Sam has passed McDonald by

Was disappointed that it looks like Ciaran McDonald won't be playing in this year's championship.
The Mayo man has lit up many a game in recent years and although infuriatingly inconsistent McDonald is a class act.
At times he has been capable of sheer genius, with his passing and point taking at times breathtaking.
On other days McDonald did things a novice wouldn't have done but it never seemed to erode his faith that he could do something which could turn a game.
At times his county was too reliant on him to win big games and other sides worked hard to cancel him out.
I always felt that if he had have had at least one other player providing a real cutting edge on the Mayo side that they would have broken their half century run of All-Ireland defeats.
As well as having one of the best left foots in the game McDonald has the knack of always finding space no matter how tight the marking and he never looks rushed, the mark of a great player.
His faith in his own ability was obvious.
He tried pinpoint passes again and again and more often than not he pulled them off.
If anything he tried the difficult pass too often, always trying to open up defences.
When he first burst on to the scene I wondered would he make it, would he apply himself to match his talent with the effort needed to rise to the top?
However, McDonald did work hard at his game and he inspired his side to two All-Ireland finals in the last four years only to lose heavily on both occasions to Kerry.
It looks likely now that McDonald will join a host of other great players never to lift the Sam Maguire but he gave us all plenty to remember him by.

Strength in depth the key to the Kingdom

Wouldn't you just love to have the problems facing Kerry boss Pat O'Shea going into the National League final.
He lost his top scorer in this year's league Bryan Sheehan, in most counties this would be a major problem but for Pat O'Shea it's just a case of bringing in one of the country's top forwards of the last six or seven years, Eoin Brosnan, and while he's at it why not bring back Declan O'Sullivan.
And just in case it gets tight against Derry on Sunday I suppose he could even get Gooch to warm up and go out and do a bit of damage if he needs it.
For me it's that type of strength of depth which gives Kerry the edge on every team in the country.
No matter what way the league final goes the Kingdom will remain the ream to beat.

Football manager who needs it?

Who would be a football manager?
Last year Sligo won the Connacht championship for the first time since 1975, this season under a new manager Tommy Jordan they have been relegated to Division 4.
It must be a nightmare for Jordan, no new manager sets out to get relegated, ask Kieran McGeeney who has started his term in office with Kildare on the way down.
However, Jordan is climbing a mountain as a defeat in the first round of the Connacht championship against Mayo who have been motoring well, then Sligo will be immediately condemned to the Tommy Murphy a fate worse than death.
No one needs to tell Jordan how big a task he has ahead but to top off what has been a bad week for Sligo football, he has been given a vote of confidence by the county chairman.
Wonder what odds I would get at the bookies that Jordan will not be in charge next season unless Mayo are rolled over.

What planet is Caffrey on?

You have to wonder what planet Paul Caffrey is living on when he questions why the media made such a big deal out of the free for all on Sunday in the game against Meath.
In this day and age in front of a television audience and where there is less tolerance than ever for the thuggery displayed on Sunday Caffrey claimed that the players had been made a scapegoat of!
So is Paul Caffrey saying the problem is with the public's reaction or the actions of the players?
So how exactly have the Dublin and Meath players been hung out to dry?
Were they innocent of the offences the GAA have proffered against them, well four of the Dubs have already taken their oil, so they can't believe that they were hung out to dry.
And how can Caffrey claim there was no malice given that players all over the field got involved in the brawl.
However, my favourite comment of the Dublin manager's was that the game was all about "controlled aggression".
Yes indeed.
I didn't think that there was too much controlled about the aggression of the two sides on Sunday but I suppose if I lost eight players to such stupidity I would be feeling a bit miffed too.
Paul Caffrey would do the game a service if he just accepted, like half his players already have, that there is just no place in the game any more for this type of incident.
After all he has lost at least five players, including Alan Brogan from the week previous, with four more appealing the rap for what was simply a loss of discipline and nerve.

League final latest victim of TV schedules

The National League final has become the latest casualty of the TV schedulers with a 2.15pm throw-in for the Division One decider between Kerry and Derry.
This early start isn't actually too bad but the earlier start of 12.30 for the Division 3 decider at Parnell Park between Wexford and Fermanagh is tough on the supporters of the two sides.
Both sets of fans have around a two-hour trip to the match and the timing of the fixture does put the 'importance' of the game in context because at the end of the day it is a meaningless game as no one will ever remember the year Fermanagh or Wexford played in the Division 3 final.
I find the Divisional play-offs an utter nonsense unless it involves a promotion issue.
For Wexford it will be a reminder that only three to four years ago, told you I can't even remember what year it was despite being at the game, they were in the league final with Armagh, quite a come down.
So despite my reservations about the GAA switching the times of its games to suit the TV stations, I think that the decision in this case is entirely sensible.
Many GAA people will want to see how Munster fare in the European semi final and I think the decision to bring the league finals forward is recognition that we are an integral part of Irish sporting life but we are not an island.
I would be watching the league final regardless but I will now enjoy I hope the Munster game while we are at it.

Decisive action good for the games

Delighted that the GAA has proposed to take very strong action against Dublin and Meath for their display of thuggery on Sunday.
The proposal to discipline 16 players, eight from each side should send out the message loud and clear once and for all that this type of nonsense will no longer be tolerated.
The decision will of course be very disruptive to Dublin and Meath in their preparations for the Leinster championship and both sides could come to rue Sunday as a very bad day's work.
However, this type of 'free for all' has been an absolute blight on the game for a long time now but in an era where video evidence plays its part, players should know that this particular malaise has had its day and that they must leave it to the referees to deal with foul play.
With punishments being handed out to so many players no one in the country can pretend later this season that they didn't realise that the association would crack down on them so hard if they step over the line.
The real winner is football as this decisive action on foul play will allow our best footballers to perform to the best of their ability.
That can only be good for the game.

Dublin board accept the rap so far

I am fascinated so far this season with the no nonsense approach the Dublin County Board has taken to matters of discipline.
They barred Kevin's from all competition until they gave up a 'supporter' who attacked a referee and their handling of the headbutting of Tommy Freeman was exemplary.
Now they have apologised for the brawl which occurred on Sunday at the game between the county and Meath and have indicated they won't appeal the €20,000 fine.
Reports that the GAA intends to discipline sixteen players in total who were involved in the incident will however, be their greatest test to date.
If eight players from each side are hammered it could have a big bearing on Dublin's All-Ireland challenge and it may be too hard to resist the temptation not to appeal the players' punishments.
In recent years several county boards have driven a coach and horses through the rules and several times punishments which were well deserved were overturned on technicalities or loopholes.
The GAA has attempted to close the loopholes but the example must come from the county boards.
If the Dublin Board resist the urge to appeal given that Sunday's incident was a total disgrace I will tip my hat to them.

Problems much more deep rooted than Gormley

Distracted since Sunday about Antrim's tame performance which cost them a chance to escape from the bowels of Division 4 football.
Another year condemned to playing London, Kilkenny and even the 'mighty' Waterford who blew away what looked like certain promotion for the Saffrons is hardly an appetising prospect.
Already there is some discontent among the natives about Antrim boss Jody Gormley who only a couple of weeks ago some saw as being the Messiah of Antrim football.
Well I have to admit to being no fan of Gormley, last year Antrim played some of the most negative football I have seen for long many a day against Derry in the Ulster championship at Casement Park.
They seemed interested from the start only in keeping the margin of the defeat down and made little effort other than a brief flurry before half time to try and go and win the game.
The Antrim defenders were out in front of their markers, great says you shows ambition, the only problem was that they were faced back towards their own goal staring hopefully into the eyes of their opponent hoping for a clue about where they intended to make their run.
I honestly don't know is it possible to tell something about the flight of the ball by looking straight into someone's eyes, maybe you can be trained to catch the reflection of the ball in there, but it seemed all about stopping the man running rather than getting their own hands on the leather.
I thought to paraphrase Spillane, puke football at its worst and I said at the time there is no future in that.
However, I don't subscribe to the notion that Gormley is to blame for where Antrim football is at the moment. I wish the only problem was to find a new manager who would take us to the promised land but we are not even anywhere near it.
Much more needs to be done in the coaching of our youngsters, only a few progressive clubs are really working at it, that's why St Galls and Cargin are so far ahead of the pack and why Gorts have become a force to be reckoned with.
Our biggest weakness however is in the colleges.
When I was a young footballer Belfast boasted two good college teams, St Malachy's and St Mary's. Under Derry star Phil Stuart St Malachy's reached successive Rannafast finals, won the MacRory Cup and lost the Hogan Cup to three goals in the last eight minutes while St Mary's too were knocking on the door to success until the mid '70s.
Today St Malachy's is a soccer and basketball school, St Mary's are still in competition but not at the races and I think the fact that we have had no success at Corn na n-Og, Rannafast or MacCrory Cups is a big factor why there are so few Antrim lads on either of the Queen's or UUJ Sigerson sides.
Many of the top county footballers in the country cut their teeth in these schools, colleges and university competitions, it gives them experience of a different level of football, of pressure games, the type of game which Antrim flaked in on Sunday.
The days when dedicated teachers in these schools are going to promote the games unsupported are over.
If we are to progress in Antrim the county board and the clubs are going to have to find a way to develop our young players in the schools, and not just in the two big grammar schools, but throughout the secondary level if we are to be able to compete again at the top level.
That's a big project which will take a lot of time and commitment but it beats waiting on a manager to take us out of Division 4.

