The Fallout Continues

It seems that the world and his wife have voiced their opinion about Sunday's match at Celtic Park. Most of you will be sick of reading and hearing about, but your friendly blogger has nonetheless attempted to sift through the garbage.

We have been subjected to pontification, hypocrisy and absolute stupidity from some quarters as journalists and high-profile GAA figures try to get their heads around how things could possibly have come to this:

Christy Cooney
"The very good people at the CCCC will do a very good job in dealing with this."

Colm Keys (Irish Independent)
"The dark arts of intimidation, cynicism and general lawlessness were everywhere to be seen."

Martin McHugh
"Cynical and nasty. It had everything that was bad about Gaelic Football."

Martin Breheny (Irish Independent)
"Has there been an apology from either county for bringing the GAA into disrepute?"

Paul Curran
"It was one of the worst games I have watched in many years, that's if you want to call it a game."

Thankfully, some balance has been maintained with a few analysts deciding to employ a sense of logic and reason in the midst of ongoing hysteria:

Paddy Heaney
"Sunday’s game was simply played by the unwritten rules of Gaelic football. There were sinners on both sides. Big deal."

Kevin Madden
"It wasn’t pretty. But it was never going to be, nor was it meant to be."

Owen Mulligan
"The reaction was a bit over the top. You will do anything to win."

Rory Gallagher
"Derry will move on happy that they did what had to be done to win the game."

And finally, the irreverent Frank McNally deserves a mention for his Irish Times column in which he suggests that "what we were witnessing was a 40th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of the Bogside".

He's talking more sense than most!

Puke Pundits

Opinion was fairly unanimous in TV-land during the post-game analysis of Derry v Monaghan at Celtic Park. The members of the respective panels on RTÉ and BBC were fairly sure they had just watched an awful game of football between two sides more interested in fighting than playing the ball.

Paddy Heaney does an excellent job in today's Irish News of questioning what these so-called analysts expected from Sunday's game, and how the physicality shown is something that has been entrenched in our games since Mrs Hayes doors were first darkened all those years ago.

Why were Jarlath Burns, Pat Spillane and co. so surprised?

This was always going to be a horrible game, not a fantastic, open contest between two footballing sides. If this was the level of expectation held by these 'pundits', then they haven't got the footballing knowledge to be commenting on the television.

Burns' reacion was a particular mystery. Before the match he had said that the game would be "physical and attritional", so why his jaw sat on the floor in shock at the niggly game he had just witnessed is beyond me.

Aside from the OTT high-moral response from all quarters, it appears that the general level of punditry on the TV is poorer than ever.

It is littered with cliches and lazy, generalistic analysis that offers very little insight into how two teams lined out in order to ultimately win or lose a game.

Two years ago, after the debacle against Monaghan at Casement Park, Martin McHugh labelled Derry a "disgrace", chiefly because of their insipid performance and their inability to utilise the talents of Paddy Bradley. On Sunday, he complained that Derry were "too reliant on the Bradleys".

Sometimes you can't win with these guys! Yes, the Bradleys hit 1-5 between them against Monaghan, but in the last ten minutes, Derry's four unanswered points came from James Kielt (two), Joe Diver and Paddy Bradley. This hardly shows an over-reliance on the Glenullin man. Analysis at its very laziest.

Meanwhile, over on RTÉ, Pat Spillane merely repeated what McHugh said about the Bradleys. That was all he could offer regarding Derry's chances for the remainder of the campaign. He also said Derry "lacked variety" in their play, while Colm O'Rourke opined that overall Derry were a "limited" team.

Perhaps these opinions will be borne out (let's hope not), and at times on Sunday Derry did look limited. But they were limited by an energetic, defensive Monaghan side in an extremely tense and ugly environment. Yet they pulled away for victory. Under the circumstances surely this showed variety enough.

The game will bear little significance to how Derry play during the rest of the summer, and should be treated as such.

It's poor stuff from these analysts who wheel out the same rhetoric depending on whether Derry have won or lost a game. They only supply us with routine, generic drivel that barely comes close to the realm of opinion, and offers little match-insightment for the viewer.

As Paddy Heaney touches on today, Joe Brolly is the only one who seemed to understand what was happening during Sunday's game (sad state of affairs indeed!).The rest are blinded by expecting classics every week.

To Spillane, McHugh, Burns et al: let's get the heads out of the sand lads and start talking sense like you are paid to do.

Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Derry Emerge from Celtic Park Cauldron

It was cynical, nasty and at times, downright hateful, but Derry fans will have left Celtic Park yesterday afternoon absolutely delighted.

Because that is what the Championship is about. Winning football games. You can complain about the quality of football, the number of fouls and constant off-the-ball behaviour, but what it boils down to is the result, and in this regard Derry produced the goods against Monaghan.

We're probably hearing it in our sleep at this stage, but Derry needed to stand up and be counted yesterday in order to eradicate the memories of two successive defeats to the Farney men.

This meant fighting fire with fire.

And when Monaghan had finished swallowing the final dose of their own medicine, they could only watch as 14-men Derry turned the screw and showed the necessary quality to close out a victory in the championship melting pot. The dosage was bitter for Banty's men.

Derry started the brighter, but with Paddy Bradley's goal helping create a four point cushion after ten minutes, they couldn't build a match-winning lead. Instead, it was Monaghan, led by Vinny Corey, that began to impress themselves on the game.

The wind in Monaghan's favour was a factor, as the Farney-men set about eating into Derry's lead. McBennett constantly found his men with short kick-outs, and Derry conceded a wealth of possession. Derry's half-forward line struggled to contain the running game of Damien Freeman and Conor McManus, while Stephen Gollogly was proving to be a constant thorn.

Enda Lynn and Paul Murphy had quiet games, and couldn't affect their play-making skills in the tight and intense middle third. Lucky enough, Monaghan missed some gilt-edged scoring chances, and by half-time Derry could count themselves lucky to be going in level.

It had been a dour and nasty struggle, but few of the 10'000 spectators in attendance would have been surprised. Dessie Mone and Dermot McArdle opened with their usual application of jibing and jabbing on the two Bradleys. Thomas Freeman seemed more intent on getting his hands on Kevin McGuckin than the ball, eventually resorting to an apparent head-butt on the Ballinderry man. Dick Clerkin and Fergal Doherty picked up where they left off last July by wrestling and grappling before they both saw yellow cards. Even at the half-time whistle Clerkin decided to continue his antics, and should have received a second yellow-card for a high challenge on Paddy Bradley.

Had these incursions been dealt with, some of the unseemly incidents witnessed later in the game could have been prevented.

Monaghan's players have been programmed to systematically foul and spoil (it's gone that far with them that Darren Hughes even thought he could push a Derry spectator off the ball!), but Derry stayed in their faces and did not lie down in the confrontational battles.

After the break, Derry knew that the strong breeze could enable them to strike for long-range scores (Eoin Bradley and Barry McGoldrick the early suppliers). But the Monaghan nut still needed cracked. Gerard O'Kane switched to the sweeper role as Barry McGoldrick went man-for-man on Paul Finlay. O'Kane had attacked well in the opening half, but this change provided him with a further licence to roam forward in support of the Derry attack.

Derry were losing the breaking ball battle, but the defence held firm, allowing O'Kane, Chrissy McKaigue and Sean Leo McGoldrick to hit on the counter-attack. Gerard O'Kane in particular was superb in carrying the ball and helping to set up crucial scores.

When Fergal Doherty received his marching-orders with 15 minutes remaining the scores were level. Worrying times. Monaghan brought on Hanratty and Downey in the forwards, but when the chances came their way they were found wanting. Derry raised their game.

The defining score came with seven minutes left on the clock. James Kielt's deadly accurate boot lobbed one between the posts from over 45 yards. The Kilrea man may have been making his championship debut, but he showed quality and composure in the most intense struggle.

The Oakleafers could smell victory. Monaghan continued to double team and spoil runners, but they needed to attack. Derry had snuffed out their Plan A.

Points from Joe Diver and Paddy Bradley gave Derry a three-point cushion heading into stoppage time and the game was up for Banty and his side.

Derry put up a wall to cope with Monaghan's questionable tactics. It is disappointing that they crossed the line themselves, let's not lose sight of that. But Monaghan could not be allowed to walk over this Derry side, and eventually the Oakleafers showed the limits of Seamus McEnaney's team.

Damian Cassidy's senior managerial debut had ended in victory, and in the face of criticism regarding Derry's tactics he offered no apology:

"It was a battle but it was not going to be anything else. People sitting at home may be complaining about the quality of football but we are not in the buisness of entertaining people. We showed the football we can play in the last 15 minutes but up until then it was a physical game and that's what we expect. All we care about is the result and that's all that matters in this game."

