Chatting were: Eamonn Fitzmaurice, John Fogarty, Trevor Giles, Tony Leen, Brendan O’Brien, Fintan O’Toole and Ray Silke.
Under discussion: The All-Ireland Club SFC semi-finals and Round 3 of the Allianz Football League.
TONY LEEN, Irish Examiner sports editor: Let's start with those club semi finals - what odds would you have got on a St Brigid's-Crossmaglen final?
TREVOR GILES, Meath All-Ireland winner and Irish Examiner columnist: Thought Kilmacud were the better team when it was 15-a-side and particularly before Paddy Duggan went off injured. They had the edge in pace and size, and still think Kilmacud have the best side in the country if they could get them all on the pitch. But Crossmaglen were better when the game became disorganised and descended into a battle.
JOHN FOGARTY, Irish Examiner GAA correspondent: Crossmaglen’s victory was nowhere near as surprising as St Brigid's. Having said that, but for the sending-off’s (Kevin Nolan's was extremely harsh) and Pat Duggan's injury, Kilmacud could have coasted it.
FINTAN O’TOOLE, Irish Examiner GAA writer: St Brigid's were 3/1 to win on Saturday morning but were deserving winners by Saturday evening. David Niblock's dismissal did have big bearing but St Brigid's defence crucially tied up the Nemo attack. They also had the best attacker on the pitch by some distance in Senan Kilbride.
JOHN FOGARTY: It's like his left foot could do no wrong, Fintan.
RAY SILKE, Galway All-Ireland winner and Irish Examiner columnist: Killererin will be kicking themselves as they had St. Brigid's beaten only for a late goal in the Connacht final. That said, St. Brigid's had more scope to improve. Let's not forget that the last time they were out - they pushed Crossmaglen very hard in the semi-final.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: St Brigid's players and management spoke at length afterwards about how they felt they had left that semi-final behind them against Cross four years ago. Saturday was about atonement.
JOHN FOGARTY: Niblock's sending off was more clumsy than anything. The question has to be asked does the All-Ireland club semi-finals get the best referees? Just one of the sendings off (Brian McGrath's trip) looked correct in Navan.
TREVOR GILES: John, on another topic, following your blog on the Sigerson Cup, you might be interested to know that three of the Maynooth team have torn hamstrings since their last match.
JOHN FOGARTY: That's some price to pay for beating Queens, Trevor. Not as if John Divilly is blessed with strength in depth in NUIM.
TREVOR GILES: I think it has to be played off before Christmas and get the colleges out of the O'Byrne Cups etc.
TONY LEEN: Brendan O’Brien and Ray Silke were in Tuam yesterday. It's getting fairly close to panic stations in Galway I'd say after losing so comprehensively to Mayo.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN, Irish Examiner sportswriter: It doesn't get much worse for Galway than being well beaten by Mayo in Tuam - and a bloody average Mayo at best. At least they showed some fighting spirit the previous day in Newry, unlike yesterday.
RAY SILKE: There is a superb picture in today's Examiner (Pg 15) by David Maher that sums up the current mood. With Kerry next up, things are not good. Shambolic display yesterday and doubtful if we will even win one NFL game.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: On the Mayo side, what about Jason Doherty's performance, Brendan? Has impressed at minor and Sigerson as a goalscorer, and raised two green flags yesterday.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: His first goal was a belter, taking the ball with his back to goal and running 30 yards before finishing. Nice to see a direct Mayo forward for a change!
JOHN FOGARTY: Was it that Down got a tad complacent against them in Newry, Brendan? These are bad, bad days in Galway but it's no overnight thing. What will be placed on Padraic Joyce's shoulders when he returns will not only be heavy, it will also be unfair.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Down did arse about a bit in Newry and it’s worth pointing out that Mayo pulled up with ten minutes to go yesterday so it could actually look a lot worse for Galway in terms of the margins of defeats.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Moving on from Tuam to events in Croke Park, Saturday night. Eamonn, are Kerry any closer to solving the midfield conundrum?
