Some of the main talking points from the field of play ...

Clare can't shake losing habit

Davy Fitzgerald insists he isn't reaching for the panic button after Clare failed to win again yesterday.

The 0-20 to 2-19 defeat to Tipperary leaves the 2013 All-Ireland champions without a competitive victory since beating Laois almost a year ago. Another loss to Dublin at Cusack Park next Saturday and the Banner will facing relegation from the top flight.

The seven-match winless streak apart, the big concern for Clare supporters leaving Ennis yesterday was the fact the team was practically at full strength. By contrast, Tipp started with just seven of the side that lost last year's All-Ireland final replay to Kilkenny.

Davy 'Fitz was in typically defiant mood, rightly pointing out that his team could have got results from the games against Galway and Tipp.

These are undoubtedly worrying times for the Banner, but if they can turn over either Tipp or Limerick in the Munster SHC semi-final in a few months' time, days like yesterday will be quickly forgotten about.

Sweet Pete

The old dog for the long road they say. They said that Pete McGrath was all washed up as a manager.

Hardly so if Fermanagh's fine comeback against Armagh is anything to go by. Eight points in arrears at one stage, 1-6 over 0-1, McGrath's charges fought back and a late Ryan Jones effort gave them a deserved share of the spoils.

The Ernemen always had a talented pool of players on hand and they now sit as joint leaders of Division Three.

Looks like the former Down boss is making things gel. You don't become a bad manager overnight.

Kerry records

Underage football is alive and well in the Kingdom.

No better example of this than the recent run of reigning All Ireland senior college champs Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne.

On Sunday the lads from the Dingle peninsula chalked up a four in a row of provincial titles when beating St Francis College.

It's a record they share with another Kerry school, Tralee CBS who likewise put four titles together between 1931 and '34.

White flags put to use

The umpires with white flags leaned over no less than fifty four times at Croke Park on Saturday evening as the hurlers of Dublin and Cork went head to head in a point scoring fest.

It was great to look at and did we ever see so many points in a HL game previously?

Probably but some of the Cork scores were sheer poetry in motion.

Despite their lack of recent underage success, Jimmy Barry-Murphy's men proved, once again, that you can never write the Rebels off when it comes to raising the Liam McCarthy cup.

Far from Downhearted

A lack of fighting spirit is an accusation often levelled at Down football teams in recent times.

It can hardly be applied to Jim McCorry's present bunch though as they are rapidly earning themselves the tag of the comeback kings.

Cavan, with the wind at their backs, appeared to have the winning line in sight at Breffni while Down's late surge in Newbridge got the 'nothing short of miraculous' heading in a local Mourne paper.

Yesterday they trailed visiting Galway by 1-11 to 1-15 as the game entered the dying stages. However, the hosts shot six of the last seven points to forge out another narrow but famous victory.

To wing back Paul Devlin fell the honour of scoring the final match winning point.

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