There will be more to come from this one. Those sitting above us on that most moral of high grounds will ensure that the necessary bans and fines are handed out. But if the dust ever settles on this particular Ulster SFC clash, we will see that in the end, the team with the greater footballing ability showed the character, determination and quality required to produce a winning result on an extremely hostile playing field.

Surely it can't be as bad the next day?!

Derry Must Battle for Victory

Once was bad enough, twice almost unforgiveable. Surely we can't suffer a third consecutive championship defeat to Monaghan, can we?

Well, the Gods have somewhat transpired against Derry this week with an ever-swelling injury list hampering team selection. But Damian Cassidy has developed a new-look Derry side this season. There has been a new system of play, and over-reliance on the likes of Paddy Bradley, Fergal Doherty and Enda Muldoon has been eliminated. This all provides foundation for the hope that Derry can finally overcome the Farney-men.

You'll hardly need reminding, but back in 2007 a toothless Derry succumbed to a raw and hungry Monaghan side. They had no answer to Monaghan's tenacious defensive game, and retreated into an error-ridden display.

Last year, Seamus McEnaney's side ended Derry's Championship campaign. Despite having a very close game there for the taking, Paddy Crozier's Oakleaf men didn't quite display the necessary attributes to win such an evenly-contested championship match.

A pattern emerged and Damian Cassidy is well aware. He will have appointed himself and his side the task of tearing this pattern to shreds.

Derry must stand up to Monaghan's battle-hardened gameplay. They must impose themselves on the game, and not allow Monaghan to flow like they have done in the past. Cassidy has readily accepted the challenge:

"I'm hoping we have the capacity to match that real competitive edge that Monaghan have. We know we have to match it and, if we don't, I'll be extremely disappointed. Monaghan are as physical a team as you're going to play against. They'll compete for every ball. We have to match that. If we don't, then we can't expect to win the game."

If Derry can show this 'edge' at Celtic Park, Monaghan's gameplan will suffer, and a talented Oakleaf side can finally let their football do the talking.

But it's not that simple. Monaghan have displayed footballing quality to match what might be described as 'spoiling' tactics. They showed some excellent form in Division 2 of the NFL (before Cork opened them up at Croke Park), and are priming themselves, like Derry, to end a barren spell in the Ulster SFC.

Thomas Freeman and Rory Woods will be the key cogs in their attacking system, while Derry will also have Paul Finlay to worry about this time after the Ballybay man missed the 2007 (illness) and 2008 (suspension) encounters. McEnaney may have talked down his team's chances this week, but he can be quietly confident of his side producing the goods once more.

So how can a Derry side showing four SFC debutants stop the Farney-men?

Enda Lynn and Barry McGuigan will hope to provide an outlet for the Oakleafers on the wing in the process of providing a direct link between defence and attack. Derry will also keep close tabs on roving Monaghan forwards. Hopefully this will negate the influence of players like Stephen Gollogly - who, as a case in point, seems to have excelled against Derry in the previous two meetings (scoring six points from play).

It remains to be seen how Derry's all-left-footed forward unit will line out. James Kielt has been named alongside the Bradleys in the full-forward line, with himself or Eoin Bradley likely to join Paul Murphy on the half-forward line. This is where Derry will hope to win the game. Monaghan have done a good job of keeping Paddy Bradley quiet in the past, but a more direct Derry gameplan, using Kielt inside with Eoin Bradley running from deep, will severely test the Farney men. The Oakleafers have the talent in this region to get the scores to win the game.

All in all, Monaghan will face a very different Derry side this time around; it will be more energetic, and play with greater intensity.

Maybe this is what the bookies are looking at in the build-up to the first real heavyweight clash of the summer. Because, despite the recent results between the teams, growing injury problems, and naming four debutants Derry are a best-priced 4/6 to win this game.

Perhaps they have taken Derry's Division 1 campaign into account, as well as home advantage and the opinion that new boss Damian Cassidy can finally gel these Derry players into a consistent championship outfit.

As Cassidy has iterated, Derry must match Monaghan's tenacity, thirst for the battle and fight for the ball. It may sound cliched, but this is what Monaghan do best.