Red Hand Dooher sees red

Brian Dooher's straight red in his first club game back from injury is a blow Mickey Harte's Tyrone could well have done without.
Dooher had scored two points for Clann na nGael in his first start in a senior game in a year before being sent off.
His sending off will delay any chance he has of making it back on to the Tyrone side for the Ulster championship.
Technically Dooher could be back and fit for Tyrone's first game in June but there is now no chance of Dooher being match fit and I'm sure that Mickey Harte will be raging at someone as influential as Dooher seeing red.
Harte must reckon that he is jinxed given the injury lists he has endured in recent seasons and Dooher is not the first Tyrone star to get himself sent off before big games.
I am doubtful that Dooher can ever be the same force for Tyrone as he was in 2003 and 2005, but he has been a great player for his county and he is respected as a leader.
He is coming to the end of what has been a great career, it's a shame that he has compounded his injury problems by seeing red.

Cleaned out by the might of Waterford!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote Thank God it was the Waterford footballers who stood in the way of Antrim winning promotion from Division 4 as if it had have been hurling we wouldn't have had a chance.
Well, the mighty Waterford footballers came up to Casement Park and cleaned us out leaving our promotion hopes in ruins.
I don't think anyone else in the country gets it why we are struggling so badly with one of the biggest pools of players in the North.
I mean Division 4 football, the standard is absolutely awful but the problem for us is that a couple of the sides coming down will keep us down there for at least another year to come.
I am sick to the back teeth reading about the progress we are making in football's nether regions, we are not in Division 4 because we are too good.
Unless we are honest about where we are we ain't going anywhere.
Oisin McConville (above) recently wrote that he believed we were lazy or didn't want to work for success, it's hard to argue against that for as a county we seem to have given up trying to be better.
I grew up in an era where we weren't exactly feared in Ulster but we were respected, it seems so long ago, it is so long ago, and I don't see us going anywhere for some time to come!

Brawl was sheer hooliganism

The row in the Meath Dublin match was an absolute disgrace and I hope that the association doesn't baulk at hammering those involved because they are from Leinster's two top teams and are a huge box office draw.
Parnell Park had a sell-out crowd for the game, a sign that once again the Dublin Meath rivalry has become the big game in Leinster once more after a brief interlude where Westmeath and Laois made the running.
But for 29 players to get involved in a brawl in this day and age is totally unacceptable.
This was reminiscent of the 1996 replay of the All-Ireland final when Meath and Mayo battled it out at the start of the game leading to the current Meath manager Colm Coyle being sent off along with Mayo's then top player Liam McHale.
I hate this sort of nonsense in our game, Dublin and Tyrone did something similar two seasons ago although that looked like handbags at forty paces compared to this.
I hope the GAA examines the video evidence, from what I saw Ciaran Whelan for one was lucky to stay on the pitch long enough after the brawl to earn himself a red card, and that every player who lifted their hands gets hammered.
I doubt they will because of the two sides involved, but I would like to see county boards getting massive fines, or have to play behind closed doors for a number of games when something like this happens.
I would also love to see the first person who lands into a brawl and plays any part in extending it out beyond the original pair involved to be banned for the season. It might make players think twice.
The beauty at least about this incident is that it is on tape and there should be no hiding place.
Don't know what's happening to Ciaran Whelan, he has increasingly become involved in nonsense as his physical powers and impact on a game diminishes.
And as for Bernard Brogan, what are they feeding him and his brother? It's a big chink in any player's armour if the opposition knows that it is easy to make you bite.
As for the spectator who threw the cup of tea at Ciaran Whelan, I hope he is identified and banned from GAA activity for about five years to life. No player should be at risk from anyone at a game.
I know that there are some who will argue that worse brawls than this have happened in the GAA in the past.
I have been at some of them myself, but times have changed and more and more games are televised.
We have a responsibility to bring our young people up to play football and tell them that the so-called hard man or woman is the one who comes out of the fifty fifty with the ball.
Other codes are ruthless about this type of behaviour and have by and large stamped it out because the penalties are stern and players know they have to act in a disciplined fashion.
The GAA needs to get tough with it too and it should make clear that the hooliganism we saw today is brought to an end once and for all.

Premier men need ruthless streak

One thing did strike me about the Tipp performance today which has bothered me.
The Premier men still lack a little ruthlessness and that was their undoing in last year's battles with Limerick when they had them beaten on at least two occasions and let them off the hook.
There was still a hangover from that in today's Tipperary performance.
I felt that Tipp had the edge throughout the game but the one thing they failed to do was to put Galway away.
There were times when the Premier men were on top that they hit a few poor wides and Galway to their credit hung in there never too far away.
Even when Tipp hit a real purple patch right after the Lar Corbett goal which saw them open up a seven-point gap they missed a couple of chances which would have put the game out of sight.
In fairness to the players they will get better as they become fitter and faster and their touch improves by the time championship comes.
However, Tipp have upped their game, they work harder and are a lot more competitive, but Kilkenny and Cork rarely let anyone off the hook when they get on top, they put you down.
If anyone wants to steal their thunder they need to match their ruthless streak

Change in the air at the top table

The GAA should be happy on every front today after the National Hurling League final.
Firstly a larger than usual crowd weighed in, boosted no doubt by the fact that the two counties involved have been starved of success in recent seasons.
Secondly the standard of play was top class for this time of the season and both Galway and Tipp have now sounded out a warning to the country that they are genuine contenders for this year's Liam McCarthy.
I have said it before, we need someone to challenge the Cork Kilkenny monopoly on the All-Ireland title.
There is no doubt that public interest in hurling rises whenever another side or two come in to the mix and the All-Ireland becomes a little more unpredictable.
Tipp and Galway have now set us up for what should be a good season's hurling.
There will be a backlash from the Big Two after last week's results, their pride will be hurt but that will only add an edge to a season where Kilkenny are attempting the three in a row.
With today's finalists looking like being in the mix for the Liam McCarthy, we can only look forward to the All Ireland in the hope that at last change might be in the air.

Disappointment but Galway can get better

Galway came up just short in today's National Hurling League final but they made progress despite not lifting the title.
John Lee (above) had a great game at centre half while up front Damian Hayes had a great first half.
Joe Canning only began to get into the game just before the half time break when his sheer strength set up the first Galway goal. He was the pick of the Galway attack in the second half with a great solo goal which hauled his side back into the game.
However, if there was one thing which sums up the extra threat Canning brings to the Galway attack it was the pass inside for the second goal.
He was boxed in, tightly marked and yet he managed in a flash to pick out a team mate breaking inside, showing great vision and composure.
Kevin Hynes battled hard in the middle but Richie Murray despite one fantastic point in the first half was AWOL.
Iarla Tannion who has been one of the scoring heroes for the Tribesmen so far this season had a howler and was lucky not to be substituted in the first half.
Ger Loughnane will be worried about his full back line, they struggled for much of the game, too often second to the blistering pace of Corbett or not tight enough on Eoin Kelly.
However, the Clare man will look forward to the return of Ollie Canning to the defence and despite being shaded by Tipp he won't be too unhappy on the trip home.

Great league final, bring on the real thing

Just coming down after enjoying a great league final.
Tipp were good value for their win even though there was only a score between the teams at the end of the game.
Felt heart sorry for Galway keeper james Skehill who made one dreadful mistake costing his side a goal near half time and it ended up being the difference between the sides.
Many a young keeper's career has been wrecked by one error in a big game and I hope Skehill will get past it.
The Premier men had heroes all over the field. I thought that Paul Curran was fantastic particularly in the first half, keeping Joe Canning almost anonymous.
Eamon Corcoran was another who really got stuck in when Damian Hayes was giving him all he wanted.
Shane McGrath was inspirational again in the middle of the field but the mobility of the Tipp full forward line caused Galway problems all day.
Lar Corbett (above) had one of those days when you think what a player, he just needs to do it more consistently, while Eoin Kelly kept the score board moving from frees and play.
Corbett's goal was the real turning point of the game coming within seconds of Galway spurning a goal chance at the other end. The Tribesmen found themselves five behind instead of being a point ahead.
Tipp's work rate was impressive throughout and they have added a bit of steel to their side.
Their defence was uncompromising even though it was undone by the Galway attack on three occasions.
Liam Sheedy's team will take a lot out of this performance, a National title will give his younger players many of whom were winners at the underage level a lift with a senior title already under their belts.
Tipp could go on from here, unlike Waterford who made the breakthrough in last year's league they are not in the last chance saloon and they will take this result with them into the championship.

