Some
Things Never Change
January 2008. Here we are - the New Year at last! The excesses
of Christmas and the festive season well and truly behind
us and before us the blank canvas that is 2008.
Just what that canvas will portray for us at the end of the
year no-one knows, but if we were able to complete that canvas
now it would be filled with all the beautiful colours of joy,
love and success. |
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County
players are not the enemy
Without a doubt the GPA strike is the most emotive issue to
hit the GAA since Rule 42. I’m sure that may followers
up until recently perceived the idea of players withdrawing
the services as pie in the sky. The result of the postal ballot
on strike action left everyone crystal clear on how serious
the players feel on this issue. |
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Alternative
All Stars
It’s that time of the year again. The All Star selection
never fails to stir debate among supporters. My alternative
All Stars for 2007 will feature those players that did not
make the first 15 in the GAA All Stars selection. |
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Kerry
are my choice
The football showpiece of the year has thrown up a unique
pairing. The 2007 all Munster All-Ireland final promises to
be an action packed occasion and not one for the faint hearted.
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The
quest for Liam
With the build up to the All-Ireland hurling final well and
truly underway the excitement and hysteria will reach even
higher levels in Kilkenny and Limerick as the big day approached |
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Three
major retirements
July 2007 will be forever remembered by GAA folk throughout
the Yeats County and indeed further afield as the time Sligo
finally stepped out of the shadows. Thirty two years of trying
appeared to be wiped out in an instant. |
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Visiting
the provinces
With July upon us the quest for the Sam Maguire intensifies.
Provincial honours are up for grabs but is it a benefit or
a hindrance to carry the tag of Provincial Champions into
the Quarter Finals? In recent years the eventual All Ireland
winners fell at this stage, only to bounce back with a sting
in their tail. Despite the fact that many are questioning
the merits of a provincial title it will not detract from
the colour and atmosphere at these games. |
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A
crumbling empire?
The most important aspect that came out of Congress in April
this year was not any of the decisions taken by the policy
makers of the GAA but the comments made by Peter Quinn prior
to the gathering in Kilkenny. It was no co-incidence that
Quinn’s opinions were made known days before Congress. |
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You
can't Cross the Armagh club
All-Ireland titles are not meant to come easily but for Crossmaglen
Rangers this appears to be the case. Whenever they came out
of Ulster, an air of predictability surrounded them, suggesting
their retention of the Andy Merrigan cup was imminent. |
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Remembering
where we came from
With the month of March upon us the GAA supporter has much
to look forward to in the weeks ahead. Granted, what happens
in March may not prove to be as hectic or as historic as the
events that unfolded in February. We have experienced enough
ground breaking developments in those few weeks to do us for
quite some time. With the first floodlit GAA match in Croke
Park followed by the first rugby international at the same
venue, an avalanche of media coverage fell upon the GAA. Both
occasions lived up to all expectations. |
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The
pre-season club meeting
For the vast majority of club players throughout the country,
the beginning of February usually signifies the starting point
of a new season. The first night back normally takes the form
of a meeting with players and management in the parish hall
or club pavilion. |
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Playing
with fire
With 2007 upon us the football fanatics up here in Tyrone
will not be sad to see the back of 2006. It will not go
down as one of the county's most memorable years. It all
began with a barrage of negative publicity (the league game
against Dublin in the Battle of Omagh) and concluded in
a similar fashion with the media outburst surrounding the
treatment of injured players Brian McGuigan and Conor Gormley.
The
furore over the physicality hides our skill deficit
“Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It
is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard
for all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence;
in other words it is war minus the shooting” - George
Orwell
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There
is only one Micko
Long live the king - long live Micko. To those that dared
to suggest that Mayo's victory over Laois would be the final
chapter in the Mick O'Dwyer story – how foolish you are!
Not only has Micko returned with a bang but his timing was
surreal. |
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Kerry
by a whisker
Ten years ago Mayo entered the All-Ireland final in a very
positive frame of mind. Back then they had quality players
and were more than capable of beating a young Meath side.
2006 is no different - Mayo will be preparing for this final
knowing that if they play to full potential then a first All-Ireland
title in 51 years will be theirs. But the big question remains
– can Mayo produce it on the big day? |
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Ulster
takes a breather
Twelve months is a long time in sport. This time last year
Ulster was perceived as the dominant force in the world of
gaelic football. |
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A
new face in the top three?