The "white heat of championship" that the Bellaghy man alluded to upon his appointment last October is almost upon us. The Derry fans flocking to the new-look Celtic Park on Sunday know exactly how Monaghan will want to play. It's up to Derry to stop them and impose themselves on every sector of the field.

Then we will see if this Oakleaf side have the talent and belief to win the games that matter most.

New-look Celtic Park

In 1990 a newly-refurbished Celtic Park re-opened its doors to Senior Championship football when Derry hosted Fermanagh in the Ulster SFC. In the 19 years since, the ground has received numerous facelifts, but now, the covered, seated stand it was crying out for has finally been erected.It will be offically opened on Sunday for the Derry v Monaghan game, and now looks like a venue capable of hosting games of this magnitude.

The Monaghan players and management have been falling over themselves this week to describe Celtic Park as a 'fortress' for Derry. The Oakleafer's record there makes it hard to argue. Fermanagh left Derry City defeated in the opening game back in 1990, and since then Derry have only suffered one Championship loss at their home ground: to Down in 1994.

The Farney-men have played four Ulster SFC matches at the venue in that time, and have failed to leave with anything even resembling a result:

1991: Derry 0-13 Monaghan 0-8
1992: Derry 2-9 Monaghan 0-7 (replay)
1997: Derry 2-15 Monaghan 0-10
1998: Derry 3-13 Monaghan 0-11 (replay)

The Oakleafers will want to continue this record on Sunday, and defender Kevin McGuckin hopes having home advantage will be 'valuable' for the side:

"It's great to have the first round of the championship there, it's been redeveloped and we were up on the pitch there a couple of weeks ago. There's a new stand and it's looking well and we'd be hoping we'll get a good Derry crowd in and they'll get behind us. There's no doubt that'll be valuable for us."

A new-look Oakleaf side, in a new-look Celtic Park. After the disappointments of the last two years, Derry will be hoping for a new-look result on Sunday.

Farney Play Down Chances

It's probably the oldest trick in the managerial handbook. No matter how ridiculous you sound, try and heap all the pre-game pressure on the opposition.

This week, Seamus McEnaney is following it to the letter. He has claimed that Derry are massive favourites for Sunday's first round Ulster clash, and questions whether his own side should even bother turning up.

"Home advantage is a big advantage in Championship football. It’s fair to say that Derry are favourites for this game. In fact, if you read all the pundits, we nearly shouldn’t turn up for this one! You get the feeling that there’s people out there who feel we shouldn’t even travel to Celtic Park."

Monaghan go into the game hoping to beat Derry in the Championship for the third consecutive season. Maybe this fact would point to more than a small glimmer of possibility that the Farney-men can win this game, but, unsurprisingly, Banty has played down the significance of those victories and even claims that the motivation of revenge will be beneficial to the Oakleafers:

"Again, it’s another advantage to Derry. All the advantages are with Derry. They’ve played Division One football for the last five years, that’s an awesome advantage."

Awesome? Let's not go overboard Seamus!

Meanwhile, Monaghan half-back Damien Freeman also displays plenty of pessimism ahead of the Celtic Park encounter:

"A pitch is a pitch, but Celtic Park will be a big advantage for Derry. I’ve only played there once before, as an U21. Any time Monaghan went there it was a daunting spot to go to and very hard to come out of with a win. It is going to be a battle. After what happened the last couple of years I suppose they’ll be looking for a score to be settled."

Of course, all this pre-match talk is unlikely to effect Derry's preparations too much. But Monaghan haven't half talked their chances down.

This time last year McEnaney had a media ban slapped on the Farney-men; it's a pity he hasn't imposed something similar this year!

Injuries Taking Toll

The following is the Derry side to face Monaghan in Sunday's Ulster SFC First Round game at Celtic Park:

Derry: B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, G O'Kane; P Cartin, B McGoldrick, SL McGoldrick; F Doherty, J Diver; B McGuigan, P Murphy, E Lynn; E Bradley, Paddy Bradley, J Kielt.

Subs: J Deighan, D McBride, J Keenan, SM Lockhart, B Og McAlary, C McKaigue, J Conway, B Mullan, G McShane, P Young, S Bradley, M Lynch, E Brown, D Mulholland, C O'Boyle.

It's Damian Cassidy's first selection in Championship football, and his hand has been severely tied by an injury crisis that has ruled out four players who would most likely have started Sunday's Ulster SFC game against Monaghan if fit.

