MOSTLY HURLING:Are Offaly that good or is it that Galway aren't actually as good as we thought in April?
RTÉ's excellent documentary One weekend in Septemberwas on our televisions screens after Christmas, taking us behind the scenes on the morning of the All-Ireland football final last September.
It was mid-morning on the day of the big game and the head chef in corporate Croke Park was checking with his team to make sure that all was well in the culinary build-up. There was beef or salmon (what else?) on the corporate menu.
“How is that meat cooked?” asked the boss of one of his commis. “Medium rare.”
“Don’t you know that the GAA don’t do medium rare, put it back in for another while,” came the reply in double-quick time.
Although meant in jest, there was a certain resonance about the phrase “The GAA don’t do medium rare”.
Did that metaphor represent the 21st century sporting organisation that unites every parish in the country? Are we still thought of, by those outside of enlightenment, as a group of citizens, stuck in the past, who practice tribal warfare at every given opportunity? Are we all brainwashed into becoming followers, participants, players and mentors of an organisation that hasn’t moved with the times?
If you think so, it’s time you came out of the kitchen and sought enlightenment. Join the ranks of the converted and become a follower. We’ll start by introducing you to Anthony De Mello’s manuscript aptly named Awareness. It’s hoped you will find, within, the mental skills to become aware, and set about discovering the establishment known as the GAA, also sometimes disparagingly known as “the Ga” to those outside the fold.
Take a look around and see all the club and county jerseys worn on all the beaches this summer. Go to your local GAA club shop and buy your colours. Have your kids or grandkids sign up for the Cúl camps where they’ll spend a week honing their football and hurling skills during the holidays .They’ll also get the camp’s jersey.
If you want to attend the next big game coming to a venue near you, then just go online and buy your ticket on Ticketmaster . Or first visit the GAA’s excellent website to see what’s on. Not bad for a crowd that don’t do medium rare.
Take a look at the players doing their pre- match warm-up on The Sunday Gameif you don't make it to the match. Looks quite complicated doesn't it? Not bad for a gang of amateurs. If there was any way you could get a look at their pre-match food, I'd say you'd be quite surprised . . . skinless chicken, pasta, yoghurts, etc, not to mind finding out the Spartan way their lives are lived for most of the year. Discipline is paramount. This season the players have edged another step into the present century by accepting the red card, when they transgress, without argument. This is a major move in the right direction.
Have you taken the tour of Croke Park or seen the fantastic grounds all around the country?
Have you been to Mallow, Nemo Rangers or Clonakilty and seen their five-star facilities?
Yes, the GAA is doing medium rare now, usually with a warm goats cheese starter and often complemented by a sommelier-chosen, bottle of a Barolo fine wine from the Piedmont region.
Are Galway the contenders we believed them to be back in April? The headlines after the league final have been tempered quite a bit since. The opening championship game against Wexford left us surmising this was a pipe-opener and there was a little rustiness.
Now, after two games against Offaly, there are further questions. Are Offaly that good or is it that Galway aren’t actually as good as we thought in April?”
But, then again, Galway/Kilkenny games seem to operate on a different level. Galway have beaten Kilkenny when least expected. Will they do it on Sunday? Well the experience of the past two weekends should stand to them. What better preparation for a Leinster final? They should certainly have a fair idea of what their best forward combination is.
Playing Damian Hayes at full forward worked the last day. It mightn’t the next time. The key for Galway is probably isolating Joe Canning as near to the goal as possible. Galway also have to play their biggest, most physical XV. The biggest worry for John McIntyre is his back line is prone to lapses – as evident in the two games against Offaly.
The venue will suit Kilkenny. At this stage we are not at all sure Galway are contenders. The grittiness of their play in the final quarter of their league game against Kilkenny might, psychologically, set them up for a result the bookies don’t expect. A good performance on Sunday will restoke the western fire and rekindle the dormant hope. A surprise is not ruled out even though the surprise would be more welcome in early August.
What about the other pretender to the throne this weekend? This is a really important weekend for Tipperary hurlers. Suspension, loss of form and injury are some of the concerns Liam Sheedy has to contend with as he tries to put the best XV on the field for Saturday’s game. Wexford, without Diarmuid Lyng, are a much-diminished team and will struggle to cope with Tipp’s expected renaissance.
