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Collins misses out again
Gaelic Sport: By Dan Kinney

DERRY hurling star Ollie Collins was again denied an All Star award for 1998.
At a gala ceremony in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin last night the hurling All Stars were: Stephen Byrne (Offaly), Willie O'Connor (Kilkenny), Kevin Kinahan (Offaly), Martin Hanamy (Offaly), Anthony Daly (Clare), Sean McMahon (Clare), Kevin Martin (Offaly), Tony Browne (Waterford), Ollie Baker (Clare), Michael Duignan (Offaly), Martin Storey (Wexford), Jamsie O'Connor (Clare), Joe Dooley (Offaly), Brian Whelehan (Offaly), Charlie Carter (Kilkenny).
The Player of the Year for hurling is Tony Browne of Waterford and the football Player of the Year is Jarleth Fallon of Galway.
Before the award ceremony All Star sponsors Eircell said they were donating £25,000 to the GAA's Omagh Appeal Fund.
On Wednesday the football All Stars were announced, with Derry's Sean Martin Lockhart getting the fullback spot. He was the only Ulster player to get an award in football.
Meanwhile, the Ulster Club football championship semi-finals at Clones tomorrow will take pride of place for the majority of Ulster gaelic fans.
The first semi kicks off with Enniskillen Gaels squaring up to Derry champions Bellaghy, and on paper, the Fermanagh champions have little hope of blocking Bellaghy's path to the final.
But knock-out competitions are notorious levellers, and the Gaels will go into tomorrow's game with little to lose.
Midfielder Paul Brewster has been in splendid form for the Gaels and his experience at senior county and international levels should be a steadying influence.
Bellaghy have current and former county stars in every line on the field. In midweek, there was some doubt about the fitness of full-back David O'Neill, but he is expected to make the starting line out, and battle-hardened Danny Quinn will have the support of the highly experienced Diamond and Cassidy brothers.
Manager Seamus Birt was not making any predictions, but 1 expect Bellaghy to figure in the provincial final.
As in the first semi-final, St John's of Antrim will be up against it when they tangle with former All-Ireland club championship winners Crossmaglen of Armagh.
Over the years, the Corrigan Park side have made a habit of beating teams that, on paper, looked much stronger than they.
Johnnies teams are truly synonymous with guts and determination. They will fight to the last second of extra time if that should be necessary to get a result.
But even with such doughty warriors as the Johnnies, I cannot see them getting past the star-studded Crossmaglen side.
The Cross, with Jim and Oisin McConville, the , McEntee brothers, Anthony Cunningham and Cathal Short in action, are a formidable outfit.
They came close to paying a heavy price for complacency in their first outing this year in the club championship, but with that experience behind them they are unlikely to make the same mistake tomorrow.
Given that the original fixtures scheduled for a fortnight ago had to be called off at short notice because of the condition of the Clones pitch, there was some surprise that Ulster GAA officials had not acted earlier to ensure that tomorrow's games went ahead on a pitch that would be payable. Omagh was mentioned as a possible alternative.
More rain today and tonight could mean a change of venue for one or other of the two games.
Meanwhile, the top hurlers in the four provinces will be in action tomorrow in the inter-provincial Railway Cup semi-finals.
Ulster, with eight Dunloy players on board, face Connacht in the shape of Galway at Casement Park. The Westerners are clamouring for success on the national stage and if they put their minds to it Ulster are unlikely to be able to hold them.
The other semi-final sees Munster pitted against Leinster. Both these semi-finalists look to be very strong, but I think the Munster men should hold the edge... and the winners of this one should go on to take the title.