League final promises greater things

Really looking forward to tomorrow's league decider in the hurling between Galway and Tipp.
Part of the attraction is that the Big two will be sitting this one out while two of the sides who have a realistic chance of challenging the established order get the chance to show their credentials at Gaelic Park.
Tipp have a new manager Liam Sheedy while Galway's Ger Loughnane is already a legend in the game and not always for the right reasons.
Loughnane is particularly disliked in Tipp since the era when his Clare side mercilessly put Tipp to the sword during the hurling revolution of the '90s, beating them in a Munster final and then the All-Ireland final of 1997, when Sheedy played on the losing team.
Tipp people regarded the then Clare boss and his side as arrogant bullies.
Yes Clare did play with some swagger at that time and they were among the most pumped-up sides in the country, but that was natural enough after years of enduring hidings at the hands of Cork and Tipp as they didn't get to play Kilkenny in the championship then as they couldn't get out of Munster.
However, despite the local rivalry I was shocked in a pub in Tipp in 1998 to hear the locals cheer Offaly on against Clare in the famous third encounter between the sides in the 1998 All-Ireland semi final.
Being an Ulsterman it has always been our tradition, apart from the Tyrone and Derry people I believe where there is no love lost for each other, to cheer on the Ulster champions once they left the province to take on the southern hordes.
So when I asked people there what was the craic, the one answer again and again for the support for Offaly was that "b******d Loughnane".
So there is no doubt that the Tipp people will want their team to put one over the upstart from Feakle who dared to challenge the 'natural order' of hurling.
And in fairness Tipp have improved this season, they are a hard working side for a start and maybe at last some of the underage talent they have produced in recent seasons is beginning to bloom. Shane McGrath has been outstanding in midfield and while Eoin Kelly still continues to produce the goods up front he has had a little more support with a better spread of the scores.
Galway on the other hand have come on in leaps and bounds. For around ten years I wondered were they incapable of producing big physically strong forwards but they look a lot more imposing and of course the country awaits to see can Joe Canning build on his great start to inter-county hurling.
In Richie Murray and Kevin Hynes they have two hard working midfielders.
The other thing I see going Galway's way is the fact that it is Tipp they are facing and the Tribesmen don't have the same fear or inferiority complex about the Premier men as they have had traditionally with Kilkenny and Cork.
I think it will be a great joust, I think the title might just go west and I hope that this is more than another false dawn where Galway and Tipp have promised much but flattered to deceive.

League game may signal change in Leinster

Tomorrow's game between Dublin and Meath could be much more important than just a routine National League game, leaving aside the fact that both sides still have the opportunity to contest the Divisional final.
After all who cares about who wins Division 2 of the league, most of us have trouble remembering even the winners of the National League by the time the championship comes around.
However, I think this game could be the signal of a change in the fortunes of Leinster's big two.
The Dubs have dominated the province for the last three seasons without ever looking like potential All-Ireland champions, unless you live in the city where the media always get carried away by any championship run by the Blues.
Meath on the other hand slipped right off the radar after winning four All-Irelands between 1987 and 1999, clocking up eight Leinsters between 1986 and 2001.
The Royals never really recovered after being absolutely blown away in the All-Ireland final of 2001 by Galway when they were hot favourites after humiliating Kerry.
It must have been tough in Meath watching minnows like Westmeath and Laois enjoying provincial success before the Dubs resumed business as usual.
However, Meath's star is once again on the rise, and their full forward line last season of Shane O'Rourke,Stephen Bray and Brian Farrell promised much with the veteran Graham Geraghty still full of pace, intelligent running and passing.
I think the Dubs are slightly on the slide, they may need another manager other than Paul Caffrey who has been honest and hard working to take them to another level, and if Meath can even edge them tomorrow we could be in for another change in the Leinster pecking order.
And one thing a Meath side would take into the All-Ireland series is the physicality Leinster sides have lacked in recent seasons.

Wishful thinking by McDonnell

Armagh forward Stevie McDonnell has sounded a warning today about anyone writing off Tyrone in the provincial championship saying that Mickey Harte's men like Armagh have improved as the championship has gone on.
Tyrone and Armagh have literally carved Ulster up between them since 1999, with Armagh way out ahead with six titles to Tyrone's three.
However, the Red Hands have fared slightly better in the All Ireland with two wins to Armagh's one and one of the Tyrone victories came at Armagh's expense in the first ever all Ulster final in 2003.
However, neither side are the force they were early in the decade, Tyrone devastated by the loss of Cormac McAnallen and an injury list that would do an episode of Casualty justice.
Armagh on the other hand have lost some of their greatest players, McGeeney and Marsden in particular, to retirement and some of their most experienced players are the wrong side of 30, and in the modern game that's a problem.
Both counties have worked hard with young players, Tyrone because they've had to and Armagh have had a good set of Under 21s come through.
However, they are not yet the genuine article and I think that McDonnell is being over optimistic about the two sides' fortunes.
No one will look forward to playing them, and if they go out of Ulster who would want them in the play-offs, but I think this season we will see new kings in Ulster.
Derry and Monaghan are ahead of the province's big two at the moment and Donegal could also be a threat if they can turn over Derry who may be too confident after the easy league win over Brian McIver's side.
Ulster is notoriously difficult to navigate but the big question for me is, is there a side in the province capable of beating Kerry. I don't think so on the evidence so far this year but that's the beauty about championship anything can happen.
I'd love Tyrone and Armagh to mount a credible challenge again, it would be good for football in the province, but I believe it's wishful thinking.

Outhurled, outfought, who would be a Cat this week?

Would love to have been a fly on the wall during training in Kilkenny this week after their exit from the National League at the hands of Tipperary.
Brian Cody didn't look overly upset when his charges were leaving the field last week, which was a bit of a surprise as Cody doesn't exactly take defeat in his stride, despite having overcome his fair share of disappointment as a player and manager.
Now whether he has watched or reviewed the match since he sounds much more like the Cody we know.
He said that Tipp outfought and outhurled his team and that he "didn't like being outfought".
The Cats' boss said that there would be a serious review of things, love how measured he was but with Cody's passion and determination I'd reckon that serious review will is code for some of his players getting a roasting they won't forget in a hurry.
For Cody the Tipp result might just be the result to galvanise his team into a serious tilt at the three in a row.

Caffrey must be worried man

I think the Dubs' season is now in a bit of trouble.
Paul Caffrey has totally changed his half forward line for the game with Meath after last week's bad beating up in Armagh.
He has no Alan Brogan for this game after getting a straight red against the Orchard men but he has made a number of changes to the line-up including bringing Mossy Quinn out to half forward.
Ciaran Whelan is back in from the start but this is a sign that the Dubs still don't really know the shape of their championship midfield.
This time out Whelan will partner Eamonn Fennell, but Caffrey must be worried when an ageing midfielder who has always come up just short is still his best throw of the dice.

TV rights row only a matter of time

There will be a huge collective sigh of relief from Croke Park at comments made by Dublin's Colin Moran about the new multi-million euro TV deal which gave TV3 ten live games this year including the Ulster football final.
Moran reckons that inter-county players aren't interested in a slice of the TV revenue.
He said that players have never really been interested in the TV money and that the GAA has invested heavily in pitches all over the country.
Have to say I hope Moran is right because the Association has invested heavily in pitches and efforts to develop and promote the games all over the country.
The recent announcement about the distribution of the revenues which came out of the rugby/soccer deal was a brilliant example of headquarters getting it right, working through a contentious issue and using the opportunities it gave the GAA to aid the game at the grassroots level with new age all-weather pitches.
I wold love to think that Collie Moran is representative of thinking among players on the TV monies.
However, I am too much of a realist to think for a second that there won't be players already looking at the TV deal and wondering if a strike was enough to get rid of the Cork football manager then a short heave might just secure some of the TV rights.

Players grants, wrong job!

For anyone left out there who still believes we are an amateur organisation I noted that in the last week alone my home county Antrim and Mayo have put ads in the papers for full-time paid secretaries and headquarters has advertised another new post too.
I am all in favour of these changes as long as it leads to increased professionalism where it matters, the proper organisation of club and county fixtures and better promotion of all our games at the ground level.
In fact the Antrim job looks so attractive I might just apply for it myself!
The pay sure beats the grants for the players!

Bellew a throw back to another era

Big Francie Bellew is back for Armagh this Sunday with his first start for the Orchard County since damaging his cruciate ligament last year.
Bellew has been one of Armagh's key defenders since Joe Kernan brought him into the Armagh team in their winning season of 2002 as a corner back.
Since then Francie has been an absolute rock at the heart of the defence.
He has been badly missed since his injury and new manager Peter McDonnell will be hoping he can get one more good year from the veteran defender.
The only player in recent seasons to clean Francie out was Kerry’s Ciaran Donaghy in 2006 when Francie slipped close to goal.
However, I think that contest changed when Francie got a fairly innocuous yellow card just before half time at a period when Donaghy looked totally frustrated by the Crossmaglen man’s tight marking.
Bellew is a no-nonsense defender, almost a throw back to another age.
You’ll not see him galloping forward knocking points over the opposition’s crossbar but he takes the marking job so seriously that I wonder does he follow his man into the opposition changing room at the interval.
Hope the big man can complete his comeback, he hasn’t many more seasons left in him at the top, hope he gets to enjoy it!

Backlash against Maughan predictable

The inevitable backlash against former Roscommon manager John Maughan came at this week's county board meeting.
There was no doubt that John Maughan did suffer some vicious criticism from boo boys on the terraces.
However, at the time I thought that he had made a mistake by describing a section of the Roscommon supporters as "customers".
It is usually only the most dedicated fans of any county who go to national league games and to describe them as 'customers' was never going to play well with GAA people in the county.
And so it proved this week with some delegates alleging that Maughan had portrayed the county badly and it was clear that the remark about 'customers' particularly irked some.
Maughan won't be too worried now what they think of him in Roscommon, he has too good a track record to be bothered about the fall-out but it's sad that good GAA people have been soured by ill-considered remarks.

