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Due to unprepared for circumstances i.e. exams, I am going to have to take my leave of all you wonderful people for a couple of weeks so I may ask this question now: Where will the shark be both before and during the Laois game?

We'll definitely be on the Hill, but I'm not sure how sections work yet. I've emailed a few people to see, although for the Dublin game they didn't enforce, so any Hill ticket will probably work.

The game throws in @ 2.15, so seeing as we'll have to be in @ about 1.30 to get inflating and set, I'm not sure about beforehand. Kavanaghs on Dorset St. no doubt if anywhere.

Anyone hear anything about this sections craic yet? I know there's 3 sections, so I wouldn't mind sussing out where I should be going....

Well looking at the tickets that the Offaly co board got you'd be better off on the hill. This is what has been sent to clubs;

"A chara,

As you are aware Offaly's allocation of tickets for the above games are on sale Tues. (clubs only), Wed. and Thurs. of the coming week. I have attached a breakdown of the stand tickets I received. Please note the following:

1. I did not receive any Lower Cusack Stand Tickets in
Centre Sections 304, 305, 306, 307 & 308.
2. The Lower Cusack Stand Tickets (700), I received
are for Section 309 and they are uncovered.
3. For the Centre Sections of the Lower Hogan Stand -
329, 330, 331 & 332 I have 700 tickets in Section 329
which are also uncovered.
4. I have 1,116 Lower Canal Tickets in Section 316 both
covered and uncovered.
5. The Upper Cusack and Hogan Stand tickets are in
Sections 705 and 729 respectively.

I am advising of the above so as to avoid hassle during sales to clubs and supporters.

I also want to advise that over the week-end I was informed by a number of supporters that they either received or ordered tickets for Section 305 in the Cusack Stand, direct from Leinster Council. This may be the best option for securing the best quality tickets. "

I'd say because there's 4 counties playing, they'd find it tricky to allocate the 3 sections on the Hill. So they mightn't bother.

As regards buying match tickets for the stand, I have always found that you get better tickets outside Croke Park than you do down in Offaly.

At the very least, at least this week Ticketmaster got rubbish tickets as well. The county boards surely should always get the best ones, with the Leinster Council next and Ticketmaster after that I would have thought.

For example the league finals - two tickets got through the Monaghan county board were for section 329 - on the corner of Canal and Hogan. I got them from ticketmaster on Thursday seeing as I was in Dublin, and got section 306 of the Cusack. Suited me down to the ground, but all wrong all the same.

If you can get down to Croke Park the day before or alternatively to the ticket outlets before they get busy they will give you a choice of whatever they have. Those Hogan tickets are spot on.
The Hill was all Dublin the day of their last game so no section system was in use. What they will do is open it section by section as it fills. As far as I can make out they will only put the section into play for sell out all ticket games with two sets of fans. It will be interesting to see if they offer Meath half the hill (and the lower price tickets) for heir 1/4 with the Dubs.
Still think its s joke that the Canal Stand is the same price as the Hogan and Cusack.

I've been in touch with Croke Park to find out about tickets on sale directly (I resent paying ticketmaster money for GAA games), Tickets are on sale from yesterday to Wednesday inclusive frmm O'Neills shop opposite Fagans, and from McCauleys newsagents on Clonliffe Road. From Thursday they will be available from the ticket booth in the Cusak stand.
Better chance of getting decent tickets there!
I wonder what size of crowd crowd they are expecting? Aorund 50,000 would be realistic?

Ron wrote:I've been in touch with Croke Park to find out about tickets on sale directly (I resent paying ticketmaster money for GAA games), Tickets are on sale from yesterday to Wednesday inclusive frmm O'Neills shop opposite Fagans, and from McCauleys newsagents on Clonliffe Road.

I hate subsidising ticketbas**** as well, but living in Stillorgan and working in Dun Laoighaire means I don't end up swinging by Clonliffe too often of a week day. It ends up being a necessary compromise sometimes - though here Leinster council direct is an option.

Ron wrote:I wonder what size of crowd crowd they are expecting? Aorund 50,000 would be realistic?

Not really - I'd say 35,000 will be a good show - and that's only if Kildare make up about half of it. If I was laying odds I'd be o/u 32,000.

It said on the paper that ticket sales in Wastemeath were slow.
With the Premiership season over, I would have thought there'd be more wasties heading up

328 uncovered were the best they had in Leinster Council today (don't know about upper decks). 328 is okay, but they claimed the best tickets had gone to the County Boards.

It's the one thing I hate about championship - getting tickets for people 'cos invariably someone doesn't like what they get.

I don't see why they can't sell tickets that are just marked for lower hogan, upper hogan, etc, but not numbered, so that people can just go a bit earlier and pick wherever they like. (Bit tricky for a last minute run from the pub though! )

The whole thing is a bit silly, surely with 4 counties playing every 4th section should be for each county? It probably suited Laois supporters fine to have the good tickets available to them in Portlaoise. Coincidence??
On the upside, at least there's no longer the chance of being caught behind a concrete column or behind a fence like the old days!!

Hill 16, section B. Tickets acquired by Bogman from O'Connor Park last night (Thanks again for that lad! ), so hopefully that'll be the section most of you will have tickets for. If ye don't, don't worry about it, just try to slide in that direction - they didn't enforce the sections for the Dublin game, and they mightn't here either. Failing that we'll get people to swap tickets......

And for those of you who don't know what you're looking for, here's the beloved Shark with a hardcore few of us taking in the minor match in Mullingar a few weeks ago .......

Section B it is!
I'll see ye all there.

All to best to offaly and all who travel.... fair play to all on this site for rattling up a bit of support. ...its needed..unfortunately i'll miss game on sunday but gonna find some pub showing match....stuck in a foreign land for a bit