Phoney War or Cold War? A bit of both, really.

A long day’s journey into night on Saturday, with Cork and Tipperary serving up an entertaining tussle that felt for a while as though it might never end.

The groans can still be heard, from coast to coast, in hamlet and city alike, the plain people of Ireland asking for it to stop.

There was no handshake between the managers when this ended.

Mike Quirke’s Laois footballers recorded their first win of the campaign when they emerged with six-points to spare over Armagh at MW Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, on Saturday evening.

Scotland threw everything at the hosts in the closing stages but some heroic defence saw Ireland hold on.

GIVEN that the issue is largely to do with the men in the middle and how they apply — or not — the rules of the game, let’s start with a former All-Ireland referee.

Taking his lead from Jurgen Klopp and club captain Jordan Henderson, Van Dijk refuses to countenance the question of ‘when?’ preferring to preface such talk with ‘if’ about the title lift

Now that’s what you call a 10 out of 10 performance. Ten years since United last did the double over City; 10 games unbeaten now since our midwinter nadir.

Every sportswriter is a trader in nostalgia. It comes with the territory: Instant memories. Even if you file a match report on the whistle it’s already fading into the past — “matches previously played” was Christopher Hitchens’ phrase.

The Division 2B final will also be an all-Ulster affair.

Hegarty finished Saturday night’s NHL game against Waterford with 1-5 to his name.

A goal and a point in the closing moments of the first half and four points without reply in the dying minutes of the contest left the Castlebar boys dancing in the rain at the final whistle.

Matt Every shot an opening-day 65 to claim the overnight lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando.

St Mary’s’ bid to complete the six-in-a-row of Jack Murphy Cups will have to wait until the middle of January at the earliest, as Dromid Pearses secured a late draw with two Niall Ó Sé frees during six minutes of added time in the Kerry SFC final at a bitterly cold Portmagee yesterday.

The result, which played out in front of a crowd of 1,628, means the All-Ireland champions cannot now progress to the decider.

In some quarters of the media, it has been said that Verona Murphy is only saying what a lot of people think.

The door closed today in Mardyke Street and the best-known medic in Irish sport finally put his feet up.

An umpire at the heart of the call not to award Limerick a last-gasp 65 in this year’s All-Ireland semi-final has been given a pair of glasses as a Christmas gift by a Limerick fan.

Leading referee Conor Lane has described the advanced mark as an ‘awkward’ rule and believes players have to take more responsibility in calling it.