The GAA headline writers at the moment seem pre-occupied with having 'a go' at some of our top stars. Brolly's comments on Cooper are all over the place. Since Sunday's game Connolly is fair game because of his black card. I think all true GAA supporters/followers have to face up to the question, 'is this the way to treat our top players'? Cooper was lucky in that he picked a lot of medals and awards along the way but, after years of unselfish service to club and county, he walks away with just the medals, the memories and maybe a legacy of pain from a variety of injuries. No big testimonials, the only pay off - a tribute on League final Sunday. This however was too much for Brolly - how dare people praise him when they should be looking for weaknesses in his game/character to criticise. It is mean and small-minded.
On Sunday three players saw black but the only one to draw public criticism is Connolly. Connolly and Keegan (the subject of constant vilification also) are among our top stars and deserving of the highest praise not alone for their contributions to their respective counties but also for their unfailing support of their clubs and the players they grew up with. Even when preparing for All-Ireland final days, Connolly could be spotted travelling all over the country to support his club in challenge games.
I have no doubt that Keegan had plenty of offers to join senior clubs in Mayo or elsewhere but he stayed with his club and helped them to All-Ireland success this year.
What do posters think - should we be lauding our top stars (despite some flaws) or should we take every opportunity to diminish them?

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 11/04/2017 12:38:37    1978324

Good post neverright
you may have to change your username
As that was spot on

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 11/04/2017 13:12:49    1978350

Short answer is No we shouldn't laud everyone regardless . Much better to have perspective which many keyboard warriors seem to lack . The reaction to Joe Brolly adding a caveat to his otherwise fulsome praise of Cooper is ridiculous and obviously agenda-ridden .

Finsceal (None) - Posts: 559 - 11/04/2017 13:46:05    1978375

Players turned pundits telling us how the game should be played sells newspapers and creates controversy .
What Brolly thinks of Cooper or any other player won't effect what we as viewers think.
We can make up our own minds in conjunction with what we have seen over the course of a players career.
Brollys opinion will hardly change that.
What I find very tereputic while watching a live game is to turn the sound on the TV down until throw in.
Then at half time turn it down again for 15 minutes and go and make a nice cup of tea..
There are lots of pundits on tv I didn't respect as a player so I dam sure I'm not going to listen to them now they making a few bob out of it..

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 11/04/2017 13:47:07    1978376

There is nothing wrong with criticizing a player in my opinion so long as it doesn't cross the line and become personal.

Ive seen Diarmuid Connolly labelled a scumbag and a thug, and for the sake of balance ive seen Lee Keegan labelled some awful stuff aswell.. That kind of thing isn't acceptable by any means and anybody who has ever labelled a player a scumbag or a thug are reprehensible. In my opinion. Ive seen Joe Brolly castigate Sean Cavanagh saying something like "you can forget about Sean Cavanagh as far as he's a man", That's personal, and that's unacceptable and in Brollys defence, he did apologize.

The question of the thread asks should our elite players be lauded or castigated. The answer is both are fair game once it doesn't cross that line where criticism becomes personal.

When you play sport at the highest level, you leave youself exposed to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people all over the world and people will form opinions on what they see. All our top players will know that. The wider the audience, the more people that tune in, the more opinions that will be shared of an incident. You can only form opinions on what you see.

Take Diarmuid Connolly, I've come on here before and I have lauded him as one of the best footballers in Ireland. One of the best to wear the Dublin jersey. He has made the game look so easy at times, scored some amazing scores, some important scores which we have all eulogized over, As a man, he is an absolute gent. I cant speak highly enough of him, However for all his talent which he has shown time and again, He is also open to criticism when he does some of the nonsense stuff that he did last weekend. He let himself and he let his teammates down and I don't think there is any harm whatsoever in saying as such, because its a fact. He can be the greatest player in Ireland in a game, and yet in the same game be a total and utter liability.

So long as an opinion is balanced and doesn't get personal there is no reason why you cant do both. That's sport and everyone has opinions.

