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i still can't take in this latest tragedy which has befallen tyrone gaa and the harte family in particular. condolences to the mcareavey family aswell, what must that lad be going through out there?

i think there will be no dissenting voices when i say that every gael's thoughts from every county in ireland are with those families directly affected by this terrible tragedy. mickey has always come across as a true gentleman, indeed he's an ambassador for everything that's good about the GAA. i hope mickey's strong faith will give him and his family the fortitude to get through the tough times that lie ahead. our thoughts and prayers are with both families and friends affected by this terrible waste of a young life.

RIP michaela.

[they need more 6ft+, fast players that are skillful and comfortable on the ball a la kerry and cork]

i said around the kildare quarter-final last year that tyrone looked like a team in decline. they continue to  look slow and one-paced. the legs are getting older and they have too many smurfs that can be out-muscled. they need more 6ft+, fast players that are skillful and comfortable on the ball a la kerry and cork. dublin will be a force this year, mark my words. i'll predict now that there won't be an ulster team involved at the semi-final stage of the championship. antrim will do well again, and will be a better match for tyrone in the ulster first round.

as for dublin v derry, the dubs by 4. derry don't have the steel required to match the major teams this year. the main champ contenders will be: cork, kerry, dublin, mayo and kildare.

Are all you county managers reading? Simple as that. Just gather up all those Sean Cavanagh clones that are playing junior football around your county and bob's your uncle.
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well, cork and kerry did, fr. cyril 

i was standing on the main terrace at casement watching antrim footballers against derry in the ulster championship. it was around 8-10 years ago and was the replayed match after antrim nearly beat them the week before (remember anthony tohill's last gasp reach and save from an antrim free). there was a group of fellow antrim fans in front of us from the andytown district who were the worse for wear for drink. next thing, one of them clambers over the small fence and runs around the pitch with his socks and a pair of y-fronts on. the whole crowd were in uproars of laughter.

i think it's great that dinny is back in antrim. his commitment can't be questioned. when he was up here in his previous stint, antrim played a fluent, stylish brand of hurling, particularly improving the half back line performances. antrim pushed tipp in 2002 and almost beat wexford in 2003 and it would be great to if antrim could improve on those performances.

although cork slaughtered us in 2004 after dinny foolishly ridiculed some of the cork team, i think his presence at the healm is a good thing. i just hope he doesn't repeat his mccarthy/corcoran type comments in the near future. 

Derry fresh from destroying Tyrone, Dublin after beating the Cute Hoors in Kerry for the first time in 28yrs.  Please discuss.

The under card before the major powers do battle in the championship 

are Tyrone on the slide. I know its hard to answer and only the c'ship will tell. But plyrs at this level have a life span and a high number of Tyrone players have been to the well many times. But they will answer those question s come the summer. Tyrone have now lost to Dryy, Donegal and of course Cork last summer. Very unTyrone like!!

i said around the kildare quarter-final last year that tyrone looked like a team in decline. they continue to  look slow and one-paced. the legs are getting older and they have too many smurfs that can be out-muscled. they need more 6ft+, fast players that are skillful and comfortable on the ball a la kerry and cork. dublin will be a force this year, mark my words. i'll predict now that there won't be an ulster team involved at the semi-final stage of the championship. antrim will do well again, and will be a better match for tyrone in the ulster first round.

as for dublin v derry, the dubs by 4. derry don't have the steel required to match the major teams this year. the main champ contenders will be: cork, kerry, dublin, mayo and kildare.

mayo looked very good against galway at the weekend. i think they'll be a good tip to reach the all ireland semi-finals this year and could be a dark horse for the league. it would be great to see mayo win an all-ireland, they haven't had the mental toughness on the big day, and outside of the ulster teams, i would support them against anyone.

[antrim developed an inner steel to match their skill and pace, they could do some damage.]

hope kerry kick their ass*s. didn't think cynicism could sink as low as the cork tactics versus tyrone. kerry are a shoe-in. get the money on i'm telling you. 6-8 points winning margin for kerry, or i'll eat my trunks!

well, it wasn't quite the 6-8 points, but i was close! when it comes to the big days, kerry have that know-how and  skill that no other teams seem to possess. i like tyrone, but i think kerry would have destroyed them yesterday. tyrone haven't the pace they once had. today's game is all about pace. they will need to up their game next year if they are going to do any damage.

i can't see tyrone even winning an ulster. armagh might re-group, derry need to shake themselves. and if antrim developed an inner steel to match their skill and pace, they could do some damage. i hope so anyway. i will make the prediction right here and now. tyrone won't eEven more damage than beat Donegal and Cavan?... wow!  ven reach the quarters next year.

Even more damage than beat Donegal and Cavan?... wow!   

we were only beaten by 1 point more than cork were by the all ireland champions.  . and i was talking about the ulstr championship, the final of which we reached last year. by doing "damage" i meant knocking out one of the so-called big teams.

hope kerry kick their ass*s. didn't think cynicism could sink as low as the cork tactics versus tyrone. kerry are a shoe-in. get the money on i'm telling you. 6-8 points winning margin for kerry, or i'll eat my trunks!

well, it wasn't quite the 6-8 points, but i was close! when it comes to the big days, kerry have that know-how and  skill that no other teams seem to possess. i like tyrone, but i think kerry would have destroyed them yesterday. tyrone haven't the pace they once had. today's game is all about pace. they will need to up their game next year if they are going to do any damage.

i can't see tyrone even winning an ulster. armagh might re-group, derry need to shake themselves. and if antrim developed an inner steel to match their skill and pace, they could do some damage. i hope so anyway. i will make the prediction right here and now. tyrone won't even reach the quarters next year.

dj was lightening fast. so he scored loads of goals. he didn't score many points from play. that is a major weakness in my view for a forward.

henry is a better player all round. more points from play, as well as a good goal-getter/goal assister. i think if you asked master cody (the best placed judge) who he would want in his side, i think we all know king henry would be the first name down on his team sheet.

dooher is past it. that was there for all to see this year. his legs are gone and this was no clearer than when he was up against cork. there is no room for the likes of ageing players on teams these days, unless they offer height or pace - neither of which dooher has.

mcguigan is the same. the coolness on the ball he brings is becoming irrelevant: the game is too fast and there is less room for forwards like mcguigan to operate in. his cunning is soon snuffed out. see tyrone v cork semi-final

i think hughes' legs have gone also.

mulligan needs to get leaner/fitter.

mcginley isn't fast enough for mid-field these days. probably best operating around the 1/2 forward line.

ok, the sending off was deserved. and i have to agree it was a great match. when hurling is played like that there isn't a sport on this planet to match it. i hope someone new steps up to the plate next year. or, cody should just retire and make it a more open competition

hope kerry kick their ass*s. didn't think cynicism could sink as low as the cork tactics versus tyrone. kerry are a shoe-in. get the money on i'm telling you. 6-8 points winning margin for kerry, or i'll eat my trunks!

i would say kilkenny '08 in hurling and tyrone '08 in football. but kerry must be overall team of the decade. they've had a lot more competition than kilkenny hurlers to contend with over that period.

the better team lost on the day. kilkenny were lucky with the penalty. no doubt about it. as for the sending off, did dunn actually strike walsh? i only saw the replay a couple of times and i wasn't 100% whether a connection was made. it was a bit of a wild pull though.

i think the ref was dying for the cats to make it 4 in a row, to tally with the 125 year celebrations and all that. galway or tipp are gonna step up next year. i don't think kilkenny have enough in them. too many players lacked sharpness in the final. i'm still at a loss as to how kilkenny won that game.