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Apologies, meant Shane Ryan.

Glenn Ryan in his day wouldn't have went amiss either.

Definite penalty and yellow card. This was the turning point, Cork were kind of huffing and puffing until this. The introduction of O'Neill gave Cork a focal point, up until then only Kerrigan provided any kind of spark.

If Dublin had a few subs ( dare I say it Glenn Ryan or Jayo) for the last 10 minutes with a bit of composure they should have won. Like some others I don't agree with this there's always next year. This opportunity should have been seized.

Still get the impression ther is no real game plan with Cork just constant driving from half back through tackles.

Whoever wins next week will more than likely go into the final as underdogs. Both Kildare and Down would have better 16-20s than Dublin and would probably be more tactially aware than Dublin.

Dublin do deserve a lot of credit for the distance they have came since last year but next year will be harder still.

He should get out now with his head held high. This team has no more improvement in it and he could maybe come back in a few years time rather than leave under a cloud.

You wonder though what planet some of these club delegates are on. If it is a financial matter well fair enough if they are worried about the overall cost but if it is something personal or the fact that they think someone else would do a better job, well all I can say is these people have short memories.

Remember the scenes of celebration when Finlays free dropped into the net to win the Div 2 league final in 2005. Monaghan are arguably the 3rd best team in Ulster this year and have consistently been around Div 1.

An Ulster title would have been great but I'm not sure what some people expect.

Good article from Jarlath Burns in the Gaelic Life this week on James McCartan and Kieran McGeeney.

He was saying that some players arrive when teams are going well but in their case the teams they were on became winners in no small part because of them.

This included his memories of McCartan scoring 2 goals in a minute against Armagh in 1990 in his 1st year and how he used to swan into the senior form room at St Colmans when he was a 2nd year and such was his cockiness that no one batted an eyelid and of McGeeney taking out 4 attackers outside a chip shop in Dundalk one night and walking away with his kebab intact.

These 2 will be will among the most prominent managers over the next 10 years hopefully with McGeeney in charge of Armagh at some point.

Are this Waterford team destined never to win an AI

Reading today they have won only 1 of 7 AI Sfs and with Kilkenny ( even without Shefflin) hell bent on 5 in a row are warriors such as John Mullane, Ken Mc Grath and Tony Browne destined never to win the ultimate prize?

Being from Armagh football would always come first ( although we have made great strides at all levels of hurling this year) but nothing would give me more pleasure than to see these men lifting the AI in September.

They have given so much to hurling over the last 10 years or so and it is a pity that the best team they had in 60 years coincided with this Kilkenny team. If they had been around in the 90s when there was a spread of winners they probably would have won 1.

" If I stay there will be trouble
  If I go there will be double"

Banty is due to decide next week whether he will stay for another year ( would this be his 7th?).

Will he have another crack at it or get out while the goings good?

Reasons for going

1) His reputation is still high, he has brought Monaghan from being in the bottom 10 teams in the country to consistently in the top 10.

2) This team aside from Walshe, Hughes, McManus has been on the go for more or less 10 years. Maybe this as far as he can take them.

Reasons for staying

1) He desperately would love an Ulster title and feels there is 1 last kick from this team.

2) Stubborness - Like PeteMcGrath and Sean Boylan he might decide to hang on too long.


If he goes he will be missed by all GAA supporters, definitely one of the most passionate managers around today, he would bleed blue if you cut him open.

Why does this play a part in games at club/county level up and down the country?

For instance Dublin were hyped to the rafters against Tyrone/Kerry in 2008/2009 and imploded yet this year were wrote off and played as though a weight was lifted off them.

Fermanagh also if wrote off can raise their game but if favourites seem to shrink into themsleves.

Every year the lengths players/managers go to relieve pressure on themselves seems to get more and more ridiculous.

For instance this week both Kildare and Down will do their best to paint themselves as underdogs.

i.e " If we play like we did the last day it won't be enough", " X and Y are probably the best forward line in the country" etc.

If Kerry drew Leitrim in the qualifiers you can picture Marc O'Shea being asked about the draw and saying " No one gets an easy game in Carrick On Shannon".

When did this start? Did players in the 60s/70s come out with this or did they say things like "Roscommon should be no bother to us"?

Did stories of opposition players/managers statements being pinned up on dressing room walls for motivation cause teams to make sure they didn't provide this sort of ammunition?

Agree with Donnellys Hollow. Bookies will have little between the teams with Kildare slight favourites.

Have to agree with this. There seems to be a real drive and sense of purpose about Kildare and a sense of progression over the past 3 years. McGeeney has built a really strong team spirit there and although defensivelly they will leak scores you get the impression they are confident of scoring more than the opposition.

After the poor start against Meath some teams may have downed tools but they kept plugging away and eventually ground Meath down.

