KEVIN CASSIDY: Intelligence is what defines the elite performers

BEFORE I talk about anything this weekend, it’s only right of me to heap praise on the best broadcasting station out there.

I am of course talking about TG4 and I don’t think too many will argue with me after seeing their production last weekend.

I could of course be accused of being biased given the fact that I have worked for them for a number of years, but to say that they take the coverage of our games to a new level would be an understatement.

These lads are always looking to push the boundaries and the coverage they gave us across all the divisions last weekend was simply superb.

I am not sure how the how the whole GAA rights conversation pans out, but Croke Park would be doing themselves a massive favour if they got TG4 involved in the summer, because these lads are actually passionate about showing and showcasing the best of what our games has to offer.

On the pitch we had plenty of excitement to keep us going over Super Sunday as scores filtered through from across the land.

Division One was all over the shop with teams fluctuating every couple of minutes. I suppose, when you look at the division as a whole, Tyrone may feel the hardest done by. Despite their impressive performance against the Dubs, they still made the drop to Division Two.

We had a Division One that was ultra-competitive this year, with a record number of points needed to guarantee safety. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, any one of the five teams could have made the final.

After seven enthralling games, Derry and Tyrone will make the drop to Division Two with Kerry and Mayo now fighting it out this weekend for the title.

Last weekend, I made my way to Inniskeen to cover the Division Two game between Louth and Meath.

The first thing I have to say is that I really enjoyed the contest and indeed the venue. Going into the game, all the talk was about how many of Louth’s key players were missing. A lot of us thought Meath might have had too much but it actually was the other way about.

It has been mostly Division One games that I have attended and covered this season and the first thing that jumped out to me as the game got under way last Sunday was the gulf between both divisions.

Don’t get me wrong, the game between Louth and Meath was an exciting encounter but some of the mistakes made from both sides just would not happen in Division One.

Simple things, like taking the wrong option, kicking the ball away and turning the ball over. They just seemed to happen far too frequently.

When people look at inter-county players, they wonder what takes a player to the top. Being honest with you, a lot of it comes down to what is between your two ears.

What I mean by that is, in my opinion, what separates the best of the best from the rest is simply intelligence and the ability to make the right decision at the right time.

All inter-county players are developed in the same way now in terms of physique, their aerobic capacity and the like. The ones who reach the very top are those who just have that natural instinct in them of doing the right thing 99 per cent of the time.

I am sure the likes of Ger Brennan, Robbie Brennan and any other manager operating in Division Two have their teams well coached and well drilled. It’s one thing explaining to your players what they should do but it’s a totally different thing trusting them to do that in the heat of battle.

As the season progresses, I am going to make it my point to keep an eye on the Division Two teams to see how they progress during the summer months. Perhaps they may prove me wrong, but I just felt on Sunday that the gulf between both divisions is getting bigger.

This weekend, I will make my way back to the motherland to attend a gala fundraising event for Scotland GAA.

The event is being held in Celtic Park on Friday night and I must say that I’m really looking forward to occasion. The aim is to build a cultural centre in Glasgow, which will help strengthen not alone the GAA, but all cultural activities in the city. Like a lot of past players, I get invited to do a lot of dinner dances throughout the year.

It’s just not possible to do them all so a few years back I made the decision just to do one per year so when the chance to attend one at Celtic Park came up it was a no-brainer.

I hope the night goes really well for Scotland GAA and if anyone is in and around Glasgow come along and show your support. After the event on Friday night, I also might just have some spare time on Saturday to grab a few pints of Tennents.