Movement a joy to watch

SOMETIMES you have to be at a game to truly appreciate certain aspects of it.

The physicality of the Roscommonmayo game is an example of that, but I’m more referring to the movement of three of the game’s best forwards in the weekend’s other games.

I’m talking specifically about Jamie Clarke, Conor Mcmanus (above) and Paul Geaney. Their work rate was outstanding and they ran themselves into the ground selflessly time and again for the sake of the team.

That they kept the scoreboard ticking over was almost incidental given everything else they brought to the table - they were making nine or 10 runs for maybe one ball but even when they didn’t get it they were taking two or three defenders with them and freeing up space for others.

Clarke was best of all and gave one of the great displays of inside forward play, bringing his forward colleagues into play time and again while kicking 0-4. Mcmanus wasn’t far behind him either and ripped the Down defence to shreds with his runs. All three of them were a joy to watch.

REFEREES tend to dominate the discourse in summer for all the wrong reasons and it’s generally criticism. Hands up, I do it myself on occasions but it’s only fair that their more positive contributions be acknowledged too and, in that regard, Joe Mcquillan was outstanding in his handling of the Roscommon-mayo game. It was a tight derby game with a huge following behind both counties, played in difficult conditions and with no shortage of physicality, as you’d expect. But Mcquillan (inset) showed plenty of common sense in Croke Park and left the black card in his pocket. Given the tightness of the game and what was at stake, one wrong call from him could have made him a talking point for all the wrong reasons but his wise approach ensured that wasn’t the case.