The Paudie Palmer: It's getting increasingly difficult to put a gloss on the Cork football situation

Not in any order, but have Tyrone decided to add a serious threat to their attacking option. For the first three rounds, Mickey Harte and his fellow advisors appeared to be convinced that the short-passing, defensive strategy was the way to go.

Not wishing to prolong the agony, there is absolutely no certainty that Cork will be availing of an early flight from their new posting in 12 months. The mathematics are simple: Cork, like all other teams will play seven games and the most they can afford to lose and still be promoted is two.

It has been a while since the happenings at the Rebel parliament has found its way to this page, but on two fronts, there has been some positivity. The decision to offer a discounted, early-season match ticket to cover all games played over a two-month period, at the cost of €50, is welcome.

paudie.palmer@ hotmail.com or tweet @paudiep