Ballinderry duo Enda Muldoon (foot) and Niall McCusker (groin) look set to be ruled out for a few weeks, while Mark Lynch and Sean Lockhart are fit only for the bench.

These absences leave a considerable hole in the Derry resources, but Cassidy is blue in the face telling us about how his experimental and ever-changing NFL line-ups were designed with this very problem in mind.

He can feel vindicated. For now.

Because Sunday is all about getting the result and despite having a lengthy injury list (swollen further by the names of Patsy Bradley, Paul Bradley and Colin Devlin), Derry supporters expect victory.

We're possibly expecting too much. Could any other inter-county side cope with the loss of so many key players against a hardened championship team like Monaghan?

Last year's game between the sides showed that Derry can struggle under such circumstances, but even then, a weakened side lost a very close game by only the bare minumum.

Thanks to the management approach taken during the league campaign, Sunday's team - which includes four debutants - looks a lot more familiar. The selection of Sean Leo McGoldrick, Enda Lynn, Barry McGuigan and James Kielt holds no surprises. The Oakleaf faithful expect victory because they believe that this crop of players are capable of beating Monaghan, and a lot more besides.

Sunday's side will see Joe Diver and Gerard O'Kane continuing at midfield and corner-back respectively, as they did in the league final.

In the forwards, James Kielt gets the nod in the corner-forard berth, while Barry McGuigan comes in for Brian Mullan at wing-half forward.

These players have been picked to carry out defined roles in Damian Cassidy's system of play. It's a system that depends on the team, and not individuals. It should be able to cope with the loss of injured players.

Derry are preparing to give it a rigorous test on Sunday.

Can You Feel it?

The 125th running of the All-Ireland Championship is underway, and in the picture below you can see how the GAA officially launched this year's competitions; by bringing a few high-profile captains (last year's provincial winners and Tyrone by the looks of it) together to don 1884 get-up.

How authentic it was too. Brian Dooher, Graham Canty and the like in their vintage rig-outs, dust caps, and Puma Kings.

With the pristine, modern stands of Croke Park providing an almost anachronistic backdrop, perhaps the GAA were trying to remind us once more about how far the Association has come since its 19th century inception. Perhaps the thought never even crossed their minds.

Either way it hardly matters, because the action starts for real this weekend; that's if we're prepared to forget about the New York v Mayo charade last Sunday. And with it takes place that most notorious of rounds in the most demanding provinical competition: The Ulster SFC preliminary round.

What a horrible place in which to find yourself.

As if the prospect of three rounds in Ulster wasn't bad enough (although Derry supporters have forgotten what even that might be like), a fourth makes winning the title a near impossibility. Over the last half-century only Armagh (in 2005) have managed to win the Ulster crown after having been drawn in the preliminary round.

Thankfully Derry have managed to avoid preliminary participation this year. That fate belongs to Down and Fermanagh and it's a difficult game to call.

Fermanagh recieved rave reviews during last year's Championship and they came close to winning the Ulster title. But they didn't quite manage it, and when looking beyond the hype, it's very hard to get excited about Malachy O'Rourke's side. They played five games in total during last season's campaign... they won two.

Creeping past a rudderless Derry in the Ulster semi-final was as good as it got for the Ernemen, with all their problems exposed in an awful display in Croke Park against Kildare.

A misfiring forward line was their achilles heel throughout 2008, and they don't seem to have rectified the problem. They suffered a terrible NFL campaign in Division 2, collecting only three points, and achieving relegation in the process. O'Rourke looks to have contracted a case of 'second-season syndrome', but the first season wasn't even anything special.

Down's 2008 season came pretty close to mirroring Fermanagh's. A promising Ulster campaign started with a surprise first round victory against Tyrone, but just like the Ernemen, their provincial challenge was ended by Armagh, before a weak performance in Croke Park against Leinster opposition (Wexford) ended their summer.

If Fermanagh's problems lie mainly in attack, then Down's lie primarily in defence, part of the reason why they succumbed to Tipperary in the recent NFL Division 3 Final, and also why they are unlikely to still be in the Championship hunt come late summer.

It all adds up to make this a 50/50 game on Sunday. I.e. don't rush to the bookies for this one. Both teams have big problems, but if gun was put to my head I'd possibly fancy Down to shade it.

