IT'S almost time to bring the curtain down on 2016 and I’ve just completed a full year as an Irish News columnist.
I’m a year older, but not any wiser. For my final piece of the year, I’ve decided to delve a bit deeper into the different sporting codes in a year which has seen the emergence of plenty of stars and stunning achievements, while some of our most loved sports stars have departed this earth...
A LEGEND DEPARTS
In October, we had the sudden passing of Anthony Foley as his Munster team were preparing to play Racing Metro in Paris. As I mentioned at the time, I had never met Foley in person, but he was someone I admired hugely, for two main reasons.
Firstly, I loved the way he carried himself on the field of play. He was ferociously competitive, a real deep thinker and a true leader to all those around him.
I can’t imagine he would have been the greatest man at talking in a dressing room, but he didn’t need to be because he always led the way with his actions.
Secondly, I couldn’t help but admire the way he dealt with setbacks. He was dropped from the squad for the Heineken Cup final in what would have been his last ever game for his beloved Munster, yet he continued to inspire those who did play.
And then, when Munster brought in a director of rugby above him as head coach at the beginning of this season, Foley took it on the chin and stuck to the plan that was best for Munster rugby.
His humility is a great example to us all - we all like to think we can’t be done without, or believe that years of service and graft give us an entitlement to more than we deserve.
Yet, Foley’s greatest strength was being able to detach himself from his personal feelings and show the ability to move forward with a clear vision of the group’s best interests.
To see Foley’s players stand arm-in-arm with his two sons, singing Munster’s anthem Stand Up and Fight in the middle of Thomand Park following their annihilation of Glasgow only a day after his burial, is one of the most moving images I’ve ever seen in my life.
His players paid him the ultimate tribute by showing they’ll continue to take care of both his province and his family.
Picture by AP Ireland's Gary (right) and Paul O'Donovan celebrate winning silver in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls final at The Lagoa Stadium on the seventh day of the Rio Olympic Games
Picture by AP
HEROES EMERGE
My knowledge of rowing stretches as far as being able to turn on the rowing machine in our club gym and knowing that a solid session can leave you in bits for a prolonged period.
Rowing has been widely touted as the toughest Olympic sport in the toll it takes on your body. I know from my limited experience that any maximum effort, whether it is over 500 or 5000 metres, can leave you feeling like you’ll never recover. So it is safe to say the performances of the O’Donovan brothers, Gary and Paul, at the Olympics in Rio have left a lasting mark.
The Cork men are extremely talented and driven sportsmen who came within a whisker of a gold medal, but their good nature and happy-go-lucky approach only added to the nation’s interest in them.
Seeing them struggle to stand up after getting out of their boat, being sick during a television interview and yet still having the wit to crack a one-liners was a breath of fresh air.
They were a huge success story to emerge from the Olympics and look like being true Irish sporting stars for years to come.
WHERE WERE YOU MOMENT
We’d all seen scintillating start from Ireland against the All Blacks before, but history meant that no matter how big the lead got, the nagging feeling that New Zealand would find a way to win wouldn’t go away.
The sight of wave after wave of ferocious All Blacks attacks throughout the second half didn’t help the nerves, but this Irish side had learned from the heartbreak of the Aviva Stadium in 2013, and they wouldn’t be caught again.
Ireland had 12 players facing the All Blacks for the first time but reputation meant nothing as they carried out their instructions to perfection, with Robbie Henshaw’s late try capping off an amazing display of skill, bravery and self belief.
The fact Ireland beat all three southern hemisphere giants in the one calendar year speaks volumes of the strength of rugby in this country at present.
Picture by Colm O'Reilly Dublin's Diarmuid O'Connor and Mayo's Lee Keegan battle it out during September's All-Ireland football final at Croke Park
Picture by Colm O'Reilly
THE BATTLE
Much has been made of the running battle between Diarmuid Connolly and Lee Keegan over the past three years, most of which has been negative.
For me, however, their clashes have been enthralling. In my opinion, you have the best all-round defender in the country coming up against the best all-round forward.
Both men possess everything you need to thrive in modern Gaelic football. They are game-changers in their own right, and are supremely skillful, powerful and athletic and extremely driven. Yes, they have got involved in stuff they probably shouldn’t have, but some of that is down to the pressure they are under given their importance to their respective teams.
Connolly and Keegan know that winning their duel will go a long way to making sure their team succeed, so it’s inevitable things will boil over at times.
Connolly gave me one of the toughest hours I ever endured during the 2007 All-Ireland club semi-final. His ability to shoot effortlessly off either foot made him a nightmare to mark and the scary part is that he was only showing glimpses of his true potential at that stage.
That makes Keegan’s achievements of outscoring him over the past three years even more remarkable. Keegan is the greatest half-back I have seen and was a deserving Footballer of the Year this term.
Both men’s ability to perform the basics of our game at breakneck pace under intense pressure is a true example of the skill levels our top players have.
To cap it off, both Connolly and Keegan led their clubs, St Vincent’s and Westport, to provincial glory in December to show that they give as much to their clubs as they do to their counties.