Sheer love of the games shines through

One of the things that I love about our association is people's sheer passion for the games and their commitment to getting out a team out.
My club have played every game away from home since 1971 but it has always been one of our proud boasts that no matter how good or bad we were during that period of time that we never failed to field, even in the darkest days of the conflict, and for Northern gaels living in North Belfast there were plenty of those.
I can't help therefore but admire the optimism of Wicklow minor hurling manager Martin Barnes who has taken over the team after the resignation of the previous manager and his team three weeks ago.
Barnes could only round up 13 players for last weekend's minor hurling championship game with Westmeath and had to hoist a white flag when they were 9-22 to no score down at half time.
Despite this Barnes said he will field this week when his team travel to take on Meath.
Where would you get it?
Hammered into the ground, two players short, and without a full side training but determined to get a side together to represent his county at a sport where there is more chance of hell freezing over than winning a game never mind an All Ireland.
You can talk about paying people all the money in the planet, but it's only a sheer love for the game, which could drive anyone like Martin Barnes to scrape a team together to play for their county.
Fair play to him and all the young lads involved, they are a credit to themselves and the association.

Tough at the top for McGeeney

Football manangement is a tough old game as Armagh captain Kieran McGeeney is finding out down in Kildare.
A late point by Laois' Beano McDonald, who had just returned from injury, sent McGeeney's side out of Division One at the weekend.
Now defender Brian Flanagan has been ruled out of the Lilywhites' championship match with Mick O'Dwyer's Wicklow on May 18.
McGeeney has had a baptism of fire.
Although his side played credibly in the top flight the Lilywhites are no longer a serious contender for honours in the championship.
There is also the little matter of former county captain and Kildare legend Glen Ryan enjoying some success at the moment with the county's Under 21 side.
All of this will put further pressure on McGeeney as he faces into his first championship outing against the man who took Kildare to an All Ireland with Ryan as his captain.

Golden age for hurling? Bring it on!

Wrote yesterday that the fire is back in Ger Loughnane's belly and that can only be good for the game because he is a hugely passionate hurling man.
Today he is predicting a golden age for the game and he feels that the gap is closing on the big two of Cork and Kilkenny.
I'm not sure because the Rebels and the Cats responded to the hurling revolution of the '90s by going back to the drawing board and matching their undoubted skill with the type of fire, commitment and physical strength which gave Offaly and Clare in particular such an edge in the last decade.
Since 1999 the big two have won every All Ireland except for one Tipp win in 2001.
But there is a window of opportunity this season for anyone hungry enough to take it.
The Cats are chasing the coveted three in a row and it's difficult not to become a bit stale after notching up their fifth win of the decade.
And although I think that Cody is playing cute at the moment by not cranking up the momentum too early in the season, without their destroyer in chief Henry Shefflin the Cats looked at least human on Sunday.
Cork are going to be very difficult to beat but they too have lost that aura of invincibility which almost took them to a three in row and which saw them play four finals out of four.
They have lost a couple of big players and the quality of replacements are young and raw, guys like Cathal Naughton who may come good but who are nowhere near being the finished article.
Loughnane obviously believes his own team can be one of those to end the domination of the big two and he also rates an improving Tipp and thinks that there is more in Waterford.
I for one hope that he is right although I feel that the current Waterford team may have shot its bolt and blown the county's best chance of an All Ireland in fifty years.
Hurling could do with another spell like the '90s when the championship was almost magical as the citadel was stormed. Bring it on I say.

Fire back in Ger's belly

Great to see Ger Loughnane back with a bit of fire in his belly.
The 'great' man seems to be enjoying life as manager of his neighbouring county and he reckons he now is beginning to see leaders emerge in his team.
At times last season Loughnane looked like he could take the job or leave it, I felt that his passion was missing.
Maybe it's because this year he has had an opportunity to work with the team right through the winter, but he looks up for it once more.
However, it's wonderful what a little success can do for a team's confidence.
If the Tribesmen can lift the league title there is no better man than Loughnane to exploit it in an effort to transform them into an unstoppable force.
Galway have lacked leaders in recent years in the tough games when it was vital to hang in there, if Loughnane feels that some of his men can now bring that to the table we might have a better season than we could have hoped for.

Managerial problems in Wexford?

So what is going on in Wexford? Manager John Meyler is angry that half back Richie Kehoe has decided to spend the summer in Boston instead of playing with the county squad in the championship.
It seems to me that there are big problems in the Model County's squad.
Around 20 young players have turned down the chance to join the squad this season while four veterans have also called it a day.
Is it just defeatism that spurred Kehoe to decide to spend the summer in the States, that the best this season will offer the relegated Wexford men is another crushing defeat at the hands of Kilkenny?
All those big losing margins of the last ten years may have finally taken their toll on the county's self belief that it can again compete with Ireland's best.
Or is there a problem in the county with the management team? I find it hard to believe that so many people have turned down the chance to play for their county otherwise.
Anyone any views on this one?

Tommy Murphy dead and buried!

The Tommy Murphy Cup has been pronounced dead by GAA President Nicky Brennan.
An t-Uachtarán was speaking after the vote to allow Division 4 sides the opportunity to play in the All-Ireland qualifiers once they are eliminated from the provincial championships.
I have to say I see no merit at all in letting the worst sides in the country back into the All Ireland and Nicky Brennan and Pauric Duffy are right in that the decision will make it almost impossible to play the secondary competition because of a fixture pile up and the knock-on effect on club games.
To be honest, I'm no fan of the Tommy Murphy or Christy Ring competitions, no one ever remembers who won them, no one is really that interested in playing in them and even when my own county played in the final last year I didn't even watch the match on TV.
Personally I'd rather watch paint dry than the Tommy Murphy final, so if it goes for its tea then I won't be shedding any tears for it.

Sheehan could be victim to conveyor belt of talent

Hope that Bryan Sheehan's knee injury will not turn out to be too serious.
The Kerry marksman is likely to miss the National League Football final against Derry, which is a great pity given that he scored eight points yesterday against Galway and his contribution to Kerry's league campaign has been prolific.
It is a personal tragedy for Sheehan given the fierce competition there will be for places in the Kingdom's line-up during the championship.
Colm Cooper came back into contention yesterday while Eoin Brosnan, Mike Frank Russell and Paul Galvin will add to the competition for places in the starting line-up.
Sheehan has given Kerry real consistency from placed balls as well as tagging on some great scores from play.
However, if someone else gets in and does the business in the championship it will be tough to get back in, just one of the joys of playing for a side with as much talent as Kerry.

Weekend fixtures just the ticket

Dublin's clash against Meath at Parnell Park this weekend in the league will be an all-ticket affair with 10,000 expected at the game.
A point will guarantee Dublin's place in the Division 2 final but the Royals will be out to spoil the party and score a major psychological lift over Dublin before the Leinster championship.
Meath closed the gap on Dublin in last season's championship but the Metropolitans still enjoyed a healthy edge over the emerging Royals.
This week's game will give some indication of the changing fortunes of the two sides and I think the Dubs will have their work cut out for them.
Ten out of ten to those who came up with the fixtures as we have enjoyed some really important games in the last couple of weeks of this year's league with top of the table clashes in both Divisions One and Two.
With the Dubs going head to head with Meath and Monaghan facing Westmeath the four top teams in the Division are fighting it out for the top spot, perfect!

Buzz around Galway hurling

There are times when players in a county just sense that maybe it is their year, when there is a buzz around the place and expectations rise.
Portumna's recent victory in the All-Ireland club final, Galway's form in the National Hurling League and the emergence of Joe Canning as the latest bright young star on the horizon has created a feel-good factor around the county's hurling team.
The news that Canning's older brother and one of Galway's most experienced defenders Ollie is to rejoin the county panel after a two-year gap will further add to the belief in the county that maybe they can bridge the 20-year gap since their last All-Ireland success.
That feeling will be cemented if the Tribesmen can overcome Tipp in this Sunday's National League final, and at long last we may have a genuine contender outside the Big Two.

Good start to club league

Mid April but at long last our club season got off to start in Antrim today.
Our senior team Ardoyne Kickhams faced McDermott's in our first league game of the year in the county's Division 3.
For us the target for the season is to get out of this league.
The standard in Division 3 is by and large poor but there are always at least four sides in the running to get out of it.
We have come up short in each of the last three seasons we have been there since Division 2 was reorganised and we took the drop.
We have been improving with a number of good minors breaking through into the senior ranks over the last two seasons and we have a good nucleus of players now at their physical peak in their mid to late 20s.
Hope springs eternal at this time of the year and we are convinced that we have a stronger panel than we had this time last year and are physically stronger.
A good start is essential and we have enjoyed a number of good results against teams from Division 2 in pre season 'friendlies', there is no such thing really, and we looked forward to playing the relegated side McDermott's in our first game.
Mac's and ourselves have enjoyed a healthy rivalry over many years but they have suffered badly through not having a youth policy in the club and are in danger of all going over the hill together.
As it turned out we negotiated this first hurdle successfully winning in the end by around 15 points with a good performance by all 19 players who played today.
Our defence was solid and our forwards scored freely.
It was just the start to the season we needed and I hope we can now build on this as there will be much sterner examinations of us through the year.

