League's third tier pays off for winners

ALL-IRELAND SFC:LAOIS MANAGER Liam Kearns summed up the theme of an exciting football weekend in the aftermath of his team's defeat by Wexford.

"The Division Three form-line is there for everybody to see," he said: "Down have beaten Tyrone, Fermanagh have beaten Monaghan and Derry, Wexford have beaten us and Limerick should have beaten Cork. They all came from Division Three so that was obviously the place to be."

In fact the achievements belong to the top three counties in the division, who between them have accounted for five higher-placed teams, listed above, plus Wexford's first-round victims, Meath.

The remaining five have all been beaten by sides from either Division One or Division Two.

The presence of Fermanagh and Wexford in provincial finals for the first time in 25 and 52 years respectively has enlivened the football championship and on Sunday Down take on Armagh to see if they can make it three from three.

As mentioned by Kearns, Limerick were within 90 seconds of becoming another team from the division to reach a provincial final when leaking two late goals to Cork nine days ago.

Limerick manager and former Kerry All-Ireland-winning captain Mickey Ned O'Sullivan says the performance of his team's divisional colleagues hasn't surprised him in the least.

"I detected a very high standard during the League," he said. "It was the most competitive division that we'd been involved in and I knew that from the intensity of the games, even though we were castigated for not winning more of the fixtures.

"Look at the quality of the teams that were demoted: Sligo were Connacht champions and Leitrim ran Galway very close. I know that Sligo have gone backwards a bit since then but that's often the reaction of a team that wins something important for the first time."

Division Three was unique in providing incentives at either end of the table. The drive to secure promotion to Division Two engaged Fermanagh and Wexford all the way through extra-time in the final before Jason Ryan's team edged out their Ulster opponents.

Then at the bottom there was the struggle to stay out of the basement division as well as preserve the right to contest the All-Ireland qualifiers when or if defeated in the provincial championships rather than be diverted into the Tommy Murphy Cup.

"I think it was the fear of relegation that was paramount," said O'Sullivan, whose team finished just one place ahead of Leitrim and Sligo.

"In our first year with Limerick we were in Division One and yet we could have been in Division Four next year, which would have meant we were going backwards."

He believes the qualifiers are an important part of helping less-successful counties to catch up, as they provide competitive matches till the beginning of August.

"Traditionally players throw in the towel if they're not in the qualifiers," says O'Sullivan, "and there's a perception that the Tommy Murphy Cup is a Mickey Mouse competition - a perception, I emphasise - for also-rans but if I was in it I would want to win it."

He believes Fermanagh were the best team in the division even though Wexford were the winners but admires the latter's breakthrough in reaching the Leinster final for the first time since 1956.

"I watched Wexford and thought they played great football and looked exceptionally well prepared. It's like looking at a class in school - you can see the work that has gone into them. They were controlled, disciplined, purposeful and played an attractive game.

"We were seven up on them at half-time in the League and still well ahead in the closing minutes but still they turned it on and caught us for a draw before the end. The main potential problem I see for them in the final is the sheer physical strength of Dublin if they get past Westmeath."

CHC to rule on Galvin today

THE RESULT of Paul Galvin's appearance before the Central Hearings Committee is expected today.

The Kerry captain was contesting a recommendation from the Central Competitions Control Committee that he be suspended for 24 weeks in respect of his confrontation with match referee Paddy Russell during the county's Munster championship win over Clare.

The CHC met to hear the matter yesterday evening.