PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON will swap quantity for quality in 2009 as he bids to stay mentally fresh for his assault on the major championships. The Dubliner reckons he can hit the jackpot by playing just one warm-up event before a major instead of the usual two.

MICKEY HARTE admitted to be highly relieved in the aftermath of yesterday’s gripping All-Ireland quarter-final and Tyrone captain Brian Dooher had no hesitation in singing from the same hymn sheet in the post match interviews.

THERE may have been a school of thought that Tyrone had enjoyed an untroubled ride through the Ulster Championship, but when the stage was shifted to Croke Park yesterday, the Red Hands men were put through an exacting ordeal.

PAT McENEANEY has been surprisingly overlooked for the All-Ireland football final by GAA chiefs, who’ve handed the prestigious job to Sligo whistler Marty Duffy.

I HAVE noticed that the following is a sentence I never used write, but it has become more frequent over the past 18 months: thank goodness for this international break.

DANNY GUTHRIE fired Newcastle to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship last night as the depleted Magpies edged their way past Leicester.

1. KERRY have learned their lessons from the past.

WHEN you’re six ft six, the view over the horizon is as good as the one over your shoulder. Mike Quirke appears an unlikely weathervane for the state of Kerry football, but he has an unique perspective of the Kingdom’s pasts, present and its future.

Barcelona 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0

TUESDAY evening before six o’clock and Kerry selector Eamon Fitzmaurice is pacing out and aligning training cones in Killarney with the precision of an engineer.

DJ CAREY yesterday launched an impassioned defence of Kilkenny wing-back Tommy Walsh whose no-nonsense style of play has been questioned by some pundits.

AT a time when Limerick hurling is in turmoil, the young hurlers of Ardscoil Rís wrote a glorious chapter in their school’s history yesterday by winning the Dr Harty Cup for the first time at the third attempt at McDonagh Park, Nenagh.

DAVID BECKHAM is not a manused to being overshadowed but his Old Trafford homecoming was hijacked by Wayne Rooney last night as the striker produced a mesmerising performance to help Manchester United beat AC Milan and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

THE third episode of this year’s Dr Harty Cup final saga takes place at McDonagh Park, Nenagh today between Thurles CBS and Ardscoil Rís and, if it’s half as good as the two previous games, then hurling fans are in for another treat.

SATURDAY’S 100th international cap represents the latest milestone in the magnificent rugby career of Brian O’Driscoll but the man himself seems immune to the hype and headlines surrounding his entry into the century club.

BIRMINGHAM gained revenge for their weekend FA Cup exit against Portsmouth after sending the Premier League’s bottom club closer to relegation with a 2-1 triumph at Fratton Park.

DAVID SULLIVAN, the West Ham co-owner, was in pleading mood before kick-off.

TYRONE manager Mickey Harte was left fuming yesterday by the timing of referee Martin Higgins’ full-time whistle after a nip-and-tuck relegation dogfight that finally swung Monaghan’s way.

IRISH fans of a bitter disposition may be pleased to learn Thierry Henry’s relationship with Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola looks to be disintegrating.

WE have certainly seen the mob instinct in operation this past 10 days – or, if you prefer, a stunning exhibition of group think psychosis. I don’t think there’s a single journo or fan left who hasn’t delivered his own version, in print or online, of “Fergie and United are doomed.”