Ulster race opens up

This year's Ulster championship became a little more unpredictable after the weekend results.
Derry are most people's favourites and given their convincing win over Donegal today to qualify for the National Football League final against Kerry they have enhanced their reputation, scoring a big psychological victory over their first round opponents in Ulster in the process.
Derry have looked strong this season and have improved since their defence was taken to the cleaners by Galway.
They are still heavily dependent on Paddy Bradley however, and although others have stepped up to the plate on occasion I think that Kerry will show yet again that the Glenullin man's colleagues are not quite up to it against the best defenders.
They might still be good enough to go all the way in Ulster however.
Donegal will be licking their wounds after today's defeat hwever and will now be totally focussed on facing the Oak Leaf men in the championship.
Their big problem is up front as well and they have lacked the fire power to trouble the top sides.
Their football is usually too predictable but as they proved two years ago against Tyrone they are capable of causing an upset on the day.
Armagh and Tyrone have run into a little bit of form of late.
Tyrone have welcomed back Brian McGuigan and they still have some very fine footballers in the shape of Sean Cavanagh, Ryan McMenamin and an attack oriented half back line but their forwards no longer strike fear into the heart of the opposition.
They should be too good for Down at Omagh in their opening game in Ulster and if they get a run they could be hard to beat.
Armagh will take a lot out of their game with Dublin and if their key players stay injury free no one will enjoy a day out against them.
The only other serious contender in the province are Monaghan.
If they can win their last league game against Westmeath then they will have another crack at the Dubs in the Division's decider.
Monaghan are going to hold their own against anyone in the province but don't have it on their bench if they need to change their game plan.
They are fast, fit and strong and Finley and Freeman are excellent forwards. They will be a real handful and are one of the genuine contenders in the province.
As for Down, Antrim, Cavan and Fermanagh, better luck next year!

Armagh send out a warning

Armagh's footballers sent out a warning to the rest of Ulster today that they will still be one of the teams to beat if anyone wants to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup.
The Orchardmen's form this year has been patchy to say the least.
They were drilled last day out by Meath but turned that result on its head by seeing off Dublin in some style.
With the Cross contingent at their disposal, and four Kernan brothers in the team, they turned the Dubs over by nine points.
The final score did flatter the Orchard men with two late goals from Ronan Clarke and Stephen McDonnell but manager Peter McDonnell's side will take great confidence from this result before they go into the Ulster championship where Armagh have been the team to beat for ten years now.
Despite losing several key players over the last three to four seasons Armagh still have a nucleus of very experienced players and in Ronan Clarke and Stephen McDonnell they have two of the best full forwards in the country.
Armagh have really missed Clarke in recent years as his seasons have been stop start as a result of injuries, but when he and McDonnell are up front together they have a great understanding and McDonnell thrives off Clarke's intelligent lay-offs.
If your side is competitive in all areas of the field a couple of great forwards are what makes you stand out from the pack.
Armagh are not fancied in Ulster this season but no one will relish playing them.

Dubs' defeat cause for concern

Dublin manager Paul Caffrey will be a worried man tonight after his team’s nine-point defeat to Armagh in Crossmaglen today.
The Dubs are sitting pretty in Division 2 and certain to qualify for the play off against either Monaghan or Westmeath and Paul Caffrey did give a few players a run out today but most of what will be his championship line-up did eventually play some role in the game.
Dublin are a good side and on their day are capable of putting one over any side in the country.
Their problem I believe still is that they are not capable of beating the top sides consistently and they are still struggling to find a forward or forwards who can turn a game with one moment of class.
They are workmanlike, energetic and on occasion the Brogans are capable of a flash of brilliance but they too often flatter to deceive and are as likely in the next moment to do something reminiscent of a novice.
Midfield is also becoming another problem area for the Dubs.
Ciaran Whelan is past his sell by date, no longer capable of 70 minutes of championship action, while Shane Ryan has never been capable of 70 minutes football at the top level, which isn’t surprising given the effort he regularly puts in for 55 to 60 minutes football.
Despite making some headway so far this season Paul Caffrey will be concerned that his team were undone by what his side has lacked so much, goals from forwards of the calibre of Stephen McDonnell and Ronan Clarke.
The confidence built up from a good run in Division 2 in the league can easily evaporate after a defeat like today's and Caffrey will have a job on his hands rebuilding his side’s self belief.

Canning's debut doesn't disappoint

Ger Loughnane’s Galway hurlers put in a great performance to reach the League final beating Cork by four points.
The Rebels came storming back in the second half despite being 14 points down at the break but Loughnane’s team will take great heart out of this victory over the Rebels as Galway sides have traditionally found it hard to grind out any sort of win against the Leesiders.
Cork will take something out of the manner of their fight back.
They really ate into the Tribesmen’s lead and all their key players, Ó hAilpin. Curran and Gardiner piled the pressure on as the game wore on.
Ben O’Connor put in another great performance in but it was noticeable that almost all Cork’s top players were on the field when the game began to swing their way and I think this is a problem for the Rebels.
They have tried to give a lot of players game time during the league but I think it said a lot that they only seriously started to make headway when Ronan Curran, Joe Deane and Pa Cronin came on.
This could tell against them in the championship as it seems to indicate that their bench may not be up to the task of winning the Liam McCarthy.
Galway have a lot to be hopeful about. Ger Farragher has looked like the player of a couple of seasons ago in patches during the league.
Kevin Hynes and Richie Murray work hard in midfield but it was Portumna’s Joe Canning playing in his first senior game who lit up the afternoon.
He displayed power, great skill and awareness and played like a veteran.
His colleagues reaped rich awards from him and his point from a sideline cut in the second half was a very special effort.
It’s much too early to say whether the young man can reproduce this form in the white heat of the championship but it’s been a while since any young player made such an impact on his much-awaited debut.
It remains to be seen whether the Tribesmen can go on to build on this performance.
For after they play next week’s final they will be without a competitive game for more than six weeks as the Leinster and Munster sides slug it out in the championship.
This has to be a huge disadvantage and I think it has told against Galway sides in the last decade in the latter stages of big championship games.
However, should the Tribesmen go on to lift the league the psychological lift could make genuine contenders of them yet.

Tipp stand strong to reach final

Enjoyed the two hurling semi finals today and the results awaken a little hope that maybe, just maybe things might be different this year.
However, I am not going to get carried away that Tipp managed to overcome the Cats while Galway saw off the Rebels.
Tipp in fairness dug in during a game, which was tough and combative. Tipp fought like their lives depended on it but I felt at times that the Cats were still revving up the engine for bigger things later in the season when they try again to achieve the coveted three in a row, which Cork denied them earlier in the decade.
The Premier men will be delighted that they won the game without relying on the scoring prowess of Eoin Kelly carrying their efforts single handedly.
Lar Corbett once again found the net for the Premier County.
Lar is an enigma the only thing consistent about him is his inconsistency but he does know where the net is.
Shane McGrath turned in another great performance and he, Paul Curran and Seamus Callinan stepped up to the plate as the Cats worked hard to get back in to the game in the second half.
Kilkenny surprisingly spurned a couple of chances to level the score and when Kelly put Tipp three ahead again 1-11 to 1-8 they never looked like they would lose their advantage.
For Tipp a league title would be progress but for the Cats it’s the Liam McCarthy or nothing and it showed even in the body language of their players as they left the field.
There seemed to be no sense of huge disappointment in the Cats’ camp at the final whistle.
Tommy Walsh was again at times in this game awesome while I don’t think PJ Delaney, who was brilliant nonetheless will finish the season in full back.
Eddie Brennan scored a goal but was well contained and at critical times the physical presence as well as sheer brilliance of Henry Shefflin was badly missed.
The Cats don’t taste defeat too often, it usually makes them all the more dangerous and they will be back but for now Tipp can look forward to renewing their rivalry with Galway in next week’s final.

Kerry on course for a hat trick

I think that Kerry served out a warning to the rest of the country today with the ease which they saw off Galway to qualify for the National League football final.
The Kingdom won by five points but they appear as if they still have so much more in the tank.
They blunted the much praised Galway attack and I think they have brought a little perspective back into just what the Tribesmen have achieved so far this season.
Galway are a good side, they are an attractive side to watch but I don't see an All Ireland in this team and I think that Joe Bergin is a big loss to the Westerners.
I think they will go as far as this year's All-Ireland semi finals this season but they have still much to learn.
Kerry meanwhile were able to give the Gooch a run-out, and their strength in depth is awesome, they have competition for places all over the field.
Tomas Ó Sé showed his value again for his side with a couple of great bursts forward near the end when others were fading. He is a great half back.
Kerry look to me to have plenty in the locker and they are a more complete side now than when they began their current All-Ireland odyssey in 2006.
They have set down the marker for this year's championship, it is going to need a very big performance from someone to stop them doing their first three in row since '84-'86.

Grants, awards, expenses let's move on

It's done, I'll not say over, but the GAA has formally accepted the government's grants scheme for players at Congress this morning.
The result was no surprise given the indicators we've had in recent weeks that some of the biggest county boards had moved to support the change.
I welcome the move and I know that it was passed as lamb dressed as mutton because I don't care whether you call it an expenses scheme, grants, awards or whatever but it is professionalism.
Anyone saying it is anything less than that are either being politically correct so as to get a practical solution through Congress or they are just kidding themselves.
However, I believe that some of the fears articulated by the Ulster delegates in particular are also a product of a mistaken belief that the game is still genuinely an amateur sport and that there does not exist already a layer of professionalism and elitism within our games.
No county will ever win an All Ireland again without the proper resources to provide top-class training facilities, medical support, equipment and private membership to gyms, travelling expenses, holidays and expenses, and God knows what else which has been paid for under the counter.
And as for players receiving money from endorsements and other sources all that has been going on too.
None of this is a criminal offence and in the times we live in it's what we would expect in any other walk of life as a given if we are to excel.
We have been a shamateur organisation since at least the 1970s, even today people still feel the need to pay lip service to this high principle but we need to be honest if we are going to move forward.
I think too that the Derry delegate was right when he suggests that in the future players may be sponsored from outside sources to play for their counties, it's already happening and it's a good thing.
Would any of the sides who have won the All Irelands in the last five or six seasons done so without the generous support of individuals and businesses who have picked up the tab for the 'expenses'. Of course not.
We have sponsors all over our county jerseys for God's sake and it benefits us as well as promoting the businesses which make the contribution to their county side.
We have a great line-up of National League games this weekend, let's move on from this issue and enjoy what promises to be a good season's football and we'll live in hope, that the hurling won't be the usual two-horse race.