As the race for the title of the All-Ireland football champions
begins to gain pace, the time is just right to take a progress
check on the main contenders. In recent years when referring
to the main contender's people spoke of the 'Big 3' - Tyrone,
Armagh and Kerry |
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Change
is needed
Rarely does the Ulster championship pass without throwing
up a major surprise along the way. So far 2006 has continued
the trend with the defeat of the All-Ireland champions in
the first round. But was this result such a shock? Under Paddy
Crozier we saw a reformed Derry team. |
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An
eventful month
If January and February were eventful months in the GAA calendar,
then March didn't disappoint either. Not only did March throw
up plenty of action on the field of play but it also provided
much scope for debate as well. |
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A
Tale of two teams and one city - Liverpool
Congratulations to DCU and Waterford IT on the achievement
of winning the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups respectively.
After all the controversy surrounding DCU concerning the eligibility
of a number of their star players, they still retained their
focus to win the much coveted Sigerson. |
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Punishments
need to be in line with actions
Tyrone V Dublin on the 5th February was to be the glamour
tie of Round One Ð Leinster champions v All Ireland champions.
It certainly made the headlines all right but for all the
wrong reasons. |
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Progressiveness
shouldn't end with Croke Park
The sight last month of FAI's John Delaney, GAA's Sean Kelly
and the IRFU's Philip Browne coming together to announce that
the GAA was opening its doors for rugby and soccer internationals
in 2007 was truly amazing. |
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A
look back under the sun
The Sunset Grande Hotel, Jamaica – there is no better
time or place to be sitting down and reflecting on a hectic
2005. At the time of writing the Tyrone squad are currently
relaxing here on this exotic Caribbean island, basking in
the glory of All Ireland success- a just reward for our efforts
over a long but successful championship campaign. |
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The
International Rules Series is worth saving
As 2005 draws to a close, GAA enthusiasts can reflect on what
has been an action packed year. When the debate surrounding
on-pitch tussles and controversial suspensions was exhausted,
the Disputes Resolution Authority became the subject of much
comment. |
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The
long and winding road
Sunday 25th September 2005 will live long in the memory of
Tyrone players and supporters alike. To win a second All Ireland
in the space of three years is very special and extremely
satisfying. |
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Close
encounters for the third time
After failing to defeat Armagh on two previous occasions this
summer, Tyrone fans travelled to Croke Park in their thousands
seeking a reversal in fortunes. In both the Ulster final and
the replay I felt Tyrone were marginally the better team and
played the better football. It was Armagh however that played
the football at the crucial stages – they finished strongly
in both games resulting in their annexing the Anglo Celt cup. |
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The
Dubs bring the memories back
The feeling of exhilaration I experienced when I ran out onto
Croke Park for my first senior All-Ireland final in 1995 will
stay with me forever. The noise was deafening and the atmosphere
electric. Ten years on and with Croke Park looking even more
splendid it was great to feel the same buzz again when running
out to meet the Dubs in the All-Ireland quarter final. |
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Armagh
deserve great credit
“It goes without saying that the role of the referee
is paramount in deciding the outcome of many important games”. |
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Referees
need more help
For many in this small country the appearance of U2 in Croke
Park will prove to be the highlight of the year. However,
the weekend preceding the sell-out concert will be viewed
with much more significance by those counties still competing
in the Bank of Ireland Football Championship. |
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The
White Heat of championship football
With summer upon us the Bank of Ireland football championship
is certainly beginning to heat up. As I write a number of
inter-county managers will be making plans to manoeuvre their
way through the ‘back door' route. Since the inception
of the qualifier system the number of dissenting voices has
been on the decline with the vast majority of players and
managers relieved that they will have a second chance to redeem
themselves. |
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Rule
42
It was with great interest that I followed the intriguing
debate on Rule 42 in the weeks preceding Congress. In many
ways it was similar to the furore surrounding the removal
of Rule 21 (the ban on the RUC playing our game) in that the
final outcome was close with the Ulster counties being the
chief resistors to change. |
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Marsden
was a class act both on and off the field
“This magnificent player probably first came to our attention
in the 1992 Ulster minor semi-final at Casement Park. He played
centre half back on a classy Armagh team that really should
have won that year's All-Ireland final. |
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Rule
changes don't add up
Do we really need to change the rules of gaelic football as
well as hurling? This is the question that many gaels throughout
the country have been asking themselves these past few months.
Are our games really in such dire straits? My own opinion
is that the rules as they stood were not the problem but it
was the inconsistency in implementing them that was giving
the cause for concern. |
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A
memorable trip to Hong Kong
What a backdrop against which to pen my first article for
Hogan Stand - seated as I am in the plush surroundings of
the Excelsior Hotel overlooking the Causeway Bay in Hong Kong.
With the realisation that everyone at home has been well updated
on our tour, I will recap on the 2005 All Star trip from a
player's perspective. |
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