Not writing off Down by any means as McCartan has done a great job in 1st year. Players have been there to do something for a while but he is the 1st to harness this. His off the field manner has impressed too, to the point, no cliches etc.

Kildare are maybe that bit further down the road than Down.

Whoever wins will be going into the final in a brilliant position as underdogs against either Dublin or Cork.

Although the current provincial championships are inequitable they are here for the forseeable future, turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

I agree that the last thing anyone wants is a few rounds of dead rubbers such as in the Heineiken Cup.

An idea similiar to 1 proposed earlier

1) Keep league as is (Play Feb/March - scrap finals)

2) Play prov championships as normal only more compressed ( 7/8 weeks MAX)

3) KO stage.

Seed teams with 1-4 seeds prov champions and 5-32 based upon league pos.

So seeds would be

1 Kerry
2 Tyrone
3 Meath
4 Roscommon
5 Cork

etc.

1st round Seed 1 v Seed 32 etc through to Seed 16 v Seed 17. 1st round lower seed would be at home.

4) Last 16 again highest seed v lowest seed etc with higher seed at home this time.

5) Qfs and SFs also.

This would help boost league profile, prov champs profile and ensure best teams made it through to latter stages each year.

Announcer has just read out Munster final score of Clare 2-08 Kerry 0-09 twice. Mustn't have believed it himself  .

Don't remember this game even though I was at it. Poor fare so far and 93 game also although conditions were impossible.

This Derry team and Armagh team of 99-06 were seen as underachievers by winning only 1 AI.

Although Donegal deserved to beat Dubliin in 92 final, did they overacheive in winning 1 Sam?

McEniff was some manager though, particularly the way he turned them round in 2003.

Thanks for reminding us of 2005 Doohersarmy. Still feel sick thinking of it, that was the one that got away for us.

Martin Carney on Newstalk this evening, pulling no punches about the state of Galway football.

Basically he said they are perceived as being a big name when they have done nothing since 2001 and that Joe was under the illusion that there were better players available.

Also compared the situation to Maradona that the Galway co board were insisting on having say on backroom team and that this was the final straw for Big Joe

Fair play to Dublin.Really didn't see this one coming based on Dublin's displays to date ( maybe Armagh aren't that far away  ).

Dublin got a bit of luck with the 2 goal chances at either end but sometimes you earn a bit of luck. B Brogan was unreal today and they have definitely unearthed a few stars in the likes of McMahon and O Carroll.

It finally seems to be all about the team rather than a few pinup boys who can turn it on, on agood day but go missing when the chips are down.

When Mulligan equalised with 7 minutes or so to go Tyrone had been on top for 10 mins or so but had kicked some appalling wides.
Decision making today was worst I have seen in a long time for Tyrone. Generally passes are accurate, shot selection is good etc.

A bad day at the office or once to the well too often for some of the players?

Not stirring or anything but could there be a spillover in terms of Cavanagh and Harte from last year? Anyone can have an off day but Cavanagh has not been at his usual high standards all year.

What is encouraging is that 24 hours ago it was assumed that Kerry/Tyrone were so far ahead of everyone else (bar Cork). Both Down and Dublin ran at their opponents defences which have both started to show their age and were rewarded for positive attacking ( although both played with 11/12 men behind the ball when needed).

Either way if any of this Tyrone team call it a day they owe no one anything. Tyrone at least seem to have players coming through and seem to be in a better position than Kerry for 2011.

Congrats to Down

Brilliant performance today and no reason why they can't go all the way now.

Some say tradition plays no part but when the game was there to be won today the confidence Down teams on a roll have that comes from wearing the jersey spurred them on.

Compare them to Monaghan in 2007 ( was it?) the first game against Kerry when they had them for the taking or even Armagh in 2000. It definitely plays a part.

As for Kerry it seems there is a serious rebuilding process needed and the minor teams from the last few years wouldn't provide a lot of hope.

Tomas O'Se was definitely a big miss. How many times has he popped up with a score or driving run to lift Kerry? There was just no leadership barring Cooper out there today.

Although Kerry are rightly favourites for this one, this should be a cracker of a game.

As has been stated Down are in bonus territory now.

Kerry struggled at midfield for long spells of the Cork/Limerick games (although with Cooper and O'Sullivan only 40% possession is all that is needed sometimes).

If Down can keep their heads and learn lessons from the Tyrone game such as not missing straightforward frees and not shooting from impossible angles then they can make a real fist of this.

I don't see where this talk of Dublin finding momentum is coming from. Tyrone may not be at the peak of their powers compared to 2005 but they will still be far too cute for Dublin.

Dublin were there for the taking against Armagh but we continually turned over possession and despite the Dublin defence appearing vulnerable we didn't pose enough of a threat up front.

The Louth game proved nothng, Louth would rather not have been there yesterday.

How many of the Dublin team would get on the Tyrone team?

Tyrone by six.