I’M basically using this week’s episode of Cumann Chat to clutch at straws. There’s a well-subscribed school of thought that the Dubs have basically ruined the All-Ireland SFC forevermore because they’re too damn good, but I do expect that their standards will slip a little bit in the coming years. I don’t personally think Stephen Cluxton and James McCarthy will be easily replaced, so that’s something, and maybe Brian Fenton will just get bored and decide to do something different with his time. Dean Rock ain’t getting any younger either. The new lads coming on the scene are very very good players –  Paddy Small, Robbie McDaid (even if he isn’t that young, relatively speaking) – but they’re probably not quite at the same standard, so hopefully another team gets their hands on Sam in the not too distant future. God damn, that was tenuous.

NIALL GARTLAND

I NOTICED a news story this week which read Lionel Messi would like to play in America. He added the caveat that he wants to do it to experience life there, but he would want to return to Barcelona. What a very GAA thing to do.  Chris Lawn used to fly out on Saturday morning to New York, play a game on Sunday and then fly home again. Paul McKillen spent summers hurling in the Big Apple. The draw was the chance to get to see what America was like. The benefit for the American GAA was that they got to bring a big name player out for their lads to get a clip at. There’s a difference though. A Messi trip to America is primarily about money. He’ll get paid handsomely for haring around the pitch. And the American may sell more tickets to boost their coffers. Humpy McKillen or Chris Lawn were not heading to the US to get their retirement nest egg. Sometimes soccer is like GAA, sometimes it is very different.

RONAN SCOTT

I HAD spoke to a number of Ulster minor managers and players in the few days before Christmas because, at that stage, the tournament was still due to continue this weekend. Sadly, that is no longer the case. It really has been a tough few months for an age-group with enough pressures to deal with in school and life. Football has been a very welcome outlet for them, but the way it has been there and taken away, and repeat, must be absolutely galling. I really hope they get the games are finished next month or early in February because for all their effort, these teams deserve the chance to see out the job one way or another. Credit must go to all nine management teams to for keeping things on track during this difficult time. It is what it is given the current worldwide situation, but it seems particularly harsh on these players.

NIALL MCCOY

SPLIT seasons appear to be on ther way and early indications suggest that here is a rule that might actually garner a positive reaction. Black card, advanced mark, moving the All-Ireland Club final, these are all examples of recent changes that got the hackles up. While I am in support of splitting the season, I think it’s very un-GAA to allow something to pass without complaining about it. So here’s my negative spin on split seasons – what about the dual players? And I know some of you might think that dual players are anachronistic like  the record player, or outdoor toilets, or people who think Stephen Nolan is relevant. But they are not, they are a living, breathing thing. Literally. So if we are going to have split seasons for club and county, then I think we have to have split season for hurling as well. It’s only fair.

RONAN SCOTT

A DRAFT camogie document for the 2021 season emerged a few days ago and didn’t include Down in the senior ranks. This surely has to be rectified for two key reasons – the Mourne county won the All-Ireland Intermediate title and their players, in Gaelic Life and other media outlets, have made it quite clear that they want to test themselves against the best. There is no solid argument against it, so we can only hope that the plan was simply a place-holder. It’s about time teams started raising their ambitions up here. Antrim hurlers will play the best in the country next season, but they’d take that over another year at McDonagh level. The same for the Down camogs. Even if they do get chinned, it’s better than having regrets at not even trying.

NIALL MCCOY