Cork dispute hasn't gone away

Earlier this year I said that the decision to allow Cork to play in this year’s National Leagues after they had missed their first two games would come back to bite the Association in the rear.
And it hasn’t gone away you know. Wexford, whose hurlers have been consigned to relegation to next year’s Division 2, are to press ahead with an objection, which will now go to the Disputes Resolution Authority.
Technically I think the Model County are right however, they and the other relegated county Antrim got to play the Rebels, played a full fixture programme and couldn’t have caught the others even if they had not been awarded the points for the Cork games.
I believe that Cork should not have been allowed to compete in the first place but once that decision was made Wexford were on a level playing field with the rest.
I think the Model men should take their oil, their hurlers aren’t good enough for the revamped Division 1.
However, no matter what happens to their objection at the DRA this probably won’t be the end of this saga as I’m sure that teams affected by Cork’s results in football might go the route of a hearing and possibly with more justification than the Wexford hurlers.

On the brink of a new era

We are on the brink of a new era as it seems that the grants scheme will get the backing of Congress this weekend.
I think the GAA has done its home work, the debate is nearly over and I think we will all find in the months ahead that the scheme will not be the end of the association as we know it but simply recognition of the huge change which has already occurred within our games and in Irish society in the last 15 to 20 years.
I'm glad that the debate will be heard and will come to a conclusion.
I think we have much more difficult challenges in the GAA than the players' grant scheme, tackling the challenges of soccer, rugby and to a lesser extent the AFL.
There are also huge challenges being posed by the growth of individual sports as opposed to team games, the growing inactivity of a younger generation hooked on computer games and junk food who can't run the length of themselves, the changing demography in rural areas as local clubs find they will no longer be able to depend on the traditional big families to swell their ranks.
We need too to spread the country's hurling base.
Sounds tough, but we are the biggest sporting association in the country, we have a developing women's game, great sports, better grounds at all levels, improved coaching and in the debate on the grants scheme we have shown a maturity when it comes to debating and dealing with change.
The GAA is the greatest organisation on this island, let's continue to build it.

Rotating keepers, what's it all about?

Can anyone tell me what the policy of rotating goalkeepers is all about in county football?
I think it was Mickey Harte who first employed this tactic with John Devine and Pascal McConnell and Derry manager Paddy Crozier has also continued to rotate keepers John Deighan and Barry Gillis.
This is either very very clever or it's just a crock.
It's not like goalkeepers are overworked even in this day and age and I can't think of any professional side in soccer for example who do this bar Liverpool but their boss Rafa Benitez has a revolving door policy when it comes to team selection.
I just think that a defence always feels confidence when it has a great keeper behind them, and knowing how egostistical even club keepers are, they're never to blame 'it was the flight of the ball, there was an earth tremor, I was unsighted by an eclipse of the sun' you've probably heard them all too, I know that their noses must be out of joint at not being No 1, the only No 1.
It has to have an impact on kick-outs, sweeping up and marshalling the defence.
If you have any views on rotation or any good yarns about your club or county keepers then bang me a note.

Francie back for Armagh but will it go ahead?

With all the talk that up to 10,000 fans will turn up in Crossmaglen this weekend for the Armagh Dublin game the question already must be will it go ahead?
We have had snow and hailstones in the North already today and God only knows what the weekend’s weather has in store for us.
Let’s hope if there is gong to be any cancellation this weekend that the fans get some sort of early notice.
There is no charge for this week’s game given that over 1,500 fans had already paid in the last day before the ref called off the game.
The fact that 10,000 are now expected reminds me a wee bit of all the people who claimed to be in the GPO in Easter 1916.
Although only around 2,000 rebels in total were involved in that attempt to overthrow British rule half a million people in Ireland have claimed direct descent from people who were there.
You wouldn’t half know that we are getting close to the championship with Armagh manager Peter McDonnell ready to give another long-term casualty Francie Bellew a start.
Francie is a great defender and Armagh could be doing with his services right now.
The good thing for Francie is that he won’t have to worry about getting too fit cos after all as Pat Spillane famously said at half time of the Armagh Kerry All-Ireland final of 2002, which the Orchard county went on to win, ‘my granny is faster than Francie Bellew’.

Holiday season in full swing but we're bottom of the league

The holiday season is in full swing with Meath ready to head out for their break in the sun and Kerry have just announced that they are Portugal bound.
I have to say that I am a bit concerned about Kerry’s choice of camp.
Apparently it was used by the Russian and Swedish teams during Euro 2004 and they achieved well… almost nothing at all.
The camp has also used by such giants of the English premier as wait for it, Middlesbro, Fulham and Bolton.
Fulham are in greater relegation trouble than Kildare, Bolton too look doomed and Middlesbro are hanging in by the fingernails.
Have to say that now we are on the verge of the professional era of Gaelic football I thought our football kingpins would have been right up there with the best of them but it seems that whether our players receive the grants or not we're bottom of the table.

Good luck to McGuigan and Beano

Delighted to see Brian McGuigan make his first start in two years in the Tyrone jersey this weekend.
The Ardboe man has had a torrid time in the last two seasons with a double leg break and then a horrific eye injury.
His fightback has been a hard road and I suppose we all wonder will he ever be able to reproduce the form he displayed as Tyrone won two All Irelands with him pulling the strings from centre half forward.
His value to his county was shown particularly in 2005 when his return from Oz coincided with a return to form for a Tyrone side, which never recovered in 2004 from the untimely death of its captain Cormac McAnallen.
McGuigan was inspirational as the Red Hands defeated Armagh, Kerry and Dublin en route to All-Ireland glory.
Another man on the comeback trail is Laois’ Beano Casey who played some great football under Mick O’Dwyer before falling to a horrific leg injury two seasons ago.
He struggled last season to recapture his form but Laois are going down and they could be doing with a player like McDonald come the championship.
If either of these two great forwards and McGuigan really is one of the stars of the game ever think they need a bit of inspiration they could do worse than think about Brian Mullins who fought back from a car crash where it was feared he may never way again.
Not only did he walk again but he was the driving force behind the Dublin team which won the 1983 All Ireland.

Sour grapes in the relegation zone

If your team can’t do it on the field well then why worry if you can ask Congress to change the rules.
That’s seems to be the message coming from the managers of Westmeath, Longford, Leitrim and Sligo about the rule that if you fall to Division 4 then it’s sudden death in the championship.
Now no one is saying that you shouldn’t get a bite at the All Ireland they are just saying that if your league position is so poor that you have slipped to the 25th to 33rd worst teams in the country that you only get the one pop at it.
Now the managers of these sides are a very experienced set of guys, and they all knew at the start of this league campaign that they had to have their house in order otherwise they were going down!
I wonder would the same people be putting the case to Congress to scrap the rule had their sides been sitting pretty and on the way up.
I can’t see any of them shouting the odds on behalf of the rest if they had have been in the comfort zone.
If their teams are so poor that they are dropping to Division 4 then at least they have an incentive to get out of it next season.
It all smells of sour grapes.

Civil War put on hold

The Walsh brothers will miss out on the dubious honour of playing against each other in the Wicklow Carlow game this week.
Thomas Walsh transferred to Wicklow a year ago from his native county but brother Patrick misses the game due to picking up a red card last day out.
It’s not often you get brothers going toe to toe in Gaelic football at either club or county level, it’s almost akin to Civil War given the fierce loyalties in the GAA to your local area.
It’s a pity the duel won’t now take place as it might have added a bit of spice to an otherwise meaningless game.

Dublin half back overcome by optimism

This can be a silly part of the year when the summer comes and with it night football unaided by floodlights and the championship is now just around the corner.
It’s easy to get optimistic on days like these so I’ll forgive Dublin half back Paul Casey when he says that his side is now better equipped than ever to take the All Ireland.
Sorry Paul, I don’t think so.
The Dubs have made some progress over the last two seasons but they are still short of a forward ruthless enough to put you down on the big day and they lack class.
To say that Dublin haven’t had the rub of the green is nonsense.
Dublin have had great opportunities over the last five seasons to make the All-Ireland final and blew every one of them.
They enjoyed big leads against Tyrone, led Armagh and Mayo and to be honest they fainted in sight of the finish line.
The biggest problem the Dubs have had in recent seasons is that they have failed to put the scores on the board, which their dominance of possession should have earned.
They simply weren’t good enough to do it, all puff and no stuff.
And even in the league to date it has been left to Jason Sherlock to provide the little bit of craft which has been so sadly missing.
Yes Casey is right they have won three Leinsters in a row but Leinster has been a poor championship for years with no winner from the province since '99.
The Cats have also won the last three Leinsters in a row in hurling and have two Liam McCarthys and are favourites yet again for this year’s title.
Now that's a side equipped for an All Ireland.

Bergin out for four months

I just think that the odds have tipped against Galway lifting any major trophies this season with the news that Joe Bergin will be out for the next four months as he requires surgery on the Achilles he damaged against Mayo at the weekend.
I hate to see good players ruled out of the championship, that’s the time of the year when you most want to see the top players at their peak.
The championship had been robbed in recent seasons of several of Tyrone’s top players, which transformed a great team into a fairly average side.
Galway have been showing some signs of a revival this season but mid field is a key area and Bergin will be a huge loss to the Tribesmen.
You can talk all you like about strength in depth but when you take a few key men out of most teams in the country they are rarely blessed with players who can bring almost as much to the game as the guy on the treatment table.

