The curtain comes down on the Middle East GAA season at Zayed Sports City this weekend, with 107 teams from across the Gulf expected to compete in mens’ and ladies football, hurling and camogie championship competitions.
The season-ending championship, which started in 2010, is a nine-a-side format with Irish, international and local players involved with nearly 1300 players from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE.
The games are played over two halves of seven minutes with each team guaranteed four group matches over the course of the day, and the top team qualifying from each group earning a place in the final.
In the senior football competition, hosts Abu Dhabi na Fianna remain the team to beat after their league victory last month.
The men from the capital, who secured the double last season and won in Bahrain and Al Ain this campaign, have key men in Scott Oates, Cian Connolly, Eoin McEnery and Ken O’Malley.
Jumeirah Gaels from Dubai are also expected to mount a challenge, despite the loss of star man Peter Acheson to a hamstring injury.
The Dubai side finished second in the league after losing by a point to Abu Dhabi in a thrilling decider in Al Ain last month.
Dubai Celts, meanwhile, have shown a revival of form in recent months, tasting victory in Oman. With Aindreas Doyle and Peter Hughes shining, the Celts should be in with a shout of making the final.
More excitement is expected in the intermediate division where a strong Jumeirah Gaels B side will be among the favourites for championship glory after sealing promotion to the senior division for 2019-2020.
The senior ladies competition promises to be one of the highlights of Friday with Abu Dhabi na Fianna and Dubai Celts continuing to set the bar at an immense level.
Abu Dhabi, led by the sublime Nicola Fahy, Rachel Williams and Amy Rooney, to name a few, have won the league for the past seven years and play GAA at a pace and intensity that is ferocious.
In the senior hurling, Sharjah Gaels have looked in imperious form, clinching the league for the first time, and have a real star in centre-forward Niall O’Brien.
For rivals Abu Dhabi, Michael Gleeson and centre-back Wayne McNamara have been solid throughout the year, and will be integral to Na Fianna’s prospects this weekend.
In the camogie, league winners Abu Dhabi na Fianna will battle it out against a strong Sharjah side.
Emma Carroll and Niamh Ni Chaoimh are key cogs in the Abu Dhabi machine, while Aine Mannion is a real livewire for Sharjah.
The hurling and camogie action gets underway on Thursday from 19:00, while football takes place on Friday from 08:00.
