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So Mickey would play ringers in an U-21 match -never mind the rules state that it's an U-21 Competition.

If the rules don't state that University Players are inelligible to play for their respective counties then no rule has been broken. End off!!

I personnally think the Universities bring shag all to the competition. The McKenna Cup has seen a resurgence owing more to the fact of its placement just before the start of the National league and owing much to the interest generated by Armagh and Tyrone. Bring in your Tyrone Derry thing and you have the makings for decent crowds. I'm not sure of the figures but I would guess that the attendance figures at the UUJ and Down game, or St Mary against Monaghan or QUB and Cavan wouldn't be that high. You could easily exclude the University teams and still have a worthwhile competition. I'm not that big a fan of the university football in any case. Its just an excuse for the likes of QUB, UUJ and other unis to see what courses they can get star players on so that they can field a team.

The players like Cavanagh, Boggs, McCaul and McCarron all know that they have a slim chance of making the Tyrone panel and that every opportunity they get to make an impression they must take. They can't make an impression playing for a college team. Nowhere in the rules, that I have seen anway, does it say if you attend any college that you are ineligible to play for a county side during the McKenna Cup. If the competition rules say that Unis have first call on players, then thats fine but then the county has next call. What call does the player have? If the player says naw Mickey Moran I'm not playing for you, what can the Ulster Council do about it.

Who was the brave no3 for Queens who ran 30yrds to hit Cavanagh from behind?

Daniel McCartan

Tyroneman it was actually Kevin McGourty who was the QUB number 12 who put in the head high tackle early on. Vernon was number 8. His only contribution to the game was to clap as ONeill was shown the red card. If the Armagh crowd think this lad will be a possible addition to their team then he did little to prove that today against a makeshift Tyrone team. The O'Neill red card was deserved. He had been fouled a few times as the play became scrappy. I think it was a late tackle by the QUB number 10 as O'Neill was surrounded that rilled O'Neill but he did strike out, allbeit a short sharp knock to the players chest. Vernons clapping doing nothing to add to his contribution to the afternoon. As for the game itself 2-14 was good scoring considering the conditions, which were truely awful.

Curran made some decent first half saves but was unconvincing under the high ball. Kickouts were well placed and he could offer a bit more variety other that the 'big hoof down the middle' offered by McConnell.

The full back line was Paul McGurk, McGinley and Carlin. Dermot Carlin had an excellent first half. McGurk and McGinley were so so with McGurk being subbed in the 2nd half for Mickey McGee. Half back line of Ricey, Hub and Martin Penrose was somewhat surprising, with Ricey being the liveliest of them all. Hub and Penrose both looking out of place and in Hubs case slightly unfit.

MF of Sean Cavanagh and Kelvin Hughes. Cavanagh had an excellent match and looks very fit so early in the season. Hughes looked a bit slow in possession but the game will help him.

The half forward line was the weakest line on the field with Chris Colhoun of Pomeroy, Colm Donnelly of Clonoe and Declan Treanor of Dungannon. All three are very inexperienced at this level but are excellent club players and while they did some good work they did lack the fast thinking required at this level. However they may come good yet as they are young.

FF line of Niall Gormley, ONeill and Mugsy. Gormely will be happy with his first game scoring 1-4 I think. Mugsy was taken of at half time and replaced by Aidan McCarron who again looked lively. O'Neill was quiet until taken out to the half forward line but then he got too involved and will unfortunately miss the Dublin game.

It was difficult to judge players given the conditions but curran and niall gormley did themselves no harm. I'm sure we'll see the likes of mcdermott, tommy mcguigan, and paul quinn all get some game time next week

O'Mahoney looks a bit like Ger Cavlan.

The McKenna Cup has a new sponsor in magazine Gaelic Life and TG4 have also teamed up with the Ulster Council to show a range of games live on the box.

Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup 'live' games being shown by TG4: Sunday January 7: Derry v Cavan; Sunday January 14: Tyrone v Derry; Sunday January 21: Donegal v Down; Sunday January 28: semi-final: match to be confirmed; Saturday February 17: Final.

Fair play to the new sponsor and as always TG4 who again show that they are the real national broadcaster when it comes to showing and promoting Gaelic games.

Courtsey of the Irish News.com:

TYRONE boss Mickey Harte last night revealed injured duo Brian McGuigan and Brian Dooher could be back in action for the early stages of the National Football League campaign. Both players have already returned to light training, while Conor Gormley is also close to full fitness.

McGuigan suffered a broken leg and missed the Red Hands' ill-fated Championship campaign last summer, while Dooher's season was truncated by a serious knee injury.

Speaking at last night's Gaelic Life-sponsored Dr McKenna Cup launch at Belfast's Malone Lodge Hotel, Harte said that Dooher and McGuigan are back training on grass.

"Conor Gormley is ahead of the pack in terms of getting back," said Harte. "Brian Dooher and Brian McGuigan would be on a similar footing. The physio is working with both of them and they're working on grass on their own and I'm hoping they can join in some of our training in five or six weeks time.

