Time for the TMO

Into stoppage time in the Rugby World Cup final, Ireland trail the All Blacks by four points.  Brian O’Driscoll goes over the line, it looks like a try.  The referee is not so sure, stops plays and promptly signals to the TMO to help him with the decision.  After a tense wait, the try is awarded and Ireland go on to become World Cup Champions. 

Andy Murray is on championship point in the final of Wimbledon against all the odds.  He challenges a decision.  After the replay, the point won by Nadal is taken away, Murray wins the next point with a fine smash and he is Wimbledon champion.

Take away the TV referee element and neither situation could have occurred.  I know GAA is not a professional sport, but the level of commitment put in by players is near on professional. 

Strict diets, early morning gym sessions before work, watching videos of goals conceded, hours practising free kicks away from squad training and not being able to take the wife and kids to Majorca due to the club championship being refixed.  Welcome to the life of an inter-county player, not that much difference between Henry Shefflin’s level of preparation and that of Johnny Sexton, between Robbie Keane and Bernard Brogan.

For the most part, players are not looking pay for play, but want to ensure that medical bills and travelling expenses are paid to them.  Another thing they strive for is fair play in return for their sacrifice, in turn for the part they play in our games.



In recent times too many teams have had games taken away from them by incorrect referee decisions.  Yes the referees are allowed to make mistakes, I think players are not disputing that, everyone is human.  However, if a system can be put in place to help officials it can only improve our games, it must be explored.

The technology is there to show replays, as nearly all games at inter county level are televised.  In fact in Croke Park you can watch the game on the big screen, apart from when there is an off the ball incident, then all you’ll see is an advert for a Toyota Avensis!

Kildare’s goal against Donegal last weekend, Joe Sheridan’s disputed goal against Louth in 2010, Graham Geraghty’s goal this summer that wasn’t allowed to stand.  Too often it happens.

In 2007 Ulster Minor final a shot from Tyrone player Cormac Arkinson that went wide was awarded as a point.  It was obvious that there was very little between the teams.  Going in at half time I asked the linesman could he not do anything about it, he insisted he had no control, even though he had a better view, it was the referee’s decision.  We got the match DVD from Setanta for our video analysis.  The ball was wide and we lost the game by a point.

With the level of preparation that goes in, I think the TV Match official must come into the game.  There is too much at stake.  It could be limited to 3 challenges per game for each team and only used for disputed scores, square balls and sendings off.  It wouldn’t slow the game up that much.

After all the players and managers are using stats in games now to improve their decision making process.  Is it not about time that referees could do the same?  The stakes are too high not to consider it.

In The Spotlight - Aidan Higgins (Carn Wheelers)

Picture the scene on a Sunday cycle.  You have just made a mad burst to win a sprint coming into some random town. 

You are nearly at the "thirty" sign and it is in the bag.  Not so.  Usually one of the Higgins brothers comes up and beats you to it.  The Carn Wheelers answer to Mark Cavenish.

In the first of our "In The Spotlight" features, it is Aidan Higgins of Carn Wheelers.

Name: Aidan Higgins

Age: 26

Occupation: GIS Consultant 

Favourite Food: Fillet steak

Favourite Drink: Corona (no lime!)

Favourite Music: Irish trad

Three people you would invite to a dinner party: Barrack Obama, The Dalai Lama and Bruce Springsteen

How many years cycling: 2

Bikes used: specialized allez, specialized hardrock, cube agree pro

Favourite cycling Food: fig rolls

Best thing about cycling: being first to a thirty sign!

Worst thing about cycling: not being first to a thirty sign!

Tip for beginners: spinners are winners

Omagh Three day

On Saturday I got out my suit, shone my shoes shaved off a week of growth and headed for my cousin’s wedding.  While I was eating away at the turkey, sipping a few (well maybe more than a few) stout and generally enjoying myself, some of my fellow Carn Wheelers were going through hell at the Omagh Three day event.

The race team for the weekend was two and a half sets of brothers!  Stephen Law, Patrick Kelly,  Mickey Kelly, Ryan and Stephen  Walsh.  It was turned out to be a tough weekend of racing, comprising of four stages across three days.  Also bearing in mind Mickey took part in the Thursday night inter club race as well.