Fermanagh will miss Ryan McCloskey (who was the rock on which their defence was formed last season), and with Barry Owens out they are weakened in this area. Up front meanwhile, they risk starting with two newcomers in a hopeful attempt to boost their scoring power.

Down boast more firepower with Daniel Hughes and Paul McComiskey impressing in the forward-line, while Benny Coulter's possible appearance could add further strength to this area. They should get the scores required to win the game.

It isn't an entirely exciting prospect at Brewster Park, but despite the weaknesses and inconsistencies of both sides, don't be surprised to see Sunday's winner in this year's Ulster Final (as they fall into the weaker side of the Ulster SFC draw).

However, history will be against them if they get there.

All the Manager's Men

The following is Derry's 35-man Senior Football Championship panel announced this week by manager Damian Cassidy:

Goalkeepers: Shane McGuckian, Barry Gillis, John Deighan

Defenders: Sean Martin Lockhart, Kevin McGuckian, Dermot McBride, Niall McCusker, Kevin McCloy, Carlos McWilliams, Joe Keenan, Gerard O'Kane, Brian Óg McAlary, Chrissy McKaigue, Paul Carton, Barry McGoldrick, Sean Leo McGoldrick

Midfielders: Patsy Bradley, Fergal Doherty, Joe Diver, James Conway, Enda Muldoon

Forwards: Gavin McShane, Paul Murphy, Enda Lynn, Brian Mullan, Paul Young, Barry McGuigan, James Kielt, Cailin O'Boyle, Eoghan Brown, Eoin Bradley, Mark Lynch, Seamus Bradley, Paddy Bradley, Danny Mulholland

Fergal Doherty will captain the squad, while vice-Captain Niall McCusker will miss the Ulster SFC opener against Monaghan after undergoing groin surgery this week.

Newcomers to the panel are Gavin McShane, who played McKenna Cup football for Derry earlier in the season; Danny Mulholland, who played in the same competition for UUJ; and Cailin O'Boyle and Carlos McWilliams, who both played in Derry's 2007 Minor side.

Taking the Ring-road

It's getting harder and harder to make sense of GAA competitions these days, what with back-doors and round-robins, and trap-doors and all the rest of it. At least Santa Claus has the decency to go down the chimney.

It's got to the stage that even when watching BBC's The Apprentice, I'm half expecting the losing candidate to appear in some sort of loser's round on BBC Four the following Saturday night, with the winner appearing at the quarter-final stage. If there was one. But no. When Alan Sugar says "You're fired!", that's the end of the road.

And rightly so. Some of our competitions could pay notice.

Anyway, I digress. If any of you are still reading I'll cut a long story short. Even though they suffered a four-point defeat to Down last Saturday, Derry's hurlers are still well and truly in this year's Christy Ring Cup. A win against Wicklow this weekend will qualify them for a quarter-final.

Sam Dodds amassed a personal tally of 0-17, but his side still came up short against the Mournemen, who were unable to field for a friendly against Limerick just a week before!

The Oakleafers had a convincing 18-point victory over Wicklow in the NHL back in March, and will be confident of repeating a similar feat at Banagher this Saturday. A win could even set up a rematch with Down in the last-eight, if Down manage to get beat by Kerry in their Round 2 game.

Make sense?

Hell's Garden

Wicklow football has always had the reputation of having a particularly physical breed of the club game, but this weekend it decided to take the biscuit once and for all.

Six players were sent off after what the Irish Independent describes as a "vicious brawl" (and also - with gross understatement - as an "unseemly fracas"!) between Rathnew and Stratford, ten minutes from the end of a Senior league game. A Stratford player ended up hospitalised after being knocked out, while a Rathnew player lost two teeth. A 'witness' speaks:

"It was one of the worst incidents I have seen at a match in a long time, with punches flying in from all sides and angles. Blood was spilled as the fighting spread from the '45 to the 14-metre line and it lasted for several minutes."

When the fighting finally ground to a halt, three players from Stratford and two more from Rathnew were lying prostrate on the ground. The game took 25 minutes to restart after two ambulances had been and gone, and three players from each side were sent off.

How or why the referee didn't abandon this game is beyond me!

The Wicklow County Board will launch an investigation into the brawl after they receive the referee's match report. He's probably still writing it.

Incidentally, Stratford ended up winning the game by seven points against the eleven-men of Rathnew, who had a player sent off earlier in the game.