"Brian Dooher hopes to be back available at the end of January and Brian McGuigan will be just a little bit behind that.

"And then you've got Colin Holmes and Ciaran Gourley after that. That's five players who will be back over time. But it could be as far as April before the last of them is back, maybe even into May."

Without some of their top players, Tyrone exited the Ulster Championship [to Derry] and the All-Ireland Qualifiers [to Laois] at early stages.

"Who can say what we might have achieved had we some of those injured players available to us last season?" said the Tyrone manager.

"I certainly believe we would have went much further in both the Ulster Championship and the All-Ireland series. Even with the injuries, we believe we should have done better.

"Had we beaten Laois we could have gone on quite a way, but we didn't get the scores we needed in the second half. I don't know if we'd have been able to go the whole way – and the whole way is the only thing that's any good. I don't know if we would have had the power or the appetite to go the whole way, but I'd love to get a season with all our players available."

Harte also plans to try out several young players during the McKenna Cup campaign with the county's clash with old rivals Derry being shown 'live' on January 14 by TG4. Indeed, the Irish medium channel has joined forces with the Ulster Council and new GAA magazine, Gaelic Life, to boost the competition's profile.

Harte added: "We've had a fairly extensive trial period over the last six or seven weeks; we're training with an enlarged squad over the next three or four weeks and then we'll pick a squad from the McKenna Cup.

"I'm happy that there are new players there worth giving a try. They have to experience and understand what it's like to play at the next level.

"The McKenna Cup is well placed in the calendar and teams want to be playing games at this time of the year. And isn't it great to be playing in a competition that you're not out if you lose one game?

"I think it's great preparation for the new season and I'm delighted the format is there and that there are new sponsors in Gaelic Life for the McKenna Cup."

Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup 'live' games being shown by TG4: Sunday January 7: Derry v Cavan; Sunday January 14: Tyrone v Derry; Sunday January 21: Donegal v Down; Sunday January 28: semi-final: match to be confirmed; Saturday February 17: Final.

Must say I'm very surprised to see the Pearses top of the memberhip league in Tyrone. I would have thought that we would be a smallish club in the scheme of things but these figures would suggest otherwise. I'm not sure how many families are in the parish but by the looks of it nearly every individual in the area is a member of the club. We do have some very active members in the club who collect membership every year and it is to their credit that they do so. We also have a committe that are very supportive of the players and very forward looking. Our facilities are very good and we have recently extended the gym with new equipment. There are also plans to futher develop the grounds and training facilities. Nice to be top of any league that contains Errigal and Carmen!!

Lengthy article from Eugene McGee. I would assume it is true and if it is it's a disgrace that McGuigan has received no compensation from either Club Tyrone, the Tyrone county board or the GAA insurers (Coyle Hamilton). I would have always believed that the Tyrone Board and even Mickey Harte would have made sure that all players were well looked after and that McGuigan would have received extra special treatment, given his importance to the Tyrone team. I'm hoping that this is one of the Indo's mud slinging attempts and not an actual account of what McGuigan and Conor Gormley have been forced to endure.

From the Indo!!

THE GAA has always had a love-hate relationship with players. For decades many officials would barely tolerate them and their role was to be seen but never heard.

However, thanks largely to the presence of the GPA and the strike action taken by the Cork hurlers a few years ago, there has been a sea change in the attitude of leading GAA officials towards inter-county players.

Central Council actually drew up minimum standards re travelling expenses, facilities at training and matches and supplies of playing gear.

Some County Boards were reluctant to apply these claiming they could not afford to do so, but they eventually towed the line after much arm-twisting.

However, there is one area where players at all levels can be treated abysmally by the GAA - long-term injuries.

Every year I get numerous E-Mails about serious levels of hardship that injured players have to undergo after incurring a major injury. The GAA has provided a very good insurance scheme, but its implementation can be tortuous.

Brian McGuigan from Ardboe, County Tyrone, is generally accepted to be the best centre half forward in modern Gaelic football. At a time when few counties even bother with a specialist No 11 because of the evolution of the short-passing game, he stands out as an outstanding successor to great traditional centre-forwards like Sean Purcell of Galway, Tony Hanahoe of Dublin and Trevor Giles of Meath.

For the key role he played in the initial Tyrone All-Ireland success in 2003, McGuigan won an All Star and was robbed of a another such award in 2005 when the selectors - in a fit of madness to which they are often prone - actually selected Peter Canavan at No 11 instead, even though McGuigan was THE key figure in that Tyrone success.

McGuigan then suffered a very serious injury early in 2006, when he broke both the tibia and fibia in his leg in a club game between Ardboe and Dromore. Complications set in which caused some bone marrow to seep into his lungs and his life was in danger for a while.

