This afternoon's meeting between Donegal and Armagh was billed as a heavyweight clash up in Ulster, with two sides of immense quality meeting so early in the championship.
It was felt that home advantage could be key in deciding the winner, and so it proved as Donegal ran out 1-16 to 0-12 winners in Ballybofey.
They were the better side for the majority of the game, with Paddy McBrearty's goal to put six points between the sides early in the second half proving to be a key moment in the contest. Donegal controlled proceedings from this point on and were fully deserving of their victory.
In saying that, a couple of big decisions did go against Armagh over the course of the game.
Right at the start of the second half, they had what looked like a perfectly good goal ruled out when referee Maurice Deegan adjudged that Rian O'Neill had fouled goalkeeper Shaun Patton when turning the ball into the net. Soon after, Ryan McHugh was given a very soft free at the other end of the pitch to hand the hosts a handy score.
While the better team won on the day, these incidents could have altered the course of the match.
Speaking on the BBC after the game, Oisín McConville said that this game was an example as to why the GAA needs to make some major changes to the way the game is refereed.
Can we talk about the bigger issue? A referee, with these players and the condition that they're in, trying to keep up with the game for 70 or 80 minutes (is impossible).
A referee is making decisions from 40, 50, 60 yards away from the play. It's just not going to work.
I remember saying five or six years ago that there should be a referee in one half and a referee in the other half. We are going to need two referees at this level. The players are just too fit...
That incident (the disallowed goal) would have given Armagh some sort of momentum in the second half. I accept 100 per cent that Donegal were way superior to Armagh, Armagh in the second half had the first five or six chances and didn't get anything out of them...
I'm not suggesting that this one incident changed the game.
This is a suggestion that has been made in the past, and considering how much the pace of the game has increased in recent years, it is a conversation that should be revisited.
Oisin McConville is spot on. For inter-county matches we need two referees, one for each half of the pitch. The players are far greater athletes than the referees and we need to compensate for that. Donegal definitely the better team today, but Armagh have every right to complain
— raunchy risotto (@xxxtenpentagons) April 24, 2022
Donegal will now face Cavan in an Ulster semi-final, a game they will be favourites to win. However, Declan Bonner's side will be taking nothing for granted having been upset by the same opposition in a provincial final in 2020.
As for Armagh, they will now face the perilous route of the qualifiers if they are to be involved in the business end of this year's championship.
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