Three things we learned from the GAA this weekend

Tyrone showed us class is something that doesn't evaporate, GAA officials cock-ups continue and Dublin are not to be feared going by their latest performance.

By Shane Breslin

Tyrone remind us that class is permanent

Or, to be more specific, two of Tyrone’s greatest players remind us that class is permanent. There have been days, neither yesterday nor last week but several years ago, that Tyrone faced a future without both Brian McGuigan and Stephen O’Neill.

O’Neill, the Footballer of the Year in 2005, retired more than three years ago because of a troublesome knee tendon injury.

McGuigan, one of the chief architects of the county’s breakthrough in 2003, has been the prototype for a playmaking centre forward – whenever injury has allowed. Like O’Neill, he has had serious injury problems, from double leg breaks to potentially long-term eye damage.

And yet, in the summer of 2011, with both players now 31, here they are, as good as ever. Arguably, although it would hardly have been thought possible, on the evidence of Sunday’s win over Monaghan, they’re even better than ever. Check out O’Neill’s point at 12:20 on the RTE Player’s video of The Sunday Game. “It should be packed away in the national archives as something of beauty,” said pundit Tony Davis. Breathtaking.

GAA umpires: Same crap, different year

Apparently, after the fall-out from last year’s Leinster final, all GAA umpires had to sit examinations earlier this year in order to make their role as key members in a team of officials more defined.

The old-boys-in-white-coats image has now been dispensed, with snazzy new, um, white coats with blue trim.

But on Sunday at Croke Park, it was a case of same crap, different year. Surely, if there was a problem with Graham Geraghty’s “goal” for Meath against Kildare, then the umpires were best placed to spot it. It happened about five metres from where they were standing, with an unimpeded view.

One umpire pointed at the green flag to signal the goal, and the other picked it up without a moment’s hesitation. But hold on, said ref Syl Doyle. Never mind that I’m 25 metres behind the play, that looked like a square ball from where I’m standing. Oh, and there’s no way I’m influenced by last year’s Leinster final. No way. José.

On this evidence Dublin need to do better

Well, if they want to be considered as All-Ireland contenders. “Dublin look good this year,” is the age-old cliché that has been echoed around the country earlier than usual this year after a solid league campaign but Sunday’s showing against Laois leaves a lot left to be desired from the Dubs.

A fair assessment would be that the second half of the double header at Croker was the worst game of football we’ve seen in the Championship thus far, and Dublin’s inability to make mince meat of an atrocious Laois side was borderline embarrassment.

Passing, shooting, tackling – heck, all the damn basics of the game were abysmal. Kildare should be pleasantly buoyed for the semi-final after watching the 70 minutes the Dubs churned out and, as for Laois, any side would be delighted to meet them in the qualifiers. What does Justin McNulty get them to do in training? Practise hula hoops?