“Football is Coming Home” – Bill Blackburn
Welcome all to another week of tomfoolery here with Cill’s Cuig. Prepare to be hoodwinked, bamboozled, run amok and led astray for another week, as I have a sickeningly saucy, scintillating TV schedule for you all this weekend.
Athy V Ballyboden St. Enda’s, Saturday 4.30, RTÉ 2
You hardly thought it was going to be something else first, did you? Athy look to pick up their first ever Leinster Senior Football Championship victory on Saturday evening, as they make their Croke Park debut. In their way stands Dublin powerhouse Ballyboden, who seek their third Leinster title.
With the Dublin champions overcoming Tullamore and Athy besting Portarlington in last weekend’s semi-finals, both sides enter Saturday’s final in good form and with reason to be confident. It should be a fascinating game.
If you tune in, you might see me in the pocket of red in the Hogan Stand. C’MON THE TOWN!
St. Finbarr’s V Dingle, Sunday 1.30, TG4
If Athy were to win on Saturday and reach the All-Ireland semi-final, I’ll be throwing an eye on Sunday’s Munster Final to see who we will face.
Semple Stadium is the venue for Sunday’s enthralling encounter between the champions of Cork and Kerry. The Barr’s search for their sixth Munster football crown, while Dingle bridged a 77-year gap in Kerry to advance to the provincial stage.
Cork hurler Brian Hayes has certainly been catching the eye for Finbarr’s, while AFL star Mark O’Connor and the Geaneys, who have starred frequently for the Kingdom over the years, will be sure to be running the show for Dingle.
Craobh Chlub Beo ar @TG4TV 🤩
The Munster Club Football Final live on TG4 !
📅 Dé Domhnaigh/Sunday
📺TG4
⏰13:00
🏐 @DingleGAA v @the_Barrs @nemetontv #GAA pic.twitter.com/rdfjFzQ9Z5— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) December 5, 2025
Napoli V Juventus, Sunday 7.45, TNT Sports 1
As I often do, I’m returning to calcio and the Costa Amalfi for my third TV pick. Those of you who have read Cill’s Cuig before will know that I am enamoured with Italian football, and particularly, Scott McTominay.
McTominay, who was recently named Serie A Footballer of the Year, is set to take on Juventus at the Maradona on Sunday night. Juventus manager Luciano Spaletti was Napoli manager back in 2023 when they lifted their third Scudetto. He returns to Naples for the first time since he left that summer.
Napoli beat Evan Ferguson’s Roma last weekend, while a double from Turkish star Kenan Yildiz fired the Old Lady to a 2-1 win over Cagliari last time out.
Bath V Munster, Saturday 8.00, Premier Sports 1
After the Athy game on Saturday, flick the TV over to Premier Sports 1 to catch Munster’s first Champions Cup game of the season. An away tie to Premiership champions Bath awaits.
This is the first meeting of the two sides since 2000, when they both won a game apiece against one another in the pool stages.
Both sides are in excellent form, each winning five of their opening six league games. Clayton McMillan will be hoping for a win in his opening European game as Munster head coach.
Celtic V Hearts, Sunday 3.00, Sky Sports Football
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks at Celtic Park. The last time they faced off against Hearts, just over a month ago, a 3-1 defeat at Tynecastle put the hosts eight points clear of Celtic. It also signalled the end of Brendan Rodgers tenure.
Just five weeks later, Martin O’Neill steps aside from his interim post for little-known French coach Wilfried Nancy. O’Neill’s interim spell has been highly successful. He has made up those eight points, with a game in hand, and reached a Scottish League Cup final.
Can Nancy carry on the momentum of the Martin O’Neill era?