James Rea is joined by Oisín McConville, Brian Darby and Jackie Cahill to deliver the verdict on a feast of finals and the best of the qualifiers over the weekend.
Mayo won their fifth consecutive Connacht title on Sunday afternoon with a performance that saw Sligo swept aside. 6-25 for Mayo was the final tally in a shockingly one-sided victory.
In Ulster, Monaghan won their second final in three years against Donegal, as the sun shone on St Tiernach's Park in Clones. The scenes were in sharp contrast to the bleak weather that hung over the replay of the Munster final in Killarney the day before, as Kerry maintained their great record against Cork at home.
One of the more 'memorable' moments of the weekend was the reaction of Michael Shields to an innocuous challenge during the game. The Cork captain clashed with Paul Geaney but fell to the ground holding his face, seemingly with the intention of getting the Kerry player in trouble with the referee
Ah here... #corkvkerry https://t.co/qsMNtG6Gc0
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) July 18, 2015
“There is no excuse, not getting hit in the face and going down holding your face," said McConville. “I felt myself enjoying the game and wondering why at times because it's not the game I grew up watching.”
Former Offaly footballer Brian Darby said that Shields would be embarrassed by his own antics: “It's a deliberate attempt to get someone in trouble, it was farcical and I would say he's embarrassed.”
We also look back at qualifier wins for Tyrone and Galway, with the latter's victory over Derry provoking an extraordinary outburst - and resignation - from Derry manager Brian McIver
