No secret has ever been made of the fact that there is full cognisance in this seat of the privileged position one has been in for many years to be closer to the action across a variety of sports than many have the opportunity to be.
Thus sometimes stories that make headlines on a broader scale might actually land in this direction a bit ahead of time. Though that which will be the basis of what you will read hereafter has long been in the public domain because the person who was at the butt of it put it there themselves.
Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, there existed a rivalry between Meath and Derry which often skirted close to explosive. The odd thing being that the chippiness almost entirely revolved around National League matches. The sides only met once in Championship fare during those years – in the 1987 All Ireland SFC semi final – and our lads were fairly comfortable winners.
However, in terms of NFL encounters, the Oak Leaf County hold the highly unlikely distinction of having never been beaten by a Sean Boylan-managed side in the so-called secondary competition. Though there were plenty of our lads had to and were will able to fight their corners when the red and white would’ve been wound up by narky managers like Eamonn Coleman and Brian Mullins. Lord rest them both.
On one occasion. only the genius of Sean Boylan’s personal cameraman, Michael Flanagan, saved Ollie Murphy from what would have been a miscarriage of justice of gross proportions after the match referee on the day had cited the Carnaross clubman – hardly ever booked in his life – for “Headbutting”.
Even though another Derry player had shoved Murphy from behind into the CHEST of his own man – as a result of which our fella ended up with a busted nose. Then, there was the occasion on which Mick Curley of Galway put Graham Geraghty off in the drawn League Final of 2000. On the say-so of that horrible little weasel Paddy Russell.
Now, Curley, in fairness to him, the best referee of that era. had only ‘done’ Graham for two yellow cards, but Russell ended up getting an eight week suspension imposed on the great man for telling him exactly what he was “A f*****g w****r!!
However, besides all of the above, the tale from yore which has been most in mind lately occurred at some stage well into Sean’s tenure when the kiss blowing corner forward from Dungiven decided to try and restyle Cormac Sullivan’s hair having chipped the big man for an admittedly cheeky goal. Whereupon the bashful barrister received a mouthful of Colm Coyle’s fist.
Presumably understandably miffed at Coyler deciding to be judge, jury and executioner, Joseph proceeded to motion to his then manager Brian Mullins for a miscarriage of justice. He was, though, chided by the giant Dub to the effect of “He was dead right, you f*****g deserved it”!
Moral of the story being that Mr Brolly is in no position to sneer at or make fun of anybody. Which makes his mealy-mouthed, ignorant sneering of Mayo in the wake of their semi final demolition of Louth all the more abhorrant.
What’s more, it’s not as if his own county have exactly been pulling up trees in the recent past. But then, you reap what you sow. They did, after all, defenestrate with the services of an individual who was neither charged with or convicted of anything. Yet the Association at the very highest level appear to have blacklisted the individual in question for reasons which sit on shakey ground at best.
Anyway, enough about Brolly’s bleating brouhaha. I genuinely believe Andy Moran’s men may well smash the glass ceiling and, to paraphrase a song from I think The Doors, break on through to the Promised Land!
And if they do, would it be too much to ask for Croke Park stewards not to be so straight laced and let them invade the hallowed turf. Lord knows if it does come to pass, the green and red masses have surely earned that much!
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