Of the 81 who started the weekend, 73 finished.  Stephen Walsh finished 9^th in the overall GC, which was an absolute credit after the crash he was involved in the previous week. Patrick Kelly (19^th), Ryan Walsh (20^th) and Stephen Law (54^th) all finished the event well.  Also, Stephen Walsh finished 3^rd in the final stage of the weekend.

From talking to a few of the guys, they seemed to enjoy the weekend.  The Friday evening stage was very fast, with an average speed for around 25mph.  One of the stages was a KOM stage which tested everyone’s physical and mental strength.  “It’s tough enough climbing at your own pace, but at race pace it is even tough”, was the feedback from on of the Carn lads.

For amateur cyclists to not only survive, but to put in notable performances over a three day weekend event, was some achievement.  Factor in a week at work as well.  Local club cycling has become really popular the past few years and it looks like it is going to get even stronger.

Best Goal of all Time

Which is your favourite goal of all time? Here are six that I reckon are up there with the best.

What do you reckon? Does Kerry's goal from Darren O'Sullivan (v Limerick) deserve to be in here?

(A) - Maradonna v England - 1986

(B) - Matt Le Tissier v Newcastle - 1993

(C) - Wayne Rooney v Man City - 2011

(D) - Dennis Bergkamp v Argentina - 1998

(E) - Messi v Man Utd 2011

(F) - Alan Shearer v Everton - 2007

Derry Club Championships - Round 2

Derry has always prided itself on having a very competitive club championship.  With Derry’s interest in the All-Ireland over, it’s back to club action this weekend for senior and intermediate clubs. 

For half the clubs, they are aiming for the second win to take them to the quarter finals.  The rest who have already lost once, are trying to keep their hopes of a trip to Cetlic Park in October alive.

SENIOR GROUP 1 (winners into the quarter finals)

Greenlough v Dungiven
Greenlough under Gary Coleman have adapted to senior ranks well, but Dungiven will be the first team into the quarter finals.

Bellaghy v Coleraine
A tight one to call, Fergal Doherty faces a race against time to be available.  Coleraine should edge this one.

Ballinderry v Kilrea
By all accounts Ballinderry are going pretty well, Kilrea have suffered a recent dip in form after a great start to the season.  Ballinderry should take get through this tie.

Slaughtneil v Ballinascreen
The ‘Screen are favourites for the championship and should edge out Slaughtneil. Might take a replay.

SENIOR GROUP 2 (losers are out)

Castledawson v Loup
Loup have had a rise in form in recent times and should keep their championship hopes alive.  

Magherafelt v Newbridge
Both teams have had good wins recently, however Magherafelt’s more potent attack will be the differnce and will see them win this one.

Glen v Glenullin
Glenullin have lost lot of key players due to injuries.  Glenullin;s greater championship experience should see them win this one.

Lavey v BanagherLavey are a bit like Galway hurlers, hard to predict.  On their day they are a match for anyone.  Also Banagher have improved a lot under Paul Diamond.  Hard to call this one, maybe Lavey to edge it.

INTERMEDIATE GROUP 1 (winners into the quarter finals)

Craigbane v Foreglen
Tie of the round between two teams with high hpoes in the championship.  Foreglen by 2 points.

Moneymore v Swatragh 
Moneymore are top of the league despite very limited resources.  Swatragh will get it tough, but should win this one.

Steelstown v Lissan

Steelstown are capable of beating anyone on their day and should see off Lissan.

Ballymaguigan v Slaughtmanus
Another tough one to call. Slaughtmanus put it up to a lot of teams last season in the senior ranks and have a stronger panel available to them this year and should win this one.

INTERMEDIATE GROUP 2 (losers are out)

Limavady v Desertmartin

Desertmartin to win this one and get themselves back in the reckoning for the championship.

Faughanvale v Claudy
The Vale will be favourites for this one against a Claudy team who have struggled without key players.

