Armagh deserve great credit "It goes without saying that the role of the referee is paramount in deciding the outcome of many important games". This quote is taken from my article in the July edition of The Hogan Stand - an understatement perhaps! For many Tyrone and Laois supporters the performance of the referee came under serious scrutiny when analysing why their county team did not win important games i.e. the Ulster and Leinster Finals. Laois supporters were irate with the decisions taken by Cavan official Joe McQuillan in the last five minutes of their thrilling encounter with Dublin in the Leinster final. The second half in particular was played at a break-neck speed - and on such a hot day the fitness of the two teams was remarkable - a testament to their respective trainers. After performing heroics in the second half to reduce a huge deficit and then take the lead, Laois must have thought victory was theirs. But in the final minutes a few questionable decisions went against them and Tomás Quinn showing nerves of steel took full advantage stroking over two fabulous long range points from dead balls. Mick 'O' Dwyer voiced his disapproval immediately after the game questioning the validity of the free kicks given in those closing minutes. The Kerry man may have reason to complain about the referee but overall I felt that McQuillan had a great game - the match flowed well throughout, he used the advantage effectively and displayed good common sense when physical exchanges did take place. In the aftermath of the Ulster final 'good common sense' was not the term of reference used to describe the qualities of the refereeing performance. Whilst I can be accused of being partisan the analysts on TV covering the game cannot. In my opinion their criticism of Michael Collins performance was merited and the inconsistency of the Cork man tarnished a great game of football. My disappointment with the referee must not take away from a great Armagh victory. Tyrone had two opportunities to beat Armagh and we failed to do so. Therefore I congratulate Armagh and believe they are worthy Ulster champions. No team has probably ever taken a tougher route to win a provincial title. They played six games defeating the All-Ireland champions of two years ago plus Derry, Fermanagh and Donegal - teams that have appeared in All-Ireland semi-finals in recent years. The achievement of winning five Ulster titles in seven years is a remarkable accomplishment as I consider Ulster to be the toughest and most competitive province to compete in. When looking for reasons for this remarkable level of consistency - one must look no further than their captain Kieran McGeeney. It would be an insult to refer to McGeeney as an amateur sportsman. He has captained Armagh to four Ulster titles, a feat that has never been done before or is ever likely to be done again. His continued dedication and leadership is inspiring to those around him in Armagh's' pursuit of the Sam Maguire. From a Tyrone perspective the defeat in the Ulster final was a huge setback but we must take a lot of positives out of the two games with Armagh. For long periods in both encounters, Tyrone played the better football - breaking tackles, moving the ball at speed and creating scoring opportunities. As a team our performances have gradually improved this year and the new members of the squad have blended in well. How we deal with the loss to Armagh will now determine the outcome of our year. If players begin to feel sorry for themselves and take the foot off the pedal then Tyrone will not survive too long in the qualifiers. However, despite the dejection I believe as a unit we are mature enough to recognise that whilst there is much potential in the squad improvements are needed if we are to make the final stages of the championship. The role of management will now be crucial in lifting morale and planning the way ahead but there is no better man than Mickey Harte to meet a challenge head on and he will relish the prospect of leading his team through the scenic route. Further south, the Munster final went to plan for the Kingdom and even though they did not perform to their full capability this low-key victory will still please Jack O' Connor. His team continue to work hard for each other and they are moving the ball at pace and with such purpose that suggests they will be hard to live with this summer. His only concern after the Munster final was the possibility that Tomás O' Se would be suspended after an altercation with an opponent. The matter was not seen by the referee but video evidence was used to incriminate O'Se. Having watched the incident on TV, I couldn't believe that O'Se was reported. Fortunately common sense prevailed and O' Se was not punished. This incident does however beg the question will video evidence be used in every game to eradicate indiscipline? Certainly we use video evidence to vindicate a player that has been sent off but will it be used vice-versa? This grey area needs to be cleared up quickly by the GAC. In other codes (AFL, rugby) video evidence is used to suspend players that have committed offences that the referee did not see. Inevitably I believe the GAA will follow suit but it will create a few teething problems - what games should this apply to? There will be a lot of tapes to be viewed so who will be the lucky men to sit down, watch them and subsequently make a decision on the incidents? Whatever system will operate it is imperative that decisions are taken swiftly and reflect both fairness and consistency. Having watched many of the games from the 60's and 70's on TG4 I'm sure there are a few tight-marking corner backs of that era glad this system was not in place back then! In the west Peter Forde could not hide his delight as Galway took the honours in Connacht. The tribesmen appear to be a re-energised force and with Joe Bergin to return they will believe they can beat anyone. Mayo will be extremely disappointed at relinquishing their Connacht crown but John Maughan's men are still a team on the up. If they can learn from their defeat they will still have a big say in things come the end of August. Finally, as I previously predicted the Dubs brought back euphoric scenes on the 'Hill' and continued with their amazing winning sequence - adding '05 to their Leinster titles won in 55, 65, 75, 85 and 95. Like Peter Forde, Paul Caffery deserves great credit. He has not performed much surgery on the team he inherited but he has them extremely fit and more importantly they now play as a team. They have developed a good work ethic and at various stages in the Leinster championship they responded well when the chips were down. Their supporters have also been fantastic, as good as a 16th man. Any team meeting Dublin in the quarter finals at Croker will have a special atmosphere to look forward to. It may take a special performance to beat them! Tweet

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