Examiner former Kilkenny star Christy Heffernan is anticipating a tight affair on Sunday but is concerned about the lack of experience on the Kilkenny bench.

However, he takes some solace from the lack of injuries in the camp compared to last year.

"I expect it to be close. Kilkenny are in a better position in so far as we don’t have injured players going into the game. Henry is right, which is great, and Brian Hogan doesn’t have a broken finger like he had last year. He was missed in that game.

"I’d be worried that we’re not near as strong as we were on the bench. The experience of James Ryall, Derek Lyng and Martin Comerford is gone and that’s where we might be found wanting. John Dalton hasn’t yet regained his form from the league but he might be able to come in and Aidan Fogarty is on the mend but it’s a big ask for him after breaking his leg. That’s a tricky situation."

Also of ahead of this weekend’s Hurling decider last year’s All-Ireland winning manager Liam Sheedy tells the Irish Examiner he anticipates another classic.

"Since the final whistle last year, most neutrals have been saying wouldn’t it great for them to meet again. Kilkenny and Tipperary supporters have certainly been hoping for it after wonderful finals over the last two years. There’s no doubt it has the makings of another epic battle. Both teams have made strong runs to the final and they’ll be going at it hammer and tongs to win. It’s set up to be just as good as the last two, one that will be remembered. One thing’s for sure — the atmosphere is only going to be electric on Sunday."

In the Irish Times, Darragh Ó Sé has complemented Dublin on their hard earned victory over Donegal at the weekend and particular Bernard Brogan who showed his ability to handle pressurized situations.

“The main reason Dublin won in the end was players like Brogan kept their heads. He made the play of the game with his kick-pass across goal for Bryan Cullen’s point. He was under pressure, getting swarmed like he had been all day, fighting traffic as he was trying to look around him and yet he still managed to pick out a left-footed pass to Cullen for the crucial point that put Dublin ahead.”

“Doing that after all that had gone before was a sign of class and he went way up in my estimation on Sunday,” he said.

In the Irish Independent, Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins recalls a story from the 2000 All-Ireland quarter-final that Tipperary lost to Galway at Croke Park about an injury he sustained that has an interesting twist.

As he was receiving treatment one of the cameras at Croke Park zoomed in on the Tipperary reserve goalkeeper sitting in the dug-out on that day.

An 18-year-old, still eligible to play minor, was chewing his nails hard at the prospect of a sudden entrance into inter-county hurling for the first time.

It's a little known fact that Eoin Kelly, captain this Sunday, was the standby goalkeeper to Cummins that day. Nicky English had to be creative with his numbers and wanted to accommodate the prospective star, so the regular No 2 goalkeeper, Damien Young, was sacrificed to help Kelly get some match-day experience.

On a lighter note, The Irish Examiner reports that just 48 hours after he played for Donegal in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Dublin, Patrick McBrearty was back in school to begin his Leaving Cert year.

It also reports that All-Ireland U21 winning boss Alan Mulholland looks set to get a clear run to take over as Galway senior football manager. Mulholland, who managed Galway to the All-Ireland minor title in 2007 and the U-21 crown earlier this year, is the only man nominated ahead of this evening’s deadline.