Ballerin v Ogra Colmcille
Ogra have now established themselves as a regular intermediate club.  Ballerin should however win this one.

Drumsurn v Séan Dolan’s
Dolan’s have struggled since coming up from Junior ranks and Drumsurn are favourites to win this one.

Six to Watch

At a wedding recently I was chatting to my uncle about the success of the Eoghan Rua Coleraine Camogie and Football teams.  County champions in both codes in 2010, with the camogs going all the way to the All-Ireland.  He lives in the area and many of the players are his neighbours.

Both teams were backboned by young players, the majority of which were single.  He reckoned that GAA is very much a young person’s game, the Coleraine players putting in a tremendous effort, one that may not be possible with the pressure to work overtime in order to support their family, especially in the current economic climate.

Their student lifestyle allows them to prepare in an almost professional manner.  I know the student life is often associated with microwave dinners, pizzas and drinks promotions.  It is well known that the Coleraine players didn’t sign up that version of student life.  Their student life involves sport and going to the gym before and after lectures.  It got me thinking.



Over the past few weeks, some of the central performers in Croker and the various other arenas are young and have tremendous careers ahead of them.  Here are six to watch.

Mark McHugh - Donegal
Jim McGuinness has taken over the reigns in Donegal and has blooded many of the U21 players he moulded over the past few years.  One is the very versatile Mark McHugh.  Despite listed as a forward, McHugh is central to Donegal’s counter attacking style of play.  I would love to see the possession stats for all his games this season.

The young Kilcar player is very composed on the ball, works very hard for the cause and always pops up for valuable scores.  It struck me in his post match interview after the Ulster Final, he eyes on September and the big prize.  I thought it was a positive sign of the young enthusiasm that Donegal have brought to the 2011 season.

Jamie Clarke – Armagh

When I was involved with the county minors, we played Armagh in Glenullin one weekend.  It was a typical open, high scoring challenge game, Armagh had three great forwards. After the game I found out they were all from Crossmaglen, one of which was Jamie Clarke.

Since that day he has transformed from a young prospect to an established inter county forward. As Oisin McConville is approaching the end of his career, Clarke is ready to take over his mantle.  He is illusive and has a great knack of scoring goals.  He is one of the players you would pay money to watch.

It’s just a pity that the current Armagh team are gone from the championship and we won’t get to see him on the biggest days of the season.

Cillian O’Connor –Mayo

In the Connacht final win over Roscommon, one players scored 0-8 and picked up man of the match.  The same man, this weekend against All-Ireland champions Cork he scored 0-6 to help Mayo into the All-Ireland semi finals.  No it wasn't seasoned campaigner Andy Moran, or Alan Dillon. It was last year’s minor captain Cillian O’Connor.

When you think of Mayo in Croke Park and on big days, you think of missed chances and wasted opportunities.  I am looking forward to seeing how he develops over the next few years. 

James Horan is the latest in a line of modern forward thinking managers.  He seems to have put tremendous faith in some of the young players at his disposal. 

Peter Harte – Tyrone
Very often young players lack resilience, wilting when the pressure is on, or if they have an off day.  When Tyrone exited the Ulster Championship, Harte missed a number of crucial free kicks.  For such a young players to bounce back like he has, is an excellent sign of things to come.

A nephew of Mickey, Peter came to recognition as a half forward for Omagh CBS in the MacRory Cup.  In 2008 Raymond Munroe deployed him at centre back for the county minors when they won the All-Ireland.  They beat us in the league that year in Ardboe, I remember Harte scoring a cracking goal driving forward with purpose. Shows the great versaility he has.

Harte will have a big future for the Red hands, a player very much in the mound of Brian McGuigan.

Donie Shine - Roscommon
The 2006 All-Ireland drawn minor final was a cracker between Roscommon and Kerry.  Donie Shine was certainly a central figure in that game and the replay which Roscommon went on to win.  Last year, again under Fergal O’Donnell Roscommon won the Connacht title and Donie Shine kicked points from everywhere taking them to the title.

