It is generally accepted that the Tyrone Senior Championship is one of the toughest to win.
That so many different clubs have shared the trophy in recent years is testament to this assertion.
Carrickmore's never say die attitude, despite trailing by seven points at one stage, is one of the reasons why Tyrone football is so widely respected.
Carrickmore can hold their heads high and against a star-studded Errigal Ciaran team that had Peter Harte and the Canavan brothers at their heart, so no doubt they will take some heart from the fact that they contributed to a very enjoyable game and were unlucky not to get something.
The fact that outsiders (like me) can now access such games says much about the direction of travel the GAA should now be undertaking given that Sky have exited the market.
The GAA should be making major investment into their own streaming service where-by viewers can chose to watch a live game via the internet, should they not wish to travel great distances.
I think 'punters' are past the stage of complaining about paying for this type of service.
There is a recognition that a small one off payment akin to attending a game is acceptable in today's age.
For county boards there has to be some incentive to stream matches as the income derived from this is important to facilitate running the county's finances.
From a Down perspective, we have a backdoor championship system at Senior, Intermediate and Junior level.
In my opinion, a backdoor championship serves no one, other than the strongest teams.
The chances of a one-off David vs Goliath upset is always there of course, but beating a bookie's favourite twice within a few weeks is a lottery.
You can learn more in defeat than in victory at times.
It is harder to justify the merit of a backdoor championship given that a split season is now in place.
Down is not alone here, with a number of counties adopting backdoor structures.
I would respectfully suggest that it is increasingly creating a system by which one or two teams are now dominating for long periods.
Dead rubber games are commonplace with the fall back always another chance for the strong.
The USA is now a very common and attractive destination for all GAA players.
Knowing that an emigrating player can be back in time for the business end of a county championship is another disadvantage to those counties running second chance saloons.
Why buy a cow, when you can milk it for free.
The upcoming Ulster club championship is due to commence this week and it should be one of the most competitive we have witnessed in many years.
Many of these club title winners are synonymous with some of the finest footballers ever produced in Ulster football and likewise have accumulated a rich history within the Provincial Club championship.
I would contend and, am admittedly bias, to the idea that the Province of Ulster, from a football perspective, is the most competitive of any other, at both club and county level.
Perhaps it is our sense of identity in the North or the siege mentality ingrained within, that it almost means more to us Gaels of Ulster.
Those players who have won club Junior, Intermediate or Senior medals in Ulster have described these accomplishments as being the pinnacle of their careers, with All-Ireland club titles considered akin to striking gold.
There is something unique and special about winning a title with your club.
For any inter-county player you try to marry the club commitments with those required at county level, however as proved in the past, you can end up pleasing no one.
The split season has attempted to solve this.
As noted in this column previously though, one big concern of mine relates to the elitism now created, whereby county players will train heavily with the county team while their clubs play league games.
Nothing compares to competitive games and as many commentators lament, the training to game ratio has not been reflecting well on the players themselves.
Until club championship comes around, the average inter-county player never experiences club action.
Moreover, for many clubs, league football is considered more important than championship for a number of reasons.
Perhaps there is no solution – perhaps it is an uneasy truce for now.
We try to make the split season work and see where it takes us.
When we discuss having patience, Armagh's Jarlath Burns has had to put the last GAA Presidential race behind him and move on.
He has once again called his candidacy early and is preparing to give it another go when Larry McCarthy's concludes.
I have always considered Jarlath Burns as a loyal, honest and genuinely decent man.
Indeed as a typical Irish son, I treated my mum's word as gospel and she was a big supporter of Jarlath, working alongside him for many years in a teaching capacity.
Jarlath is admired as a principle of St Paul's High School, a school that has become a bastion in Academia and Sport in South Armagh.
An area once dubbed as 'bandit country' during the troubles, huge political and social issues existed and chronic underfunding led to third world conditions for teachers and pupils alike.
Under Jarlath's watch, this now modern institution reflects the huge strides made in how a more peaceful and confident South Armagh is viewed and views itself.
Importantly, Jarlath has also played the game – at the highest level - so do not underestimate how important this is in the committee room.
He has a son, Jarlath Og, who is a star with this current Armagh senior team, so he is aware of the sort of commitment and challenges the modern player experiences at both club and county level.
I am a great believer in 'fate' and perhaps the experience of the last GAA presidential race will stand to Jarlath Burns next time around.
I have no doubt that he will do a great job should he win and many in Ulster will have felt that we missed out last time.
The GAA has so many men like Burns prepared to voluntarily commit their time to committees to ensure a game we love continues.
I am aware that any columnist's criticisms of the GAA can always be taken as personal, as people's time is precious and frankly thankless at times.
To be fair, in many instances, these committee persons are much better GAA stalwarts than I am.
I may not always agree with them, but I do respect the work they do.
However, do not expect a leopard to change its spots.
I am still going to moan about it if we don't agree.