Kerry Cork postponement a sign of the times

While the debate rages about the grants scheme for players and the growing professionalism in the game we were reminded today of the changes which have taken place in our games in recent years where money and viewing figures dictate when even some of what used to be our biggest attractions are played.
The annual Kerry Vs Cork game, ok it's formally known as the Munster Football final even though the rest of the province will be off somewhere that day knocking either a sliotar or a rugby ball around, has been put back a week as result of our new TV deal which involves RTE and TV3.
Now even though the Munster football final is about as interesting as watching paint dry, well Cork always give it their best shot while Kerry try to muster up a bit of enthusiasm to play a game which is now only an irritant in their build-up to their All-Ireland preparations, the authorities believe it would be better postponed for a week so that we can have some TV coverage rather than miss out because of other games on the original date of June 29.
I couldn't see this happening back in the day when GAA men were men and sheep were nervous.
The bad news for anyone hoping that there may be some alternative live action on the new date of July 6 is that the only other action is the Leinster Hurling final which is usually as one sided as a Kerry Cork game in the All-Ireland series when the Kingdom feel the need to actually turn up and Cork surrender faster than you can say Dunkirk.

You have to love the Gambler

You just have to love Oisin McConville. While others are very measured about what they say the Armagh veteran just usually says it as it is, or at least as he sees it.
His book The Gambler was one of the most candid accounts I have read by any player.
Now he’s out hitting at out at players who in his opinion have retired too early to go into management because of the financial rewards.
Of course as we all know officially there are no rewards other than mileage and some expenses around kit, and I suppose in the days that’s in it, the mobile phone bill.
Now like McConville we all know that those days have been long gone with the wind but there’s no doubt that McConville’s comments will fuel a flurry of speculation about just which senior footballers ended their inter-county careers early to go into management.
There’s no doubt that Oisin will never get a job with the UN because a diplomat he ain’t but I reckon he’ll still make great copy long after he hangs up the boots after what has been a wonderful career.

I blame it on Joe Kernan

There are some things in the GAA which have changed beyond all recognition in the last years as teams become more professional in their approach to the game.
The club or county trip is only one example of how tradition has been stood on its head as teams strive for perfection.
It used to be that trips anywhere were all about male bonding, heavy drinking and chasing and normally included at least one game played in the haze of a hangover or bent over looking at the remnants of the previous night's Chinese takeaway consumed after a skinful.
A ferry crossing from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead followed by a nine hour bus journey through the night to Milton Keynes was about as exotic as it got in our club until the camogs headed off to the States last season to allow us all to get to know our children better.
Now it's all training and focus and physios and shrinks as our top county sides sacrifice a week's work to jet off for some summer sun.
I blame it on Joe Kernan myself.
Before Joe took his All-Ireland winning side of 2002 to Malaga for a week's preparation early that season, All-Ireland winning captains had to ask the county board and headquarters in their victory speech was there any chance of a week off.
Once Joe's Armagh side did the business and while they were at it looking so focussed and mean that they must have practised scowling in the house at their children then everybody had to do it, after all didn't Armagh win an All-Ireland and all they needed to do was go on a package holiday for a week to Malaga.
If only it was that easy, I'd send Antrim for a month, the lot of them, hurlers, footballers, camogs and the handballers and I'd even check to see could we win the rounders while we were at it.
It's tough I suppose but now as players begin to write about the modern era I can't see any of us shaking our heads in awe at players sipping tequila slammers in a faraway land for the cause the way we winced when we read of a gut busting Ger Loughnane training session on a beach in County Clare in the dead of winter when he was convincing a bunch of perennial losers that they were going to rule Ireland.

Bergin loss a big blow

The loss of midfielder Joe Bergin for at least what could be a National League football final in two weeks time and even the start of the Connacht championship is a huge blow to Galway.
Bergin has been in great form this season for the Tribesmen and has been one of the main reasons why the Galway men have been able to play a great brand of free-flowing football as he has won a lot of ball in the middle and has been at his best when driving forward at pace and with power.
Hope the big man makes it back early in the championship as a Galway team in full flow can light up the season even if they come up short.
The good news is that if he does miss a game it will be the first round match against Roscommon who wouldn't beat the Galway camogs on current form.

Defeat of anti-grants motion good news

Not surprised that a motion proposed by a Dublin club opposing the players’ grants scheme was roundly beaten.
I think this is a sign of things to come at Congress.
As I have argued before the grants scheme is a way of managing the ever-more professional approach taken to our games without destroying the whole structure.
This is a period of huge change for Gaelic Games, I believe we have to manage it rather than dig in or put our heads in the sand and hope that the changes aren’t going to happen.
The Association has come up with a way of managing the Irish government scheme, which sees our players treated on an equal basis with other Irish sportsmen and women.
Some opponents of the scheme have chosen to oppose the changes on a legal basis but I don’t think this is any strategy at all.
There is already a huge amount of shamateurism in our games and if we can pay ‘expenses’ to bar staff, groundsmen, kit men and women, managers, physios, doctors, trainers and coaches then the grants proposed in the scheme aren’t going to propel us into a professional free for all like rugby or soccer.
I hope the scheme is adopted by Congress, if it isn’t this time around it surely will be in the future as it will be better for the association as a whole if we grasp the nettle.

Waterford stand in the way of promotion, thank God it's football

Antrim defeated by Tipp, they now face Waterford to keep promotion hopes alive.
Thank God we aren't talking about the hurling here but Division 4 football.
We are currently trying to make it out of the league containing the worst teams in the land and although it's hateful being down there all we can do is hope to get out of it.
It's demoralising to see an Antrim side go down to a football 'power' like Tipp but it would be a lot worse if we blew our chance of promotion out of the bottom rung by losing to Waterford. God forbid!
The Saffrons rarely do anything the easy way but we have to get out of there to give our younger players something to play for next season.
A couple of my home club's young lads Paul Fisher and Martin Jones travelled to Donegal on Saturday to take on the home side's minors and came home after giving the Tír Chonaill lads a good drubbing.
It's only a challenge game but important nonetheless for these young men's confidence to register a good away win.

Dooher makes another Lazarus like recovery

For the third year in a row Brian Dooher is on the verge of yet another comeback after playing his first club game since retiring from last year's match against Meath with injury.
Brian Dooher was an awesome footballer at his peak, his engine was unrivalled in the country and Mickey Harte knew the value the captain of his All-Ireland winners in 2005 brought to his side.
He went deep in search of the ball supporting his mid field and half backs and then almost casually at times carried the ball forward linking up with the attack.
He scored great points too and his passing improved like a vintage wine with age.
He has been plagued by injury since 2005 however and Tyrone have felt his loss and that of Brian McGuigan deeply.
Two very different players but both vitally important to the Red Hands' possession game.
But Dooher has soaked up a lot of punishment and shipped a lot of knocks and I don't think that Tyrone can keep pulling him out of the hat like he is some sort of Lazarus.
He showed his worth to his team in the few appearances he made last season but unfortunately I don't believe we will ever see the free running Dooher of old ever again.

Kingdom's players on the way back

Kerry fielded an understrength side at the weekend but still had enough in Tralee to see off relegation-bound Kildare and the good news for the Kingdom is that Paul Galvin and Declan O'Sullivan may feature next week and that Colm Cooper has returned to club action after enjoying his first rest in years.
It's actually a bit scary for the rest of the country to think that the All-Ireland champions have just been revving up the engine and yet are on the verge of qualification for the National League final a task I think which will be made easier by the fact that Galway are almost already there.
Galway have been the most attractive team to watch in the competition to date but they haven't played anyone of Kerry's class and physical competitiveness and I think they will come unstuck against the Kingdom.

Cork average but ruthlessly efficient

Cork gave Limerick quite a beating yesterday in the National League quarter finals without really moving up through the gears.
The hurling was scrappy enough but Cork kept punishing the Treatymen's mistakes and in the process I think they have scored a big psychological win over Richie Bennis' side.
I can't see any way that Limerick will build on their journey to last year's All-Ireland final and while they still have a few top-class hurlers I feel there are too many journeymen in the side to go all the way.
Cork didn't exactly set the ground alight either but they were ruthlessly efficient when they got on top and from the moment they cancelled out Limerick's one-point advantage at the half way mark there only looked to be one winner.
I don't know yet what to make of Gerald McCarthy's side.
People like Ben O'Connor, Seán Óg and John Gardiner are worth their weight in gold but Tom Kenny is still not firing on all cylinders and both centre half and centre full forward look like they will continue to be difficult positions for the Rebels.
Ronan Curran has not been the player of two to three seasons ago when he looked almost invincible and I'm not convinced about any of the others who have played there including Gardiner who is an outstanding right half.
Tipp did move up a gear yesterday and they have some good youngsters on the verge of breaking on to the team.
Their battle with the Cats will be an indicator of what progress they have made but for us neutrals the hope will have to be that Galway might just challenge the Big Two when they take on the Rebels.

Without Freeman would it be free fall?

