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Here what the f**k was the craic with that tr**p twisting McGuigans fingers??

Seems to have been mentioned a few times online. Why would that not be a red?

Maybe you should look at some of the off the ball antics of Derry.

In all honesty I thought the game today was a pile of crap with a few exciting bits. Armagh spent the league trying to get a defensive gameplan and Derry managed to get a scrappy goal and 3 fisted points. Add to that the lack of focus through league on forward play came to roost with bad wides and wrong options being taken. They need to go back to playing to their strengths. When a top forward they Cian Mcconville sits on the bench it suggests you are more concerned with not losing than winning.

I also detest penalties...probably because Armagh have been so bad at them. But have rules changed that keepers can charge off the line at each kick?

Anyone able to paste Joe Brollys piece from today's Independent

Joe Brolly: Why Rory Gallagher had to step down
The protection of three vulnerable children in now everyone's priority


Rory Gallagher — © SPORTSFILE


Rory Gallagher — © SPORTSFILE


Rory Gallagher — © SPORTSFILE


Rory Gallagher — © SPORTSFILE

Joe Brolly
Today at 02:30
I am thinking of three small children. Three small children with their Derry kits folded by their bedsides, wondering why they can't go to the Ulster final. Three small children unaware of the public bloodbath that is to come.
Today, the 1998 Derry Ulster championship winning team is being introduced to the crowd at half-time. Earlier in the week, when it looked as though Rory Gallagher was going to be on the sideline today, the group decided that we would not go through with it. How could we have? Smiling, waving, blowing kisses?

The GAA symbolises our community. It is what we are. When Nicola Gallagher put her harrowing, terrifying story online, Rory had to step down. He has custody of three small children and their protection is all of our priority.

The reason family courts anonymise parents is not to protect the parents. It is to protect the children. Children are the innocent victims of acrimonious break-ups and of outrageous abuses. Sometimes, they experience things that will haunt them forever. The court's objective, insofar as is possible, is to allow them to get on with their lives in a way that causes them the least possible damage. To ensure they are in a settled, secure environment.

​I am devastated to hear these allegations. Worse is the fact that these vulnerable children are now going to hear and see this tragedy being played out so publicly.

I make no judgment on the private lives of the parents. But once this moved from the privacy of the family courts and a confidential PSNI investigation into the public domain, the GAA had no choice but to act.


Rory Gallagher — © SPORTSFILE

In the coming days, the Gallagher family will be a spectator sport. The three children will be frightened and confused by what they hear and see. They will feel all eyes on them and sense that unmistakeable atmosphere of sympathy that usually accompanies a death in the family. There will be no protecting them now.

Nicola, a vulnerable young woman who has obviously suffered terribly, must be given space and support. Most of all, she must be listened to. Those public howls of distress and pain shook us all to the core.

Rory, who has parental responsibility for three vulnerable children, must also be given space and support. In a few weeks, the public will have lost interest. They will be left to pick up the pieces.

​Yesterday morning I was in a quandary about whether to write anything at all for today. Then I got a call from Rodney Edwards, from this paper. He said: "Joe, would you like to comment on the fact that the Derry County Board were notified about these allegations a year ago and yet did nothing?" Rodney, a decent and straightforward journalist, proceeded to read the email that had been sent to the board by Nicola Gallagher's father. I said, "Jesus Christ" and put the phone down.

This was never disclosed to the county board members. I never thought this would happen with us. Why? To win some football matches? To get a f**king promotion?

I think of how the GAA is flourishing like never before because of the massive rise in involvement by our girls and women. How it has created such a vibrant community of equals. And then to hear that such serious allegations were reported to us and nothing was done?

I am a Derry GAA man to the core. It is humiliating to know that this has happened in my name. I spoke to several board members yesterday morning who are equally enraged. They had no idea this had been done. They were unaware of the allegations until they read Nicola's anguished Facebook posts last week.

I am one of the lawyers in the Stardust Inquest, a story of secrets and cover-ups and hoping it would all go away. That disaster occurred on Valentine's Day, 1981, a symphony of sorrowful songs that some hoped would be buried with the dead. But secrets have a habit of coming back to haunt us. Now, they have come back to haunt Derry GAA.

A well written considered piece from Brolly.

