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Did I hear Michael Murphy say Donegal scored two 'creamers"? Not sure what a creamer is in Donegal but around these parts.. 

Never want to hear those words out of Michael Murphy's mouth again...

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[The keeper was fouled]

How the hell is it a free out when 3 players are kneeing on you. Goldrick is a complete balloon

I'd go get your eyesight checked if I were you. The ref won it for you

Are you serious? 5 cavan high challenges unpunished by ref, phantom black card. 40 seconds extra played at end for cavan and the ref won it lol

Black card all day long for pulling down a player. And nothing to say about your final score? The keeper was fouled. That was a free out, not in. And wasn't Cavans last free not a black card and penalty for preventing a goal scoring chance under the new rules? You're being absolutely blind to how he won that for you

What "foul" are you talking about here? Was it the one where McShane pressured him into overcarrying? If that was an outfield player vs outfield player it would be called for overcarrying as well. Do you want the keeper to have more protection?

And he'd already over carried it at least once before that.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41379304.html

Ah the aul hindsight and replays, multiple angles and so on, people hate VAR in the PL but call for it here!

Galvin needs to throw stuff out there otherwise he'll be not getting a wee earner

The PL have made a hames of VAR though. The standard of reffing in the PL is just generally abysmal considering the standard of the players. The same refs are in charge of VAR so it's a reflection of that. They could easily automate things like the ball going out of play and semi automated offsides. They have made some absolutely terrible mistakes. There's continually changes to the way they ref, some of which is announced, sometimes it's not. So something can be deemed a penalty, one week and then not be a penalty the following week.

It generally works grand for rugby and also for international soccer tournaments as far as I can see.

That's because they have tried to implement a system which is looking at something which is ultimately opinion and interpretation based. It is not black and white and 3 different people in the VAR room watching the same footage could make three different calls on it, so it was never going to be the silver bullet for refs.
If anything I think it is had made their life more difficult instead of less.

Yes, it is subjective, but they have made numerous mistakes which were objectively wrong. How it has been implemented has been terrible. There's been numerous incidents of them forgetting to draw the lines or not communicating leading to a goal being wrongly allowed/disallowed or not being able to tell if a ball went out of play. Changing the interpretation and thresholds of contact etc. throughout the season does not help inspire confidence or consistency. When you do hear from the PL referees or former referees they don't inspire confidence either. 

VAR works much better in other tournaments in soccer and is much better. It's almost never an issue with rugby. Having clearer defined rules and better processes is possible. It's possible to speed things up by having semi automated offsides and inform the ref when the ball goes out etc.

Must be a parade or two for those glorious points tally's?

That's the tough sh1t of sport. You can be the best team in a below average league and you can be a really top team in a  in a competitive league.

City are going for their 6th league title in 7 years. They'd be going for 7 in a row if Liverpool did not break their run. They are going for an unprecedented 4 in a row this year. People can say money is the factor, but money will only buy you a very strong squad. You still need hunger and organisation. I hear all this talk of the 115 charges against City, if they held any substance then City would be deducted points like Forest and Everton. There is no way the League would treat one club different to the rest. Klopps record of being competitive in the League here and there and being competitive in the Champions League is over blown. Any other club other than City could do what Klopp has done at liverpool the last 5 to 6 years. It's mad that he lasted so long at the club.

Cities are much more complicated. Not sure why it should take so long. There's loads of dodgy stuff like receiving millions of sponsorship money from companies that didn't exist.

Money can only get you so far (see Yanited). But it can get you the best manager in the world, the best players and scouts etc. Pep hardly went to Man City for the mediocre history, did he? It's not as if he took a bunch of lads from the academy either. It's an impressive sporting feat what they have achieved, but it's pretty clear that they did so outside the financial rules etc., which are lax as it is. 

[near the goal]

By the letter of the law it was a pull down. The law was to stop cynical fouls when a player is in loads of space. The play was well away from it. There was two at that and the evidence suggests Hampsey didn't start it. It should have been two yellows.

On the one at the end of extra time, it looked like McKernan(?) wanted to put himself in the way, but that the Cavan player also looked to get the contact too. Does every time a player gives a wee push to another one off the ball, regardless of where the ball is, does that count as a black by the letter of the law because it's impeding. McCurry was pulling up with cramp and a Cavan player bundled him over, is that a black for impeding him? There were a lot of high tackles by Cavan players which went unpunished too which Cavan fans conveniently ignore too.

 All this inconsistent application and never ending debates about technical interpreation is tiresome and takes away from the joy of football.

The GAA need to simplify the rules. I think give a black if a player tries to stop a free being taken (as this is a regular tactic to foul and slow the free taken so as to get men back). If a player tries to cynically stop a goal scoring opportunity, be it near the goal or where the team has loads of space in front of them, give a penalty. If a team keeps committing fouls, like rugby, give a black card once a threshold has been passed. Get rid of the forward mark.

