Must it always be so? One step forward and at least three back for the GAA. At last, whether the brainchild of Jarlath Burns or not, the All Ireland Hurling Final being shown on the ‘actual’ BBC. In other words, throughout the UK, not just in the six still notionally under that banner. To those of us who have long hoped for this day, the reactions of the new found hurling fans have been predictably brilliant.
“I’ve no idea what I’m watching, but it’s bloody awesome”.
“Can this hurling stuff be on our TV every week please?”
“I’m sitting here watching a game I’ve never seen before, have no idea what’s meant to happen in it, but just found myself hopping off the couch and cheering because a guy in a red jersey ran for what felt like miles with something like a cricket ball balanced on a stick that resembles a slash hook and then swept it into a big net like a move from curling”.
“It’s like hockey became entangled with horse polo and the players are dressed as if ready for the moon landing. More please”.
They get it. But do we really appreciate the majesty of this gem we get to call our own? As in, do we truly realise the privilege we possess in being able to call the greatest field sport in the world our own? Because, as the often objectionable Donal Og Cusack rightly pointed out, what we now have is a microwave championship. Ready in a hurry, great quality while you’re digesting it, but you’ll always end up still feeling hungry for more.
Never as long as my rear is pointing Down Under can I accept the split season. It’s designed for the elites and only suits them. Yes, I get what people are saying about being able to book holidays and the likes, but that hardly needs to be a concern for the GAA.
Even if you are a fan or defender of the truncated twaddle, you can surely see it only works to the betterment of the already elite. At both club and county level. For example, if you’re in a county where you know you’re likely to get a run fairly deep into the championship, or even more so at club level, of course then the split season makes sense.
However, from the perspective of the many rather than the few, the split season throws up the possibility of months of nothing. The only ones that are guaranteed to benefit from the split season are travel agents and air lines. Though in fairness, whatever about ones misgivings in relation to the dastardly ‘new normal’, it certainly hasn’t led to a diminishment in the quality of output on display.
Mind you, with Clare and Cork involved, that was never going to be an issue. Just cast your mind back to the last Mac Carthy Cup showdown which ebbed and flowed like the tides until corner back Domhnaill O’Donovan proved the unlikeliest of heroes for those who were then Davy Fitzgerald’s charges. His raker of a point from out under the Cusack Stand earning the saffron and blue a Saturday evening replay.
As for the aforementioned Act II, you need merely think of it as The Shane O’Donnell Final. The mercurial Eire Og, Ennis clubman almost single handedly quenching the Rebel uprising by producing one of the greatest individual performances ever seen in any game in the old field, never mind the most important game played in GAA HQ every year.
Fast forward 11 years to Sunday last and the parallels are uncanny. Again O’Donnell danced like Flatley with the hallowed sod his stage. Once more, his hurl the wand by which the magic dust was spread. Akin to the late Tommy Cooper – just like that!
Mesmeric and all O’Donnell’s contributions again were, however, in a positive sense, 2024 can and must only be regarded as the Tony Kelly Final. Albeit with a joint bequeathing of the Best Supporting Actor gong to Cork’s Rob Downey and Diarmuid Ryan of Clare. Honourable mention also to Mark Coleman.
Now, anathema though it might seem, with Pat Ryan’s side entering the tie as outliers, presumably imperative among their thoughts will have been to get away to a quick start. On that score, the could scarcely have asked for better. Shane Barrett, Tim O’Mahony, Seamie Harnedy and Pat Horgan all posting fine points before Rob Downey created and executed a goal of such quality that the only score to possibly stand up to comparison with it was Ciaran Carey’s wonder point against Clare in 1996.
All of which left the red and white on top by 1-08 to 0-03. With regard to what was likely to happen next, that actually left a viewer conflicted. Either those from D’Banks were going to stride on and end their title famine in fine style, or their opponents would eventually rouse themselves to life and begin to work their way back into the game.
Thankfully for the throngs of us fortunate enough to be able to witness 90 minutes of awesomeness, it was the latter. Aidan McCarthy, one of the many understated heroes on Lohan’s team, eventually got them on the board anf shortly thereafter netted as the masses began to clear their throats for the Banner Roar.
By that stage, Tony Kelly hadn’t scored, but, a la Lionel Messi in his pomp, resembled somebody on zip line, darting around the place like a tennis player and pinging passes about with the arrow like accuracy of Phil Taylor. Thus enabling Diarmuid Ryan, David Fitzgerald, Mark Rodgers, David Reidy and O’Donnell post the scores which – almost incredibly – sent the sides in deadlocked with 35 minutes of their season remaining. Or so we thought.
Harnedy pointing immediately after the restart – he should have done so twice – left you wondering were the Rebels roar about to kick on again. And they did give as good as they got throughout the second half of what turned out to be normal time. That they ultimately came up short was through no fault of their own, for several reasons.
Firstly and most pointedly, because Tony Kelly had one of those days when all the king’s horses and all the king’s men wouldn’t have been able to rein him in. Tribute was rightly paid to the late, great Micheal O’Muircheartaigh prior to throw in on Sunday last, but, in seeing the incomparable T. K. sculpt the finest piece of hurling artistry ever seen on the sacred sod, for a few seconds, frozen in time, thoughts hovered over another departed doyen of the commentary box, Jimmy Magee.
World Cup, 1986, Mexico. Diego Arnondo Maradonna vs. England. “Different class”. Not only could the Louth man’s iconic piece of commentary have fitted the brilliant Ballyea man’s latest act of wizardry perfectly, the similarities between Kelly’s (latest) crowning moment and Maradonna’s moment of genius were eerily numerous.
T. K. slaloming in like an Olympic skiier before producing an even more exquisite forehand than that produced by Eoin Cody against Clare in the semi final. Unfortunately however, the stench of officiating errors may end up overshadowing the aroma of greatness wafting from a truly astonishing sporting occasion.
Whether that be David McInerney hauling an opponent down in a manner which could and should have been a black card and a penalty (has that dictum ever been deployed since its ‘introduction’?) or Harnedy being denied a stone wall ’65’ or Clare’s Conor Leen getting away with a jersey pull so blatantly obvious Stevie Wonder could have seen it.
For clarity, in each of the three cited cases, fault for same is not solely being deposited on the shoulders of referee Johnny Murphy. Though his handling of the last play of the match was impossible to countenance. If he seen the jersey pull – I reckon they did in space – and put forward a self defence that he was applying the advantage rule, why, then, did he not go back and award the free once it was clear there was no advantage accruing.
However, it’s there I believe the rest of his team of officials let the Limerick whistler down badly. Martin Brehony’s assertion that one referee cannot be expected to control the modern game is completely understandable, but, how none of the goal umpires at the Railway End or the line umpires could see Robbie O’Flynn’s jersey being pulled half way across the old railway line defies logic.
That said, if I were on Leen’s team or in his position or in any way connected to same, instinct would have been to do the same thing or hope that whomever it was from our side at the coalface would do the same thing. Anyone saying they wouldn’t is kidding themselves. If you’re caught, you’re caught, but for God’s sake don’t just stand there and give the opponent a free shot. Then again, the free awarded to Cork’s Tommy O’Connell which brought the tie to extra time was of the melted chocolate variety. But that still doesn’t excuse the pair of gargantuan gaffes which ended up costing the eventually vanquished so dearly.
We can but hope that venerated Cork servants such as Harnedy, Horgan and the surprisingly unused Conor Lehane are willing to mount the horse again in 2025 as none of them deserve to bow out in such a fashion.