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Interesting post. As I said, I wasn't around for it, was guessing and absolutely stand corrected!

If it makes you feel any better, I'll always be that chunk short of your paypacket!

Top down decision making (agreed by unions abnormally weighted towards the older members) in a pressurised environment probably, although it came a little before my time teaching.

[but after school sports don't count towards this figure]

"Under the deal, which follows on from the Croke Park, Haddington Road and previous agreements, teachers are required to work an extra 33 hours per school year in non-classroom contact – but after school sports don't count towards this figure."

That was very short sighted. Anyone know why this was part of the agreement?

We get to spend Croke Park Hours either sitting in unproductive meetings, or doing paperwork that's of no benefit to anyone, bar perhaps ourselves on occasion. It's busy-work and part of the trend of blindly copying the UK's completely unsuccessful moves on best practice in teaching, moves that have led to the enormous drop-out rate among young teachers, with no positive trade-off.

Opening up the Croke Park hours to after school activities would be wonderful. I'd much rather spend the time on street leagues, art projects or dramas. It'd be better for parents, children and teachers.

Fair play to Clare. Fair play to Brennan so having such an impact on the game when he was limited in his movement. Maith dóibh. Very enjoyable game.

I usually live within walking distance so I've had the chance to develop a real love for this day in the GAA calendar!

Clare are a really busy team. It's a shame that Gary Brennan doesn't seem to be fit for this one though, he's a super footballer.

Ugggggggggh.

Losing and still making the league semis is truly the cruelest of jokes.

This would be the biggest win in Roscommon's history in fairness. We've nothing to play for.

I don't think I'll ever forget reading this.

Excellent point, J70. For this weekend, well a tight game, to be just about won by the team better prepared to play their way through the other.

I got a new pair of Puma Kings for Christmas! 

Studs though, more's the pity.

Sorry for interrupting the thread with a football question, but Oakleaf, did any Donegal players stand out for you - any particularly strong performers?

There's little there to suggest that Gallagher would prefer another game to another training camp to be honest, for better or worse.

That last sentence could just as easily have been written by a Donegal man!

The full forward line is very thin at the moment, largely due to injuries that have halted the progress of the young lads coming through.

The goalkeeper rotation is starting to look a bit like placeholding until Michael Boyle is fit. That mighn't be a bad thing, he's probably an above average intercounty keeper anyway.

It's tempting to be very down on how the team's shaping up right now, and it looks like they're shaping up to be at around the same level as last year. I'd love to think that Gallagher has something up his sleeve, particularly something to play against blanket defences, but, well, we'll see...

Great previews on Seó Spóirt on Friday and excellent coverage again today, although Cuán Ó Flatharta is more biased than a local radio commentator, and weirdly condescending to any team that isn't Kerry or Dublin.

It was great to see Gary Brennan on Friday's show. A great player, ploughing away for a lesser light, and excellent Irish to boot!

Anecdotally, there was complete apathy around this game, partly I'd imagine because of the timing - players are back with the club, this part of the league always sees a dip in interest, and most people exiled in Dublin are home for the week. Above all else though, playing away to Dublin is something for late summer really, the effort required to beat this fantastic Dublin team probably isn't worth the reward in a league match. I was in Nowlan Park a few weeks ago for the visit of Galway, and to paraphrase one of the Galwegians, if you put everything you had into it, threw your best tactics at it, worked your socks off and most importantly got the bounce of the ball, sure, you might beat them. That it's barely worth it is a measure of just how good, and deep, this Dubs side is. Historically good perhaps. We'll see.

Anyway, the apathy was well rewarded with a match that was, to its very core, a league match. Dublin were worth the win, though I find it hard to praise anyone in particular.

To the poster who mentioned the 2014 minors - most of those will be following the cycle of progression that's pretty standard at the moment - training mid-summer with the seniors year, then a year on the fringes of the team, year in and out of the team - usually in but only making an impact sometimes, and then really showing what they can do in year 3/4. That seems to be the way of things these days, not just in Donegal, though the team's a good example. There are players at various stages of it - Odhrán's a graduate, Eoin McHugh's in the last year of the cycle, and the likes of Eoghan Ban are the year behind him. In the summer I'd expect the most prominent of the newer players to be Ciarán Thompson, followed by Eoghan Ban and Eoin McHugh. Mark Anthony McGinley could get some time in goals as well, if they don't decide to put Michael Boyle back in and if Durcan doesn't return.