ONE chancer on Twitter made an incendiary comment at the weekend, suggesting that the tiered debate was great cover for the top brass in the GAA. He said that many folks in Dublin are happy enough to keep the tiered championship debate going as it diverts attention away from the over-resourced Dublin team. It’s a great argument because everyone loves a juicy conspiracy theory, but making out like there’s a secret pact to give Dublin more money than everyone else is a falsehood. Everyone knows Dublin are better resourced. We have also known for a long time that the GAA want Dublin to do well. When they were nowhere near Sam Maguire back in the day, plenty of folks complained that the GAA ‘needed’ a strong Dublin team. The root of the critics’ argument is that it is unfair that Dublin get more funds than everyone else. The counter, that rarely gets put forward, is that the GAA wasn’t created to see which county had the best footballer or hurler. It was created to get as many people involved as possible. Funding Dublin is about getting kids to play the game. Recruitment always trumps winning or losing.
RONAN SCOTT

ANOTHER poor experience with stewards at Páirc Esler after I had the cheek to try and reach the press box through the press entrance on Saturday evening. It’s not the first time it’s happened in Newry and I’m sure it won’t be the last. By contrast, the stewards at Corrigan Park earlier in the day could not have been more helpful ahead of Antrim’s Qualifier game with Kildare. Every journalist has probably had a run in with a jobsworth steward by this stage, whether it’s having your press pass examined liked it was an incendiary device or being told to leave a few minutes after full-time as you try to work. You’re not protecting the President lads, we’re all just trying to do our job.
NIALL MCCOY

I HAVE a very, very bad feeling about Saturday’s Qualifier down in Newbridge against Kildare. Only Peter Harte and Cathal McShane scored for the Red Hands in the second half against Longford, Tiernan McCann is still suspended, and Padraig Hampsey and Richie Donnelly face a race against team to recover from injury. A few key men aren’t having great seasons so we are basically absolutely DOOMED. Oh, so Kildare needed extra-time to beat Longford and were beaten by 14 points against Dublin? We might be alright then.
NIALL GARTLAND

EARLIER in the year I gave a typically half-assed opinion about the value of the provincial championships, and Ulster has been great this year, but former Kildare captain Eamonn Callaghan’s suggestion that the non-Dublin teams boycott the Leinster Championship next year would be a laugh if nothing else. Really though, something has to be done, and Director General Tom Ryan’s comments that the rest of us need to simply learn from Dublin were ill-advised and patronising. Maybe when they win 10 in a row, like Ewan McKenna keeps predicting, something will be done about the increasingly worrying state of affairs.
NIALL GARTLAND

WOULD it suprise you to know that the four Ulster teams who are still involved in the All-Ireland series share an interesting stat? The four counties, Tyrone, Donegal, Cavan and Armagh, top the list for those who have coaches with award two coaching badges earned in the past five years in the province. Award two is the top qualification for Ulster coaches, and is attained via the Ulster Council. It is the standard that the GAA expects all inter-county coaches to attain. In the past five years, 97 Tyrone coaches have gained award two, Donegal had 77, Cavan 46 and Armagh 21. Barring Down, who also 21 coaches in the last five years, the other counties lag behind. Fermanagh had 16, Monaghan had 15, Antrim had 13 and Derry had two.Those numbers suggest that if counties want to be successful like Donegal and Tyrone, then perhaps encouraging their clubs to get as many men and women to level two as soon as possible might be the intelligent play.
RONAN SCOTT

AIDAN Forker is a player who has often split the Armagh fanbase but this season he is really getting the recognition that he deserves. Despite being only 27, Forker is one of Armagh’s most experienced players and he is showing real leadership this season. In his early years he was a bit card happy, leading to frustrations amongst some Orchard fans. His discipline is much improved now even if he still brings a physical edge to his game. More importantly, he has shown he is a real team player as he has taken on massive man-marking roles against Martin Reilly and Conor McManus despite being a natural forward. Aidan O’Rourke placed him on his Championship Team of the Year to date on Monday and while some will debate that, there’s no denying that he deserves to be in the conversation. Just don’t get sent off against Mayo now.
NIALL MCCOY