The start of the Allianz Leagues, the start of the drama.
After it was revealed recently that Dublin supporters led calls to split Longford in two, the GAA world has gone into overdrive after a whole new week of football.
Stephen Rochford turns off phone after a rake of crank calls
Following their 1-18 to 0-12 loss to Cork in the opening game of the Allianz League, Mayo boss Stephen Rochford reportedly received a number of crank calls from an unknown number.
The former Corofin manager is now contemplating changing his number after receiving a slew of calls on Sunday evening, with the person or persons on the other end of the phone simply laughing maniacally.
There are not too many Mayo folk who consider the defeat a laughing matter, but Rochford is not willing to open an investigation – preferring to focus on next weekend’s visit of the All-Ireland champions Dublin to Castlebar.
The weather, with no rain on Leeside, played into the aquaphobic hosts’ hands but the severity of the defeat was unacceptable for this ambitious Mayo side who generally leave those sort of heartbreaks for later in the year.
Speculation of any player unrest has since been rubbished, naturally. But the whereabouts of Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes during the time of the phone calls remain unknown.
Donegal slated for shameless display of attacking football
“It’s depressing. It’s pure muck.”
That was the view of one analyst who said he left the Donegal and Down game on Saturday night early because he “couldn’t watch it anymore.”
Rory Gallagher’s men gave Down a cruel welcome to Division One when they ran through them for a shortcut and won 3-15 to 0-7 in Newry. But that win has sparked critics to condemn the 2012 All-Ireland champions.
Concerns for the future of the game have been voiced following a display of relentless attacking football from the yellow jerseys.
“What’s the point?” a leading pundit asked. “The least they could do was make the game competitive but it’s virtually just shooting practice for them. It was just kick passing and forward running and non-stop shooting from Donegal. Who’s going to watch that rubbish? We’re losing the art of defending.”
Despair as Diarmuid Connolly’s alibi frees him of Lee Keegan guilt
GAA fans have been thrown into a state of confusion after it was revealed that Diarmuid Connolly could not be held accountable for Lee Keegan’s injury.
The Mayo half back was withdrawn on Sunday with suspected concussion following a nasty clash of heads with Eoin Cadogan and Dublin forward, Connolly, was naturally shipping most of the blame.
An alibi has emerged however which has proven Connolly was in the capital city between 2pm and 6pm on Sunday, not in Cork at the scene of the accident.
When asked to comment on the Dublin player’s innocence, a member of the Anybody But Dublin activist group said, “Yeah, but, lookit, they’re still sponsored by AIG. They still have the population. It isn’t fair.”
Kerry fans not sure how to react after Dublin defeat
There have been calls for the sacking of Éamonn Fitzmaurice from the Kerry manager role following another defeat at the hands of Dublin.
Several Kerry natives made the trip to Croke Park on Saturday night to watch their side go down to the All-Ireland champions and, despite having one Sam Maguire and one runners-up medal in the last two years, Kingdom fans are reportedly not happy at the unacceptable nature with which the team ended 2015. Not winning the All-Ireland.
When asked about the 2-14 to 0-14 loss in the opening game of Division One, a spokesperson for the Kerry supporters group stated: “The league’s started, has it?”