You're asking to simplify the rules but then add in rules which will be interpreted differently by every ref lol.

Players play within the rules and we are good to go?

You've just put in a rule now where there is no accurate defintion. What counts as near the goal and loads of space? Just asking for trouble with adding in subjective rules

I'm just spitballing, I'm not proposing the exact wording here. I would suggest something along the lines of there being no other outfield player between them and the goal or there being a numerical advantage. I'm not sure the black card is really doing what it was intended to do in these situations. If you are stopping a player from a situation where a goal is likely to be score, surely a penalty would be the fairest recompense? What use is a black card if a team is behind by 3 in the last play of the game etc. Rugby has penalty tries, but not sure that would work in the GAA.

Similar in soccer a red card in the last minute for denying a goal scoring opportunity is hardly a fair punishment and rewards the team who has committed the foul. Same with goalkeepers up to antics in penalty shout outs. If they interfere with the ball etc., just give them an automatic goal. It would soon stop the antics.

If a player is going to get a black card for stopping a free being taken quickly, it would almost certainly stop that behaviour and open the game up more.

Hoey is a weird one as she apparently supported the civil rights movement and was on record as supporting a United Ireland up until the 1990s I think?

It's likewise interesting to see some of the original founders of the DUP, who would be pretty hardcore protestants and Davy Adams, a former UDA man, coming out basically saying things like they think a United Ireland is inevitable or that they'd be open to persuasion.

It's really hard to know where sentiments are among PUL, with many unwilling to speak out because of the grief they'd get. Likewise there's plenty of spin and narratives.

I think people in general aren't that well informed, north and south (in different ways). The headlines are always on what way people would vote if a vote was tomorrow, but we don't know what they'd be voting for. The polling on preference and aspiration, seems to show a very solid block of 30-35% who are against a UI full stop, a similar number who would vote for a UI regardless, maybe another 30-35% who aspire to unity, but aren't fully convinced yet and then 10-15% don't knows. That should be what drives the debate. I'm not sure why this is glossed over so much by governments and media. I think there's some who just want it to go away for political reasons or personal preference and others who want to have the margin larger so it can be a smoother process.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41379304.html

Ah the aul hindsight and replays, multiple angles and so on, people hate VAR in the PL but call for it here!

Galvin needs to throw stuff out there otherwise he'll be not getting a wee earner

The PL have made a hames of VAR though. The standard of reffing in the PL is just generally abysmal considering the standard of the players. The same refs are in charge of VAR so it's a reflection of that. They could easily automate things like the ball going out of play and semi automated offsides. They have made some absolutely terrible mistakes. There's continually changes to the way they ref, some of which is announced, sometimes it's not. So something can be deemed a penalty, one week and then not be a penalty the following week.

It generally works grand for rugby and also for international soccer tournaments as far as I can see.

By the letter of the law it was a pull down. The law was to stop cynical fouls when a player is in loads of space. The play was well away from it. There was two at that and the evidence suggests Hampsey didn't start it. It should have been two yellows.

On the one at the end of extra time, it looked like McKernan(?) wanted to put himself in the way, but that the Cavan player also looked to get the contact too. Does every time a player gives a wee push to another one off the ball, regardless of where the ball is, does that count as a black by the letter of the law because it's impeding. McCurry was pulling up with cramp and a Cavan player bundled him over, is that a black for impeding him? There were a lot of high tackles by Cavan players which went unpunished too which Cavan fans conveniently ignore too.

 All this inconsistent application and never ending debates about technical interpreation is tiresome and takes away from the joy of football.

The GAA need to simplify the rules. I think give a black if a player tries to stop a free being taken (as this is a regular tactic to foul and slow the free taken so as to get men back). If a player tries to cynically stop a goal scoring opportunity, be it near the goal or where the team has loads of space in front of them, give a penalty. If a team keeps committing fouls, like rugby, give a black card once a threshold has been passed. Get rid of the forward mark.

It's hard to know where any team stands with this new format. It's not as if every other team has been firing on all cylinders. Cork (Div 2) put it up to Kerry, Derry lost to Donegal(Div 2) and Galway were losing for the whole of normal time against Sligo (Div 3).

Plenty of people were tipping Cavan to beat Tyrone. The crowd gave Cavan a big advantage and they aren't a bad side and were off a win against Monaghan(Div 1). Tyrone's lack of nouse is concerning, but that is to be expected with 9 debutants and several more who only got their debuts last year. There are a few key men to come back, so there's room to grow. Tyrone have shown some great football in patches and the young players have shown well.