Thankfully the expert medical attention he received in the Belfast Royal hospital set him on the road to recovery, but it was a very long and torturous road. He spent 15 weeks with his damaged leg in a cage and hobbling around on crutches and had to undergo massive amounts of physiotherapy and other remedial treatments. Even now, eight months later he is just able to run in straight lines.

But what will astonish many people outside Tyrone, and possibly within the county as well, is that McGuigan went for over six months without getting a penny compensation from anybody connected with the GAA. This was despite the fact that he was out of work for the best part of half a year from his employment in the building industry.

No income

Indeed, he was forced to return to work much sooner than his recuperation from the serious injuries justified simply because the man had no income and needed to earn some money.

Ordinary GAA followers all over Ireland and abroad who admired the great skills of McGuigan during Tyrone's two All-Ireland winning campaigns in '03 and '05 will surely be saying to themselves: "How could this sort of thing happen to a great player in his own county?"

Many counties try to bridge the financial gap between what insurance pays and the player's lost wages. But in McGuigan's case, he has not received any insurance money yet, and, apart from medical expenses, he has received nothing from the Tyrone County Board to date.

By any standards this is outrageous considering all this player has done for Tyrone football in recent years. It seems extraordinary that the county board would not make a payment to the player months ago in the knowledge that they could, if they wished, deduct it from the insurance when it came through.

But it is not just the county board who provide facilities for county players in Tyrone. One of the most successful GAA fund-raising operations in Ireland is Club Tyrone. This a body set up to guarantee at least £250,000 per year will be available to spend on Tyrone GAA activity, particularly on the welfare of county teams.

Members of Club Tyrone agree to pay £500 per year by standing order. Their mission statement is on their excellent web site and among other things it deals with "supporting our county teams - for example making sure our managers and players get what they need to perform well for Tyrone."

An excellent concept no doubt, but Club Tyrone does not appear to have taken much interest in the McGuigan case.

My request for information to Club Tyrone brought no result, but it seems strange that apart from a small early donation, as far as we know, they did not lead the way in organising help for Brian McGuigan from whatever source was appropriate in accordance with their stated aim of "making sure players get what they need to perform well for Tyrone."

GAA compensation is always unduly delayed, but rarely to the inordinate degree as in this case. What the injured player needs most of all is financial assistance immediately so that his quality of life does not deteriorate by having to live in near poverty until either he returns to work or all the insurance red tape is sorted out.

One wonders, too, why no benefit events were organised for McGuigan during his long recovery period when he was out of work. Neither his own Ardboe club, the Tyrone County Board nor Club Tyrone seems to have taken any initiative in this regard which is in marked contrast to what would happen in most other counties when a well-loved GAA star was in need of a helping hand because of serious injury.

Brian McGuigan is a very quiet, unassuming person. He did not seek any publicity about his poor treatment and such is his love for football and Tyrone that what happened will not have any impact on his future devotion to both.

In the past GAA units have often taken advantage of quiet, dedicated players like Brian while flashier players with big mouths often got anything they wanted. For the 2003 All-Ireland final McGuigan had to get painkilling injections which worked for that day but left him severely restricted in his movements for several weeks afterwards, but he never complained.

Now he sets off for work on building sites at 6.45am as he tries to build up his depleted financial resources and engage in the torturous fitness recovery programme that he hopes will bring him back onto the Tyrone team.

What the injured player needs most of all is financial assistance immediately so that his quality of life does not deteriorate

And if, and when, he is starring for Tyrone in big Ulster or All-Ireland championship games next summer how many will think back to the way he was left to fend for himself in his hours of need during 2006?

I understand another Tyrone player, Conor Gormley from Carrickmore, broke a leg in a club match last summer and is having the same problems as Brian McGuigan.

The appointment of Pauric Duffy as Player Welfare Officer in Croke Park is timely - because we can rest assured there are many more Brian McGuigans in the GAA.

Poor game of football between the sides yesterday but still very interesting. Surprised no-one lined. Enniskillen were extremely negative and wouldn't have deserved to win the game. Davy Harte and Paul Quinn coming in for special treatment throughout the game. With two forwards 'marking' Davy Harte, not interested in getting involved in the play themselves just trying to stop davy Harte from getting involved in the game. Credit to Harte for keeping the head when manys another would have struck out in frustration. Moving Eoin Gormley and Hugh Quinn to wing forward positions making the difference for Errigal in the second half. The best laugh was to see Paul Brewster making a charge for Canavan in the last few minutes only for Canavan to spin away leaving Brewster looking stupid. It actually wasn't Tom Brewster that caught the high ball in front of the Errigal posts, think it was the number 11. However the referee rightly awarded a free out as Tom Brewster was holding Cormac McGinley to prevent him from challanging for the ball. McGinley was immense throughout, and as someone already pointed out was curiously booked when him and his man with both running out to challenge for the ball. Neither player ending up on the ground or any obvious fouls. Errigal will have to improve for the next game if they are to stand a chance against an inform Ballinderry team. They'll also need Peter starting and McDermot to improve.