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I was talking about the incident right at the end where there was an advantage awarded out the field and play continued Tyrone had a goal scoring chance but it was deflected up over the bar.  My understanding was that scoring the point ends the advantage and the point stood.  There was a similar incident in a Cork hurling match last year.

If the point doesn't end the advantage who determines which outcome is chosen?  Is it the referee, are the fouled team given a choice?

McQuillan was wrong on this.  The point was the advantage, it shouldn't have been brought back for the 2 pointed free attempt.  I guess the game scoreline is what influenced his decision.

Is the Derry direction of travel in management terms not blindingly obvious here?

Go on

and the police seemingly deciding whether they will provide support for the contractor.
Only in this place could that be a thing that the police force would come out with.

It's obvious why the cops are reticent as there will be widespread disorder if it's removed.

A total lack of leadership from unionism here

You do wonder what other circumstances are there where they would be happy to stand by and allow the laws to be broken because of the potential fallout

and the police seemingly deciding whether they will provide support for the contractor.
Only in this place could that be a thing that the police force would come out with.

Semi Final draw (if required) live on Sunday Game.
No repeats of earlier Championship games unless impossible.
If Galway, Dublin and Armagh all win....

If Armagh, Donegal, Tyrone & Galway all win, how will they work it?

Armagh have played all 3
Donegal have played all bar Galway
Tyrone have played all bar Galway
Galway have played just Armagh

A bowl with 2 balls - Donegal and Tyrone, to find out Galways opponent.

In this case a repeat is unavoidable.

No draw needed. The Tyrone v Armagh game doesn't count for the purposes of repeat pairings so it will be them and Donegal v Galway

It's only a repeat pairing if you have met in the All Ireland series or a provincial final. Hence why Monaghan and Donegal are meeting again.

You are normally a stickler for detail David.  The rules are different for the QF and SF.

Wonder has Fergal McGill the 3 course Croke Park Hotel dinner in him... any chance of letting us know the fixtures!

He said this morning that they would be out at 14:30

The inconsistency in the repeat pairings between rounds is strange.
Donegal have Monaghan in the QF, but they couldn't draw them in the SF as they met in the provincial championship.  Just provincial finals are ruled out in the QF, but all previous meetings ruled out in the SF.
Strange.  Wonder is there logic for that?

Is it set that the Galway and Donegal quarters will be next Sunday then? Can only imagine what Jim will be saying if they were to have a 6 day turnaround

Would it not make sense and be fair all around given that the Dubs and Kerry played yesterday?

Would Jim be out of order to point this out?

Interesting dynamic which of the two factors win out?  Giving the two teams that played today a 7 day turnaround or RTE showing the Armagh v Kerry game, otherwise the biggest of the QFs won't be free to air.

Does this confirm Armagh Kerry next weekend?

Yes

The midfield mark has existed for years. No one lorded the return of high fielding because of the mark. We were told it wasn't enough to encourage high fielding hence the 50m advancement for tackling after the mark.

The reason there has been more emphasis on high fielding is due to the 40m kickout arc. The fact that almost every kickout is now contested this year is why there has been a much greater emphasis on high fielding.  It is not because of the 50m advancement.  The fact that kickouts now need to travel beyond the arc is is the single biggest impact on why kickouts are different this year to last year.

Believe me, this weekend teams will absolutely love to get their hands on a midfield mark even without it being marched forward 50m.  Why?  Because possession is so important this year as the top teams find it relatively easy to get a shot away on their attacks as there are less defensive bodies to try to work through than there was last year.

I hope you are correct and I hope when they do they arent immediately fouled as theres little to no disincentive to fouling a player after a mark now.

Is it not also a little unfair to change the rule now should it not have been left a week

I would contend there is still a disincentive to foul after the mark.  You foul, what happens next? 
The player immediately takes the solo and go and you then either have to let him go so he is attacking on the front foot  as he can't be tackled for 8 metres or ele you impede him then and it gets brought forward 50m.
Both those are effectively the same, if not worse, than just letting the player play on after the mark as at least he could be tackled earlier than if he took a solo and go for the foul.