I have my doubts about the management team, but look at their professional careers, they aren't idiots. There's many more games to be played in this championship. One championship match played (and won) is not the time to make damning judgements.

I expect a division one team who are leading by 7 or 8 points to close the game out. 

They coukd be forgiven if it was a one off as some of the great teams of the past struggled against the likes of cavan, westmeath etc.  It happens.  This team have been given plenty of passes at this stage though

I think it's unfair to refer to this 'this team' being given passes, when almost half of the team had no championship experience. It was very much a different team. They were also playing a team that was just off a win against a division 1 team.

They were very good in parts and looked poor in others. That's going to happen with having so many inexperienced players. Experience will come.

Have to say Mattie Donnelly looked in great shape and massive credit must go to him for getting himself back.

Anyone with suggestions on where to watch the Tyrone v Cavan match tomorrow, for those of us down south and no BBC?

Anyone with suggestions on where to watch the Tyrone v Cavan match tomorrow, for those of us down south and no BBC?

It will be interesting to see if Mattie does play at 6. He could add real solidity there potentially if he is back to himself.

[those who are so against trans rights]

trans women should not compete in women's sports is not a denial of their rights. The argument against it is backed by numerous credible sports scientists, e.g. Ross Tucker. Introducing "trans women are big and yes that might hurt someone playing rugby, but the numbers are so small it's irrelevant therefore it doesn't matter" into the discussion is a red herring. The issue is the principle and integrity of women's sport as a protected category.

Again, I'm not denying these aren't issues, but they should be worked through, the anti trans obsessives like to find these issues and make them out to something much bigger, and plenty of incidents where whole narratives and stories have been completely invented. I've seen them targeting casual park runs over trans women being recorded as women and another headline about a trans woman who finished thousands of places behind others in a marathon. I can't say I see any discussion of women's sports on here in general. Again, it's quite noteworthy how people take an issue with this issue in women's sports, but never seem to comment or show an interest in it otherwise.

The IRFU taking a very public decision to ban two trans players from playing amateur rugby is not productive imo. It wouldn't be difficult to have a set of clear guidelines. What they did sent a terrible message.

I do find it odd that those who are so against trans rights have no personal experiences or skin in the game so as to speak.

Not even Graham Lenihan or J.K. Rowling are against 'trans rights' per se.

Both of them are obessives. They have no personal connection to the issue, nor are they experts in the field. Lenihan, especially, he has ruined his career and marriage over this issue. Look at the types of people who are involved in the anti-trans movement Ireland and worldwide, which include literal nazis.

It strikes me as quite similar to the right wingers who are pro-life, who don't care about the social conditions a child is born into, or the anti-Immigration crowd who are supposedly concerned about safety and housing, but will riot and light accommodation on fire and some with convictions for violence against women. People are concerned about people 'becoming' trans, but as soon as they do, they'll completely dehumanise them.

You're not posing a proper counter to my statement. Read what both have stated re trans rights then come back here.
Equating both with those types who riot and plunder supposedly in the name of white Irish nativism is thoroughly disingenuous.

I've long since tried to avoid them. They both clearly have issues and have gone very much down the deep end. A quick cursory glance at Linehan's wikipedia tells me that he has variously harrassed trans people, set up fake profiles to pose as trans people, described people who support trans rights as 'groomers', tried to smear several people with false associations. These are not the actions of someone who is acting reasonably, and especially so given how his life has imploded.

And it's not disingenuous to make those comparisons. Like those other people it's disingenuous on their part to claim they are concerned about trans people. There's also strong cross over in Ireland between all these groups.

If you take a very generous interpretation of their belief that trans people just have mental issues etc., how does constantly using such strong and loaded rhetoric help. How does dehumanising, insulting and invalidating trans people help trans people?

I haven't seen any stats which show a rising trend of violence by trans people. But I do know that trans people are much more likely to suffer violence and violence against trans people has been increasing.

It's mind boggling that there's so many very real and pressing issues facing Ireland and the world and so many have been deliberately distracted by the right wing with such a micro issue that affects almost no-one...

Yet you put a long post in place prior to that.

How does that undermine my argument?

I'm arguing this whole debate has essentially been concocted and I'm trying to illustrate that. I have empathy for this tiny, most vulnerable minority of society who are mercilessly being demonised and targeted. Yes, there are issues, like anything, and like anything, they should be worked through carefully by professionals and those affected, not by angry and unreasonable people on twitter.

Society in general should be focusing its energy on the actual pressing issues, that affect everyone, like housing, health, climate change, changing demographics, the erosion of social cohesion, and so many other issues which should take priority.

I'd be interested in why you care about this issue personally, how it affects you or yours, and why it takes priority over any of the above issues for you?