Weekend learnings: what the first two provincial football finals showed us.

This week will have been the most focused and determined the Clare players have seen Peter Keane. All of that can be a double-edged sword though.

John Cleary was understandably disappointed on Saturday night but the Rebels can build on the performance against the Kingdom.

Donegal look like a team that can win it all, but Kerry look to be in a good place. 

The provincial championships are starting to take shape and by the close of business Sunday evening we will know the semi-finalists in three of the four provinces, with Ulster completing their quarter-finals next weekend. There are no shortage of talking points as we look ahead to this weekend's encounters.

There are five teams dreaming big as the football championship starts: Armagh, Kerry, Donegal, Dublin and Galway.

I got to know Micko better after I became the bainisteoir. I called down to Waterville once a year for an audience with him.

It is important to have these kind of experiences in the memory bank, to be able to draw on them during a sticky patch in  championship.

One of the big takeaways from Mayo’s round 5 win against Kerry was the effectiveness of their press, both on kickouts and in general play.

Kerry's big win in Salthill means the Jack Slam of league and championship is on. Every year that the Kingdom have won the All-Ireland under O'Connor, they have claimed the league title earlier in the season.