An eventful month If January and February were eventful months in the GAA calendar, then March didn't disappoint either. Not only did March throw up plenty of action on the field of play but it also provided much scope for debate as well. Perhaps the most notable point of contention was the lifting of the suspensions for the Tyrone and Dublin players arising out of the so called 'Battle of Omagh'. The final outcome brought mixed emotions from a personal point of view. Firstly I was delighted for the Tyrone players who were cleared. Initially I couldn't understand why some of them were called up in the first place. Video evidence further convinced me that although players were present during the 'melee' they weren't actually doing anything to warrant suspension. The same can be said of a number of Dublin players. The fact that the game provoked a media frenzy did not help the plight of the players either. This trial by media certainly does not take place in the rugby union after the occasional punch up. When the news broke that the appeals were upheld I felt that a certain justice had taken place. This feeling of satisfaction was quickly tempered by the notion that our disciplinary system is in a shambles. How must this look from an external point of view - to those from outside our game. One minute our President is demanding severe and swift action the next minute all suspensions are nullified. Whilst extremely embarrassing for Sean Kelly the outcome of the Tyrone/Dublin saga has identified an area in the GAA that needs urgent redress. A lot of work has taken place this past year regarding disciplinary procedures. New committees and bodies may have been set up but it has left us with more problems to solve rather than satisfactory conclusions. This is one topic that will surely be near the top of Nicky Brennan's 'things to do' list. Another topic that I hope will be near the top of his list is that of player welfare. The very fact that the GPA had to call an EGM highlights the dissatisfaction that currently prevails with county players surrounding the inaction or the intransigence of the GAA on the government grants issue. What is most irritating is the fact that the Irish government is eager to move on this issue and provide grants for county hurlers and footballers but it is the GAA hierarchy and not an outside agency that is delaying progress. Since Tyrone's success last September, I have had the opportunity to attend a few functions in a number of different counties. Many county officials appear sceptical about 'pay for play' and rightly so, but virtually every county official would tell you that players should be 'well looked after' and 'well respected'. This is true but it is also very vague - what exactly does 'well looked after' mean? In today's terms, 'well looked after' should mean that players at the very least should not be out of pocket when participating for their county. This is the current situation and the government grant scheme, when implemented, would certainly alleviate the imbalance. The GPA need to remain patient - not an easy task when being treated like second class citizens at times. Change in the GAA tends to come at a slow pace but it will be worth waiting on. One of the advantages of not being involved with Tyrone any more is the opportunity to spend more time at home and catch up on lost time with regard to the TV. If only all days were like St Patrick's day! For the armchair enthusiast it was a dream. Live coverage of the McCrory Final, Day four at Cheltenham, followed by the AIB club finals at Croke Park. The McCrory Cup Final was an all Down affair featuring St Louis Kilkeel and the Abbey CBS, Newry. The Abbey came through the tougher side of the draw and in Jody Gormley (ex Tyrone colleague) they had a very capable coach. Most neutrals however were backing Kilkeel - for two reasons. One, for such a small school (550 pupils-250 boys) they came agonisingly close to winning the McCrory cup last year. They lost to Omagh CBS after a replay. The second reason is the fact that they possess the most exciting player at minor level in Ulster at present - Martin Clarke. Having starred in Down's minor success last year, (winning the All-Ireland minor title), Clarke came into the competition carrying a mountain of expectation on his young shoulders. He didn't disappoint. Despite the obvious close attention, Clarke shone on their road to the final. The final itself was no different. In very windy conditions, he produced a masterful display. Winning possession, setting up scores and taking scores all comes naturally to him. With time almost up, it looked as if Clarke had led his team to victory. A cruel twist of fate would prove otherwise. A brilliant block by a Kilkeel defender only resulted in the ball reaching the hands of an Abbey player and with the last kick of the game the ball hit the net for a famous Abbey victory. In a game were St Louis dominated for long periods, it was a heartbreaking finale for Clarke and his team mates. A few hours later St Galls too were heading for the changing rooms with similar feelings of disappointment and regret. They too had their dreams shattered after coming so close to lifting the ultimate prize in club football. As in Casement Park, the conditions in Dublin made it very difficult to play attractive football. Kick passes went astray and what seemed easy opportunities were made difficult by the swirling wind. Whist the final was tense, it did produce some good passages of play. Very little separated the two sides for most of the game with one notable exception - the ability to take scoring chances. If anything St Galls had more opportunities to score but Salthill-Knocknacarra were much more economical. Just like the McCrory cup earlier, an ex-Tyrone team mate was playing a pivotal role in proceedings. Gareth McGirr (corner back when Tyrone lost to Down in the 1994 Ulster final) was excelling at centre half back, driving forward at every opportunity. Despite this and the surging runs from Kevin McGourty, St Galls were struggling to put the ball over the bar. This remained the case right up until the last five minutes, when a late scoring surge brought St Galls right back to within a point. With time almost up it was vital to win possession and it was fitting that the two most experienced men on the pitch were able to respond. Firstly, Maurice Sheridan rose highest for a fabulous catch from the kick out. Then in the closing seconds Michael Donnellan was in the right place at the right time to intercept St Galls final attack. Donnellan was a central figure throughout and can now add an All-Ireland club medal to his notable collection. The St Galls hurt afterwards was palpable. They certainly let no-one down and represented Antrim and Ulster with pride. However, I couldn't help agreeing with their manager John Rafferty, in his post match analysis. He said to have played well and loose by a point would have been acceptable. He knew there was much more in his men. If they are anything like their manager then they will not lie down and will return more determined than ever for the 2006 campaign. The extended highlights of the finals on RTE meant that I didn't actually move much on St Paddy's Day. But I did get out of the house on St Paddy's night - the Black Jack Ketchum - War of Attrition double at Cheltenham took care of that! Tweet

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