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Dublin Armagh 2003?

All the best to Louth. Would love to see you's do it tomorrow.

O'Hara is a great player and gives his all for Sligo. Don't think he's overrated at all. Think I remember him standing up well to the Aussie's in internatonal rules as well. Was great to see Sligo win it and deserve to win title now. Will be hard to beat in last 8 to.

And of course Hayes in the Tribune today says it's worse than last years championship. 

Don't know how he could say that. It's been really good. Plenty of good games and loads of shocks. A lot of high scoring games to and decent quality. In my opinion its been far superior in terms of entertainment to the world cup.

Another great weekend for the championship with Sligo Galway and Kerry Limerick 2 great games.

Come on now lads Tomas O'Se is a clean player. The trip, the high tackle and the elbow were all accidental. Galvin should have been sent off for Donaghy pulling him down, yellow wasn't enough.

Personally I think we'd be safer setting up a quarter final thread and leaving the Monaghan lads to it here. Not much point in discussing a game we're unlikely to lose. I know it's early but has anyone any preferences for who'd they'd like in the quarters? The Dubs? Armagh? Cork?

I would ask Tyrone to do a lap of honour after the Ulster final this year. Last year they Dooher and McMenamin lifted the Anglo - Celt cup and barely smiled and the team walked straight into the dressing room. My cubs were at their first  Ulster final and would have loved to see the team going around the field with cup. l know the All Ireland is the main objective but at least pretend to be happy to win Ulster.

A lot of the fans probably won't stay at the end so would it not make sense just to do the lap of honour at the start of the game so everyone gets a chance to see it? Maybe between the pre match parade and anthem?

Good to see the championships get a bit of positive coverage for a change. Taken from independent:

A S GAA championships go, the first of the new decade is certainly trying to develop as an adventurous sort rather than holding up a mirror to its immediate predecessors and declaring itself happy with the reflection.

How refreshing is that? It may, of course, be a May-June thing, after which favourites start galloping merrily home as they head for the glitzy parade rings that come into view from July on.

Up to now, though, it has been fascinating to watch confetti showers of shredded form books blowing across venues all over the country.

Who would have thought that over the last five weekends we would have seen the following?

1 Cork hurlers thrashing highly rated Tipperary by 10 points. Cork beating Tipperary (or vice versa) is never a major surprise but 10-point margins are.

2 Dublin footballers having their pursuit of a provincial six-in-a-row replaced by a dig through the record books to see when they last conceded five goals in the Leinster championship. The answer is 81 years ago when Laois beat them, 5-5 to 3-10 in the 1929 semi-final. Unlike last Sunday, they came up just one point short.

3 Louth hitting hot favourites Kildare for 1-22, followed by a win over Westmeath to reach the Leinster final for the first time since 1960.

4 Longford, who looked one-paced when finishing 31st of 33 in the NFL and not much quicker when losing to Louth in Leinster, beating 2009 Connacht champions and 2010 Division 1 finalists Mayo in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

5 Monaghan beating Armagh by 12 points. Armagh had beaten Derry three weeks previously and have since beaten Donegal.

6 Offaly hurlers proving they're right alongside Galway who are supposed to be serious All-Ireland contenders.

7 Sligo footballers dumping Mayo out of the Connacht championship and then coming within seconds of becoming the first senior team from the county to win against Galway in Galway.

Exploits

Then there was the high drama of Cork v Kerry and Dublin v Wexford, Cavan's comeback exploits against Wicklow and Carlow hurlers' win over Laois last Saturday after losing twice to them earlier in the season.

Of course, certainties have romped home too, some exciting, some depressing. The former was represented by Henry Shefflin taking the lead in the hurling championship's all-time scoring charts, the latter by the grim inevitability that Limerick hurling's cannibalisation of itself would leave it fatally damaged for the Munster campaign.

Unquestionably, the first six weeks of the championships have been extremely vibrant and while question marks remain against overall standards in football, there's no doubt that the summer campaigns are boiling up quite nicely.