The young DCU student is not only an established player for the senior team but one of their most important players.  One of the forgotten skills is kicking frees off the ground and Donie is a master at it.  When playing against him, defences have to be extra disciplined.  A foul is more often than not a point. 

Roscommon have advanced from 2006 minor champions, but if they are to break into the next bracket of teams above them, Shine will be a central cog.

Michael Murphy - Donegal
The naming of Michael Murphy as captain this season was a real statement of intent that Jim McGuiness was going to put faith in youth.  The likes of Kevin Cassidy and Colm McFadden all have played important roles this season, but Murphy is the future of Donegal.

The Glenswilly man is no doubt a brilliant footballer.  Strong, mobile and accurate.  I felt for him that day in Breffni Park when his was inches away from winning the All-Ireland U21 with his penalty.  In this season’s Ulster final he stepped up another vital penalty and made no mistake.  A lesser man would not have taken the responsibility after the ghosts of Breffni.

I don’t like the poor entertainment value that their defensive system brings, but I would love to see Murphy walking up the famous steps on the third Sunday in September.  I was down at the International rules trials last year and was introduced to Murphy by my clubmate Christopher McKaigue.  Murphy was a very down to earth guy. 

So imagine the team with these guys lined out in it:

10-McHugh

11-Murphy

12-Harte

13-O'Connor

14-Shine

15-Clarke

Who will be next?

Over the next few years, we’ll see how the various young players from the different counties develop into established senior footballers. 

The joke doing the rounds at the minute among the Donegal fans is “Derry for cheap drink, Donegal for Sam”

From a Derry point of view, I hope the next batch of established county players are the likes of Declan Mullan, James Kielt, Lee Moore and Cailean O’Boyle. 

Christopher McKaigue settles into the Swans

Here is an interview conducted with Ex Slaughtneil and Derry player Christopher McKaigue.  It was conducted in March 2010.

How long have you been over in Sydney now?Been in Sydney just over four months and the warm weather is starting to annoy me, love a nice cold day to train in! In saying that hard to beat a good tan.

So how are you settling in?Settled in pretty well haven't had much time to think about home we always have some kind of training whether it be skills weights or running lots and lots of running. So after a day of training I'm usually ready for bed around 9pm, as we start around 7.30 must mornings to avoid the midday heat.

Have you done any touring around Australia since you have been over?Haven't done much touring to be honest been to Melbourne a few times to catch up with the Irish contingent down there but that's about it.

How often do you train and what range of training do you cover?
We train 6 days a week one of them days being game day, we cover everything weights, stability, pelvic stability, skills video analysis and recovery. So there's a lot to do plus I have a session most days with coaches to learn more about game.

Is the training much tougher than it is at home? Have you had any big hits?

We do train hard over here and for a long time too. Usually pre season at times was toying with the fine line of being a bit too much. The running element is the hardest we have four tough running sessions a week in pre season lots of 3km and 7km time trials where you've got a target, but the hardest part being only one day rest between hard sessions, really hard to get fresh, probably due to the fact we would have leg weights and upper body on our so called rest days!

What is the toughest aspect of the Aussie Rules game?The toughest part of Aussie rules for me was not the shape of the ball surprisingly but the length of the game hard to keep going and attacking for sometimes 2 and a half hours.

Tadhg Kennelly is back with the swans. This would be a good help to you.Tadhg has been really good for me helped me a lot especially after Christmas when I got a bit homesick. He has been playing for a long time and knows what it takes. So I have been spending a lot time around his place going to the beach and kicking the ball around.

What is the structure of the playing season over there?
The season basically goes for 22 weeks straight with one break the top 8 playing finals top 4 getting 2 chances bottom 4 only the one. So it's pretty demanding on the body.

How are the young players integrated into the game? Do you train/play separately?The whole squad train together, with all us younger guys having extra sessions and development coaches to get us ready for senior footy, but is a competitive place to be and in training games no one holds back for anyone, they all want a crack at the senior team.

Have you been able to keep in tough/watch any GAA over there?Been watching a fair bit Gaelic back home on Setanta over here, but not that much because it makes me feel a bit more homesick so I try and just watch as much AFL as I can and get my head out of back home.