Never is, I think, one of those trick words put into the English language that none of us like using but not doing so is quite literally impossible. To put a degree of context on the rest of what will appear, many moons ago, it would have been said in this corner that there were certain sports I could never see myself watching.
At the time, American Football, Baseball and Cricket would’ve been the headline acts on any such black list. Fast forward to now, and only the centre of the trio remains ostracised. Long may it continue to do so. Though my mantra has always been, if something makes a particular discipline more relatable or even understandable for me I’ll give it a go!
In the case of American Football, Rugby League was the reference point. Reason being that, in both codes, teams may only hold possession before literally booting it back to their opponents.
Though ironically, apart from the point after a Touchdown – see a conversion in either code of rugby for reference – the only other kicking of the ball in the sport is the surrender of possession.
To make affairs of the gridiron even more bizarre, there are what are known as – I kid you not – Special Teams. Whose sole purpose is to enter the field of play when the pigskin needs to be lashed.
The Punter – who does exactly what it says on the tin – when the ball needs conveying back to the other end of the field. A punt kick a la Gaelic football whereafter the punter trots off the pitch until their services are required again.
For the play after a Touchdown – a kick for a extra point – the methodology is even more convoluted and ridiculous. It takes three of them to execute the point after the six pointer. One to effect the snap – think scrum half offloading to their No. 10 – one the hold the ball, and the place kicker… Well, their job description hardly needs any further elaboration. Why one player couldn’t do both is a bit of a mystery, but then, it is Americans you’re dealing with!
Now, mention has been made numerous times on this site of the GAA importing particles from other sports towards the betterment of their own. Increasingly however, the same is applicable the other way around as well.
We’ve seen players – male and female – forego promising or even decorated GAA careers and submit to the lure of sports ran professionally like soccer and rugby and Australian Rules Football. In the past week or so, however, it emerged that there’s now another potential suitor in the market.
While it must be said that the attraction to Gaelic footballers for an American Football franchise is fairly obvious, it is slightly surprising that two of those invited for trials, Rory Beggan of Monaghan and Wicklow’s Mark Jackson, surely have hit the fuel light warning stage of their careers. I’m not sure where Down man Charlie Smith is on his career path.
Perhaps it’s just as well up and coming stars like Noah Byrne of Dublin, Kerry’s William Shine or any of the Galway and Derry sides which contested the All Ireland MFC this year didn’t catch their preying eyes.
The GAA needs every tool it can get to sell the worth of playing our National games to younger players. Already recently we’ve seen Cork U-20 hurler Ben O’Connor and Galway Minor footballer Tomas Farthing, the aforementioned Byrne and his Dublin colleague Paddy Currie being recruited on foot of there aptitude with the oval ball.
There was a time I would have said something will have to be done to stop the IRFU and the AFL from pilfering the best young GAA talent but in actual fact what needs to happen is the latter named Association needs to collectively get the finger out and start looking after players – ALL players – properly.
It is for that reason that all branches of CLG are 100% correct to be fulsome in their praise of JP McManus, his wife Noreen and their family after the greatest Irishman of them all donated €1M to EVERY County Board in the country. That’s €32M towards the development and promotion of our National games. Yet, as sure as the seagulls follow the trawler, the whining begrudgers have been out bleating about tax havens and ‘dodging’ tax and other such bullshit. Excuse the flowery language but that dung does my head in.
To the permanently offended I would simply say (a) at least some of the taxes paid in this country could be done away with at this stage and (b) do some research. JP McManus provides more employment and does more for the Irish economy than all those who knock and complain about him put together. We are blessed to be able to call him our own.
Fág freagra