Donegal captain Michael Murphy has suggested he was the victim when he was controversially sent off with John Small last weekend.

Ulster secretary Brian McAvoy’s innovative suggestion last month didn’t receive a fraction of the attention it deserved, writes John Fogarty.

Our writers pick out eight talking points from the opening weekend of Allianz League action.

John Fogarty asks what previous All-Ireland final replays can tell us about Saturday’s game?

The GAA has explained live TV is one of the primary reasons why the All-Ireland SFC final will throw in at 6pm on Saturday week.

Conor Lane has been named as referee for the All-Ireland SFC final replay as the GAA confirmed ticket prices for the game.

As well as taking umbrage with some decisions made by referee Maurice Deegan, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte felt more than six minutes of second-half injury time should have been awarded.

One hasn’t really lived as a journalist unless you’ve pointed a recording device at a winning manager and posed the most pointless question of them all: What was said in the dressing-room at half-time?

You imagine as the Kerry party left Croke Park yesterday evening they were preparing a case for the defence of Stephen O’Brien.

Just once have Dublin failed to score a goal against Mayo and their nine points were still enough to win in a dour

Seamus Moynihan has called on referee Maurice Deegan, his umpires, and linesmen to offer David Clifford a greater level of protection in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Mayo are hardly Dublin’s bogey team but in the eyes of many of the capital’s supporters they are bogeymen. They are the team they warn their children about. Condemned to death only to rise and haunt opponents again and again.

I can’t tell you how much of a buzz it would have been for David Gough to have taken charge of Saturday’s game in Castlebar.

It sounded like a parting shot as Kevin Walsh hit out at those who have depicted his tactics as ‘negative’.

As a referee, there are games you look at and are so glad that you aren’t involved in. Mayo-Galway on Saturday night was as difficult a match to officiate as you can get.

Collateral damage or a typically tigerish season? This evening’s all-or-nothing duel with a county they have not beaten in five league and championship games will go a long way to defining Mayo’s 2019.

So far the evidence would suggest Mayo are going down a similar route to 2017 for their qualifier odyssey.

When you referee a provincial final it puts you in a good position for later on in the year and both Paud O’Dwyer and John Keenan will feel they didn’t lose any ground after their performances yesterday.

Armagh 1-14 Cork 3-9

It isn’t the game itself that Brian Looney remembers most from St Patrick’s weekend two years ago, or the three points from play he kicked, or the medal pocketed.

Five Munster finals, four wins and one draw; Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s championship managerial record against Cork is almost as good as it gets.

I’m led to believe Stephen Cluxton had blood in his mouth following that first-half clash with James McGivney, so the conspiracy theorists won’t be happy.

Reigning Footballer of the Year Andy Moran has admitted he acted out of character when he remonstrated with referee Maurice Deegan last month and says he was “disappointed” with his actions.

Galway football captain Damien Comer has credited Paddy Tally with bringing greater directness to the county’s attacking play.

The irony of Andy Moran’s call on Monday for a 50-yard penalty to punish cynicism late in matches shouldn’t be lost on anybody.

The GAA yesterday said they will hear the GPA’s concerns after they hung the threat of strike over yesterday’s Bank Holiday Monday games.

Tyrone 2-14 - Mayo 0-8: After what he described as his team’s best performance in years, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte took aim at those who had been critical of Tyrone’s tactical approach this year.

Goal drought continues

Joe Kernan has lambasted the performances of referees Maurice Deegan and Matt Stevic in today’s International Rules second test.

Ireland manager Joe Kernan believes more dialogue between county teams and referees should be encouraged.

As Ireland prepare to introduce as many as three new faces to their squad for Saturday’s second test in Perth, Joe Kernan says Ireland must score at least three goals to stand a chance of winning the series.

As Joe Kernan keeps his fingers crossed that three of his bug-stricken players will be able to play some part in the first test, the Ireland International Rules manager has underlined the importance of the two referees doing their job tomorrow.

In the days before last year’s football final, an extraordinary thing happened that would change the Examiner forever — the great Knowledgable Noel got it wrong.

Kerry and Mayo will have to do it all over again in Croke Park next Saturday as a Patrick Durcan additional time point effectively secured the replay.

Lee Keegan will make a full return to training when Mayo meet tomorrow evening, Stephen Rochford has confirmed.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice believes that Mayo have rediscovered their mojo at a critical juncture of the season thanks to a “glut of games”.

So why is Jim Gavin being all unreasonable? You might recall recently that charges of criminal blasphemy were dropped against actor and comedian Stephen Fry.

A chequered past, to say the least.

The Ulster championship’s status as the undisputed market leader in competitive provincial combat took another tumble yesterday with Tyrone repeating last year’s 11-point victory over Derry on their return to Celtic Park.

Jim Gavin has stoked the embers of his simmering row with Éamonn Fitzmaurice, insisting that his Dublin team is not cynical and that such claims are influencing referees.

Here's your morning bulletin.

Seven years have passed since Tyrone last defeated Kerry. It came by a point in Omagh in late March, the visitors having assembled a five-point lead by the 55th minute only to be sucker-punched by Colm Cavanagh’s last gasp goal.