1. Ryan’s Way
There’s no other way to approach the post-match set-to between Glenn Ryan and the GAA correspondent of the Leinster Leader, Tommy Callaghan, without feeling sympathy for both, for very different reasons.
Firstly, Callaghan’s professional integrity has been called into question by Ryan stating in a post-match interview that there had been inaccurate reporting over the comments of county board chairman Mick Gorman when he told a board meeting that he had set Ryan straight on the expectations around the county football team.
Undoubtedly, some people sought to minimise the situation and downplayed the comments to Ryan. Given the pressure he would be under right now, it’s understandable that Ryan would be keen to believe that.
Callaghan, however, had kept the receipts as they say. He asked what parts of the comments had been inaccurate, whereupon Ryan admitted he hadn’t read them.
Callaghan’s ability to invite Ryan to listen to the comments off his tape was a case of checkmate. It’s a sad affair for Ryan.
2. Dublin’s Loss
In the past, the Dublin senior football team have appeared so focused, so tunnel-visioned, so performance-orientated, that sometimes the human side of their players and management was hidden well out of sight.
In their 2015-2019 prime, that was clear from the way they played the game. They would not let the opposition affect them in any way. On the rare occasions when emotion entered the equation — on a couple of times with Diarmuid Connolly for example — it was seen by some as a sort of breakthrough. In general though, they played and Jim Gavin managed as if in some deep state of hypnosis.
Which is why it’s so affecting to see the emotion they feel over the loss of selector Shane O’Hanlon who passed away last week.
“People outside the group won’t realise how important he was to everyone within the group, because that was just his nature. He would keep the head down and stand back from the limelight,” said Dessie Farrell.
3. Tyrone’s Baller
‘We all dream of a team of Niall Morgans’ doesn’t quite have the ring to it as the same ditty when used for Gary Breen back in 2002, but right now we are looking at a Tyrone team whose best footballer is also their goalkeeper.
On Sunday, Niall Morgan was incredible. On the third minute, his flighted pass to Ciaran Daly brought a converted mark. On 16 minutes he drilled another to Niall Devlin, who couldn’t quite convert his mark.
He scored a point himself with a dipping shot after a charge through the middle on the half hour and made a few runs that continued right to the full-forward position.
Just prior to half time, he hoofed over a 45-metre free.
Perhaps the best moment came in the middle of the second half when, under pressure, he produced a delicate chipped pass to Conall Devlin for the Dungannon defender to get on the scoresheet. Not to mention his incredible vertical leap to catch Cathal Sweeney’s point attempt.
Oh, and he also kept out a Sweeney attempt for goal in a one-on-one.
All in, he scored 0-2, set up 0-2 and a missed mark, and saved 1-1.
4. Crowded Houses
For the big Saturday night game in Tralee, Mayo and Kerry fans were filling up the centre of the stand no less than two hours prior to throw-in.
Croke Park, so often home to a cavernous feel, had a good bit of atmosphere to it with the visit of Roscommon to Dublin.
3,846 in Letterkenny for the north-west derby between Donegal and Fermanagh is at first glance perhaps not that impressive, but when you consider a Saturday lunchtime throw-in and a day wetter than an otter’s pocket, it was very healthy indeed.
Later that day, 7,653 went along to Celtic Park to watch Derry decimate Monaghan. Not so long ago, there were plenty of voices saying that particular venue struggled to connect with Derry GAA folk. There was 12,000 there for the Tyrone game and will be for Dublin also.
As downbeat as everything is in Kildare, they might have hoped for a decent crowd to rouse their team when they were hosting Armagh in Carlow’s Netwatch Dr Cullen Park.
Not so, as the majority of the 3,673 crowd seemed to be clad in orange, and Armagh remain one of the insatiable crowds for travelling to watch their team.
The stature of the competition is one thing, but the level of spectator support for the league remains phenomenal.
5. Get It To The Shooters
No point saying that this is a recent thing — we have taken David Clifford’s genius for granted for years now.
His ability to kick high over a potential block is one of the technical skills perhaps underappreciated, but it was one he used to great effect when Chrissy McKaigue was marking him in the All-Ireland semi-final last year.
He had the same swing out in Tralee at the weekend, arriving at the death to shoot the winner. It felt as inevitable as incredible.
However, there is a growing sense in the game that, driven by data, fewer players on teams are entrusted to actually shoot.
How well set might Derry be, for example, if they did not have Shane McGuigan?
And for all Monaghan’s progress this year, can you see them needing a point in the championship and not see Conor McManus buzzing around on the loop, waiting for his chance?
Which is why it was so alien to see Tyrone performing endless recycles of the ball as the clock wound down against Galway. With Darragh Canavan on the bench, they were looking to get Niall Morgan on the shot.
But time ran out.
