Madam, - I am a great fan of Tom Humphries but I disagree with his assessment of the quality of last Sunday's All-Ireland Final (Sport, September 29th).
I was enthralled from start to finish by this game. Football All-Irelands are not won by teams playing exhibition football - that is for the All-Stars. Remember the finals of 1971, 1980, 1983, 1987 and 1988. If someone were to say that those games were classics, I would beg to differ.
There was no team from Ulster contesting any of those matches. The Dubs came in for particular derision in 1983. As a Dub, I did not care; the result was what mattered. Would Mr Humphries have preferred us to give Sam back and promise that the Dubs would never look crooked at any opponent again?
Tyrone are a fantastic team. I believe their tactics in the semi-final and final this year were a product of what happened in 1986, 1995 and 1996. Now they have found their Holy Grail I look forward to pure, open football from them next year. The pressure is off now.
I hope the rest of the country will stop moaning and start trying to figure out a way to match the most exciting team in Gaelic Football since Dublin in the 1970s and Kerry in the 1970s and 1980s.
Congratulations to a team who worked hard for so long, never gave up - and in the end got what they deserved. They are an example to us all. - Yours, etc.,
DONAL GRIFFIN, Donadea, Naas, Co Kildare.
Madam, - In recent weeks we have seen the real difference between the great game of hurling and Gaelic football. Cork's semi-final hurling victory and the Kilkenny-Galway minor final were marvellous games, played in a wonderful spirit with great skills from all sides.
The football semi-finals were hard-fought. The final was the best game of rugby I have seen for many years. The rucks and mauls were a delight, the taking-out of players off the ball was a sight to behold, and man-marking got a whole new meaning.
The only thing that spoiled this breakthrough in Jones's Road was the incessant forward passing. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN HENDERSON, Dublin 18.