Of all the achievements so far, the most universally popular will be Louth's advance on the Leinster final. For the past 50 years, they have watched as the big day featured Dublin, Meath, Offaly, Kildare, Laois, Westmeath, Longford and Wexford, leaving them on the outside with Carlow and Wicklow (Kilkenny don't compete).

The emotion that radiated from the red zones dotted around Croke Park last Sunday evening, not to mention the sheer joy of the players and their effervescent manager Peter Fitzpatrick, will be added to the book of evidence by those who continue to make a strong case for the retention of the provincial championships.

In fairness, they have a point. In terms of promoting Gaelic Games in Louth which, given the strength of soccer in its two biggest towns, is a major challenge, this team has done more than a flotilla of coaches. If Louth were to win the Leinster championship, it would be the biggest boost to football in the county since the All-Ireland win of 1957, but, even if they don't, they have given it a whole new impetus.

The case for the retention of the provincial championships is being made in the other provinces too. Limerick are chasing their first Munster football title for 114 years while, in Ulster, it would be a fitting landmark by which to recognise the current team if Monaghan won a first provincial title since 1988.

And what of Connacht? If Sligo beat Galway in the semi-final replay next Saturday, their clash with Roscommon will be the first final without either Galway or Mayo since 1947. And then there's Galway trying to win a first Leinster hurling championship on Sunday.

The 2010 championships really are showing a remarkable amount of individuality. Enjoy it, just in case the old order starts to close in from now on.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/louth-the-leading-lights-in-a-refreshing-summer-of-surprises-2239545.html

Generally been a very good championship to date with plenty of shocks. Hopefully it continues.

I commented else where that thats very suprising given the hype around the world cup and media obsession with it. Shows the gaa is still very popular.

Frig me that's all Monaghan need, another all star back into the Tyrone squad.

It is a home draw for Monaghan and they will find it easier to get motivated than Tyrone which will both work in their favour. That's why I'd give them a slight chance. Not sure why Paddy Power has the betting so close though, I'd say there's a few Tyrone posters here who will be out to make a few pound.

Taped the Monaghan game on Sunday and watched tonight. To be honest its hard to see Monaghan winning after watching that. They've  or 6 decent players who would probably make the Tyrone squad but there's 3 or 4 players who'd be lucky to feature in the top 50 players in Tyrone. That's no disrespect to Monaghan who are an improving team and give there all but just don't think they have enough.

[Meath's demolition of Dublin in Sunday's Leinster SFC semi-final attracted more TV viewers than England's World Cup clash with Germany.TV3 has revealed that 528,000 watched their coverage of Meath's 5-9 to 0-13 victory over their old rivals. By comparison, 400,000 watched Germany's 4-1 rout of England in Bloemfontein on RTE.Meanwhile, rugby commentator Ryle Nugent has been appointed RTE group head of sport with immediate effect. Nugent succeeds Glen Killane, who was recently appointed managing director of RTE television.]

Taken from the hoganstand:

Meath's demolition of Dublin in Sunday's Leinster SFC semi-final attracted more TV viewers than England's World Cup clash with Germany.

TV3 has revealed that 528,000 watched their coverage of Meath's 5-9 to 0-13 victory over their old rivals. By comparison, 400,000 watched Germany's 4-1 rout of England in Bloemfontein on RTE.

Meanwhile, rugby commentator Ryle Nugent has been appointed RTE group head of sport with immediate effect. Nugent succeeds Glen Killane, who was recently appointed managing director of RTE television.

Interesting given the huge hype behind the world cup and the media obsession with it.

[They havent really clicked into gear yet.]

I think Tyrone shouldn't be complacent about this one. They havent really clicked into gear yet. Monaghan on the other hand have done well so far, the only worry for their supporters is the too early peaking syndrome.

That's the point. There has been no need for Tyrone to click into gear in Ulster in 09 and so far this year.

That's easy to say but when Tyrone needed to click into gear v Cork last year they couldn't. The Monaghan match looks like Tyrone's toughest game in Ulster since defeated in 2008 by Down.