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I've said it before and probably on this thread last year.

How they do these things in America is so much cleaner and more accurate.

Every week, each coach nominates players from the opposition for "team of the week". As far as I know they do not have to nominate any, and there's no upper limit to nominations per week in some leagues.

The players with the most nominations at year end become what they call All Americans, and what we call All Stars. Each league/tier has its own awards, and they have "first team" All Americans, and "second team" All Americans per tier when the league is big enough.

To be fair to the yanks - I generally hate how that country is run - they tend to have the most consistent, fair and even sporting structures imaginable. And this is a further example. Of course there'll be personalities, egos and vendettas between some schools/coaches, but it would be a smallminded and soon regretful coach to play this system unfairly, as other schools will notice and black ball them. 

Shitshow

Paddy Power summed him up succinctly at the weekend...

"There's only one man who can stop Phil Foden in this kind of form, and that's Gareth Southgate".

The split season might be a factor but I don't think it's a weather related one. More that clubs around the country are getting their competitive seasons going this week and last, and there's only so much time any man/woman can give to Gaelic Games.

The ultimate factor though has to be cost. Upwards on €100 for a family to attend any match is bearable for most. But it becomes less bearable if you start thinking about doing it 8-10 times in a season. Thats when the opportunity to watch some of those on TV becomes attractive.

Doesn't send a great message to the rest of the squad when Beggan can just swan back in, with no training, and start.

If 14 odd years of unbroken and exemplary service doesn't build enough points to do this, then I'm at a loss to understand the "gaa mindset".

I love the seeing a pitch covered at half-time with young and old, fathers and mothers with their kids etc. pucking and kicking a ball about. No issues.

A great sight.

Conversely, I've seen kids being hunted off pitches i.e. Athletic Grounds at inter-county club championship games by 'jobworths' and it's only 2 or 3 kids looking to kick or puck about, not 500 children.

A joke.

We've gotten soft.

There's a growing culture in Gaelic Games that pitches must be pristine.

There's too much praise and thanks put into the efforts of groundsmen to present them pristine.

Ballyholland were convincing winners over (what I assume is) a patchwork Burren side.

Those above pondering why Conor Laverty is making exceptions for John McGovern, would have had their eyes opened on a few occasions last night. Two teams bedecked with recent county minors and u20s, but it was easy to pick out the outstanding athlete on show.

Brilliant stuff. Congrats you pair.

What a buffoon he is.

Left to their own devices we'd have blue on blue and red on maroon every week. Horrible to play in. Horrible to watch.

If it was up to me, every club and county in Ireland would have an all white away kit, and would wear it every time they play away.

Any club or county that plays predominantly in white would just have to wind their necks in an accept that this is for the greater good.

I know I've mentioned it before on the board, but...

Once you're able to change your mindset about drawn knockout matches away from that of "we didn't lose, so we deserve another shot", and over to "we didn't win, so don't deserve to go through", then it becomes so much easier to accept penalties. It promotes a zen like calm about results.

I doubt it'll ever happen, but if the culture of the GAA could ever be keeled in this direction, we would be a much happier tribe of people.

Repeat after me: "We did not win the match. So we do not deserve to go through".

Kicking a 45 only becomes a skill if you've got the kicking length to achieve the outcome. Up to that, it's not a skill. Just one of those things most of us cannot do.

I don't think it's mockery to be honest.

It's more frustration.

A sizeable group of GAA followers - perhaps even the majority - have limited interest in rules being applied correctly, fairly or consistently. Instead they have an inner expectation that every coin toss should land in their favour.

Social media then provides an echo chamber for this approach, which allows them to feel vindicated, indeed unbiased, to have these thoughts.

It's not a GAA unique issue by the way. Soccer is drowning in "attack referee first, analyse performance second" followers. The NFL is falling down with it. Even in rugby where the players and management are almost entirely courteous to referees, suffers from it.

People are people.

Makes refereeing very difficult all the same.

if hes guilty will paramilitaries be looking to get at him too.

I'd say the vikings would be his main danger. Or maybe the banthas.

1/200 you make that one up? Sure Armagh got 2 in about 5 long balls in against Halway 2yrs ago.

Okay 1/200 is stretching it.

But the reality is you remember that Armagh outcome so clearly because it happens so rarely.

Re yesterday I don't think I can honestly remember a last minute goal like that i.e a catch and finish, rather than a deflection. Put 7 men on the edge of the square and 7 men on the goal line and it just shouldn't be possible.

One of the best games in years and people still want to focus on the referee.
In games like this there's loads going on both on and off the ball, as a neutral I thought the referee had a decent game.

It's just odd behaviour.

About 1 in 200 last minute hoofs into the box result in a goal.

About 1 in 200 of those happen after a man wins possession clean.

Derry made a mess.

But let's make the ref the focus after making the right call.