GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail had a swipe at The Sunday Game during the week. The Cavan man called the flagship GAA show “tiresome,” “predictable,” and even added that it was possible that some remarks made by Sunday Game pundits could form the basis of charges of discrediting the Association.
So the question is, if teams can develop so-called ‘siege mentalities’ and use negative coverage to sharpen their appetites and motivations, can football punditry ‘units’ (sounds as good a word as any for a collection of them) do the same?
The question is posed because there was a notable ‘let’s get down to business’ air about Messrs Colm O’Rourke, Joe Brolly and Pat Spillane in the RTÉ studio pre-, during and post-All-Ireland semi-final clash of Dublin and Mayo.
Do they have a dressing room where they assemble pre-game? If so, it was not hard to imagine the lads limbering up, Michael Lyster goading the old warriors by telling them that the country thought them over the hill and that Senan Connell, Peter Canavan and the Sky lads were laughing at them.
And O’Rourke taking the hinges off the door as he marched towards his seat, a determined Brolly and Spillane, stone-jawed behind him.
The three of them are, unquestionably, excellent pundits, if they would only steer clear of, what can seem to be, unnecessary personal attacks, moaning and general negativity.
For instance, before the game, O’Rourke was giving Mayo a great chance and offered cogent and persuasive reasons why.
“I think that over the last few years they have shown they’re good enough for everybody but the big problem…is that they have given away goals at crucial times to all the top teams,” said the Meath man.
His colleagues, likewise, provided insightful, on-the-money analysis of the teams and some of the personnel such as Mayo’s Keith Higgins and Aidan O’Shea and Dublin’s Jack McCaffrey.
Spillane was keen to highlight what he perceived to be a difference in the approach of the Metropolitans this year.
When Lyster mentioned that some ex-Dublin players had said in the build up to the game that Dublin could “panic” when games went against them, the Kerry man, responded, quick as a flash.
“You allude to the media,” said Spillane. “This time last year, before they played Donegal in the semi-final, they were talking about five-in-a-row, six-in-a-row.
“This was supposed to be the greatest Dublin team of all time so, I think they believed the hype last year. This seems to be a very different build-up this year. The build up is completely focussed on Mayo.”
At half-time and with Dublin ahead, just before the return to the studio, there was a shot of the aforementioned GAA supremo with taoiseach Enda Kenny. The GAA president was partly covering his face with his hand. In fairness, the game had not been much of a spectacle.
O’Rourke could not resist the open goal and blasted his verbal ball to the back of the net.
“It’s a really poor game and I think it’s exemplified by that shot there with the Taoiseach and the president who’s covering his face. I don’t know whether he doesn’t want to watch the game or The Sunday Game,” he quipped, to mock embarrassment from Spillane.
With the game ending in a thrilling draw, after Mayo fought back like tigers from six points down, hopefully the rehabilitation of The Sunday Game will continue for Saturday’s replay.
