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Whats the thoughts on Kerry/Monaghan Kerry have looked off it so far, Monaghan not being talked about at all which makes them a dangerous proposition expect Monaghan to give this a real go but come up short. 

It would suit Kerry if Monaghan give it a go and come up short, they'd get some useful practice while still getting into the QF.

SF about as good a holding a lead as Armagh
https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2024/0516/1449458-poll-politics/

SF 23%
FG 23%
FF 20%

The €50 ticket for the 3 group games seems a reasonable deal to me. 3 games for one third of the price of Bruce Springsteen.

No version of Derry has ever beaten Galway in championship, you can be sure that will be a factor on saturday.

Janey, even Armagh has beaten Galway.

Another piece of the jigsaw, TG4 too poor to bid for a package.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/tg4-wanted-to-bid-on-championship-matches-for-free-to-air-channel-before-gaago-snapped-up-rights/a885108157.html

but TG4 might have been willing to cover less popular games, e.g. Tailteann cup, Wexford v Antrim in hurling, but the design of the "packages" presumably made this impossible.

It is a bit like a building project, you can set it up so the small builder cannot tender or you can have some smaller elements that they can reasonably bid for.

["52% of Sinn Fein supporters want checkpoints at the border with Northern Ireland to limit the number of asylum-seekers coming from the U.K.?LOLCouldn't make it up"]

No hes not right. He said the below. If you honestly believe that you are completely detached from reality. Its actually quite staggering that anybody would believe that given our very recent history involving border checkpoints. LOL indeed.

"52% of Sinn Fein supporters want checkpoints at the border with Northern Ireland to limit the number of asylum-seekers coming from the U.K.?

LOL

Couldn't make it up"

This is not "very recent" to most SF voters in the 26 counties, at best they were in national school then, and of course they didn't think deeply about the issue, they have a twitter approach to politics.

I don't know what the motivation was but there certainly is some logic in the 3 teams going through other than money. It greatly reduces the number of dead rubbers and increases the importance of topping the group.

It also evens up provincial issues.

Kerry are the one team this year who I've felt have been playing their cards very close to their chest, that or they've just been pretty poor. Seeing that's it's Kerry we'll have to give them the benefit of the  doubt I suppose. I remember thinking Derry had moved ahead of them in the pecking order but the league reslly is just the league. I'd be tempted to back them for the AI at this stage- not that it would be a huge shock if they won.

Joe Kernan said last week that the the only serious teams were Dublin, Armagh, Derry, Mayo and Galway.  We needn't worry about the likes of Donegal and Kerry for Sam, although they are nice to visit.

Would definitely have Donegal ahead of Mayo and maybe Kerry as well at this stage, never rule out the Tyronies as well.

Donegal have beaten one of the teams on that list and drawn with another one. It is hard to say about Kerry, while their group means that they will probably go to a QF, they could have challenges in both the QF and SF.

It's a shame for sure, but if other broadcasters valued the rights enough, they'd be trying to get a package. Sky didn't walk away for no reason.

Sky's model is not the same as TV3 though, one is selling subscriptions to a subset of people and one is selling advertising for the general public. As for trying to get a package, part of the story here is the way the product is divided up. You can set things up to get the most coverage, the most revenue, or something in between. If I was the GAA then I would have a regular chat with TV3 or even UTV and see what they might be interested in. We all recall the magazine programme that the UTV did in the past, which was OK, but they couldn't get the rights to show clips on it, this never made sense.

There is a slight lack of transparency on this
https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/virgin-media-throw-further-fuel-on-gaago-fire-with-hard-hitting-statement-aimed-at-gaa-and-rte/a483613199.html

Then people have to accept that there is a limit to what RTE can or will show. They can't have wall to wall GAA over the course of a weekend, especially if legally obliged to have the two finals from Sunday on.

There is a limit to how much can be shown. As a poster on boards.ie put it, if there was wall to wall GAA on RTÉ all weekend then he'd be happy but he would be in a minority in his own house.
But live coverage is desirable, it is a pity that TV3 have ended up doing nothing. The Cork-Limerick game would have got a good audience and so attracted advertisers. TV3 did reasonable job before Sky, but after the Sky deal ended there was a suggestion that the GAA were more interested in pushing GAAGo than TV3 having some games. The joint ownership of GAAGo by RTÉ does make you wonder about some of these things.

It is GAA elite's attempts to carve up our national games and privatise and sell off the profitable, prestige games. Our best and most high profile games should be available to all grass roots GAA members via our national broadcaster. Jarlath's efforts to play the man and not the ball in this debate betrays the weakness of his argument.

Only the high profile games, so half the counties would never appear? Is that the GAA you want?

I don't believe there is a significant cohort who as you say:

1) Are elderly
2) Gave their life to the GAA
3) Are too sick to go to games
4) Cannot afford to go to a game
5) Family cannot afford to buy them a ticket
6) Family will not take them to the pub to see it.

This is the sentimental nonsense Jarlath Burns was talking about.

This is rather callous, not everyone has family or is up to travelling several hours to games, walking to the ground and standing for 2 hours. They are not the only people, but there should be efforts made to facilitate as many people as possible.

Why backwards and not forwards?

Not sure, the past has so much about it. The future looks bleak lol!

There speaks an Antrim supporter. The future is bright, the future is Orange.

Thankfully cooler heads prevailed and we returned to win our second Ulster the following year.

They could still change, this would leave an even number in Ulster and you'd get to see them every few years in NY.

Saturday 25th Louth v Meath, Grattan Park, Inniskeen, 5.30pm

There might be a right few Louth people going to that, having put on a decent show at the weekend. They might have fitted in a few more had they used Crossmaglen or Newry, but I suppose the latter is needed for Down games.