Our writers pick out the main talking points from the weekend’s Allianz League action.

The harsh and punishing reality of life among Gaelic football’s elite stared Meath in the face as they made their return to Division One after a 14-year absence.

McKenna Cup specialists Tyrone lifted their eighth title in nine seasons with an uninspiring win over Monaghan at the Athletic Grounds.

Owen Mulligan says Cathal McShane is entitled to pursue an Aussie Rules career, amid calls for the GAA to cut ties with the AFL since reports emerged of the All-Star full-forward's potential move.

Mickey Harte hasn’t given up hope of holding on to All-Star attacker Cathal McShane as speculation intensifies that he is on his way to an Aussie Rules career with the Brisbane Lions.

A local report in Tyrone has claimed 2019 All-Star Cathal McShane is on the brink of starting an AFL career with Brisbane Lions.

Connor McAliskey has left the Tyrone squad, and will play no part in the Red Hands’ challenge for honours in 2020.

Derrygonnelly twice came back from the dead and then won a dramatic penalty shootout against Trillick, Tyrone star Lee Brennan the unlucky one to miss as the Fermanagh champions set up an Ulster club SFC semi-final against Kilcoo in two weeks time.

Trillick 0-12 Errigal Ciaran 2-4

Having twice been shortlisted for the top individual award, six-time All-Ireland winning captain Stephen Cluxton is in the shake-up to claim his first footballer of the year as one of Dublin’s 13 PwC All-Star nominations.

Tyrone champions Coalisland swept aside Killyclogher’s challenge by 2-14 to 1-8 in a repeat of last year’s final to breeze into the LCC Group Tyrone SFC semi-finals.

Paul Murphy, unsurprisingly, didn’t enjoy how Tyrone set themselves up in the All-Ireland semi-final earlier this month.

And so what stands between Dublin and immortality is the county that itself was denied that very place in history on another All-Ireland final day.

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.

How cute is Peter Keane?

Mission accomplished for Peter Keane and his men. They are where they want to be.

A rousing second-half Kerry display ensured it will be they who are the last men standing between Dublin and the five-in-a-row that eluded the Kingdom in 1982.

A master of his trade is asked to consider how the apprentices are faring.

Amazing the things you pick up while out and about.

Fake football was the order of the day in Omagh as the biggest indictment of a Championship format unfit for purpose was served up.

Cork may have lost their third competitive game of the summer and exited the championship but do so with their heads held high.

A come-from-behind second-half effort secured Tyrone their second win of the Super 8s series and, in the process, all but guaranteed themselves an All-Ireland semi-final berth.

Cork will have again travelled up the M8 by bus yesterday in preparation for taking on Tyrone this evening in Croke Park.

After Cork’s 16-point shellacking at the hands of Tyrone in O’Moore Park 12 months ago, Ronan McCarthy stood defiantly in the tunnel and declared he knew the way forward.

Oisín McConville is certain Cork’s Super 8 interest will end next Saturday evening against Tyrone at Croke Park, even if he has been impressed with the renaissance of Ronan McCarthy’s side.

Tyrone struck an early and perhaps decisive blow in their Super 8s opener at Hyde Park, where they scored a four-point win over Connacht champions Roscommon.

Donegal swept past Tyrone to book their place in the Ulster SFC final, scoring a first win over fierce north-west rivals Tyrone in four Championship clashes as they triumphed by four points at Kingspan Breffni Park.

It’s taken him the best part of three years, but Michael Cassidy’s perseverance and patience have paid off.

The game itself was a walking, talking, advert for a tiered football championship, so when the competition on the pitch doesn’t scare you, you look for motivation elsewhere, and Richie Donnelly found it within his own dressing room.

Tyrone charged through to the Ulster SFC semi-finals with a demolition job at the Athletic Grounds.

Three games into this year’s Allianz League campaign and Tyrone deep in relegation trouble with one point out of six, Mattie Donnelly went to Mickey Harte with a suggestion.

Galway’s tortuous search for a balance between defensive security and offensive potency took a painful hit as they missed out on a place in the Division One league final.

Tyrone shot down Galway’s bid to reach the NFL Division 1 league final as they stormed back to win comfortably at Healy Park.

Ronan McNamee wasn’t surprised at the level of criticism aimed at Tyrone earlier in their Division 1 campaign.

As Jim Gavin post-match critiques go, his take on his team’s performance that conspired to knock them out of the reckoning for a seventh consecutive Division 1 final was withering: “That performance will obviously not help the players that were out on the pitch, that’s for sur.”

Despite playing the last 25 minutes with 14 men, Tyrone picked up their first win over Dublin in six years as the All-Ireland lost three round games for the first time in Jim Gavin’s reign.

Adding a more physical presence to Tyrone’s forward line is one of the major lessons Mickey Harte learned from 2018.

Anthony Cunningham hailed his side’s resilience as Roscommon kept Tyrone’s second-half rally at bay to earn a share of the spoils in difficult conditions at Dr Hyde Park.

It’s All-Stars week and in the interest of keeping you informed, there is a change in the selection process from last year — an outfield player can be chosen for an award in an area other than the one they were nominated in, writes John Fogarty 

The Cluxton kickout

Dublin 2-17 Tyrone 1-14

For me, this current Dublin team is the best ever and even now — a year out — there’s almost a certain inevitability about the five in a row.

Mattie Donnelly knew what some were saying. And he knew why.

Our five-time All-Ireland-winning columnist expects Mickey Harte’s defensive set-up to frustrate Dublin.