What an enjoyable afternoon of football. Perhaps we have become so programmed to the drudge and so used to all the sideways, lateral passing that you’re just so happy when games come along like this, even if it wasn’t 10 out of 10.

Monaghan 1-18 Tyrone 1-16: Typical, really. Murphy’s Law.

Monaghan 1-16 Donegal 1-10: Monaghan are safe in Division One, for another season, while Donegal will have a final chance at survival on Sunday, when they host Mayo in a winner-takes-all contest in Ballybofey.

Derry 2-12 Monaghan 1-13: Dessie Mone suffered a suspected broken wrist as Monaghan lost out to Derry for a place in Saturday’s McKenna Cup final.

Five years have passed since James Masters made the call to Conor Counihan to say he couldn’t tolerate warming the bench anymore and bade him adieu.

The Central Hearings Committee (CHC) face a busy schedule in Croke Park this and tomorrow evening as they address challenges to the proposed bans for Tiernan McCann and two players arising from last month’s Dublin-Armagh challenge game.

Malachy O’Rourke admitted he’d be disappointed if Tyrone’s Tiernan McCann feigned injury to get Darren Hughes dismissed.

Nine years Conor McManus has spent in the Monaghan shirt, on but one occasion was he overlooked.

For all the hurdles they’ve got over and boxes they’ve ticked in the last two and a half seasons, something massive still eludes Monaghan.

Monaghan 0-11

Leaders are neither born nor made; they are found. This is what Ben Horowitz postulated in a recent Fortune.com article.

Michael Murphy mightn’t have been happy with the performance but he was at least content in the knowledge last Saturday has dispelled some of the perceptions that Donegal were going to stroll to another Ulster championship.

Keeping in line with the most predictable provincial championships in recent times, tomorrow is shaping up to be a nice day for a white wedding. An arranged marriage, that is, at Dublin’s behest. Appropriately, apart from wearing blue they have something old, something new and something borrowed.

Monaghan 1-20 Fermanagh 0-13: Monaghan took a long time to get going on the longest day of the year, but eventually made the most of Ryan McCluskey’s straight red card to book their place in the Ulster final.

Monaghan 0-16 Cavan 0-15: LOGIC and basic biology tell us that there will come a time when Cavan’s burgeoning youth will overtake Monaghan’s grizzled vets, but that was postponed yesterday thanks to the nous and experience of Malachy O’Rourke’s wily old soldiers.

Limerick hurling manager TJ Ryan has given three debuts for Sunday’s Munster SHC quarter-final clash with Clare in Semple Stadium (throw-in 4pm).

Donegal captain Michael Murphy’s disciplinary record has been wiped clean after he served a one-game suspension last weekend, Croke Park has confirmed.

Monaghan 1-11 Dublin 1-22:  The death of Gaelic football? Hardly.

Peter McNamara looks at this weekend's GAA.

Art is born of humiliation. [W.H. Auden]

Monaghan 0-15, Derry 0-10:

Cork reaction: Brian Cuthbert hailed Colm O’Neill’s eye for goal after his second-half brace saw Cork recover to claim a most satisfying win.

Allianz FL Division 2 Round 2: Monaghan 1-16 Cork 2-14:

In somewhat cruel circumstances, Conor McManus missed a late 42 metre free that would have earned Monaghan a share of the spoils in front of a 5,248 Castleblayney crowd.

Tyrone 0-9 Monaghan 1-13: Allianz Football League Division 1: It’s three years since Seamus McEneaney’s era ended and the obituaries were written for this generation of Monaghan footballers, but the team he built continues to show obvious signs of rude health under Malachy O’Rourke.

Monaghan returned to Division One in a blaze of glory, turning over Tyrone at Healy Park to launch their season with two points on the road.

The nominations have been announced for the GAA GPA Football All-Stars - champions Kerry have 11 nominations and beaten finalists Donegal have nine.

It’s no surprise Kerry lead the way with 11 All Star nominations, two more than beaten finalists Donegal and National League and Leinster winners Dublin.

I was in Croke Park yesterday and it would be stressing the obvious to say James McGrath let the game flow.

Another awesome attacking master-class from the Dubs blew Monaghan away at Croke Park.

Lambs to the slaughter they may not be but Monaghan go into today’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin in full knowledge of the disembowelment the reigning champions have handed out to all who have gone before this year.

By Peter O’Dwyer

ULSTER SFC FINAL:

Monaghan 1-18 Armagh 1-13

Louis van Gaal’s entire coaching philosophy is based on three central tenets: defence, transition to attack and attack.

The Clare sideline were extremely agitated an annoyed by some of James McGrath’s first-half decisions at Semple Stadium yesterday.

Monaghan 1-12 Tyrone 0-14

Conor McManus has almost resigned himself to missing out on Sunday’s Ulster quarter-final with Tyrone.

It might not be prioritised, but the National League is on the criteria for picking All Stars.