Rogers could play

GALWAY Utd professional Gary Rogers could make a dramatic appearance in the IFC final at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday and boost St Ultan"s bid to win the Mattie McDonnell Cup for the first time. The showdown will also pit brother against brother in a highly unusual scenario with David Coyne part of the Cortown panel while his sibling Thomas is a member of the St Ultan"s contingent. David featured on RTE"s Winning Streak last year and he"ll be hoping to hit the jackpot again, this time on the football pitch. St Ultan"s have never won the IFC crown while Cortown"s only title was achieved in 1996. Another unusual feature is that four Galligan brothers are involved in the St Ultan"s set-up. Kevin, Brian, Declan and Niall all part of the panel. Rogers has been taking the St Ultan"s players for training during their championship run and while he is unlikely to start on Sunday, he could make an appearance at some stage. Rogers gave a man-of-the-match display against Drogheda Utd on Friday night. There were rumours that Galway Utd were offered some 'compensation" however, a St Ultan"s spokesman said that there was no such arrangement. Two years ago Rogers was one of the key outfield players for St Ultan"s as they claimed the JFC title and he was also a member of the Meath junior All-Ireland-winning team in 2003 under Martin Barry. St Ultan"s and Cortown are sure to attract a big crowd to headquarters with extra spice added to the occasion by the fact that the clubs are based in the same parish. The last competitive game between the teams was early this year when they met in the AFL Div 2 with St Ultan"s winning by six points on that occasion. The search continues for the Meath football manager with former Longford and Westmeath boss Luke Dempsey the subject of many conversations at Pairc Tailteann and elsewhere over the weekend. Dempsey met with Co Committee officials and he would be very eager to take up the position, although there remains a strong contingent within the county opposed to appointing an 'outsider." Meath hurlers could be destined for the Nicky Rackard Cup after delegates at a special Co Committee meeting on Monday night voted to support a proposal to change the format of the hurling championships in Leinster. The Christy Ring Cup will be reduced from 12 to eight teams with Meath 'relegated" to the Nicky Rackard Cup. There would also be a new competition - the Lory Meagher Cup. The chairman of the Hurling Promotion and Development Committee T J Reilly made an impassioned plea against such a move. He said that taking a step down to the Rackard Cup would be a significant set back for hurling in the county. Representatives of hurling clubs were conspicious by their absence.