Monaghan had a fairly torrid time in the second half in Cork at the weekend and manager Seamus McEnaney now has the task of making sure that the wheels don't come off the wagon after enjoying such a good run this season in the warm afterglow of last year's run to the quarter finals.
The good thing is that Monaghan were once again finishing strong which has been the trademark of their success over the last three seasons.
However, like Derry I would be a bit concerned about their strength in depth. Once again it was Tommy Freeman who hauled them back into the game with four unanswered points and a late goal attempt.
I don't think that Monaghan have it on the bench, a bit like Derry, and I would be worried that if Freeman was injured or missing for any other reason that Monaghan would be a very average side.

Decies may be falling off the pace

I felt for Waterford in yesterday's National League quarter finals against Tipperary.
At times there were flashes of the brilliance that have entertained us over the last ten years but they are looking increasingly vulnerable to pace at the back.
The Tipp goal just before half time was the turning point in the game and try as they might Waterford never again really got to grips with the Premier men once the goal went in.
It was tough watching Tony Brown giving his lot to make on the ground on the goalscorer Seamus Butler but he couldn't close the gap and the Decies were undone yet again for a lack of pace.
Justin McCarthy probably quite rightly reckons that his ageing warriors were not up to the strain of a tough All-Ireland campaign after a long run in the league but his men look off the pace and Dan the Man Shanahan is playing only in fits and starts.
There doesn't seem to be anyone coming into freshen up last year's side who should have at least gone to the All-Ireland final and I fear that the Decies might be the next side to drop off the pace being set by the Cats and Cork.

Boredom killing off interest in hurling

I think there is an awful lot of complacency in hurling at the top levels and if the evidence of yesterday's National League quarter finals is anything to go by the public is switching off from a game which has become completely dominated by the deep south of the country.
Only a very small number of supporters turned up for yesterday's games between four of the country's top sides and this was at the knock-out stages of the competition.
Contrast this with the 7,000 people who turned out at Celtic Park on Saturday night for the Tyrone Derry group game and it says something about the attitude of the hurling public.
After all why turn out in numbers when they will watch the same four sides play against each other in the Munster hurling championship when they are firing on all cylinders and some of them will probably play at least once again in the All-Ireland's latter stages.
It is an indication once again of how narrow the hurling base is in the country but the boredom for most at this part of the season is palpable and those tasked with promoting the game must be able to see that the public is voting with its feet because there are so few real contenders.

Stop Paddy and you stop Derry

Derry kept their league campaign on track with the win over Tyrone but I believe Mickey Harte will be the happier of the two managers despite the defeat.
The win showed once again that Derry are going to be difficult to defeat when the championship comes round but after another seven points from Paddy Bradley, half the Derry total you just have to wonder where the scores are going to come for Derry once teams put double cover on Paddy or simply snuff out the room for the supply
For Harte it is another significant game for some of his returning warriors, but he also has problems up front.
Mulligan is out for the time being and the attack lacks a cutting edge, and while lads like Raymond Mulgrew and Tommy McGuigan are good young players they aren't exactly going to frighten Kerry.
Tyrone can still improve although I think they will still come up short, Derry are so predictable every team in the country will already have them measured up.

Leinster CEO right on lack of physical power

Think it’s interesting the Leinster CEO Michael Delaney has urged sides from the province to get physical to catch up with Ulster and Kerry.
Have to say I agree with him on that.
I have thoroughly enjoyed watching some of the football played during the Leinster and Connacht championships in recent years.
It is fast, open and often creative, some great scores and worth the admission fee but in the last few years I have often felt like I’m not watching the real thing, training ground football and haven’t been surprised when they have floundered in the latter stages of the championship against sides who are already battle hardened.
Kerry already learnt the lessons in the earlier part of the decade when they were bullied and simply outfought by good northern sides in the All-Ireland series.
And physical development was one of the first things Mickey Harte brought to Tyrone when he took over in 2003.
He had a great bunch of young footballers but identified early in the league that they weren’t strong enough to break clear of tackles.
He set about putting that right immediately and reaped the rewards when those good footballers were able to express themselves on the big occasions because they matched their great skill and ability with physical strength.
I have found Dublin and Meath in particular a bit of an enigma in all of this because they both traditionally had a very physical approach to the game, which enabled their top players to express themselves.
No one would have dared to try to bully a Meath side of the ’80 and ‘90s, the Lyons’ brothers would have put them in their pocket.
The current Dublin side also seem to have a problem with stamina but I feel that’s because they try to make up for a lack of class in key positions by trying to play a very high octane game which is just not sustainable.
There is no substitute for class but if you can’t live with the physical strength of the opposition then it’s difficult to win on the big occasions.
I think Michael Delaney is right on this one and if anyone wants to look in the province for their inspiration in matching physical power to sheer class then look no further than the Kilkenny hurlers who have got the lot.

No nonsense approach pays off

There really is no nonsense taken by the Dublin county board.
Earlier this week they put Kevin's out of all competitions until they named a member who assaulted a referee in a recent game.
The club was fined €5,000, €3,000 of which they can get back with good behaviour.
No messing around there and hey presto the club has now identified the member who committed the assault.
Decisive action like this certainly reaps rewards and the man at the centre of the allegations now also faces a two-year ban.
If he is guilty he is good value for it.
Let's face it everyone has had cause to give it in the neck to the referee at sometime or another but these guys are doing it for the love of the game and get nothing in return but abuse.
They do not deserve to be assaulted by anyone no matter how poor they have been and it is great to see a county board acting decisively to ensure that their young referees are protected and they know it.
And may Kevin's enjoy the rest of the year's games!

Best wishes to Lally Down Under

Wish Declan Lally all the best in his quest to make it in Aussie Rules after he left the Dublin squad earlier this week.
Lally has been a member of the Dublin set-up since 2003 but has struggled to break into the team.
The writing was on the wall as he sat out once again most of the league action this season and when Australia beckoned it must have seemed like manna from heaven.
At 26 years of age it is make or break for Lally and to be honest I hope he makes it, he has worked hard for his club and county and just fallen short of the mark.
I suppose the prophets of doom will once again claim that the sky is falling in as Lally wings it Down Under but good luck to any guy who is taking the chance of a lifetime.
Go n-éirí leis.

Ulster's most unpleasant rivalry renewed

As the league gathers a little bit of momentum we have another big Ulster clash this weekend when Tyrone face Derry at Celtic Park.
In a way all the pressure is on Derry, playing at home after taking a pasting at the hands of Galway last week they need the win to keep up their challenge in Division 1.
They welcome back Fergal Doherty to midfield and he was badly missed last weekend as the Derry midfield was like a sieve the Tribesmen ran through it so often.
Derry need a huge improvement in the full back line too but the good news for them is that the Tyrone attack hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this season.
Mickey Harte has a lot less pressure on him, two wins in the last two games means that the Red Hands’ position in the Division should be safe.
His side have slowly improved and they have welcomed a couple of key players back into the fold in the shape of Ryan McMenamin, Sean Cavanagh and Joe McMahon while Brian McGuigan has enjoyed two substitute appearances as Harte hopes to build him up for the championship.
Derry are always built up for a clash with Tyrone, it is one of Ulster’s most unpleasant rivalries.
I can’t think of any other game in Ulster, which engenders such passion, hate and bitterness.
The Oak Leaf support seemed to be the only one in the province, which wasn’t too pleased at Tyrone’s success this decade.
Neither side will give much quarter in this one but the different set of priorities mean that Derry have it all to do.

A week a long time in management

A week is a long time in management, especially when we begin to reach the crucial stages of the National League.
Honeymoon periods for new managers are well over and for anyone in the job a year or more the patience of fans and county boards wears pretty thin when no visible progress has been made.
John Maughan left the Roscommon job earlier this week, the abuse of an unruly element of fans ringing in his ears.
Kieran McGeeney, only months in to the job in Kildare, got the chairman’s vote of confidence this week and now with Longford at the foot of Division 3 the county chair felt it necessary to come to the support of county manager Luke Dempsey.
Pat Cahill kindly pointed out however that Longford have two games to get themselves out of trouble.
If I were Dempsey I would take that as code for two games to turn the corner or Longford could well be on the hunt for another manager!
Sport can be very cruel, just two months ago Longford came within a minute of turning Dublin over in the O’Byrne Cup after a great performance.
Coming up short in sport is nowhere in the modern era and Luke Dempsey must now know that he has probably a fortnight to get it right.

Blues are wasting their time

The old chestnut of inter-county transfers has risen its ugly head again as Louth side Newtown Blues are objecting to county player Jamie Carr moving to Dublin club St Sylvester’s.
Newtown are claiming that the player still lives at home and that under the residency rule they are within their rights to hold on to his registration.
Technically the Blues may be right but I think they are wasting their time.
This sort of thing happens all over the country.
In my home area of north Belfast it is almost traditional to lose good players to top senior sides in the west of the city, which are in the running for trophies in the county.
Yes it is frustrating, true the small local club has usually invested years of effort in to moulding and coaching the player only to lose them as soon as they show some talent in a county minor or Under 21 side and no it isn’t fair.
However, I am also of the opinion that the player should have some choice about where they want to play and it’s unfair to try to hold their registration against their will on the basis of an accident of birth.
My own experience is that if someone doesn’t want to play for you then they won’t or they won’t train or play wholeheartedly so would you want them on your team with that attitude?
My friend Ronan over at realgaa recently pointed out that there may come a time when players can use European legislation something on the lines of a Bosman to go wherever they want in the event of the game becoming professional.
There may be nothing to stop a player doing that now and I feel why waste any more time and effort if someone doesn’t want to play for your club.
I have also seen a lot of players who left for other clubs and found that their hearts weren’t in it before returning to play out long careers at home.
Let them go, what do you reckon?