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Why don't they play Xs and Os in Kerry?

'Cos they can't get 3-in-a-row 

I'm not laffin' at my own county honest. I just thought it was a good one! Ciarrai go deo.

To be fair screenexile - I don't think he was really trying to take from Tyrone's victory. He's right though - Tyrone could have been given a few yellow cards. Equally one or two Kerry players might have gotten red cards. And I'll accept his point that if it was a game played in the earlier rounds, players would have walked because they'd be given second yellow offences/straight reds.
The problem with the GAA is fans, teams and officials want the best of both worlds. We want the rules implemented but we also want the ref to have a bit of common sense. We don't want to see bad sportsmanship go unpunished but heaven forbid the referee might "ruin" the All-Ireland final by sending someone off and making the teams uneven. We want the referee to "make a game of it" - that's not his job. His job is to apply the rules and if it means pointing someone towards the sideline, so be it. We want frees awarded when players are fouled - but only sometimes - otherwise the ref is criticised for "not letting the game flow" or refusing to apply the (non-existent) advantage rule - again - not his job. It's up to the players on the pitch to make a game of it, to stay within the rules and to accept sanction when meted out.

It is an important point though. Those who won All Ireland titles without being defeated at any stage of the campaign are deserving of more honour than those who needed a second bite of the cherry.

Maybe so. But when the new Championship format was accepted, I think we should have understood it to mean that all All-Irelands would be equal. In 2005 Tyrone played 10 games to win the title - you could say that's a more honourable All-Ireland than any won in the 70s/80s/90s but in truth to win Sam at any stage is an honourable achievement. It's clear from the outset of the Championship that the backdoor is there - every team has equal opportunity to use it (provincial champions don't get a second chance but at the start of the year, they know that it's a safety net if they get knocked out in an early stage).

I mean should the record books detail All Ireland winners as follows (for example)

Tyrone 3 (two backdoors).


It is in my opinion a qualification that needs to be made

hmmm maybe, yes. But let's say something a bit more disparaging than just 'backdoor' in our efforts to denigrate Tyrone and take from a superb achievement in winning an All-Ireland.
Let's say
Tyrone - 2008 (ah but needed the old backdoor. Tut tut - so it only counts for half an All-Ireland).
Kerry - 2006 (ah but needed the old backdoor AND it was a soft All-Ireland. Doesn't count at all).

Yup - history books definitely need 'qualification' alright.