SUNDAY was what I consider a dry run for the typical ‘Summer Sunday’. Me and the wee man went to underage training, raced down to the Athletic Grounds to watch Armagh play and tripped across to Burren, Co Down to watch a club match, arriving back home exhausted at 9pm.
For 10 hours we survived on cups of tea, ham sandwiches, an apple and a few chocolate bars... for my son.
I recall wise words Stephen Kernan once told me about how he balanced his guilt associated with eating multiple chocolate bars and maintaining good nutritional habits during training season.
He would buy two small bars instead of one large one. This way he got the repeated pleasure without the excessive calories. Anyone who knew Stephen at that time would have known he was only fooling himself. Nowadays, he’s a health freak and would retch at the mere mention of Cadbury. By bedtime I had answered my 600th questions on Gaelic football, interspersed with comparisons of our county stars and WWE wrestlers – a ‘sport’ of which I am, happily, totally ignorant.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. The big talking point of our day centred on the Armagh versus Tipperary game.
It was a crucial game as both counties were playing for promotion and a place in the Division Three final. The atmosphere in the crowd and the swagger on the field was pointing towards a home victory.
But it was a bizarre experience, a strangely exciting, on the edge-of-your-seat experience more often associated with club games than county.
Armagh could have won by 10 points yet lost by one. Their forwards looked really good, yet never troubled the opposing goalmouth.
Tipperary seemed a shadow of last season’s team who were defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final by Mayo. They were the underdogs, the team who appeared to have travelled more in hope than in expectation.
“How did we lose that game, Daddy?”
“How could he [Michael Quinlivan] have scored from there, not once, not twice but three times?”
And so the questions flowed. A few key memories remain. Firstly, I must congratulate Ciaran McKeever on giving an exhibition of aggressive, deep defensive sweeping for the final 20 minutes of the game.
He came off the bench to mop up umpteen break balls, dispossessed player after player and set up attack after attack from deep in defence.
Towards the end of the game my only thought was that gone are the days when good forwards win games.
Ciaran was convincing me that it is a defender’s world and the MVP in the modern game is definitely the defender.
I’m not sure why this surprises me. Since Donegal won the All-Ireland in 2012 under Jim McGuinness, the Vodafone Footballer of the Year was awarded to a defender on four out of five occasions.
The only exception was Michael Darragh McAuley – a midfielder – in 2013. Prior to then, 12 out of 17 accolades were given to star forwards.
The star forward is being squeezed. His role is surely to score, but more importance appears to be placed on first line defence, on tracking back, on playing the system.
The attacker’s natural flair is being extinguished to my utter horror.
Until now. Step forward Michael Quinlivan. He is a huge man, a graceful footballer, filled with composure and poise, a current Allstar footballer.
The most exciting footballer in the Premier County since the days of the elusive Declan Browne.
Following Sunday’s performance, I rank him as the most dangerous forward in Ireland and the GAA’s most valuable footballer.
He is as strong in the air as Kieran Donaghy, his movement is as refined as the ‘Gooch’ Cooper’s, and he is as lethal in front of goals as Peter ‘The Great’ Canavan. Charlie Vernon is no small boy yet he was out-muscled. This man needs to be seen to be believed.
Yes, my own county were beaten in a game they should have won and I, like the many supporters, was mystified at a few questionable refereeing decisions, coupled with a few instances of poor shot selection. But when the dust settled,
I became overwhelmed with excitement at the notion that there remains room within our game for the great forwards to shine.
Ciaran McKeever went on to do a job, and he executed it brilliantly. But not even Giant Haystacks, of Mayo descent, could have blocked Michael Quinlivan’s path to goal five minutes into injury-time.
Joe Brolly talks about how our game has become boring. He is right. Dominant defences are effective and necessary, but they are uninspiring. Quinlivan is allowed to play to his strengths and he excites.
Tipperary’s style of play has been rewarded with promotion up to Division Two. I would be worried about their ability to survive in that division, but for now they can rightly celebrate.
Armagh remain in Division Three which is disappointing but not unexpected after the poor start to the League. They can take a lot of positives from their displays and can use the next nine weeks to build on their progress for what is an eagerly-awaited clash with our old rivals Down.
Me and my wee man will be on the road again on the fourth of June. And with the holy season of Lent out of the way, the delicious Jammy Dodger will be our faithful travelling companion.
