AS THE historians, the seanchai and the plain wellconnected of counties Kerry and Mayo limber up for their night out in Montrose next weekend, Backlash hopes that the presenters of the footballing Up For The Match will be a little better prepared for the encounter than they were for the hurling.

Agreeing with a fullyrecovered Sonia O'Sullivan that it would be a fine thing if she could get a photo of her infant daughter in the cup to go with the one she got of her older child, Ciara, when Cork last won the All Ireland in 1999, Mary Kennedy charged the team with the duty of "bringing back the Sam Maguire for Sonia". Liam O Mhurchu . . .or 'Bualadh Bollocks' as he was affectionately known in the corridors of RTE . . .might have had his failings, but at least he knew his Sam from his Liam.