The midfield mark has existed for years. No one lorded the return of high fielding because of the mark. We were told it wasn't enough to encourage high fielding hence the 50m advancement for tackling after the mark.

The reason there has been more emphasis on high fielding is due to the 40m kickout arc. The fact that almost every kickout is now contested this year is why there has been a much greater emphasis on high fielding.  It is not because of the 50m advancement.  The fact that kickouts now need to travel beyond the arc is is the single biggest impact on why kickouts are different this year to last year.

Believe me, this weekend teams will absolutely love to get their hands on a midfield mark even without it being marched forward 50m.  Why?  Because possession is so important this year as the top teams find it relatively easy to get a shot away on their attacks as there are less defensive bodies to try to work through than there was last year.

I'm not convinced. So a player can now win a mark be tackled/fouled to the ground immediately and get the foul. So where is the real benefit of the mark. The 50m advancement now only comes in if you foul twice immediately. I think we are going to see the impact of good quality high fielding lessened from this weekend.

I think the problem, and I only seen this at county games on tv, was the ridiculously improper application of that rule..

It's got to be a deliberate impediment, there needed to be a common approach to it, example, two players competing for a kick out, one player wins it other player, makes immediate unavoidable collision, he has genuinely attempted to win the ball, for me, that's not impeding the player that won it, mark given, play on, whereas in the games I've seen, every one, it resulted in a 50 m advancement

I agree I didnt like the way the old rule was being inconsistently refereed but the point I am making now is if I was an inter county manager I would be instructing my teams, if there is a clean catch at midfield immediately make the tackle and try and knock the ball away.  Slow down their attack let us get back.  Worst case scenario you concede a free and we are probably slightly better off than if you had just backed off initially

I think its a fair trade off from what we're currently seeing, teams effectively being given 2 points for a catch.

I'm on record as being opposed to what's currently happening but the point I'm making is the rules are lauded for rewarding high fielding. I think this change takes away a lot of that reward. I'll be interested to see how it pans out. I think a half way house would have worked better.

This is the half way house.  The team catching the mark is still rewarded.  The worst case is they have a free kick, but they are in possession which is so important given the ease that teams score with under the new rules of just 11 back.
To hear you David, you would think it's back to the pre-mark rules where a midfielder caught the ball and was surrounded and was blown up for overcarrying.  Now that didn't reward clean catching.  The current rules still do, but at least a kickout catch now does not equal to 2 points, which was the case far too often in recent weeks.

So for tonights games, impeding a player from the Mark is ok! as it will only result in a free from the same spot!

Expecting the catching from the mark to be reduced to a maul lol

It starts on Saturday .....not tonight MR

Aye, was reported to start today, them changed straight away.. hard to keep up..   

Be interesting, player takes a mark, but impeded, foul given, tap and go, impeded 50m given 

Yes, I agree with this.  So still risky to foul the mark because if the player takes the solo and go for the foul we are in pretty much the same position as if he is then tackled it gets brought up 50m.  I think it is a neat solution as it will stop the 50m advancements due to players contesting for the initial catch.  But if they cynically block the solo and go to stop the fast attack they will get penalised the 50m.

Here's one......

A ref blows a whistle, and realizes it's a mistake. For example, blows a free thinking the fella was inside the arc and received the ball from a kickout, but he was wrong and he was outside. He realizes his mistake and tells everyone he made a mistake.

He still gives the free against the team because he said he made a decision and has to stick to it.

Is this correct?

Yes and no

Common sense tells the ref to get the keeper to retake the the kick or give a hop ball.. but if a ref has indicated a free and given it, then by rule book must carry on..

Different if the ref blows for an obvious free for one team and mistakenly raises hand the other way, but waves it back straight away

2023 All Ireland final Kerry are in possession and the ref gave a free to Kerry on the 14 for off the ball fouling on Clifford.
He went in and spoke to the umpire, and he then changed his mind and instead hopped the ball after yellow carding both him and Fitzsimmons.  As always, I guess the application of the rules are up to the ref on any given day.

Shane O'Neills from Armagh won it in 1987?  Wow.