LEADING up to last weekend a lot of the talk was around the question of whether the championship should go ahead or not. Last Saturday as I sat down on the couch to enjoy an evening of action packed sport on our screens I must admit it was great to have Gaelic games back live once again.

Speaking to people this week it is clear that every single one of them throughly enjoyed the action on offer. Like we explained before last week these games give us us such an important outlet during the strange strange times we find ourselves in. This week all the talk is not about the numbers of cases or the fact that we are all back in lockdown again but rather discussion is all based around last week‘s games and the all-important turning points within these games.

At the minute Gaelic games is the only things that are near normal and I for one are glad that we have them to help us through this difficult time. We were all looking forward to last weekend’s clash between heavyweights Donegal and Tyrone and although the weather was atrocious both teams made sure that the game was exciting right up to the final whistle.

It’s so so strange to be watching the championship being played at this time of year but the one constant that will never ever change is the unbelievable commitment that our players show when they pull on those county colours.

Tyrone started like a train last weekend and when they went 5-1 up I have to admit that it didn’t look promising for us but great credit must go to Declen Bonner and his young team who clawed their way back into the contest. It was one of those games that ebbed and flowed with mistakes happening all over the pitch.

We had moments of brilliance that was cancelled out by uncharacteristic errors which meant that we were kept on the edge of our seats for the whole game. As the game wore on it became harder and harder to predict who might prevail. Tyrone played much better than they did two weeks previous in their league encounter and their forward unit looked way more dangerous any time the ball was sent in their direction.

It’s hard to criticise any team given the circumstances and with the heavy underfoot conditions worsening with each passing play but I do feel that to Tyrone will look back at that game and perhaps question their kickout strategy.

Yes the pitch was heavy and yes the weather was bad and perhaps you could be forgiven for not taking the chance of trying short kickouts but surely there would have been a Tyrone statsman somewhere in the stand who would have been roaring down has walkie-talkie to change the kickout strategy. Niall Morgan opted to go long for almost the entire match and in truth Donegal absolutely destroyed them and this in turn gave Donegal the platform to attack at will.

We are all well aware of how important the restarts are in the modern game and for me Tyrone got that part all wrong. Donegal will now be clear favourites to win their third Ulster title in a row which would be a fantastic achievement in itself but it would also set them up nicely for a possible semi-final clash with Dublin later down the line. Tyrone on the other hand will be happy to see the back of 2020 now it’s all about regrouping and getting ready for 2021 which luckily for them is just around the corner.

I enjoyed the second match of the day between Armagh and Derry but it was clear to be seen that the pace and Intensity was a level or two below what we had watched in the opening game. Armagh will be delighted with the win and they have nothing to lose now as they prepare for a semi-final clash with Donegal so Kieran McGeeney will be a happy man. Derry ran them close and although it’s no consolation they performed recently well and they can take a lot of positives out of the game.

Derry should be playing at a higher level than they are currently playing at and that performance will give the players and management a boost of confidence as they also look forward to 2021.

The shock of the weekend was on undoubtedly Cavan’s win over Monaghan. Before the game none of us gave Cavan a chance of overturning Banty’s men and halfway through the contest the game looked to be dead and buried but Cavan dug deep and clawed their way back. Monaghan will be kicking themselves that they didn’t push on in the second-half as this enabled Cavan to hang in the game and we know that if any team is there or there abouts with ten to go then their tails will be up.

Cavan wanted it more and with the final kick Galligan sent them into dream land. I will say this that after seeing the games last weekend I do think that we are in for a strange championship this year and I fully expect more shock results when we could see some more big guns ambushed in the wind and the rain.