It's been a bad week for North-South relations, fraught at the best of times, in Gaelic football.
Southern purists reckoned they had all their prejudices about Tyrone football confirmed by the manner in which their victory against Monaghan was sealed. While the disgusted reaction down South confirmed to Tyrone supporters that the southern media had it in for them.
The Tiernan McCann business has driven most of the rage.
In contrast to many other examples of Gaelic football 'simulation', of which we have published but a few here, McCann was hit with a landmark eight week ban, not for diving, but for the hard to pin down offence of 'discrediting the association.
Evidently, previous dives have not discredited the association in quite the same way.
Back in the late 1990s (1998 to be precise) Clare emerged as unquestionably the most hated team in hurling. It marked quite a turnaround from three years earlier when they were the most loved team in hurling. The whole country was charmed by their journey from perennial losers to All-Ireland champions in 1995.
A second title followed in 1997, the underdog status was discarded, and the team (and manager) acquired a reputation for truculence and physicality. Neutrals began to tire of the Clare revolution very quickly.
Anthony Daly recalls the impression hardening in Clare that the aristocrats of hurling wanted them to 'go back to the traditional music'. And soon.
Peter Canavan's article in the Independent yesterday has a similar feel.
He recalls the 'widespread neutral support' that accompanied Tyrone as they overcome many previous disappointments (1986, 1995, 1996 semi-final) to lift the All-Ireland in 2003 - though he omits that many were turned off by the style of play that day as well.
Canavan claims that following the repeat victories against Kerry in 2005 and 2008, parts of the media have deliberately sought to 'undermine' Tyrone.
But as sure as night follows day, jealousy follows success.
Since then a certain section of the media has tried to undermine the county and key individuals within the county. Mickey Harte, Tyrone's figurehead, was the obvious target.
Further gripes include the 'personal abuse' of Sean Cavanagh following the 2013 quarter-final (Brolly wasn't mentioned) and the hostile reaction to his performance last Saturday, which Canavan labelled 'one of his greatest displays in a Tyrone jersey'.
Intriguingly, he manages to address Colm O'Rourke's claims about 'a smell' following Tyrone around, without referring to the 'tactics' of the Meath team of the late 80s. A remarkable feat of diplomacy, which most Tyrone supporters this week were unable to emulate.
Canavan's article puts forward the notion that the current noise about Tyrone is down to hostility from the southern media establishment and has little to do with Tyrone's play.
Is he right?
