RTE and the GAA have a case to answer. Today is the fourth consecutive Sunday that the football has been either on the undercard or not on the card at all.

It was one thing for hurling's quarter-finals to enjoy more prominence on the GAA calendar, but inexcusable that so did the qualifiers. It was fair enough with Ger Loughnane's return to Ennis that the Clare-Galway game was televised live, but it was pushing it to then show Cork-Tipp, both already assured of their place in the last eight, ahead of a do-or-die football quali"er like Derry-Mayo.

It meant no round one or round two football qualifier was shown live, while the only round-three game meant for broadcast was MeathGalway. Even when Cork-Louth was shown after the postponement of the Tipp-Wexford and Galway-Kilkenny ties, it was still the lowest number of round-12 games televised live since the introduction of the quali"ers.

Just imagine if the small ball had been similarly neglected during a football man's presidency and the uproar there'd have been.

THEY DON'T MAKEM LIKE THAT ANYMORE

Among the tributes penned to the memory of the late Tommy Makem, one mentioned the great man's status as Armagh's most famous ex-minor hurler, not to mind his appearance at many an Ulster football final as a member of the Keady pipe band.

Interviewed by Eamon Rafferty for the book Talking Gaelic, Makem, who finished his career prematurely, following a row about receiving the wrong medal, provided a snapshot of GAA life in Armagh during his younger days. "A lot of people then didn't tog out fully. The most they would do would be to put on a jersey and maybe remove their cap, wearing whatever trousers they had arrived inf I remember one player who would only fist the ball as he didn't want to destroy his good shoes."

Hardly an ancestor of Kieran McGeeney.

KEEP THE HURLEY IN YOUR HAND LADS

It seems almost churlish to have a go at a Cork side that has provided us with such terrific entertainment this summer, but Sideline Cuts has a bone to pick. Twice this summer as Waterford hurlers were scoring goals (Eoin Kelly in the Munster semi and Dan Shanahan in the drawn All Ireland semi-final) Cork defenders have thrown their hurleys as a type of lastditch tackle. Something the game could do without. Ye're better than that lads.