The quiet man
After the maelstrom that was the end of normal time in the Monaghan v Derry Ulster semi-final, Rory Beggan – who was forcibly trying to get his point across to referee Noel Mooney – got most of the credit from the pundits for changing the mind of the man in the middle.
However, when the dust settled, the focus turned to David Garland, who had come on as a sub for the Farney and could also be seen quietly speaking to Mooney as Beggan remonstrated.
Perhaps uniquely in the intercounty game, Donaghmoyne clubman Garland has dabbled in refereeing and has acted as umpire at intercounty level for Monaghan whistler Martin McNally. Safe to say, then, that Garland probably has a good handle on the rules.
“I’ve done it for [McNally] right up through the years whenever I was a bit younger, 16, 17, 18, whenever you had more free time on your hands,” Garland stated in a 2020 interview.
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“And yeah, I got to travel the length and breadth of the country with him to see some great grounds and great games along the way. Umpiring, it can be a challenging game as well, but I enjoy doing it.”
The Drumlin Clasico effect
Speaking of Monaghan, their win over Derry continues an interesting trend – in modern times, whoever escapes the “Drumlin Clasico” (yes, that’s Cavan against Monaghan) has a tendency to kick on.
Combined, the two counties have reached only 11 Ulster finals since 1995. In seven of those years, they met their arch rivals along the way, five of those games in the first round.
Although relegation from Division 1 suggested otherwise, it has actually been a positive year for the Farney – their under-20s made the Ulster final too and their minors won the Ulster League.
Monaghan and Armagh will meet in the Ulster final for the first time since 1938, but the Farney seem fated never to meet Down in the decider. Remarkably, considering they’ve played in 55 between them, that pairing has never materialised.
Mammies are always right
Last year, Donal Óg Cusack criticised Clare hurler Adam Hogan after Waterford’s Dessie Hutchinson was booked for fouling him, calling Hogan’s reaction “bulls**t”.
“Adam went down as if he was hurt. The only one that will be really worried if he was hurt from a hurling point of view will be his mother,” Cusack said at the time.
Lo and behold, yesterday Cusack revealed, at Joanne Cantwell’s prompting, he had bumped into Hogan’s mother before the Clare v Limerick match.
“It was good to meet Adam Hogan’s mother this morning, Ruth, very nice woman and mammies are always right,” a slightly uncomfortable Cusack said.
“Did she tell you to leave her son alone?” asked Cantwell.
“She did,” Cusack replied, “and mammies are always right, so message received.”
Down but not out
In possibly a first, an Ulster Minor Football Championship game was abandoned on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch.
Donegal were beating Down by 17 points (2-17 to 0-6) with 48 minutes played when referee Shane Murphy called a halt to proceedings after torrential rain rendered the pitch unplayable.
Down had been reduced to 14 men and Donegal led by 1-11 to 0-4 at half-time. Star man for the home side was Mark Anthony McGuinness, son of senior boss Jim, who had scored 1-6 at the time the game was abandoned.
Ulster’s CCC ruled on Sunday morning that the match must be replayed.
In numbers
6 – Leinster SFC finals Westmeath had reached in the county’s history before yesterday, including one replay. Make that seven as a superb football year continues for the Lake County.
In words
“I feel sorry for Down, this could end up anything. To go from the highs of beating Donegal to a hammering like this and the Tailteann Cup. Brutal.” – Podcast host Colm Parkinson (@SmallerFish) makes a fair point regarding Tailteann-bound Down.
