‘Selfless: having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish’.
AS MUCH as I try to avoid the use of definitions to get my point across, I can’t resist the need to use a word which highlights a quality which many lack.
It may seem harsh – and it probably is – but to illustrate this I will revert to a memory of mine which epitomises a sporting act of selflessness. In September 1994, Down played Dublin in the All-Ireland final in their own back yard. Forget about tradition, luck or weather conditions.
Halfway through the first half, Mickey Linden broke away on his own and had the opportunity to grab a goal for himself. Yet Linden looked up, slowed down and waited until James McCartan and he were side-by-side. Between them, they took Dublin goalkeeper John O’Leary out of the equation, leaving McCartan with the simple task of running the ball into the net. That act of selflessness by Linden won Down the All-Ireland that year.
Over the last decade, Dublin could and should have won at least five All-Irelands, but the habit of individuals opting for their own score has cost them Championships.
Alan and Bernard Brogan, Michael Darragh Macauley and Barry Cahill have all been guilty of shooting when it was easier to pass it to a team-mate in a better position.
Tyrone will be kicking themselves this week for the very same reasons. All it took was one more pass on a number of occasions. This selfless act may not have won the individual any Allstars or even a mention in the press, but who cares when an All-Ireland medal is tucked away in their hip pocket?
Some people still remember selfless acts. Any county can claim to have evidence of that.
In 2002, Paul McGrane’s flick to Oisín McConville was selfless, considering he could have caught the ball, turned and shot himself. In 2003, Conor Gormley’s block on Stevie McDonnell ensured that Tyrone climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand for the first time. They were selfless acts which barely get a mention at the time, but won matches and titles.
There are few players who are naturally selfless, like Francie Bellew, who was happy just to do his job. A forward is naturally selfish.
I couldn’t tell you the amount of players I have played with and against who preferred the ‘Hollywood’ pass or shot, which has a 10 per cent chance of success, rather than doing the simple thing well. ‘Stick to Porridge’ is a saying which is familiar to some folk. What this means is stick to the things you are good at.
If you have done the hard work, dispossessed the opposition, broke a tackle, ran 20 yards, why not square the ball? These are match and title-winning decisions.
Tyrone can rightly feel aggrieved with some refereeing decisions in the loss to Kerry last Sunday, but I actually think Maurice Deegan performed reasonably well, aside from the black and yellow card confusion, while the second penalty claim was a penalty. But it is pretty obvious that Deegan, either consciously or
sub-consciously, was on the look-out for an example of a dive and in any other week, there is no chance a yellow would have been dished out, even if he deemed it not to be a foul.
Regardless, Tyrone had enough chances to win the game. Niall Morgan is a top-class goalkeeper, but he had a poor day at the office on Sunday and his performances have been erratic this term. Against Tipperary in the Qualifiers, he hooked nearly every free-kick wide. Granted, he kicked a beauty again in the first half on Sunday, but all of his frees in the middle sector, the easier chances, were hooked to the right.
At what point does the senior player on the field say enough is enough and take the decision out of the keeper’s hands? You have to be ruthless, even if it upsets one of your team-mates. You could see the other players’ frustration when, with time almost up, Morgan went for a point instead of lobbing the ball into the square.
These are decisions which cost matches and titles. The kick-outs are another matter altogether. Morgan will want to know why there weren’t more options for him to hit out the field, or why the players perhaps didn’t work hard enough to make themselves available, yet those players will query the accuracy of the kicks. Somewhere in the middle, the fault lies.
Tyrone paid dearly in the course of the game as a whole, whereas Kerry only paid the price of the same problem in the first 10 minutes of the game, when Tyrone could have easily been further ahead.
Overall, though, it was an experience Tyrone can build on. They went toe-to-toe with the champions and could have won the game. That is a foundation you can build on and there is no better man than Mickey Harte to lead this new team. Harte will want to win a fourth All-Ireland and he may then retire in the knowledge that he is one of the best managers the game has ever produced.
WHAT a match we have in store this weekend. The only problem is that we are nearing the end of the summer.
I saw enough from Mayo in their win over Donegal to believe they can upset the Dubs.
Mayo are everyone’s second favourite team and they will want to finally exorcise their demons and everything thing else as well in 2015.
A GREAT deal of Down fans will be wondering what to make of last week’s debacle.
The general consensus is that things are a mess. Who would want to be the manager, particularly now?
Tony McEntee and Gareth O’Neill are unlikely to go for the job again.
Pete McGrath is a man in demand but, on the basis of this year, Fermanagh have more potential than Down and McGrath is so well thought of in his adopted county that it’s unlikely that he will want to leave unfinished business.
I wouldn’t rule out James McCartan making a return, or indeed Brian McIver or Paddy Tally being involved in some capacity.
Séamus McEnaney did so much of Monaghan’s ground work, that has now borne fruit and he certainly has the man-management skills and passion to lead Down.
The greatest uncertainty concerns the individuals making these decisions. I can only assume that this is the Down fans’ biggest concern and one which no-one can truly predict.
