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

AS we know well now, the League model, with teams of equal standard facing off regularly, just works.

They’ll naturally be remembered for great summer days but when Jim Gavin was in charge of Dublin, they prided also themselves on not losing Allianz League games.

Spring break in the National Football League, and after three rounds of drama including timekeeping issues, ridiculous red cards and a fixture list designed by Jared Kushner, there exists much food for thought, even if the conclusions are pretty much the same.

The Jim Gavin and Malachy O'Rourke eras, both successful seven-season long periods, ran virtually concurrently between 2013 and 2019; Gavin managing Dublin for 2,616 days and O'Rourke Monaghan for 2,476.

So Andy Farrell opted to play safe last weekend with his selection against Scotland?

So Andy Farrell opted to play safe last weekend with his selection against Scotland? Really?

Alison O'Connor joins the canvass.

Our writers look ahead to the major talking points ahead of the weekend's Allianz League action.

Crucially, the Finuge man, who managed Kerry for six seasons between 2013 and 2018, believes a mood for change exists, with Monday’s county board meeting expected to vote on the issue.

At this stage, it’s probably a rite of passage for one of Philly McMahon, James McCarthy, Ciarán Kilkenny, Kevin McManamon, or Paddy Andrews to haze new recruits with tales of the bad old days.

“Leo has been a brilliant servant to Donegal football.”

Less than two months in and the Dessie Farrell era is providing an array of firsts.

For the second year in a row, it ended in a row.

As the Allianz Leagues throw-in, our writers look ahead to the major storylines which will dominate the weekend's action.

Hurray for the return of the GAA national leagues, which mark the proper start of the inter-county season. Along with the Six Nations, they usher in the sporting year: a time of renewal and reawakening and of getting out of the house, writes Tommy Martin.

John Fogarty previews Division 1 of the Allianz Football League.

Today, former Dublin GAA football manager Jim Gavin became the 82nd Freeman of Dublin.

The Lord Mayor and Dublin City Council are paying tribute to Jim Gavin for his contribution to public life and service to his county and country both on and off the pitch.

It's not what’s in the chalice that worries Dessie Farrell; it’s the size of it.

Farrell presided over his first official press conference as Jim Gavin's successor at the offices of Dublin GAA sponsors AIG and had good news for supporters.

Jack McCaffrey, also nominated for the Footballer of the Year award after completing a historic five-in-a-row in 2019, said it's his understanding that the 38-year-old wishes to play on.

Jim Gavin is gone but his words as much as his deeds in inter-county Gaelic football remain.

Back in October, on Global Mental Health Awareness Day, Shane Carthy spoke at the Zeminar event in Dublin about his ‘crippling and at times terrifying’ battle with depression.

Lowry, who was presented with the award by his father Brendan, dedicated the honour to Clara GAA stalwart John Buckley, whose His funeral takes place tomorrow.

Dublin’s five-in-a-row-winners will head into 2020 without their “father-figure”.

Dessie Farrell has been handed the reins of Dublin senior football after they were given back by Jim Gavin last Saturday week.

GAA managers make up four of the seven shortlisted.

Thirty-seven thousand feet above the United Kingdom as I flew towards Brussels last Monday morning, I read every word of all six pages in Examiner Sport about the departure of the history-making Dublin manager, Jim Gavin.

And so Jim Gavin walked off into the sunset, enigmatic to the last.

It's that time of the week again.

Jim Gavin insists he is walking away from his role as Dublin senior football manager with no regrets.

Jim Gavin is only gone a couple of days and already things have started to slide.

The bookmakers suggest it’s a virtual foregone conclusion but Darren O’Reilly has some inside information to share about the AIB Leinster club final.

When the Dublin footballers continuously speak about the ‘culture’ that Pat Gilroy changed and established and that Jim Gavin then perfected, they rarely go into detail while knowing the secret of winning and Gavin was in the detail.

What will be telling is just departed Dublin manager Jim Gavin next step. Does he withdraw from public life, J D Salinger-style, never to practice his hard-to-define sorcery again? Or, does he do the circuit? asks Colin Sheridan.

The Tuesday night after Donegal scraped through the 2014 All-Ireland quarter-final, Jim McGuinness crammed his players into a makeshift portable building at Donegal’s yet-to-be-built Centre of Excellence in Convoy.

It is all but impossible to imagine how Dublin football manager Jim Gavin’s successor might emulate his record five-in-in-a-row All Ireland titles.

If Stephen Cluxton follows Jim Gavin into retirement, all bets are off for 2020, writes Éamonn Fitzmaurice.

Jim Gavin was nothing if not consistent.

Many thanks to the man who tipped me off about a new book coming down the tracks — Gaelic Games in Society: Civilising Processes, Players, Administrators, and Spectators by John Connolly and Paddy Dolan.