Cats seemed to forget art of defence

Three things spring to mind immediately after this game in Tullamore yesterday.

First: Who would want to watch the World Cup after this? I have fellas telling me it’s been a great tournament so far, one of the best ever — will anything that’s in it, either up to now or before the final, match what we saw in O’Connor Park yesterday? (And by the way, I’d love to know who was doing the head-count. 12,548? And the covered stand packed to its 8,000 capacity? That fella must have been working with Anglo Irish Bank!).

Second point: Would the GAA please stop getting solo singers to perform the National Anthem. Yesterday we had a ‘sean nós’ version — what next, a rock version? A band, either brass or pipes, even a scratchy record — anything but a solo singer. It just doesn’t suit a GAA occasion.