Black-book Black-balled

Without the merest hint of a warning, the GAA announced at the tail end of last week that it has decided to discontinue the practice of referees showing the black book to players. This will take immediate effect.

"In future referees will inform a player who has committed a 'Noting/Ticking' infraction that his number has been recorded and that a repeat offence will earn the player in question a yellow card. The only change arising from this decision is that referees will no longer display the black book to players meaning play will no longer be stopped to allow for this practice."

There'll be no more phrases like "he's got the black book", or "he's only ticked him", or (my personal favourite) "he's on a black tick" (whatever that's supposed to mean?!) heard in the stands and terraces.

And there is a serious gripe to be had with this so-called "procedural change". How the hell are the good, paying spectators in the stands, and those sitting comfortably watching on TV, going to know if or when a player has been ticked?

It reminds me of the good old days, before even yellow and red cards had been introduced to the playing fields of football and hurling. The offending player's name would be taken as a caution, and if they were to be sent-off the referee pointed to the line. It was a guessing match most of the time for spectators, and even players had difficulty knowing what the referee had just done. Sure poor Charlie Redmond didn't know if he was coming or going!

Removing the black-book seems like a needless change from the GAA. Referees actions are difficult enough to interpret at the best of times; this will only serve to put fans (and even players) further in the dark.

Start Spreading the News

Poor Mayo. John O'Mahony is having a torrid time this week trying to get his team ready for the opening round of the Championship.

Apparently, the Championship starts this weekend (though most of us should be forgiven if we have failed to notice the fact that Mayo are taking on New York this Sunday in the Connacht SFC).

And Mayo are struggling. There's lads doing exams, and there's a number of injuries. The team picked to face New York shows eight changes from Mayo's last championship game and contains four SFC debutants. In Friday's Irish Independent O'Mahony sounded worried:

"It shows how many young players we have in our squad. The New York game has come right in middle of exams, which is far from ideal. It's very demanding on the lads."

Speaking over a week ago the Fine Gael TD was equally optimistic:

"It will be important we don’t pick up any injuries as we won’t want to be stretched any further. Taking New York for granted would be very foolish."

Wake up and smell the Starbucks John... you're playing New York!

I'm reluctant to start into the usual northern complaint about Ulster teams having to negotiate through the quagmire of quicksand that is the Ulster SFC, but with Derry facing Monaghan, Tyrone playing Armagh and the coin-flipping outcome that Fermanagh and Down will produce (in a preliminary round!!), facing New York should be no more difficult than a stroll through Central Park.

It's another argument for another day (and Paddy Heaney had that day a few weeks ago in his 'Against the Breeze' column in the Irish News) but it highlights once more, the deficiencies in our Championship system. The disparities between the provinces. Galway and Mayo in Connacht, and Cork and Kerry in Munster are in the fast-track queue to the All-Ireland quarter-final.

O'Mahony and Mayo should be delighted with an early summer break Stateside. The rest of us are getting the waders out.

Shock Absorbers

They may have suffered defeats in the first round of the Derry SFC, but last year's finalists Ballinderry and Slaughtneil will still have a major say in the outcome of this year's competition.

And it's all thanks to the new back-door system. There was some opposition across Derry to the new championship format, but it's bound to have found a few new friends after the weekend's results.

Lavey caused the biggest surprise by securing a 1-09 to 0-10 victory over current holders and pre-championship favourites Ballinderry, while Swatragh also had two points to spare in their 2-05 to 0-09 win over local rivals Slaughtneil.

Coleraine came close to causing a third major upset, but they lost out by a single point to Bellaghy (0-10 to 1-06). Ballinascreen were impressive in their demolition of Castledawson (2-13 to 0-07), while Newbridge, Dungiven, Kilrea and Glenullin also registered victories.

The eight clubs who lost their first round games, must win two successive games to reach the last eight. The first round winners hold the advantage of getting two bites at the quarter-final cherry.

But the Shamrocks and Slaughtneil will still fancy their chances. The back-door draw has pitted them against Banagher and Coleraine respectively; games that should help them get their championship aspirations back on track. In fact, Ballinderry still assume favouritism (6/4) for the Derry SFC. This alone provides a clear indication of how little the first round defeat is likely to affect them.

Meanwhile, in the secound round 'winners' draw, Lavey have been rewarded with a game against Bellaghy while Swatragh will meet Glenullin.