EAMONN FITZMAURICE, Kerry All-Ireland winner and Irish Examiner columnist: I thought both Seamus Scanlon and David Moran played well on Saturday night, Fintan. However I do feel too much is being made out of the issue. Of course it is great to have a midfielder who will catch kickouts but winning breaking ball is equally important and Kerry definitely upped the ante there.
JOHN FOGARTY: As Jack O'Connor said afterwards, their performance in midfield was all the more pleasing because Stephen Cluxton was landing balls into his fielders' hands with such precision.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Moran has made a bright start to the year, maintaining those standards seems to be the key for him now.
EAMONN FITZMAURICE: Agreed. Consistency is the next step for Moran. Consistency of performance breeds confidence. Darran O Sullivan is a good example of that this year.
JOHN FOGARTY: Still there will be calls for Donaghy to move out but I wouldn't move him from the edge of the square. Saturday was a rare off-day and yet he set up a couple of scores. Sean Murray can do a job against the big full-forwards; it's the smaller ones he has to worry about.
EAMONN FITZMAURICE: I would love to see Declan O'Sullivan at 14 for a few games when he returns and Donaghy at midfield. A new challenge for Donaghy and it would make Kerry more unpredictable up front.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: What of Dublin? They appear to be developing a penchant for goal-scoring, that's eight in three games, and are on course now for a league final place.
JOHN FOGARTY: Nineteen goals in seven games for Dublin taking into account the O'Byrne Cup and Shield. They are exciting on the break and really go forward in numbers. But the scores they are leaking are big ones. Yes, there's the Croke Park effect but Armagh put up a decent total in the Athletic Grounds as well.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Saturday night’s other big game saw Down pip Armagh in the championship dress-rehearsal at a packed Páirc Esler.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Fair play to Down, they've started the league campaign really well, although you would have to question the quality of the opposition they have played. They're away to Cork next so we'll know more about them then.
RAY SILKE: Thought the performance of the weekend was Laois against Derry. To win by 14 points up there was a massive result. Derry can be very hot & mainly cold, but to rack up 1-21 is serious shooting.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Good man Ray, you pipped me to the post on my own lovely Laois! Knowing them - and Derry - it could be a game that doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the long run. But that's three wins from three for Justin McNulty now.
JOHN FOGARTY: The word was McNulty would give Laois a much-needed defensive backbone. Going by the 1-21 tally in the cauldron of Celtic Park, he's given them more.
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: The interesting thing about Laois is how few of the 2003 brigade have been involved so far. It's less known guys like wing-back Darren Strong who have been catching the eye.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Few other thoughts from the weekend lads. Westmeath finally win a NFL game at the 17th time of asking?
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: Their U21’s hammered Laois in midweek and reached the Leinster final last year as well so signs of a mini-resurrection perhaps?
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Interesting to see Conor Counihan played Fiachra Lynch, a forward or midfielder all his career, at corner-back for Cork against Monaghan yesterday. Lynch played full-back in recent challenge game against Waterford which was a radical move.
JOHN FOGARTY: A real radical move, Fintan. Mickey Harte would be proud of him! Let's see how it pans out but Conor Counihan does need another couple of options in defence. Also Pearse O'Neill is scoring at will right now. Nine points in two games is a great return from half-forward.
FINTAN O’TOOLE: Finally a word on Peter Fitzpatrick, newly-elected TD and sitting top of Division 3 with his Louth charges?
BRENDAN O’BRIEN: One word? Busy. John O'Mahony found it impossible to combine the TD thing with Mayo and it was interesting to see him in Tuam yesterday - the guy has lost a shed-load of weight and seems ten years younger. Fitzpatrick is a bundle of energy but I wish him luck.
RAY SILKE: On the TD subject, it’s impossible to combine both. Something has to suffer and probably one’s commitment to football as the other gig is your job and pays the bills. Couple other thoughts, Tyrone got back into some type of winning mindset yesterday and I see where Kilkenny are -100 points after four games. What’s the point of that?
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/tTAgGzUfr3E/post.aspx
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