“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me" - Aretha Franklin
OUTSIDE of the action, this will be the year that will be remembered for the appearance of the word 'sledging' and how, even though it has always been there in some form or other, it seems to be more prolific as it has become more cynical and personal.
Respect is an all too rare commodity in the world we live in today and unfortunately in sport and in our own great Association it is a word that sometimes has also lost its very important standing.
We have witnessed the shambolic treatment of both the Down senior and minor managers in the last few weeks which unfortunately is now an all too common situation when county boards end a person's tenure in charge or in Jim McCorry’s case try to influence the vote and just fail, or as was reported by Ross Carr, that he received notification via teletext that his services were no longer required in the Mourne hotseat just a few years ago.
I am certainly not having a dig at the Down County Board as I have yet to meet a manager who was happy to be told that his reign is over and the papers are filled with disgruntled county managers every week as to the manner in which they were let go.
It seems to me that so much time and conscious effort goes in to appointing these men to the helm in a most professional manner with interviews and strategic planning that county boards need to look at how they run their affairs and their structure in relinquishing their role so that they can leave or walk away with a modicum of dignity and respect and more importantly with some recognition of their hard work, sacrifice and commitment to the counties cause.
County management can be rewarding and carries with it a high profile however their departure from the job should not leave people disillusioned or bitter with people and the game that they have revered and served for so many years.
Broadcasters and pundits also must also toe the line in the respect stakes as they have significant power in the game at the minute due to its increasingly high standing in the media.
We saw how RTE landed Jim McCorry in difficulty with Down supporters when some lazy reporting when they made it seem that Jim was not concerned with the championship exit as the league was their main priority but in essence this very nearly cost him his role as county manager.
We also saw at the weekend that Joe Brolly fired another shot across the boughs at Armagh county referee Paudi Hughes about the penalty incident in the Munster final.
I like watching Joe on the TV and I find his analysis at times streets ahead of anything out in the media domain and his delivery is both entertaining and compelling although that said I wouldn’t want him or anyone like him in my classroom or my role would be totally redundant.
Everyone including Paudi at this stage knows that the incident in the Munster final didn’t warrant a penalty and even weeks later Joe continues to personalise his criticism with his main problem being that Paudi shouldn’t be getting a game two weeks later after such a high profile mistake.
I find this quite ironic because if RTE employed the same rationale then we would have to do without Joe on the TV after his much publicised mistake when he made inappropriate remarks about a fellow broadcaster.
Referees like managers and players deserve respect. Like everyone else they will make mistakes and whether you agree with Joe's sentiments or not they have to be curtailed as these are just men who err like the rest of us and have to go to work on a Monday morning unless of course you are a teacher during July and August.
It seems a lack of respect is just not something common to the male domain in the GAA as the Camogie association have landed themselves in what can only be described as the most shambolic situation ever where the All-Ireland championship quarter-final opponents of Wexford will be decided by the toss of a coin between Clare and Dublin.
How can any major sporting organisation show such disdain and disregard for the sacrifice and commitment for both these teams? Their year’s work and future in the competition will be decided not on ability but on the drawing of lots which is a totally unacceptable means of deciding the fate of any team in any serious sporting code.
One man who continues to command the respect of everyone associated with GAA football is the wee maestro from Down Pete McGrath who has defied all the odds by guiding Fermanagh to an All-Ireland quarter final after another ground breaking success against Westmeath last weekend.
The journey in all likelihood will end on Sunday but don’t let that take away from his and Fermanagh’s achievements to date as they have been superb and should soak up the deserved plaudits for as long as they can and if the 'Gooch' or Bernard Brogan had have scored the goal we witnessed from Thomas Corrigan then they would be eulogised for years to come; but a genuine well done to all involved in the Fermanagh camp.
I also fully expect Tyrone to take their place in the other quarter final as I fancy them to dispatch of Sligo who were obliterated by Mayo in the Connacht decider were the wounds of that defeat will still be so raw that when Micky Hartes men apply the pressure then memories of their collapse will still be palpable. Tyrone by five or six.
The other Qualifier game will be much tighter and a lot will depend on Donegal's mental fortitude after their failure to land another ulster title against Monaghan.
Talking to a few Donegal men during the week, the word is that Murphy and Lacey were not fit during the Ulster final but they will need all their star men performing if they are to beat a Galway team that ran Mayo close and had eye catching performances in beating both Armagh and Derry.
Donegal will have worked on their shooting since the Ulster final and should they account for less wides then I think they will win with two points to spare over a tenacious Galway team managed by Kevin Walsh.
Few would have accounted for Cork’s totally inept display against a Kildare side that struggled to defeat Offaly earlier in the qualifiers and whilst their displays have improved dramatically its hard to see anything other than a victory for the Kingdom.
Good luck also to Derry minors who take on Longford at the weekend and like everyone in the GAA family my thoughts and prayers are with the Devlin family in Ballinderry.