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13650 - 11/04/2017 14:21:48    1978397

What do posters think - should we be lauding our top stars (despite some flaws) or should we take every opportunity to diminish them?

Why does it have to be one or the other?

I think people are totally overreacting to Brolly's comments on Cooper. He didn't call the fella useless or anything. He's entitled to his opinion the same as the rest of us. What I can't understand is why people pay so much heed to what pundits have to say. As someone else said mute the telly and make a cup of tea, watch the match and form your own opinion on it, who cares what anyone else thinks. I far rather coming on here and reading what some people have to say after matches than listen to anyone on telly be it RTE, Sky or TG4.

And yes Connolly might be a great club man and a brilliant footballer but he got 2 black cards in a week and lets be honest so I'd imagine that's why there's more attention on his black card than the other 2

Praise players when they deserve it surely but not just for the sake of it. Like praising a footballer cos he stays with his club and doesn't transfer to a senior club? Ridiculous. Surely that's what the GAA is all about and shouldn't be praised as if it's something out of the ordinary

turkeyplucker (UK) - Posts: 137 - 11/04/2017 14:26:04    1978400

Brolly, Spillane and O'Rourke are a lot like Giles, Brady and Dunphy. 3 lads who love telling us how great things were in the good old days. They don't get the social media thing. Can't understand how some current players want to build a profile to make a few quid and set themselves up for a career after hurling or football. Not like 20 years ago an intercounty player might get the use of a car for a year getting his photo taken at the dealership and plugging the dealers name on Twitter. Not saying it's all good either but it's a different generation to the days of Brolly, O'Rourke and Spillane.

We should absolutely laud them but it doesn't mean they're above criticism if they're not playing well or up to no good off the pitch. These are ambassadors for the GAA and the potential heroes for young kids who will start playing hurling or football.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7343 - 11/04/2017 14:29:54    1978402

A pundit might point out something on the Sunday game when he's had 5 hours viewing tapes and has statisticians telling him everything we need to know.
I'd love to hear their view without the benefit of stats and action replays. 2 mins after a game on the sideline stick a mike under their nose and let's see what they remember?
If we were all privy to the benefits the Sunday game pundits had we would all be know alls.

Awwwwnow (Cavan) - Posts: 1050 - 11/04/2017 15:01:32    1978424

Personal abuse towards any player is unacceptable but it happens and I am sure we have all heard comments at club games down the years.

The problem with the likes of Brolly is he changes his mind every week and has no structure to what he is saying. He keeps harping on about football dying and only 3/4 teams capable of winning Sam. He talk's about there being more to the GAA than the top few teams and has written about the club game and "lesser counties" yet every summer on the TV he jokes and mocks these team's.

Examples that I can think of:

2011 "There are no more pointless games from here on in....when Cork beat Mayo in the next game..." ;) - so every game is pointless until a semi final Joe?
2013 "Galway don't take football seriously anymore" "They have zero idea about the defensive game today" - Ironic what he said about them on Sunday.
2015 "Mayo should be banned from All Ireland finals"
2016: "Roscommon are useless"

Its a different thing us slagging each other in here in comparison to what he says at times.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11230 - 11/04/2017 15:28:39    1978446

Spoddgy (Mayo) - Posts: 660 - 11/04/2017 20:25:09    1978572

I think there is an arrogance and over inflated opinion in people believing because they pay into a game - albeit an amateur sport - that this exchange of money gives them the right to say what they like about a player, it doesn't. Expressing an opinion is fine, but all this mumbo-jumbo Evening Herald, Daily crap voodoo psychology around Connolly is farcical and pointless - Gavin will still play him tomorrow no matter what. Gooch is different, you have some media yokes in RTE determined to afford sainthood on the man when it is ridiculous. These are amateurs they are entitled to be left alone off the pitch irrespective of what they have done on it.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4896 - 11/04/2017 23:37:32    1978625

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 12/04/2017 10:39:38    1978721

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11230 - 12/04/2017 14:28:11    1978812

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 12/04/2017 16:30:05    1978859

Jedobi (Wexford) - Posts: 138 - 13/04/2017 01:37:05    1978977