1. Facebook post  Tuesday,  5 days before the Ulster Final   https://twitter.com/thegaacorner/status/1656322909395202049
The post triggered a large social media response focusing on football and Domestic Abuse.
2 Media interview  Sunday , the morning of the Ulster Final https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/if-my-story-helps-one-woman-or-man-then-it-will-have-been-worth-it-nicola-gallagher-on-domestic-abuse-claims/a1936363625.html
3 There will probably be more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMe8ltiH2IQ

What makes it strategic is the timing and the linking with the Ulster Final. Also the cross border media angle.
Then you have very focused messaging in both the Facebook post and the Indo interview. Eg "if my story helps one woman"

Fogra : RG is innocent until proven guilty

In cases like this I would say he is legally innocent until he is proven guilty. If in real times he is guilty he deserves all the grief he gets - and much more.

Yeah and when Armagh weren't going well few years ago, over half were nowhere to be seen.

Still leaves a fair few.

Was at an Armagh match in Kilmallock a few years ago when the Armagh fans outnumbered the Limerick fans about 100 to 1. All through the Divisions Armagh have a solid core support.

It's amazing how people can see the same game differently. I thought Down were very poor today and looked far more intent on fouling and hitting off the ball. I thought Armagh looked comfortable through out and were working on tactics for the next day.

I thought the ref was poor and kept Down in the contest.

That said a lot to improve on for the next day. Also thought O'Neill had a great game linking the play.

Have to agree with most of that.

Tactically I think Down tried to snuff out a number of Armagh key players. Unfortunately for them other Armagh players stood up and they had no one good enough yet to mark Murnin.

Interesting for a team people say got favours from the referee I can only remember Armagh scoring one free.

I thought O'Neill was average enough today, still looks off the pace with that Quad injury, couldn't be fully over it.

He's average more often than not

Hope Gallagher thinks the same

Referee is shocking, giving us nothing.

As a complete neutral I thought he was OK.

Kerry must be taking tackling lessons from armagh. Unreal the amount of high tackles.

When a fella is already trying to dive to the ground it can be very easy to get a tackle mistimed

Was at Armagh v Donegal game and after reading posts here watched second half again. The Jarly Burns frees given by the referee were always going to be given. Nowadays you cannot pull at a player or put you hand on a shoulder, especially when he is travelling so fast. Armagh have been poor this year but even at the game I never thought Armagh were going to lose. Each time Donegal got close Armagh pushed ahead again. They also had a couple to good goal scoring chances  Donegal have plenty of work to do. As for the referee when watching it again he wasn't as bad as I thought in real time. I also note how when Armagh give away more frees than opposition we are told they don't know how to tackle but when give away less the referee is biased.

Armagh were very cynical in blocking runners for kickouts. Unpunished by the ref many times despite being pointed out several times.

Going by the amount of ball they win around midfield they are obviously not much good at this!

Never mind referees , players or bad decisions that pitch in Dr Hyde Park is terrible. Players slipping everywhere. Someone could get badly injured.

A friend of mine played County hurling on it. Said it was one of the best pitches he was ever on. The old surface before it was relayed was old school. A bumpy field.

Ros were certainly guilty of buying frees and feigning injury. Its not great to see but most teams utilise the dark arts these days. Ros were a soft naive team before this year. We are sick of the narrative of great forwards but conceding monster scores once anyone has a right go at us. So, personally I will accept a bit of cynical stuff as that is part of the streetwise game management that top teams often have. We appear miles ahead of where we were in that regard and not such a soft touch tactically anymore.

Maybe it was because surface was wet but players lost their footing a lot.

Never mind referees , players or bad decisions that pitch in Dr Hyde Park is terrible. Players slipping everywhere. Someone could get badly injured.

Morgan is one man fouling machine. He should have had a yellow even before the ball was threw in.
For all Araon Kernans ability he was badly caught out for the second goal. That said hes been some role model.
I think Drew Wylie set the template on how to mark O'Neil. He wasn't used that sort of attention and it rattled him

The comments on Morgan show how reputations can overshadow reality. The improvement in Morgan's discipline the last few years has been remarkable. Probably still as annoying as always but alot smarter. Every team has a player like him.

Calls for an all star for Rian O'Neill this year were wide of the mark I thought and cemented by his performance last night for Cross.
He's undoubtedly a talent but has a tendency to drift out in games when it matters. He's young and it will come for him eventually though as he has size, pace and accuracy off either peg.
Armagh club football is bang average at the minute as well.

Talk that O'Neill was an injury doubt before the game yesterday. Perhaps this was a factor in his performance.

Armagh club football is probably worse than average at the minute. Structures are good and run well enough, but there's little depth of talent developing across the club scene.

The fact he spend so long in full forward line may support that.

Half-time Derrynoose 1-7 0-3 Letterkenny.

How can a town the size of Letterkenny be junior? Are there other teams in area?