They Said It ....

August 2005

"It's disgraceful. Lads are trying to get opponents sent off all the time. It a horrible tactic that's being borrowed from soccer. I played in some fairly tough games against Dublin in my days with Meath but I never saw a player feign injury. Where is all the manliness gone?"
Carlow manager Liam Hayes states his dismay at the current trend of players trying to get their opponents sent off

ÒDavy FitzÕ, Lynch, McMahon, the two Lohans. Those fellas will never drop the head. I think they were written off too soon earlier in the year. We saw it out there today in blistering heat how they could last.Ó
Anthony Daly praises the spirit of his most experienced players after Waterford had been beaten in the All-Ireland qualifiers

ÒThere was an element of complacency last year. It is hard to keep focussed and we took a good long hard look at ourselves in the winter. We are very self critical. You should always look at yourself before you look at anyone else.Ó
Armagh trainer John McCloskey reveals the type of soul searching that goes on in Armagh during a winter

“We have to live with that, we probably had one hand on the cup and they took it from us but you have to respect Armagh, it's never over until the final whistle and they're masters at it.”
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte speaks in the aftermath of the draw Ulster final when his side blew a four point lead with 90 second of normal time remaining

“He impressed me as an underage player in Kerry and I can't understand how he wasn't held in the Kerry panel because he has an unbelievable engine. He's a very good footballer and showed a lot of form for UCD in the Dublin championship.”
Laois manager Mick O’Dwyer is mystified how young Billy Sheehan, who now plays with the O’Moore County, was let slip through the Kerry net

“I haven't got the time or the energy and I feel a new man coming in may be able to get that extra bit out of them. They are a good set of lads and good footballers but they just have to take that extra step if they want to be successful.”
Brian McEniff reveals his reasons for standing down as Donegal manager

“Late starts to finals are not in the best interest particularly for our patrons. Personally I would prefer the 3.30pm start and a delayed transmission of the second match. It is something I will be looking for when the present contract with RTE comes up for renewal.”
Munster Council Chairman Sean Fogarty feels that the late start for provincial finals in order to accommodate a double header on TV only leads to more alcohol related incidents at games.

“You should put the names into the hat and take your chance. If you have to play them, you’ll have to play them again.”
Sean Kelly hits back at criticism that counties who have already met in the championship should be kept apart in the hurling quarter-final draw