The modern GAA world is a strange, confusing, often upsetting place. As this is being written, it’s July 12th and already, as far as can be calculated, close to if not exactly a half dozen inter county managers have vacated their posts. Yet another consequence of the hideous abomination that is the split season. County… Read More Surprise and disappointment likely to greet Graham’s going
For some reason which has never quite been figured out, this corner has always had something of a hidden soft spot for the Cavan Senior Football team. The nearest to an explanation which can be arrived at is that – for a while – during my school years, our jerseys were blue and white replicas… Read More Cavan are the template others must follow – SIDELINE CUTS (26)
Westmeath… 2-14 Cavan… 1-13 There have been numerous examples in GAA of matches being turned on their head by moments of greatness. Anyone who has been kind enough to frequent this space for long enough will know my favourite exhibits of same. There is another one, mind you, which never got the acclaim it deserved.… Read More History repeated as Lake County claim landmark win
Somewhere recently, Meath’s defeat of Donegal in the NFL quarter final of 1990 came up in conversation. Brian McEniff’s men had been kicking our lads around Breffni Park – in more ways than one – all day before two late goals from David Beggy set the Royals on a collision course with arch nemesis of… Read More Fear of the unknown without foundation
My mind often fluctuates in thought regarding how Meath’s greatest ever team – that at their zenith between 1986 and 1991 – would fair out in the Gaelic football of today. Part of me thinks they wouldn’t last jig time owing to a combination of snowflakes having the game sanitised to a point of no… Read More Seeing too much of yourself in others
O’Donovan Rossa from Cork against the great Eire Og team representing Carlow is the first All Ireland Club SFC Final this corner can remember. If the memory box serves me correctly, the hurling final that day was between Galway side Sarsfields and Dunloy Cuchulainns from Antrim. That football final in particular is now recalled with… Read More One day a year dreaming of living somewhere else
It will be a case of familiarity prompting caution when Meath take on either Longford or Carlow in their opening joust of the 2021 Leinster SFC. The road map for a return to the playing fields became a modicum clearer this week with the staggered roll out of the Championship draws in both football and… Read More Meath face familiar foes as ‘normal’ appears on the horizon
There was much conjecture surrounding the ‘debate’ involving Pat Gilroy and Andy McEntee thrown onto The Sunday Game in a scatter-gun manner at the end of last year. To call it a debate, though, would be to deploy it with the utmost linguistic licence. What it actually amounted to was a party political broadcast on… Read More A way forward based on continuity
How often has it been mentioned here previously that there are good footballers and hurlers in every county in Ireland. But that some of them never get the exposure or praise their talents merit. Simply because of the jersey on their backs. Let’s take hurling for a minute. If Jack Fagan hadn’t transferred from Meath… Read More Dublin’s eight year streak leaves it harsh on Cavan
“The grass it is green around Ballyjamesduff, and the blue skies are over it all”. “Come Back Paddy Reilly” Observe the above excerpt from the lovely old song. Picture it. Take it in. Maybe the grass has been knocked for hay or silage. The blue skies over it all, helping it on its journey to… Read More Cavan deliver on their potential and give hope to the masses